by Kit Berry
‘Oh yes, yes we do!’ she agreed quickly. ‘I’m really struggling with the range, the chickens aren’t happy without you – they’ve practically stopped laying – and you know how the girls love your cooking. I’m useless! Please come home, Maizie.’
‘Well . . . if you’re both sure ’tis the best choice.’
‘Yes!’ cried Leveret and Sylvie in unison.
Leveret and Maizie continued on their way to the Village. Finally they entered the Barn, rosy cheeked from the cold December wind that whipped along the cobbles and sighed through the skeletal branches all around the Village Green. They were late arriving and most of the menstruating women were already there, sitting around knitting the special socks for Yule and making decorations and crafts for the festival. As they walked in, with Shadow close by Leveret’s side, there was a moment of silence, then a great cheer rose to the rafters. Maizie burst into tears and Leveret stood uncertainly, suddenly scared but unable to move. Rosie came rushing over and enveloped her in a great hug, leading her little sister, with their mother in tow, over to a comfortable corner. Another woman brought them tea and sticky buns. One by one, during that morning, most of the people in the Great Barn came over to pay their respects to Leveret.
Shadow too was subject to a great deal of fuss and petting, and Meadowsweet in particular was delighted to see him.
‘How he’s grown! What a lovely boy he is. Oh Leveret, I can’t tell you how glad I am you have ‘un. He’ll be such a help, won’t he?’
‘Yes, he will. Hazel was going to arrange for someone to train him, but I don’t think he needs it. He already seems to understand what to do.’
‘I told you he were clever, didn’t I? Father’s so proud that he’s yours and not drowned.’
‘Having my Shadow has made everything seem possible,’ said Leveret simply. ‘Without him, I don’t think I’d feel half as positive.’
She stood up, and immediately Maizie heaved herself to her feet.
‘No, Mother. I need to do this for myself. I’m only going to the privy and I’m a big girl now.’
Hesitantly, she turned towards the back of the Barn and began to walk towards the lavatories. Shadow was by her side, moving at her shuffling pace, nudging her gently. Women silently moved aside as Leveret’s long blackthorn stick tapped carefully in front of her, and eventually she reached the door. She was shaking from fingertip to toe, knowing all eyes were on her, desperate not to trip over something and make a fool of herself. But she made it, and taking a deep breath, she told Shadow to sit and stay as she fumbled for the door handle.
That evening Maizie packed up all her things from the tower and returned to the Village, with promises from Hazel, Marigold, Cherry and Miranda that they’d check regularly on Leveret and make sure Magpie was looking after her properly. After her trip down to the Village, Leveret felt exhausted and unable to face the Dining Hall, so Hazel and Magpie between them brought supper trays to the tower, which Hazel stayed and shared with them.
She watched Leveret carefully eating the food that Magpie had cut up for her and praised him for his care, knowing it wasn’t that long ago he’d been unable to use a knife and fork himself. He beamed at this, then added a log to the fire, ensuring the guard was in place afterwards.
‘The boys have fixed up your intercom now, Leveret,’ said Hazel. ‘You’ll need to learn which button is which, but you’ll be able to buzz me, the kitchens, Miranda’s rooms and Yul’s office if you need anything. I think you’ll be fine – you’re a brave girl.’
Leveret grimaced at this.
‘Nothing brave about it really. I’m blind, that’s all there is to it.’
‘But you could’ve taken a lot longer to come to terms with it.’
‘I have Magpie and Shadow – they’re my eyes. I’m luckier than most.’
‘Hardly lucky! That Jay—’
‘Hazel, I could’ve died or been paralysed. Losing my sight seems a pretty lucky alternative to me.’
‘Malik says he’s coming to visit you soon. I know we’ve explained the prognosis for optic nerve damage and he’s pretty sure that nothing more can be done, but—’
‘Oh Hazel, you silly thing – it’s not me that lovely doctor wants to visit! I’m just an excuse.’
Hazel was quite relieved that Leveret couldn’t see her blush at this, and quickly changed the subject. They spoke of Leveret resuming her studies, particularly as Rufus was keen to work with her and willing to read aloud. They weren’t sure if it would be successful, but it was a start.
