Shaman of Stonewylde

by Kit Berry

  ‘Well this has made my day!’ beamed Maizie at the sight of Sylvie and the girls returning to the cottage with not only Leveret, but also Yul in tow. ‘What a turn up! Lucky there’s a big beef pie in the oven for supper. I can do some extra potatoes, and—’

  ‘I hope it’s alright, Mother Maizie, but I’ve invited Rufus too,’ said Sylvie. ‘Yul’s tethered Skydancer down by the orchards where there’s still some grass, and Rufus is getting him some water. He’ll be along soon – is that okay?’

  ‘Course ’tis!’ laughed Maizie, bustling back into the kitchen. ‘More folks, more jokes, I always say. Do you all want tea, or a drop o’ cider to celebrate this lovely family get-together? I got a nice little barrel in the pantry. Leveret, can you sort that out for me, my love?’

  The little cottage was full and Maizie was in her element. Rufus returned shyly from the orchard, where he’d given Skydancer a bucket of water and made sure the stallion was comfortable. He was so honoured that Yul had entrusted him with this chore. When he’d seen his older brother approaching earlier, he’d been terrified of Yul’s wrath at finding him round the back of the Barn with Skydancer. He’d abandoned the stupid photoshoot as soon as he’d realised that Yul’s beautiful horse had been left unattended.

  But Yul had smiled at him – it seemed to Rufus this was the first time ever – and thanked him for keeping Skydancer happy. Then Sylvie and the girls had appeared and she’d suggested Rufus join them for supper, and Yul had actually smiled again and said it was a good idea. Rufus was almost beside himself with joy, but felt awkward walking in as, technically, he wasn’t one of the family by blood or marriage. Although Yul was his half-brother and Sylvie his half-sister, and the girls his half-nieces, he wasn’t related to Maizie at all, and it was her cottage and her family reunion.

  But as soon as he arrived, the little girls were all over him as usual. Maizie told him to wash his hands as he smelt of Yul’s horse, and Yul grinned in a conspiratorial way. Leveret gave him a really big smile too, and when he sat next to her, as there was nowhere else to sit, she whispered how glad she was that he was there as this was her first time home since February, and she was feeling very awkward. Yul poured him a small tankard of cider and said that Rufus was so tall now it was hard to imagine him still a child, and Maizie asked if he’d be kind enough to chop a few more logs for the range during the week. Rufus sat there, his ears burning red and his auburn hair falling into his eyes, and thought this was the very best moment of his whole life, to be part of such a family gathering.

  ‘I need neutral external backdrops,’ Fennel said as he, Holly and Swift trudged up the track to the Hall. Despite his offer, Holly had refused to let Swift phone up from the Barn to request a vehicle to fetch them.

  ‘So the shots against the Great Barn . . .’ said Swift, flicking his silvery blond hair aside.

  ‘Yes, they’re okay, but most of the stuff on the Village Green will be no good,’ said Fennel. ‘It shows the trees in full leaf – I know the horse chestnuts are going brown already, but it’s pretty obvious we’re in the midst of a very hot summer, and autumn and winter clothes just seem incongruous.’

  ‘There must be somewhere more neutral,’ said Holly. ‘Chelsi and Benjy should’ve sorted this out for us but they haven’t. Come on, Swift – you’re about as bright as they get in this place. Think of something!’

  ‘There’s the maze,’ suggested Swift, very flattered at Holly’s compliment, particularly as she’d only said earlier that he looked exactly like the Hallfolk of old. Walking with them now, both of them with blond hair, Swift felt he really was one of them. ‘That’s clipped yew, so it’s evergreen and it wouldn’t necessarily look like summer.’

  ‘Mmn – possibly,’ said Fennel.

  ‘There’s the beach?’ said Swift. ‘No trees there.’

  ‘No – beach equals summer in most people’s minds, unless it’s grey and windswept.’

  ‘Mooncliffe? That’s pretty desolate in terms of trees, although there’s the sea again in the background . . .’

  And then it hit him and he yelled out loud, grabbing Fennel’s arm.

  ‘I know, I know!’ he cried. ‘I’ve thought of the perfect place! There are no trees, so no giveaways about the season. It’s very desolate and atmospheric, and it would show off the collection beautifully!’

