Magus of Stonewylde Book One (6 page)

‘Yes, I can. You’re right, I don’t need this.’ She put the inhaler away and he smiled at her, his eyes dancing and bright.

‘I want you to go walking every day, Sylvie, whatever the weather. Drink in the fresh air and get your limbs moving. You’re very weak and you’ve wasted away to nothing. Walk a bit further each day and work up a good appetite.’

‘Yes I will – I know it’s what I need. But what about school? Will I have to start soon?’

‘We need to get you well first. We have different priorities
here, remember. Plenty of time for school once you’re fit and healthy.’

She felt relieved at this, not ready yet to face a whole new regime of schoolwork, teachers and students. She smiled at Magus; he instinctively seemed to understand her fears and needs.

‘Yes,’ he murmured. ‘School can wait. I want you to be cured. I want to help you.’

He gazed down at her, the dark fire burning in his eyes, mesmerising her. She couldn’t look away and he reached and took her hands. She flinched as their skin touched, feeling a tingle in her fingertips which spread throughout her body. She gasped and almost stopped breathing, for the sensation was so strange. She was scared but he smiled, his face shimmering before her in the sunlight.

‘Don’t be frightened,’ he said softly. ‘I can help you. Take what I’m giving you, Sylvie. Take the energy and use it to heal yourself. Let it flow into you and don’t fight it. Trust me, Sylvie. Trust me and open yourself up to me.’

She stood absolutely still, trying to be calm, trying not to wheeze. Then suddenly she felt it; a flood of power that washed through her into every cell, every pore. Magus’ deep brown eyes gleamed, holding her in their thrall, piercing her soul with their intensity. Her thin body vibrated with the rush of energy surging out of him and into her. He released her hands and brushed her face with his fingertips, tracing the eczema that crusted her skin. His fingers lingered gently on her eyelids, cheekbones and jaw. Her skin prickled beneath his feathery touch.

‘You will be beautiful again, Sylvie. The Earth Magic of Stonewylde is in your soul now and your body will be healed and whole.’

He stepped back and she opened her eyes. She gazed up at him in bewilderment. Then to her embarrassment, she started to cry.

Further up the path Yul was tucked away behind a smooth beech trunk, sitting amongst the green dog’s mercury and white
wood anemones. He was wolfing down a hunk of bread, grabbed as he left the cottage very early on his way to work. Birds darted around him gathering material for their nests, oblivious to his camouflaged presence for his clothes were rough-spun and brown, his hair and skin dark.

He heard voices in the clearing below. He knew Magus’ voice of course, and realised the girl must be one of the Outsiders. The whole community knew that two people had come to Stonewylde and moved into Woodland Cottage near the Hall. Everyone was curious about them but so far only Cherry had seen them.

Yul shrank against the beech trunk keeping very still, his hands clutching the remains of his bread. His legs were tucked up out of sight, knees under his chin. His dark curls rested against the lichen-covered bark and he closed his eyes, praying that Magus wouldn’t discover him. Greenbough had sent him over to this part of the woods to look at some hazel coppicing, and he’d taken the opportunity to eat his breakfast. Magus would be furious if he knew Yul was there.

It went quiet and he risked a peep. He saw Magus, tall and motionless as a tree, radiating the strange power that always came to him during the festivals. His hands reached out and held the girl’s. She was like an elfchild, white skinned and almost white haired, thin and delicate. Maybe more of a fairy than an elf, he thought. In profile she was beautiful but so frail. Yul could see her glowing slightly too, and it had nothing to do with the sunlight falling on her. He knew of the magic that danced in the master but he’d never seen it shared before.

Magus touched her face as she looked up at him and Yul felt a flicker of shock at the sight. The powerful man was so very gentle, touching her as if she might break under his fingers. Then Yul saw her crumple and Magus take her in his arms and hold her against his chest. He stroked her hair soothingly as she clung to him, her body shaking with sobs. Yul pulled back behind the tree; he felt he was intruding on something private.

