by Kit Berry
He shifted across the seat and put an arm around her, pulling her close into his chest. His gentleness undid her and she burst into tears.
‘Hey, hey, stop it, silly girl. There’s no need to cry. What on earth’s the matter?’
She shook her head, unable to speak. Just then the door opened.
‘Oh, there you are Buzz! We—’
The girls stood in the doorway staring at Buzz in the window seat, his arm cradling Sylvie against his chest, her long hair spilling across his lap. Their mouths dropped open.
‘Not now, girls. I’m busy at the moment. I’ll catch you later.’ He frowned and gestured them away with a peremptory wave. ‘Come on, Sylvie, we’re going to be disturbed here. It’s stopped raining now. Let’s go out for a walk. You’ll feel better out in the fresh air.’
It sounded like a good idea and she didn’t want anyone to see her crying. He found a couple of jackets and they left the Hall through a side door. They walked along the side of the wing and into a part of the Hall gardens that was new to Sylvie. Passing through some tall clipped yew hedges, they entered a formal garden where the paths were of fine raked gravel and wooden benches were set into hidden alcoves.
‘Holly! Holly, you won’t believe what we’ve just seen!’
July and Wren burst into a music room where they knew Holly had gone earlier. She’d been watching herself in the long mirror as she practised a dance, and her cheeks were flushed. She flicked down the volume of the music and frowned at them.
‘What?’
‘It’s Buzz! He’s with Sylvie!’
‘What do you mean, “with Sylvie”?’
‘We found them alone in one of the schoolrooms!’ said July excitedly. ‘They were sitting on the window seat together.’
‘So?’
‘And he was cuddling her,’ said Wren. ‘She was all nestled up against him and he had his arms round her.’
‘The bitch!’
‘He told us to go away. He didn’t want to be disturbed.’
‘I don’t believe it! How could he? I could kill her!’
July and Wren nodded in sympathy.
‘We thought you should know.’
Holly’s eyes glittered. She switched off the music and marched out of the room in her leotard and leg-warmers, the older girls in tow.
‘Which room? I’m going to have words with him! And her, the little cow! How dare she come here and try it on with Buzz?’
But when they got to the room, they found the window seat empty. Holly had to be content with planning how she was going to deal with this new development.
‘Do you like it here?’ asked Buzz as they gazed around the formal garden. ‘It started as a Tudor knot garden, I believe, and was added to later. Even in Stonewylde, the Age of Civilization left its mark.’
Sylvie smiled weakly. Her tears had stopped but her throat still ached and her heart was heavy. Everything was ruined. They walked slowly around the garden which was larger and more complicated than it seemed at first because of its labyrinthine design.
‘You think it’s all distasteful and nasty, don’t you?’ asked Buzz, looking down at her bent silver head. She nodded.
‘It’s no worse than anywhere else, Sylvie. In the Outside World everything revolves around sex.’
‘I know it does and I hate it. I thought it was different here. Everything seemed so beautiful and clean at Stonewylde. So natural.’
‘And it is, believe me! Magus explained all this just before my Rite of Adulthood. Sex is so powerful. You can’t deny it or pretend it isn’t there; it’s part of the life force. Everything at Stonewylde is a celebration of the life force, the power of regeneration and renewal. It’s a mystical thing, a vital element of our ceremonies.’
‘I suppose so. I just don’t like the thought of it.’
‘That’s because you’re still a child. You need someone older and more experienced to guide you, and I hope it will be me. I want to look after you, Sylvie. You bring out my gentle side and I like that. I know I can be loud and over the top, but you make me tone it down. I really hope we can be friends.’
He spoke softly and put an arm around her shoulders in a kind, brotherly way. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her gently. Sylvie realised that maybe he was quite a sweet person after all. Perhaps there was something attractive hidden underneath the brash exterior. Something that others could see but she’d missed. She shouldn’t have been so quick to judge him. She smiled back.
‘That’s better. I’m so sorry if I upset you. I must’ve said things in the wrong way. You’re so young and innocent. Please don’t tell Magus I made you cry. He’d be furious with me.’