‘The main thing is that I continue all the things I promised Clip I’d do. I won’t let him down, not after the sacrifice he made for us all.’
Her voice broke and she stopped, the pain of losing him too intense. Hazel sighed and squeezed Leveret’s hand. Like everyone, she was still reeling from the shock of Clip’s death less than six weeks ago. When his and Martin’s bodies had been discovered in the Stone Circle the morning after Samhain, the entire community had gone into mourning. Clip had been well loved by almost everyone at Stonewylde. Leveret had been spared the horrific news for a couple of days, but as soon as she returned to Stonewylde from the hospital, she had to be told. Her reaction – on top of the news that she was highly unlikely ever to regain her sight – had been to retreat into herself. She refused to eat or talk for a while, remaining silent in her world of darkness and despair.
Sylvie had tried her best, but it was Yul who’d hauled her out of the slough of hopelessness. He’d sat with her and insisted on reading aloud the letter that Clip had left for her explaining his actions and saying goodbye. Until then she’d refused to let anyone touch it; she couldn’t bear to hear what Clip had wanted to tell her. As Yul read falteringly the words intended for Leveret alone, his voice had broken, and he’d struggled to reach the end of the eloquent, loving farewell. Together they’d wept, holding each other tightly in a way they hadn’t done since she was a small child. The letter was heart-breaking, all the more so because when Clip had written it just a few days after her accident at Quarrycleave, he’d had no idea that Leveret would never read it for herself.
It was now common knowledge that Clip, after finally visiting a consultant during the trip to London, had been diagnosed with advanced cancer. He had little time left and would never roam the world as he’d hoped. Clip had understood what was happening with Martin – he’d been shown this during his journey at the Hunter’s Moon, but had suspected it much earlier. Unless Martin was stopped, Magus’ spirit would be made flesh and the shadows at Stonewylde would become deeper and darker, engulfing the community in a long winter of tyranny.
Leveret could understand this, but what added to the pain of losing Clip was the knowledge that it was she who’d prepared the Wolfsbane that killed him. He’d mentioned this in the letter, saying how Mother Heggy had directed her to prepare it especially for him and for this purpose, knowing how fast-working and final the poison was. Yul spent a long time reassuring Leveret that it wasn’t her fault, and preparing the Wolfsbane had not, as she feared, put the idea into Clip’s head. She had simply followed Mother Heggy’s bidding and made the whole thing quick and simple for him.
Yul too was deeply affected by the death. He’d been the last person to see Clip alive and he remembered the glorious gong playing. All the time he’d been with Clip in his tower, his uncle had known he was living his last hours, and yet he’d wanted to do something special for Yul. What finally made Leveret rouse herself out of her depression was Yul imploring her to resume her mantle of Shaman and Wise Woman, because that was what Clip had wished for above all else. He’d entrusted Leveret to continue caring for the folk and she mustn’t betray that trust, else his death would have been in vain.
As Hazel watched Leveret, who, with no obvious damage to her eyes, looked so normal, she again felt a surge of respect for the young girl who was determined to honour her promises to Clip. What Leveret hadn’t told anyone – for who could possibly understand? – was what had
happened when she first came home to Stonewylde and Magpie had come to visit. He’d walked into her little room in the hospital wing, and the nurse and Maizie had left them alone for a moment of privacy. At the sight of her, bandaged around the head and with her wrist strapped up, Magpie had fallen to his knees by the bedside dissolving into the terrible sobs that overwhelmed him at times of great distress.
Leveret had struggled in her darkness to sit up and locate him, and found his arms and head resting on the bed as he knelt on the floor.
‘Magpie, please! I’m alive and I’m not going to die, so you mustn’t cry like this. You saved my life, dear Maggie, and now we’ll always be together, you and me, just like I’ve always said we would be. You’ll be my carer, won’t you?’
He’d grabbed hold of her good hand, tears streaming down his cheeks and completely beside himself with emotion, and as they held hands, suddenly . . . there’d been an explosion inside her head. She saw the bed with its pretty cover and the hospital room. She saw herself, small and very bruised, her head a funny colour where she’d been painted with antiseptic, stitches in her wounds, bandages wrapped around and some of her hair shaved. And in that moment she realised that she may have lost her own sight, but when she held his hand, she would always have Magpie’s to share.
