Solstice at Stonewylde

by Kit Berry

  She tipped her head back and gazed up at him adoringly, wanting nothing more than to bear his children.

  ‘Anyway, I’ll be back at about four o’clock to collect Sylvie. Make sure she’s ready for me and wrapped up warmly in that new cloak, won’t you?’

  He patted her swollen belly and stood up, stretching. He paused to smile at her, then left purposefully.

  But when he returned later he found Miranda white and trembling with fear.

  ‘What’s happened?’ he asked, gripping her shoulders to make her look at him.

  ‘She’s not in her room.’

  ‘Where is she then? In the bathroom?’

  ‘No. Magus, she’s … she’s gone.’

  ‘GONE? What do you mean, gone?’

  ‘She’s not in her room.’

  ‘You’ve already said that! Where is she?’

  ‘I don’t know!’

  She burst into tears, screwing her eyes up like a child and crying pitifully. With a rough shake Magus released her shoulders, making her stumble, and strode past her into Sylvie’s bedroom. He let out a roar of rage just as Clip came into the sitting room, wanting to check Sylvie would be warm enough up at Mooncliffe.

  ‘What’s going on?’ he asked, glancing nervously towards the open door of Sylvie’s room. ‘What’s happened?’

  Miranda stood in the sitting room sobbing into her hands, her red hair falling over her face. Clip stared at her, his face suddenly white as if he’d seen something from the grave. Magus marched furiously back into the room, his face dark as thunder.

  ‘I’ll tell you what’s happened! This stupid bloody woman has let Sylvie escape! WHERE IS SHE?’

  ‘I don’t know, Magus!’ she sobbed. ‘I’d tell you if I knew. I thought she was asleep but she was playing a trick. I’m so sorry.’

  ‘You will be! The one thing I ask you to do – the only thing I want from you – is to look after that girl. And you’re too bloody stupid to even manage that!’

  His deep voice was frighteningly loud and his face almost purple as the blood pumped to his head. Miranda was terrified.

  ‘Come on, Sol …’ said Clip in a conciliatory tone, but Magus turned on him angrily, lips quivering with rage.

  ‘Keep out of it, you drugged-up, useless bastard! This is your fault too – I thought you’d got Sylvie back under control again!’

  He turned back to Miranda and advanced on her, his head lowered belligerently.

  ‘When exactly did you last see her?’

  As Magus stepped forward menacingly she stepped away from him, backing towards the sofa.

  ‘I … I don’t know for sure. I think … maybe about half past two? But …’

  ‘What do you mean you don’t know for sure?’ he roared. ‘Think! THINK! I need to know exactly! I need to work out how much time she’s had to get away and where she could be now. THINK!’

  ‘I don’t know!’ she sobbed. ‘I thought she was in there but …’

  ‘You stupid bitch! Stop bloody snivelling and answer me properly!’

  Miranda had backed away until her legs were against the sofa and she could go no further. He towered over her aggressively, his breathing heavy, hands clenching with fury. Staring at her blotchy, distraught face he suddenly snapped completely. With a snarl he took another step forward, his hand raised as if he’d strike her, and she fell back onto the sofa in an ungainly heap, curling up to protect the baby. Magus glared down as if he’d like to throttle her, his chest heaving and his face utterly remorseless.

  ‘Have you any idea what you’ve done this afternoon?’ he raged. ‘Of the consequences of your stupidity and ineptitude? No, I don’t suppose so. You’re too busy fawning all over me and gushing on about your bloody pregnancy. I told you how vital it was that I took Sylvie to Mooncliffe tonight – I’ve stressed it again and again. And you’ve failed to do the one simple thing I want from you …’

  He turned away from her, his hands shaking with fury, his mouth a thin white line.

  ‘I can’t bear the sight of you!’ he hissed. ‘I tell you, Miranda, if you weren’t pregnant …’

  ‘But you love me!’ she cried. ‘You said I was special to you. You said only this afternoon that you wanted more children with me.’

  He turned back to her and laughed harshly at this.

  ‘Love you? Special?’ His voice dropped to venomous calm. ‘There’s only one reason for making you pregnant and keeping you at Stonewylde. Think about it, Miranda – work it out. Goddess, how someone as dreary as you ever gave birth to a girl as magical as Sylvie is beyond me.’

  She shrivelled into herself at his cruelty, shrinking from the vitriol of his vicious tongue.