‘It’s not your fault, Buzz. You’ve been kind to me. I’m just being naïve and silly.’
He led her into an alcove in a clipped yew hedge where there was a hidden seat. It was still wet from the earlier rain and the wood looked slippery. He took off his jacket and spread it across the seat.
‘Come and sit down.’
He patted the seat and she had to sit close so they could both fit on the jacket. She felt very small next to him. His legs were broad and powerful and now his arms were bare again, she could see the thick golden hair on them. He put one of them around her and held her by his side.
‘It’s alright, Sylvie. I’ll take care of you.’
She felt awkward so close to him. She could smell his antiperspirant. She didn’t know what to do, how to act in this situation.
‘Have you seen my pendant?’ he asked, holding up the silvery disc hanging on a short chain round his neck. She peered at it and reached across for a closer look. The thick disc was just a little bigger than a ten pence coin and embossed on both sides. On one side was a buzzard, wings spread, and on the other a leaping hare.
‘It’s lovely,’ she said. ‘So everyone gets one of these when they become an adult?’
He nodded.
‘The images vary, of course. On one side you have your own personal totem. Mine’s the buzzard, of course. Everyone chooses theirs just before the ceremony and Magus has it made up specially. The other side is for the image of the festival nearest your birthday. So the hare’s here because my birthday’s near to the Spring Equinox and it’s the spring symbol. There’s a different symbol for each of the eight festivals.’
‘So what would mine be?’
‘You’re Summer Solstice, aren’t you? That’s an oak leaf, and Winter Solstice is a sprig of mistletoe. Beltane’s a Green Man and Samhain a crow. Spring Equinox a hare and Autumn an acorn. Imbolc’s a crescent moon and Lammas a head of corn. What would you choose for your totem? Any ideas?’
‘I’m not sure. I love hares. And owls too. I don’t know.’
‘You don’t have to choose yet. Nearer the time, you’ll be sure.’
He smiled at her, his arm still round her shoulders, fingers playing on her hair where it cascaded down her back.
‘But what about when I’m sixteen and it’s my Rite of Adulthood?’ she asked, a note of panic in her voice. ‘I don’t want to do all that– the sex stuff!’
‘Of course not,’ he said soothingly, stroking her hair. ‘Nobody will make you do anything you don’t want to, I promise. I’ll be here and I’ll look after you.’
‘But what if Magus says I have to?’
‘Sylvie, just before you’re sixteen Magus talks to you to see if you’re ready for the Rite. Nobody is ever forced into anything. Okay?’
She nodded. Maybe it wasn’t all quite as dreadful as she’d thought at first. Although there was still the problem of Miranda falling in love with Magus. A sudden thought struck her.
‘At Beltane, when Magus was with the young May Queen. Did they … you know, was that her Rite of Adulthood?’
He laughed at this.
‘I should say so! And what a night to celebrate it! Rowan was really lucky to be chosen. Some of the Hallfolk girls were less than impressed.’
Sylvie closed her eyes and groaned. How naïve
she must have sounded to Magus the following morning. No wonder Rowan had looked tousled and exhausted at the sunrise ceremony. The whole thing was repulsive – how could a young girl want someone so old? And Miranda’s romantic picnic at the full moon, coming straight after his night with Rowan, must have meant very little to him. How could he deceive her mother like that? Should she tell her?
Sylvie realised that although she and Miranda thought they’d become part of the Stonewylde community, clearly they had little idea of the true nature of life here. Should they cut their losses and go back to the Outside World? But the very thought of that made her shiver with horror. There was no choice at all; she’d have to accept this underside of Stonewylde.
‘Thank you, Buzz. I’m pleased you told me. Shall we go back indoors?’
He was still stroking her hair rhythmically and he held her there, his powerful arm blocking her small movement to stand up.
‘Can we just sort out one more thing, please?’
She looked up at him questioningly and was surprised at the expression on his face; a mixture of tenderness and something else, something more animal. She sat still, not wanting to upset him when he was being so kind and unsure how to extricate herself gracefully. She wished now that she’d stayed in the school room.