Three people were leaving Stonewylde to live in the Outside World, and they were going before Yule. At the Council of Elders meeting just before Owl Moon in November, Rowan had announced that she and Faun were moving to London, and were taking Swift with them. It transpired that Rowan had been in close touch via e-mail with Rainbow, Buzz and Holly, as had Swift and Martin.
It had been a difficult meeting, with two key members now absent and Sylvie acting as if she wished Yul weren’t present either. By common consensus, the great carved chair had remained empty in honour of Clip’s memory. Christopher, the lawyer, had sat in Martin’s place and gently explained some of the intricacies of the new regime. The charity was now in existence and after Yule, surveys of the buildings and facilities would begin as a first step towards setting up the healing centre at Stonewylde. At Miranda’s request, Christopher had also joined the Board of Trustees in an administrative role, for she knew the minutiae of the legal side of things were beyond most folk’s understanding, herself included.
With Martin gone and everyone feeling the loss of Clip, it should have been a less confrontational meeting than usual. But Rowan had been rather aggressive when she made her announcement, and had refused Christopher’s offer of advice about Faun’s share of her father’s company. She said that Buzz had it all in hand and she trusted him more than she trusted any friend of Miranda’s. Faun was to attend a drama school and Rowan was very excited about this. Dawn was concerned about Rowan, knowing that for all her success at Stonewylde, she’d struggle in the Outside World.
Dawn feared it would all end badly, and mentioned this when she, Miranda and Sylvie met at a later date. The three women sat together in Sylvie’s office. Dawn was heavily pregnant with the baby due between Imbolc and the Spring Equinox, and although she still taught at the Village School, nowadays she was more involved behind the scenes. Rowan leaving so suddenly would have a big impact on the Nursery and they needed to recruit someone to step into her shoes; nobody who currently worked there wanted the responsibility of leadership. David still had contacts in the Outside World and the interviewing process must begin soon; it was always difficult to find teachers who were not only talented but also in sympathy with the Stonewylde ethos. As a long term solution, Sylvie realised that it would be helpful to encourage more of their school-leavers into teaching careers.
‘The point is, we can’t stop her going,’ said Miranda, still stung by Rowan’s antagonism towards her. She’d never quite appreciated how deep it went.
‘No, but she’s like a child in a sweetshop,’ said Dawn, who had more recent experience of living in the Outside World than they did. ‘She thinks it’s going to be wonderful, a dream come true, and it’s not. We’re so very sheltered here at Stonewylde, so cocooned from the harsh reality of life. Rowan simply won’t cope. Neither will Princess Faun, I’m sure. The girl has totally unrealistic expectations.’
‘I’m sure most of the thirteen year-old girls in her drama school will have similarly unrealistic expectations,’ said Sylvie drily. ‘I hate to say it, but really, there’s nothing we can do to stop them and nor should we try. They have plenty of money, thanks to Magus’ legacy. Let Buzz take care of them if they’re determined to leave.’
‘But what if he exploits them? Because of Christopher’s intervention, Buzz has now lost control of the fifty per cent of Magus’ company owned by Leveret and Rufus. But he’s still controlling Faun’s shares – what if he isn’t honest with them and Faun ends up losing out?’
Both Miranda and Sylvie shrugged in an almost identical gesture. Neither of them would be sad to see the back of Rowan, who’d been very free with her taunts and sneers lately, as had Faun. Nor could Sylvie forget the glee with which Rowan had told her about Yul and Rainbow. Miranda and Sylvie weren’t quite as magnanimous as Dawn, an exceptionally kind soul, but one who hadn’t been on the receiving end of Rowan’s spite herself.
‘We must simply let them find out for themselves,’ said Miranda firmly. ‘The one I’m more concerned about is Swift.’