  ‘Please, Magus!’ she sobbed, her voice high and strangled with tears. ‘Please don’t do this to me. I love you!’

  His face twisted into a sneer of contempt and he laughed again. His eyes were black diamonds, glittering hard and cold.

  ‘You love me? Of course you do! You and every other woman I take. But you’re the only one fool enough to imagine I love them in return. Why on earth would I love you?’

  She stared up at him and finally understood. In that beat of a second, something inside Miranda quietly died and she bowed her head.

  ‘You’ve gone too far this time, Sol!’ cried Clip. He’d stood aghast as his brother destroyed the poor woman’s dreams, but now he stepped forward, his thin face pinched with shock. ‘Get out of here and leave her alone!’

  ‘With pleasure!’ spat Magus. ‘I want nothing more to do with her. You’re welcome to her, not that an impotent fool like you is of any use to a woman!’

  He lashed them both with a look of scornful disgust and turned on his heel, storming out of the room and almost smashing the door from its hinges. Clip shut the door properly behind him and went to comfort Miranda. She was so distressed that she even allowed Clip to bathe her swollen eyes and hold her gently while she cried as if her world had ended.

  Magus raced to the stables and bellowed at Tom to saddle Nightwing. While he stood impatiently, kicking at the cobbles in the stable yard, Magus yanked the radio from his pocket. Tom and the other stable lads heard him yelling at Jackdaw.

  ‘She’s bloody gone missing! She’s not with you at Mooncliffe? No, I thought not. It’s that little shit Yul – he must’ve taken her somewhere! If you see him, kill him! I mean it, Jack, forget what I said yesterday, just kill him! What? The reception’s bloody useless on this damn thing! No, I’m riding up to the stone on the hill to look for them. You hurry down and look round the Village, and try his cottage. See if his bloody mother knows where they are and keep me informed.’

  He thrust the gadget back in his pocket and yelled at Tom.

  ‘Come on, man! Get a bloody move on!’

  He snatched the reins from the ostler and leapt up into the saddle. Nightwing rolled his eyes and reared at the rough handling, and Magus pulled viciously on the reins, shouting abuse until he got the stallion under control. He grabbed the whip from Tom’s outstretched hand and slashing at his horse’s flank, clattered out of the yard.

  Tom quickly saddled another horse and called to the stable boys to hurry down to the Village behind him.

  ‘Where are you going, sir?’ called one of the boys, scared by the frightening turn of events. None of them had ever seen Magus like this before.

  ‘To Maizie’s cottage – I don’t want that brute Jackdaw turning up and terrorizing the poor woman. One of you lads take a horse quick and go and find Edward. Bring him to the Village too – there’s going to be trouble tonight.’

  He rode out of the stables and the boys ran after him.

  The light was almost gone as Magus reached Hare Stone. Sylvie wasn’t there and he roared his pure white-hot fury to the cloudy sky. Nightwing reared again, maddened by his ill treatment. His delicate mouth had been cut by Magus’ aggressive handling and his flank slashed again and again by the whip. But Magus was a superb horseman and managed to keep his seat, curbing Nightw
ing with brutal skill. Wheeling him around, he kicked the stallion down towards the Village, cursing everything that lived and breathed as he went.

  The scene in Yul’s cottage was ugly. Jackdaw stood in the parlour with Maizie before him, her chin raised and defiance in her eye, whilst Tom stood beside her protectively. All six children were crowded into the kitchen where she’d pushed them, frightened for their safety. The scene was reminiscent of something from Alwyn’s reign of terror.

  ‘I tell you again, I have no idea where my son is and I’d never tell you if I did!’ Maizie said, voice trembling and cheeks burning scarlet. ‘How dare you come into my home like this?’

  ‘Magus’ orders,’ replied Jackdaw, cracking his knuckles. ‘Look, woman, I need to know where the boy is and I’ll find out, one way or another. You’d do well to tell me now and save yourself a lot of grief.’

  ‘Get out and leave her alone!’ said Tom angrily. ‘You were banished from Stonewylde for murder and you can’t come back and order folk about! Who do you think you are?’

  Jackdaw laughed at this, a harsh and mirthless bark. His blue eyes were alight with excitement; this was what he enjoyed most.

  ‘Shut up, you old git! One more word out of you and I’ll rupture your kidneys. What are you doing here anyway? You should be up at the stables knee-deep in horse shit, not chatting up lonely widows, you dirty old bugger. Now listen, darlin’, I’ll ask you for the last time—’

  ‘I know where they might be!’ cried Rosie from the kitchen, pushing herself forward.

