Moondance of Stonewylde (38 page)

‘It’s beautiful,’ Yul said, and she spun round in surprise.

‘You really think so? You’re not just being kind?’

‘No, it’s one of the best cornucopias I’ve seen. Some years they’re really ordinary. Yours looks like its bursting with goodness. And I love those half-hidden dormice.’

She smiled at him.

‘That’s nice of you. You’re Yul, aren’t you? Holly’s been going on and on about you.’

He shook his head and groaned. Rainbow laughed and jumped off the stone. She quickly rinsed her brush and picked up the basket of materials.

‘Well, she’s one of my best friends so don’t be nasty, will you? All I can say is, she’s very cross with you, but if you’re playing hard to get then it’s worked. She’s talked about you non-stop
since you were so unfriendly in the orchard. I wish I’d heard what you said to her. Not many boys would turn Holly down – they wouldn’t dare!’

With a little wave, she turned and walked off towards the darkening tree tunnel of the Long Walk.

Yul breathed a sigh of relief. He stood alone at last in the ancient circle. The sun was burrowing into the west, glittering gold in the pink sky. He could hear the soft, soothing call of woodpigeons in the oak woods nearby. The Altar Stone pulled at him, urging him to come. Yul closed his eyes and breathed deeply, feeling perfectly in harmony with the earth and the sky, the moon and the sun, the five elements and all the stars. He was part of the fabric of life and at peace with himself and the world. With a run and a leap, he landed on the stone and faced the setting sun, his arms raised to the heavens and his head thrown back. As the sun disappeared, the Earth Magic spiralled up and enveloped him. He laughed out loud with the glory of it.

Rainbow worked quickly, her soft pencil capturing the lines perfectly. She perched in the shadows of the Long Walk on one of the low stones that lined the way, sketch book balanced on her knee. She didn’t understand what she’d just witnessed, but her picture told the true story. The lines of Yul’s taut body arched backwards in ecstasy, the radiance about him, the joy on his upturned face. She’d caught the essence of his blessing by the Earth Goddess without even realising it. She smiled and stood up. Holly would love the picture, she knew. Not that she planned to part with it – she rather liked it herself.

Many of the community gathered in the Stone Circle in the grey light before dawn at the Autumn Equinox. The birds in the woods sang gloriously. Overnight a myriad of spiders had visited the Circle and left their Equinox gift; silver gossamer threads shimmered in cascades of silk from the stones, catching the light and dew to form a glistening skein across the soft earth floor. The drummers had been playing softly, but as the sky lightened their intensity increased. The beats bounced around the stones,
leaping off the hard surfaces and into the bodies of the people of Stonewylde. Magus chanted as he stood on the Altar Stone, facing east where the sun would soon appear. Yul smiled to himself. He felt the energy; tendrils had been seeking him out ever since he arrived in the Circle. He doubted whether Magus was feeling anything at all.

As the sun appeared for this day of equilibrium between light and dark, the drumming reached a crescendo. Magus lit the kindling in the brazier and the blue flames fizzed up. All eyes were on him, but Greenbough, standing near to Yul, felt the blast of energy that shot through the boy. Yul staggered as he took the full force of it, and the old man stared at him in wonder. His gaze was speculative as the ceremony finished and the people began to make their way back to the Village and the Hall for breakfast. Greenbough knew that he’d seen something special, something of which only a few were yet aware.

The day was perfect, with that misty softness peculiar to September. The skies were mackereled with wispy clouds, and as Yul lay on his back on the Village Green looking up into the bright blueness, he felt completely happy. Sylvie was about, and just knowing she was close by made him feel good. They barely managed to speak a few words to each other, but both were acutely aware of where the other one was at all times. Sylvie watched him, looking taller and more handsome than ever in his new clothes. He seemed to be constantly surrounded by a flock of girls, and every so often he’d catch her eye and grimace.

Lunch in the Barn was a true Harvest Festival for everything served today had been grown and harvested at Stonewylde. There was a primeval pleasure in knowing the harvest had been a good one, and the Village Stores were brimming with produce. Nothing of Mother Earth’s bounty was wasted; the hedgerows with their glistening treasure of blackberries, elderberries, sloes, and rose-hips were still being plundered, and the walnut and hazelnut trees daily loosed a little more of their fruits. The Meadery was working flat out to cope with the massive honey yields that had poured in all summer long, whilst Old Bewald in the Cider House
said he’d never known a year like it for apples. The coopers were struggling to keep up with demand for new barrels, whilst the Store was crammed with produce for the winter ahead. It had been an exceptional harvest and the folk of Stonewylde enjoyed the festival to the full.