‘It’s the business of that Village boy and what you saw at Beltane in the woods.’
Sylvie jerked in his grip but he held on to her, smoothing her hair again to quieten her.
‘No, listen. I’ve got to put this right between us because I don’t want him spoiling our friendship. Will you listen and let me explain?’
‘Well alright,’ she said, ‘but I still think—’
‘Hold on, Sylvie, and hear me out. First, you must realise that the Villagers lead very different lives to us. More like mediaeval lives. They’re tough and Yul’s especially tough. He works in the woods all day and he’s strong and hard. Okay?’
‘Ye-es.’
‘Next, he’s led a brutal life. You saw the other marks on his back? Yul’s father is a tanner, a real brute of a man. Yul’s always been a trouble-maker and his father’s had to discipline him more than most boys. He doesn’t feel pain like we would – he’s used to it. I expect he’s told you about his tough upbringing. You saw that black eye he had? And the new scar on his face?’
‘He said Magus did that.’
‘What? I hope you didn’t believe him! He’s such a liar. You’ll very rarely see him without some sort of bruise or cut – he’s always got injuries. His whole family are rough and hard and Yul’s a bully himself. He’s a really nasty piece of work.’
‘I can’t see that—’
‘You just have to trust me, Sylvie. Of course he won’t show you his true nature, will he? Whipping may seem barbaric to you, but it’s a punishment we use at Stonewylde. We don’t have a prison. That’s barbaric to us, the idea of taking away somebody’s liberty. We don’t fine people because we have no money here. We don’t have community service because we all do that anyway, perfectly willingly. So there are few deterrents left, and whipping is a quick, painful punishment that’s over soon, takes a while to heal which reminds the person of their wrongdoing, but there’s no lasting damage.’
‘It just seems so cruel.’
‘In the Outside World maybe, but not here. Yul had to be punished for something awful he did to a Hallfolk girl. Magus made him dig your garden after work every day in the hope he’d be so worn out it would keep him out of mischief. But it didn’t work. I told you: Yul’s tough, and he just laughed at the punishment.’
‘But—’
‘Don’t you want to know what he’d done? What he was being punished for?’
‘Well, yes, but—’
‘His crime, at the Spring Equinox, was to have a go at Holly.’
‘What do you mean, “have a go”?’
‘I’ll leave that for you to work out, Sylvie. But Holly was very upset about it, so the lads and I decided to discipline Yul ourselves at Beltane. I know it looked awful to you, and I can understand your shock, but it really didn’t mean that much to Yul. Do you understand now?’
She looked up at him, her pale grey eyes candid and trusting.
‘I suppose so, when you explain it like that. But Yul’s already told me he isn’t interested in Holly, and honestly, she doesn’t seem upset to me. In fact she’s been boasting that you and Yul had a fight over her. But it upset me a lot to see how you treated Yul. He seems nice and I felt sorry for him.’
‘I can understand that. There’s something of the underdog about him and he’ll play on your sympathy. But you must never become friends with him. Magus is watching him carefully and he’ll be furious. You don’t want to see Magus when he’s angry, believe me. So you must have nothing more to do with the boy at all. Okay?’
‘Okay.’
‘So are we friends now?’
She nodded. It seemed easier to just let it go, and maybe Buzz was right – life was tougher at Stonewylde. She’d better learn to accept that and all today’s other revelations. He smiled and gave her shoulders a squeeze.
‘I’m so pleased. I’ll look after you, I promise. And Magus will be pleased too as I know he’s keen for us to get on. Let’s go indoors now and have some lunch, shall we?’
In the Dining Hall, Sylvie sat next to her mother and was very quiet as she picked at the food on her plate.
‘Anything the matter, darling?’
Sylvie shook her head.
‘It’s alright, Mum. I’ve just got things on my mind.’
‘Anything I can help with?’
Sylvie looked up and saw her mother in a new light. She’d be so disillusioned when the truth about Magus came out. How could she tell her?
‘No, it’s nothing anyone can help with.’
‘Where were you before lunch? I tried to find you.’