  ‘No, Rosie!’

  ‘I think they’ve gone down to the beach!’

  Jackdaw pulled her out of the kitchen and looked down into her pretty face, as flushed as her mother’s.

  ‘A little sister! Yeah, you’re very like him. So what makes you think they’ve gone down there? You better not be lying, girl!’

  She shrugged, shaking her dark curls from her eyes exactly as Yul did.

  ‘I heard our Yul tell another Village boy he were going to the beach later on with his sweetheart. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and I’m not sure, but ‘tis where courting couples go at the Moon Fullness sometimes to the caves down there, to be private like.’

  She simpered and Jackdaw stared at her, his ugly face furrowed with concentration. Perspiration beaded his bald head and trickled down his pierced face. The room was rank with the stench of his excited sweat.

  ‘Yeah, I remember them caves. But why are you helping me when your mother ain’t?’

  ‘Oh, I’m not helping you,’ said Rosie guilelessly, flicking her curls back and wriggling her shoulders. ‘I want to help Magus.’

  Jackdaw barked with laughter at this and chucked her under the chin with a dirty finger, leering into her face.

  ‘And I’m sure he’ll be grateful, you little peach,’ he said.

  At that moment Magus burst into the cottage. He took in the scene quickly and shouted at Jackdaw to get down to the beach and check the caves.

  ‘Right, you! Up to Mooncliffe!’ he yelled, grabbing Rosie by the arm and pulling her towards the door.

  ‘WHY?’ screamed Maizie. ‘What are you doing? Leave my daughter alone!’

  ‘I’m testing the whole lot of you stupid bloody Villagers! There must be a girl who gets moongazy at the Moon Fullness and I’ll find out who it is tonight. That rock is going to be charged up by somebody, whatever happens. You, Tom, knock on every door and get all the girls in the Village to go up there immediately. Every single one! There’s no time to waste – the moon’s rising right now! Punishment tomorrow for any family who refuses to obey me. MOVE!’

  Yul was trying to ignore the muffled cries coming from behind him. The Owl Moon must be rising for Sylvie was frantic, squirming around on the nest of leaves, unable to stand, unable to cry out. It was pitiful to hear and he put his hands over his ears to block out the noise. It was quite dark but he was scared to light the lantern in case Magus or Jackdaw were out looking for them. He wished he could silence her completely, but the gag was as tight as it could be tied and there was nothing more he could do. The sounds of distress went on and on and in the end he stood up and walked away, unable to free her and unable to bear it any longer. All around the owls hooted and called amongst the trees, eerie in the deepening darkness.

  Up at Mooncliffe Magus stood tall by the great moon rock, his arms folded and face grim as he surveyed the crowded cliff top. Girls of all ages were gathered together with their anxious families looking on. Everyone was scared, not used to being shouted at, herded like cattle and ordered about like dogs. Many of the girls were crying as Jackdaw lifted them one by one onto the moon rock and left them standing there, while Magus looked for any sign of the jerking and shuddering that affected Sylvie. It was dark, as clouds obscured the sky and the full moon, but Jackdaw had rigged up a powerful lantern using his car battery. The effect was a harsh spotlight on each poor child as she stood alone and scared on the rock.

  ‘Alright, when you’ve been tested, go back home!’ shouted Magus, getting more irate by the minute at the lack of results. ‘Come on, get a move on. Next!’

  There was a background of angry muttering, and one comment rose above the general unrest.

  ‘What about the Hallfolk girls? Why is it only the Village girls?’

  ‘Good point,’ said Magus loudly. He took out the radio and got through to Martin at the Hall, ordering every girl there to be sent up straight away in whatever means of transport was available, time being of the essence. This silenced the Villagers’ muttering for a while but made the sounds of children crying even more obvious.

  Then a little girl of about five years old was wrenched from her mother’s arms by Jackdaw and swung up onto the rock. She cried and cried, shaking with terror and cold. Magus watched intently as she stood sobbing her heart out, her shawl slipping from her shoulders. Her mother stepped forward, trying to reach her, but Jackdaw yanked at her arm to stop her.

  ‘Let me take her down, please,’ begged the woman, her heart breaking at the sound of her little girl crying so pitifully. ‘She’s terrified and I can’t bear it!’