After a while he heard them talking again and peered round. They were walking out of the clearing up the path towards him. He stared at the lovely girl and was struck by two things; the strangeness of her silver-grey eyes and the scaliness of her skin. It looked sore and rough, and his sense of awe at such beauty was punctured with disappointment. He shrank further into his hiding place as their voices became clearer.

‘You’re very special, Sylvie. I knew it when I first saw you in London. You’ll get better, I promise you. Earth energy is the strongest force there is and it’ll heal you completely. I’ll take you up to the Stone Circle soon and then maybe you’ll understand.’

‘Is that what you did to me just now?’ she whispered. ‘Was that Earth energy?’

‘It was. And now it’s alive in your body and soul, working its magic. Now remember, you’re to walk every day in these woods. Everywhere in Stonewylde is safe. It’s not like the Outside World so don’t worry, nobody here would hurt you.’

‘I feel so peaceful in these woods. I’ll enjoy walking here,’ she said softly and her voice sounded strange to Yul.

‘I’m sure you’ve been ill because your spirit has starved. You’re a magical girl, Sylvie, and you need to be in touch with the magic of the earth and all living things. Stonewylde will nurture and nourish you and it won’t be long before you’re healed.’

Sylvie sighed, feeling secure in the cocoon of his warmth and care.

‘You’re such a kind man.’

‘I’m the magus,’ he said simply. ‘I’m the guardian. I look after Stonewylde and everyone who lives here.’

As they disappeared out of sight Yul touched the cut on his cheek and smiled bitterly.

Back at the cottage Sylvie joined her mother and Magus for a cup of tea while they discussed her diet. Miranda was worried about reintroducing wheat and dairy foods so quickly but Magus dismissed
her concerns. He told her to let Sylvie eat whatever she fancied, but in moderation at first.

‘I believe, and so does Hazel, that Sylvie’s been needlessly drugged up to the eyeballs. All these food intolerances are a symptom, not the cause, of her illness. What she needs is fresh air, exercise and wholesome organic food with no chemical additives. The sooner she flushes the poison out of her system the better. We’ve made a start today with the healing process, haven’t we Sylvie?’

They smiled at each other and she nodded happily.

‘Is there actually a doctor here?’ asked Miranda, a little anxious that they’d get caught up in some alternative medicine that might do more harm than good.

‘Oh yes. Tomorrow you can come and meet him and he’ll give Sylvie a thorough check-up. He’ll be here until Hazel arrives in the summer. We always have at least one doctor at Stonewylde. Hallfolk come and go all the time and nobody usually stays for ever.’

‘I didn’t realise that. Why don’t they stay?’

‘There are a great many Hallfolk, everyone loosely related, and there’s simply not enough room for them all to live here at once.’

‘But the Villagers you’ve spoken about … they stay, don’t they? You said they never leave Stonewylde.’

‘That’s right. The Villagers work the land and sustain the whole community with their labour. They’re rooted here, and they enable us to be self-sufficient. But the Hallfolk are different; they go into the Outside World to study and earn a living. They bring skills back into the community, sometimes just for a period of time and occasionally by moving here for longer.’

‘So that’s why Hazel’s coming here this summer?’ asked Sylvie. ‘I’m really looking forward to that.’

‘Yes, Hazel’s will be a very welcome return to Stonewylde. She’s young and full of new ideas. We try to combine modern medical practice with the more traditional healing remedies of Stonewylde. So Miranda, don’t worry about Sylvie not receiving
proper medical care. She’ll get the best here, believe me. She’s already feeling a great deal better, aren’t you Sylvie?’

She nodded again, her eyes sparkling with a new light. Miranda was struck by the change in her daughter that seemed to have happened so quickly. Magus stood up and stretched his long legs.

‘I’ll give you a tour of the Hall when you come up later this afternoon. Oh, one more thing before I go. I’m sending a Village boy here daily to provide you with water and firewood, and also to dig over the back garden. It’s been lying fallow for a while and it’s very overgrown. Everyone grows fruit and vegetables in their cottage gardens. The boy will do the heavy digging and other manual work, and then if you choose to stay in the cottage, you can learn about growing food once the soil’s prepared.’