  ‘Where?’ asked Holly. ‘Come on, Swift. Where is this perfect place?’

  ‘Quarrycleave!’

  19

  Rufus sat miserably crammed into the very back corner of the minibus as it jolted slowly up the track. He didn’t want to be here and wished he’d had the courage to leave. It had all started so well this morning, with great memories of the evening before in the Village with Sylvie and the girls, Maizie and Leveret, and best of all, Yul. His brother had joked with him throughout the evening, and then, unbelievably, had allowed him to ride home on Skydancer. Admittedly, Yul had held onto the reins and walked alongside, but Yul had said he had a good seat and a good way with him. This morning Rufus had eaten breakfast on a complete high, reliving every wonderful minute of the night before as he gulped down his porridge.

  But the bad stuff had started not long afterwards. They’d all gathered in the grand sitting room of Yul’s apartments as instructed, and Holly and Finn had stood up and explained about the problem with the parched landscape and getting the seasons to look right in the photos. Rufus had been surprised when not only had Swift turned up at the meeting, but also Jay. Rufus was frightened of Jay and, whenever the large, bullet-headed youth was around, tried very hard to keep well out of his way. Surely Jay wasn’t taking part in the photoshoot?

  When Finn announced that they were all going up to Quarrycleave, the Stonewylde extras had been shocked. They had all been brought up to avoid the place; it was known to be dangerous. But Finn had explained that Jay was coming along to show them around as he knew the place better than any.

  ‘It’s where my father died!’ whispered Faun dramatically, and Skipper and Betony rolled their eyes sympathetically.

  ‘And mine,’ muttered Rufus, though nobody heard that.

  Finn then said that this was not how he liked to work and wished the location had been checked out first, but hopefully they’d get some exciting shots. Aitch reminded them that the quarry would be dusty and everyone must take great care not to get the clothes ruined. Then there’d been a knock at the door, and into the crowded, untidy room had stumbled Leveret. Rufus had been even more surprised to see her there, looking so out of place. The room was packed full with the models, stylists, assistants and Stonewylde extras all sitting around on every available seat, and she’d looked terrified and very small as she’d stood just inside the door.

  Rufus had been embarrassed to realise that he wanted to put his arm round her and protect her from the laughter and jeering that greeted her announcement. It made him squirm now just to think of how everyone had humiliated her.

  ‘I’m sorry to interrupt,’ she’d stammered, ‘but I had an awful nightmare last night and I knew I must warn you all. Something really terrible is going to happen at Quarrycleave and you mustn’t go there today.’

  Martin regarded his pale wife sternly. His wintry eyes bored into her, making her tremble all the more.

  ‘You’ll stay there all day,’ he said, ‘and only return this evening to cook for me. And yes, I realise ’twill take some time to get the place straight, but you have time.’

  ‘But the range . . .’

  ‘Swift and Jay will have stocked up the wood and brought down some water by now,’ he said coldly. ‘Get the range lit first so you’ve got hot water, and then start scrubbing, woman. You’ll need the range to heat up their food every day, even though you’ll be preparing it here.’

  ‘I’m not sure as I can manage the . . .’

  He took a step towards her and she flinched as he reached out to close his hand around her wrist. He yanked her closer so her terrified eyes met his.

  ‘I shall visi
t the cottage myself later today. You’re not to stop work or leave before then. We’ll go round it together, so you can show me just what you’ve achieved.’

  She nodded, standing on tiptoe as he held her in an unyielding grip. He wrenched her wrist just a little, not wanting to incapacitate her.

  ‘Mallow – we both know that cleaning is not your strong point. Goddess knows I’ve had to bring you up to scratch on many an occasion, with your slovenly ways and downright laziness. So just make sure you work really, really hard today. You understand me?’

  ‘Yes, Martin,’ she squeaked, blinking back the tears that always angered him further.

  Every child in the Nursery and the Village School trooped into the Great Barn and sat on the floor facing the dais, little ones at the front. The other children were lined behind them in age order, finishing with a row of twelve year olds at the back. All the teachers, assistants and helpers, and many of the young mothers and babies stood at the sides, whilst Dawn, Rowan and Hazel stood on the raised platform. Eventually everyone was present and Dawn began to speak.