‘I went for a walk with Buzz in the formal garden.’
‘That’s good. He’s very popular here, isn’t he? Does he like you?’
‘Yes, but not in that way I hope.’
‘Well, you’re almost fifteen and you’re very beautiful. It’s quite natural that boys will be interested in you. Far better someone like Buzz for your first boyfriend than that nasty Village boy.’
Sylvie glared at her, pushing her plate away.
‘That’s where you’re wrong. You’re not really a very good judge of character, are you, Mum?’
Holly watched Sylvie across the crowded room.
‘I hate her!’ she hissed
‘Don’t be silly,’ said Dawn. ‘She’s done nothing wrong.’
‘Just pinched my boyfriend, that’s all!’
‘No she hasn’t. What July and Wren saw was probably nothing. Don’t be nasty to her, Holly. It’s not fair.’
‘She’s hardly playing fair either, is she? Don’t worry, Dawn, I’ll find out exactly what’s going on. And then she’d better watch out! I’ve spent a lot of time and energy hooking Buzz and I won’t give him up without a fight.’
Dawn shook her head.
‘She’s a nice girl and you’ve got it wrong. It’s Buzz you should be annoyed with, not her. You speak to him and find out what’s what. Don’t blame Sylvie.’
‘I blame them both,’ muttered Holly. ‘But I want him and I don’t care what happens to her. She deserves all that’s coming to her.’
The Dining Hall was noisy with the clatter of cutlery and chatter of voices. The servants scurried about ensuring that every member of the Hallfolk was fed. Magus sipped his water and scanned the great room, noting Sylvie and Miranda engaged in conversation. He watched them with dark eyes, his face inscrutable. Then he caught Buzz’s eye further down the table and raised a questioning eyebrow. Buzz nodded and they smiled at each other before returning their attention to the tender lamb on their plates.
12
On the morning of the Dark Moon, Yul rose even earlier than usual. He needed to find an old flaxen bag and couldn’t ask his mother in
case there were questions. He’d seen her antagonism towards Mother Heggy and knew he shouldn’t get involved in helping the crone. It was unlikely that the Beechwood Sickeners were needed for any healing remedy and she was probably up to no good, but he felt a compulsion to obey. It never occurred to him not to harvest the red mushrooms as instructed.
Yul crept downstairs to look for a bag, as there may be no further opportunity today. He heard his mother moving around upstairs on the creaky floor and knew he had little time. She usually came down just after him and busied herself stoking the range, putting water on to boil and cooking breakfast for the family. Rosie had already left for the dairy as she had the earliest start and was given breakfast there. Yul’s father would soon be down too, stomping about with a sore head and demanding his bacon and eggs. He rarely spoke in the mornings but shovelled down his breakfast in morose silence.
Yul always kept out of sight in the back garden, feeding the pig and chickens and chopping firewood. As Alwyn ate his breakfast at the table, Maizie would silently pass Yul his lunch wrapped in a cloth, and some bacon and bread for his breakfast. He’d eat this as he walked to the woods. The five younger children in the family, all still at the Village School or Nursery, waited quietly together upstairs until their father left for work. Everyone kept out of Alwyn’s way in the morning. But today was different.
Yul found a flaxen bag in the parlour dresser and stuffed it into his trousers for safekeeping. He heard Maizie coming down the stairs and waited to say good morning, not realising that Alwyn was right behind her. It was too late to open the door to escape and Yul froze, his heart thumping. He looked down at the floor, hoping his father would go straight through into the kitchen and out to the privy in the back garden.
‘What are you doing here?’ Alwyn grunted.
‘Nothing. I was just on my way out.’
‘You should be outside already. I don’t want to see your ugly face in the morning. Get out of my way, you little shit.’
Yul wasn’t in his way but he shrank back against the wall. He held his breath, praying that maybe it would be alright. His father stamped across the room, heavy jaw jutting and piggy eyes alight with belligerence. He was an unattractive man with a huge barrel-belly, gingery hair and a greasy red face. Yul was glad, every time he looked at him, that he’d inherited none of his father’s looks whatsoever.