  ‘Get back,’ growled Jackdaw. ‘Magus ain’t finished with her yet.’

  ‘I can’t decide if she’s just shaking from crying or really shaking properly. She’s probably too young to be moongazy anyway,’ muttered Magus. He glared around at the crowd in exasperation. ‘Sacred Mother, I wish they’d all stop this bloody bawling!’

  ‘Shall I shut her up?’ asked Jackdaw.

  ‘NO! Don’t you touch her!’ the mother screamed, trying to push past him. Casually, without even thinking what he was doing, Jackdaw grabbed the woman by the throat and held her at arm’s length. She started to choke and there was a furious roar from the crowd.

  A black crow came out of nowhere, flying into the bright spotlight in a flurry of feathers and flapping. The crow launched itself straight at Jackdaw’s face. He released the woman, who scrambled up onto the rock and scooped her little girl to safety. Jackdaw hit out frantically at the crow just as he’d done at Samhain in the Stone Labyrinth, trying to thump it away from his face. The crow attacked again and again, pecking and clawing, stabbing with its vicious beak. Its raucous cries of attack mingled with the man’s oaths and yells.

  Then Jackdaw screamed, long and piercing, and doubled over clutching at his eye. Dark blood trickled between his fingers. The crowd shrank back in horror as the man stumbled about in the harsh spotlight, screaming in agony. Still the crow attacked, pecking and tearing at Jackdaw’s hands. He fell to his knees and the crow landed on his head, its claws digging in to the shiny skin that covered his skull. The sharp beak stabbed down repeatedly, slashing at Jackdaw’s wounded eye. Magus stepped forward, as horrified as the Villagers at the terrible sight. He grabbed one of the stone eggs and tried to bludgeon the crow with it. The crow cawed loudly and Jackdaw jerked round at the sound. In that split second the egg came down with a heavy thud, not on the crow but on the back of his bald
skull.

  Jackdaw cried out, a low howl of anguish. Completely disorientated, he clambered to his feet again. With the bird latched onto his head he staggered about, maddened and clumsy with pain. Thick blood oozed from the messy eye socket. He screamed and stumbled, thrashing about madly, and then all seemed to happen in slow motion. He tripped and started to fall and the crow spread its great wings and took off. Jackdaw slowly toppled over backwards, his arms flailing wildly. His bald head cracked down full force on the edge of the great white moon rock and split open as easily as eggshell.

  *

  Yul approached the tree cage with trepidation. Sylvie was silent, or so he’d thought, but as he got nearer he heard her little mewing sounds of misery. He could see nothing in the darkness.

  ‘Sylvie!’ he said softly. ‘Sylvie, it’s me. I’m going to light the lantern now. It’ll seem very bright at first so close your eyes.’

  In the soft light of the flame he saw she was still curled at an awkward angle and must be in pain with her hands bound tightly to her body and the gag tied hard around her mouth. She wasn’t covered by the cloak and trembled violently, her eyes looking up at him in desperation and begging for release. Her distress was terrible to witness.

  Fumbling with guilty haste Yul untied the thick rope that fastened the cage. He reached in to help her out but she couldn’t move; she’d been lying awkwardly for so long that her legs were numb. He half climbed into the cage himself, squeezing through the gap, and untied the tight knot of the gag. Her mouth was white and unmoving and she could only stare up at him in mute misery. Yul was almost crying, wondering how he could’ve gone off and left her at her most desperate time. He had great trouble unbinding the rope round her torso but once it was free, with her wrists still bound together, he pulled her half upright and dragged her through the narrow gap and out of the cage. He carefully stood her upright but she crumpled at his feet, her legs unable to take her weight.

  Yul felt worse than ever before. Last month at the moongazing he’d watched Magus put her through hours of suffering and this month he’d done exactly the same thing. He’d never forgive himself for this. He pulled the beautiful scarlet cloak out of the cage and tried to wrap it around her as she lay motionless on the earth. Then he knelt over her, fumbling at the bindings around her wrists, wondering why he’d tied her so very tightly. Eventually the hemp rope unravelled to reveal her wrists, swollen and bruised. Her arms were damaged right up to the elbows and her hands were very cold and white. He scooped her up and sat down with his back against the tree cage, gathering her into his lap. Wrapping the cloak around her as she curled into him, desperate for warmth, he held her in his arms, rocking her gently, chafing her hands and kissing her head. His tears fell silently into her silver hair.