  The children’s faces became more serious and round-eyed as she progressed. She was talking slowly and clearly so everyone, even the tiniest child in Nursery, could understand. Then Hazel spoke, taking her cue from Dawn as to how best to address an audience of such tender age.

  ‘So, do we all understand what happened to Barley yesterday? Who’d like to tell me?’

  A forest of hands shot up and she chose a small child at the front.

  ‘Please, Doctor Hazel, he were playing in the bushes and then a giant monster snake jumped up and bited him hard and—’

  ‘No, it wasn’t a giant monster snake and it didn’t jump! Who can tell me properly?’

  This time she chose an older child, who explained with a little more accuracy how poor Barley had accidentally uncovered a coiled adder in the bushes, which had bitten him when he tried to put the undergrowth back to cover it up, and he was now very poorly in hospital in the Outside World. Hazel then reminded them again about the risks of going near adders, and what to do if they thought they might have been bitten.

  ‘In your rooms in the Nursery and the School, we’re putting up pictures of what adders look like,’ she said. ‘Remember males and females – boys and girls – are different colours. If you see a plain snake without the chevron zigzag pattern, it’s probably a grass snake or a smooth snake, or maybe even a slow-worm. But just to be on the safe side, don’t ever touch any snake at all. What must we always, always remember?’

  And everyone chorused together in a great chant, the rhyme that Dawn had quickly penned to reinforce the message:

  ‘Never ever touch an adder

  That will only make it madder

  Venom from a zigzag adder

  Makes you ill and makes you sadder.’

  As Hazel watched the children troop out again into the arid sunshine, she smiled at Dawn.

  ‘Let’s hope that’s done the trick,’ she said. ‘We don’t want any more bites.’

  ‘Barley will be alright, won’t he?’ asked Dawn. ‘He’s only five, and—’

  ‘He’ll be fine,’ said Hazel. ‘He’s a strong chap and the Nursery staff called me quickly.’

  ‘When’s he coming home?’

  ‘The hospital’s keeping him in for another day, just to be on the safe side. Sometimes the effects of envenoming can take several hours or even a couple of days to appear, so they’ve got him under observation. But they want to avoid giving him anti-venom if possible, as that itself can be dangerous.’

  ‘Poor little boy,’ said Rowan. ‘I couldn’t believe it when they called me back in from the photoshoot to say he’d been bit. ’Twas frightening.’

  Hazel nodded, picking up her bag to return to the Hall.

  ‘It’s usually only young children or the very elderly who’re in any danger from the venom.’

  ‘So older children and adults would be alright?’

  ‘Yes, usually, although some people are affected badly and go into anaphylactic shock if they’re bitten.’

  ‘We’ve been lucky so far,’ said Dawn. ‘There’s such a plague of adders this year.’

  ‘I’ve been reading up on it and I talked to the staff at the hospital,’ said Hazel. ‘Dorset’s been especially hard hit this year and they reckon it’s because of the heat. Usually the worst time is earlier, in April and May when they’re coming out of hibernation and mating. Apparently they’re fuller of venom then, and are more likely to release it all in a bite.’

  ‘Ugh!’ shuddered Rowan. ‘I really hate ’em!’

  ‘We must all be extra vigilant,’ said Hazel. ‘I can get in a stock of anti-venom, but I’d rather take any victim out of Stonewylde and into the nearest hospital, just to be on the safe side. It’s really not my area of expertise. One of the doctors was telling me about this man who’d been bitten a couple of weeks ago – she showed me the photos. It was horrendous! The venom had spread right up his leg – he was bitten on the ankle – and his leg had turned black! It’s bruising – the venom contains an anti-clotting agent, and this poor man had an allergic reaction as well. I’d never have believed it if she hadn’t shown me the photos.’

  ‘Poor little Barley could’ve died,’ said Dawn. ‘Thank Goddess he’ll be alright.’

  ‘Let’s get the adder pictures put up in the classrooms now,’ said Hazel. ‘Keep them all chanting that poem – it’s silly, but great if it works!’

  Rufus was feeling sick, bearing the brunt of the bumps on the track as he was squashed behind the seats into the rear of the minibus. The transit van containing the clothes and equipment was following behind, and Aitch and Finn had taken a couple of the models with them in a borrowed Landrover. In front of him sat Faun, the other Stonewylde girls, and two of the stylists, all chattering about hair and cosmetics.