‘Yes, he is a worry. Now that his father’s dead, he’s adamant he wants to live with Buzz and “be Hallfolk”, as he puts it. He’s found out about transferring to a college close to Buzz, and Buzz has said he can stay with his family. Apparently Holly and Fennel have said they’ll give him work experience at Aitch, and if he does well at college and passes his exams, he can start a career with them.’
‘That sounds perfect,’ said Dawn.
‘But why are they helping him like this? How does his mother feel about it? What if it all falls apart?’ asked Sylvie.
‘Then he can come back here,’ said Miranda. ‘I feel that unlike Rowan, and by default Faun, Swift is something of a victim in the present situation. He didn’t choose for his father to go bad – nor to die in the Stone Circle. His mother’s been totally traumatised by what’s happened, and has no opinion whatsoever on anything – who can blame the boy for wanting to seize such an opportunity? I’ve always liked Swift – devious and two-faced though he can be – and I respect him for wanting to get away and start a new life for himself. I don’t think we need have any worries about Swift, but we’ll let him know he has a home here if he ever wants to come back.’
The three women agreed on this, and then started to discuss who could replace Rowan in the Nursery until a qualified teacher was found. Sylvie realised that, for the first time ever, she was helping to make important decisions without even considering what Yul would say or think. She smiled to herself, sensing that hard knot inside her gain another layer of reinforcement. Who needed a husband anyway?
Sylvie sat in her old spot on the window seat of the grand sitting room, having come in to assess its possibility as a reception room for the healing centre. It was early afternoon, a few days before the Winter Solstice, and the light filtering through the diamond-shaped panes of whorled glass in the leaded windows was grey and dull. No fire crackled in the huge Purbeck marble fireplace, no personal photos or ornaments now graced the antique furniture in this beautiful but lifeless room. All evidence of the most recent visitors had been scrupulously removed from the rooms which now held an expectant air as if waiting to see who would next take up residency.
No trace of Magus’ ghost lingered. For the past year, Sylvie had almost taken for granted that constant underlying atmosphere of menace that had stalked her all over Stonewylde, and particularly in these chambers. But since Samhain, there’d been nothing. No lingering scent, no unexplained draughts, no glimpses of a shadow nor creak of a footstep. She’d never have contemplated coming in here alone like this a couple of months ago, as the haunting had become so bad. Yet today, her first visit since Clip’s death, she found that Magus�
�� ghost had been well and truly exorcised. Nor was there any chance of Martin creeping around like a wraith, as he’d always done in the past.
In the letter he’d left his daughter, Clip had explained about Magus and the summons from the Otherworld made at the previous Samhain. How he’d known about this she had no idea, but as Sylvie had read the letter through her tears, everything had fallen into place. She was desperately sad that her father had gone, but she also respected his decision to end his life before the final stages of the disease took hold. If only he’d been diagnosed earlier – that was what made her so very sad, especially as she realised that Clip had probably ignored or dismissed all the initial symptoms. It was as if he’d known that this was how his life must end, when his time in this world was up, and he’d allowed destiny to run its course.
She understood his reluctance to engage at the end with conventional treatment, given that the cancer had been far too advanced for any cure to be feasible. In the letter he’d said that he was, in effect, taking the easy way out by not enduring the final few weeks of pain, and hoped to spare everyone the ordeal of watching him die. He said that by taking Martin and Magus with him to the Otherworld, Stonewylde would be free forever from their malignant influence and taint. Today, sitting in this lair which had always scared her, Sylvie felt her father had certainly succeeded.
Her heart jumped at a sudden fluttering deep inside her. Sylvie placed a hand on her belly and smiled secretively. Was it too soon, or was that him quickening? She remembered that strange sensation so well; like a small frog hopping, or a butterfly fanning its wings. She’d managed so far to hide her pregnancy from everyone except Hazel and Leveret, who’d both found out, and her mother whom she’d confided in. They’d all promised not to tell anyone; somehow this helped. Whilst nobody else knew, she could just pretend to herself that everything was lovely and the baby would be born into a happy world where Yul need play no part. Once the news was out, Sylvie knew she’d have to deal with reality. Being so tall and slim, she’d managed to hide her growing waistline and small bump, with the aid of thick winter clothes and shawls.