‘That’s very kind,’ said Miranda. ‘But maybe we should do the digging ourselves if—’

‘No, you’re Hallfolk. And this is a punishment for the boy. He’s been a little wild lately and needs his wings clipped.’

‘Is he aggressive or anything?’

Magus smiled at this and shook his head.

‘No, but he’s been getting above himself and I need to knock him back down with a little extra work to tire him out. You’ll learn the protocol about Hallfolk and Villagers – just keep your distance and don’t encourage him to be your friend. Don’t bring him into the cottage except to carry in the firewood and water. His name’s Yul.’

Yul received his summons later that day, just when he was beginning to think the previous night’s trouble may have gone unreported. Greenbough had commented on his limp but Yul said he’d overdone the dancing in the Great Barn, and he worked extra hard so as not to draw attention to it. But his heart sank when he saw Harold, a young servant from the Hall, making his way up the path towards the woodsmen’s hut. Harold talked to the head woodsman, who then beckoned Yul over.

‘You been in trouble again, boy?’ he growled.

‘No, sir,’ said Yul quickly.

‘Well you been called up to the Hall to see Magus. It better not be trouble. You’re letting us down, Yul, and I won’t have it. I know what you’re like for getting into scrapes and I ain’t having no trouble-makers amongst my men.’

‘No really, sir!’ protested Yul, very worried. He loved working in the woods but was only an apprentice woodsman; to lose his position would be terrible.

‘Well, be off with you then. And keep your nose out of mischief.’

As they walked down to the Hall, Yul plied Harold with questions. They were of a similar age and Harold was bright and hard-working like Yul, although he too had never made it to the Hall School. But he knew nothing of why Yul had now been summoned.

‘Am I in trouble? Did Magus seem angry?’

‘I told you, Yul, I don’t know.’

‘Has that bastard Buzz been in with him today telling tales?’

‘How should I know? You don’t realise what it’s like up there. There’s loads of extra Hallfolk staying at the moment because of the Equinox. I don’t know who’s been talking to who, do I? I’ve been busy cleaning out bloody fireplaces all morning, not listening to Hallfolk talk.’

By the time they reached the Hall, Yul was quaking inside. He’d done nothing wrong last night yet he knew that he’d get the blame. He was scared that Magus would punish him, scared his father would find out and half kill him, and scared that Greenbough would stop his apprenticeship. Magus was the only higher authority at Stonewylde and renowned for being just, but Yul had no faith in him. He recalled Magus’ flicker of pleasure up in the Stone Circle. Magus disliked him for some reason, and as they walked round to the back of the vast building, he felt like a mouse at the mercy of a large cat.

The Hall looked especially beautiful today. Thousands of tiny diamond Tudor window panes twinkled in the afternoon sun.
The mellow grey building with its many wings and forest of chimneys seemed to breathe and bask like a living entity in its green setting. Villagers came here regularly for a variety of reasons, but Yul couldn’t recall a time when he’d felt so nervous. Harold led him through the back corridors down endless passages until they arrived in the Galleried Hall.

It was a very large double-height area, with a panelled gallery running along two sides. Tapestries and banners hung from the walls, and the ancient flagstones on the floor predated even the mediaeval building. Light flooded in through many stained-glass windows set up high near the roof. The ceiling was a great arched curve of age-blackened rafters, and countless carved bosses studded the panelling and beams. A huge fireplace took up most of one wall and antique oak settles lined the others. There were many pointed stone archways leading in from different corridors.

The Galleried Hall was the heart of the great labyrinthine building, and the place where Magus meted out justice. Anyone with a grievance or problem could bring it here to the master. Retribution was swift and relevant; perhaps whipping for the most serious misdemeanours, but more often forced labour and atonement to injured parties. The system was feudal but it worked. Magus was fair and the punishments not excessive, and there was little crime at Stonewylde because of it.

‘Magus said you’re to wait here,’ said Harold, eyeing the dark-haired boy with sympathy. He knew Yul of old, always getting into trouble, and didn’t envy him now. ‘And good luck to you, mate,’ he muttered under his breath, disappearing through an arched side door.