  In the next row of seats sat the Stonewylde boys, and Kestrel and Lapwing were regaling Swift and Jay with tales of exactly how boring the whole photoshoot had been so far.

  ‘Just about the only good thing is that we’ll be in loads of magazine and we might be famous,’ said Lapwing, who’d be starting college in the Outside World in the autumn and was excited at the prospect of advance popularity.

  ‘It’s much more interesting behind the scenes,’ said Swift. ‘I’m well in with Aitch and she says I can visit them in London and maybe get some work experience next year.’

  ‘Really? Would you go?’ asked Lapwing, a little nervous at the thought of attending local college, let alone a trip to London.

  ‘Yes! You would too, wouldn’t you Kes?’

  ‘Like a shot! I want to go and live with Rainbow,’ said Kestrel. ‘You’re all bloody mad!’ growled Jay. ‘I hate this whole bloody thing.’

  ‘Not really into the glamour, are you, Jay?’ laughed Kestrel.

  ‘No I ain’t! I can’t believe you roped me into this, Swift.’

  ‘But I thought you’d like the idea of Quarrycleave getting some good attention,’ said Swift. ‘You’re always on about the place, but most people hate it – they won’t even talk about it.’

  ‘That’s ‘cos they don’t understand it,’ said Jay. ‘It’s special and it scares ’em. But it’ll be okay today in the sunlight – it’s only night-time it’s a bit weird there.’

  ‘That’s not what Leveret said earlier,’ Lapwing laughed. ‘That was so funny when she came in like that!’

  Rufus felt his face burn hot as they all burst into raucous laughter. Although Leveret was no relation to him, they shared the same half-brother, Yul, and through that link he felt an affinity with her. He also remembered her kindness to him the previous evening, when he’d been nervous in Maizie’s cottage.

  ‘She is crazy, isn’t she?’ said Swift. ‘It made me think of that time at Imbolc when—’

  ‘Shut up!’ cried Kestrel. ‘Don’t even mention that! It was one of the worst days of my life!’

  ‘She’s a nasty little bitch and I can’t stand
her!’ spat Jay. ‘I’d really like to—’

  ‘She’s alright,’ said Lapwing. ‘She’s just batty. But do you think she’s right about Quarrycleave? What she said about something terrible happening?’

  Jay chuckled harshly at this.

  ‘Yeah, she may well be right about that, but it ain’t today. She’s got her timings wrong.’

  ‘I know Aitch is really worried about the clothes getting ruined there,’ said Swift. ‘But I think Leveret meant the old legends about the quarry. The Place of Bones and Death – remember?’

  ‘My mother used to threaten us with that when we were little,’ said Lapwing. “‘If you don’t behave you’ll go up to the Place of Bones and Death and the Beast that stalks will eat you alive’ – that’s what she used to say. We were well scared.’

  ‘Yeah – that’s ‘cos you’re all just a bunch o’ little girls!’ said Jay. ‘And that half-wit Leveret is the worst of the lot with her stupid prophecies. She just likes showing off.’

  ‘But she is magic,’ said Betony, butting in from the seat behind them. ‘Remember her Story Web? My mother says she’ll be Shaman of Stonewylde when Clip leaves in the autumn.’

  ‘Over my dead body,’ muttered Jay.

  Yul knocked on the door of Sylvie’s office and her face lit up at the sight of him. He smiled and came to sit beside her at her desk.

  ‘You’re looking very efficient,’ he said, acknowledging all her papers, filing cabinets and trays of brochures and leaflets.

  ‘I have to be,’ she said. ‘If all else fails, I’ll get a job in the Outside World as a Careers Advisor!’

  Yul sat silently for a minute, savouring the closeness of her. To be near her like this, to smell her scent and feel her presence, was a joy.

  ‘Sylvie, it was lovely last night at the cottage,’ he said gently. ‘I can’t tell you how happy I felt after all that we’ve been through recently.’

  She smiled at him and tentatively reached across to take his hand. It was so brown next to her pale one, and she stroked the calluses he always developed when he’d been riding more than usual.