During the afternoon the community relaxed and enjoyed the warm sunshine on the Village Green, at the beach, and along the river banks. Magus himself was in fine fettle. Morale amongst the Villagers was high thanks to the excellent harvest and Buzz’s banishment, which had reaffirmed the people’s faith in Magus’ justice. He was fired up on the moon eggs and his energy knew no bounds. He sparkled and thrilled with it and Yul watched him covertly, noticing how he pulled the community together and bound the people in a web of goodwill and contentment. But like the spider who wove the web, his intent was to create a cocoon that would entrap his prey and allow him to feed.

Yul realised in a flash of understanding that Magus needed the folk of Stonewylde far more than they needed him, despite their apparent dependence on his leadership. Fired up himself on the great doses of Earth Magic he’d received over the past few days, Yul felt powerful and wise. A revelation kindled inside him, quickly taking hold and blazing in his heart.

I could lead Stonewylde for the good of the Villagers, the true folk. And I’d do a better job of it than he does.

A large group of people headed off for the beach as the afternoon had become very hot indeed and the sea was at its warmest now after the long summer. Yul noticed Sylvie sitting under the walnut tree on the Green tucked almost out of sight. She was watching him and beckoned him over.

‘I’ve just seen Mother Heggy’s crow,’ she said, smiling up at him. ‘And Yul, I have to tell you how gorgeous you look today. Although doubtless you’ve already been told.’

He pulled a wry face and sat beside her.

‘Are you sure it was Heggy’s crow? Not just any bird?’

‘No, definitely hers. I can tell.’

‘In that case, we’d better get ourselves over to her cottage. The
crow’s her messenger and she sends it to summon me. And you too. I expect she wants to speak to us urgently.’

Inside he rejoiced; now must be the time to remove the spell. He’d become increasingly worried as time was running out.

‘Why does she want to see us?’

‘Let’s go and find out. We’ll leave separately in case anyone notices and I’ll meet you by the rowan tree just before the path forks to her cottage. You go first, Sylvie.’

As they approached the hovel, Sylvie slipped her hand into his and squeezed it, smiling at him happily. He felt a pang of guilt for deceiving her about the purpose of their visit. Sylvie was delighted to see the Wise Woman again and kissed the crone on her withered cheek.

‘I’m so sorry I haven’t been to see you lately, Mother Heggy. I’ve been ill quite a lot and everyone watches me. It’s hard to get away unnoticed.’

‘I know, I know, my little one. But you’re stronger now, and ‘tis why I had to see you. Do you trust me?’

She nodded. ‘Of course I do.’

‘Then you must believe me when I tell you this: you’re under a spell.’

‘What? A
spell
?’

Yul and Mother Heggy knew from her incredulity that she didn’t believe it. They caught each other’s eye.

‘Clip put a spell on you, Sylvie,’ said Yul gently. ‘It’s to do with the Moon Fullness, and it’s why you don’t come up with me to Hare Stone anymore.’

‘You must be joking. A spell? With a magic wand?’

‘No, no, a spell to make you obey. A spell that speaks to your mind but not your soul. You do what he’s commanded without question,’ said Mother Heggy. ‘’Tis an old trick and Clip has the wisdom for it. He’s done the same to your mother. Mother and daughter both spellbound by that evil pair o’ half-brothers.’

They could see Sylvie still didn’t believe them. Yul took her hand in his and looked into her startled eyes.

‘Sylvie, every time I speak to you about the Moon Fullness, you say exactly the same words. It’s like you learnt them off by heart and you must obey them.’

She frowned as something stirred in her mind. She thought of the rising moon and the first thing that came to mind was Hare Stone. But then the fog came rolling in and she nodded.

‘A black fog that blanks out everything. That’s what I see when I think of the full moon.’

‘Aye! A black fog is right, covering all. Smothering your own desires like a blanket over the face so you no longer breathe freely. Do you know what he forces you to do at the rising of the moon?’ asked Mother Heggy.

‘I … I … I like to dance on the round stone at Mooncliffe. I must share my moon magic with Magus. It’s why I was brought here.’

‘That’s the spell!’ cried Yul. ‘You always use those same words!’

‘Do I? But it’s true. I do like to dance at Mooncliffe.’

‘Sylvie, listen to me, you don’t dance there at all! They put you on the rock and you stand frozen there like a carving. I saw it all last month and it nearly killed me to watch you suffering like that. I could feel your pain. The moon energy pours through you into the rock and they make you stay up there for ages, holding heavy stone eggs to charge them up. There’s a whole crate of them. They feed off your moon magic and that’s why you’re so ill afterwards. They bleed you dry.’

She shook her head.

‘I don’t remember any of that. But really, I do like to dance at Mooncliffe.’

‘So now we must unlock the spell,’ said the old woman. ‘Sit down, my bright one. Sit down and look at Mother Heggy. You must trust me, Sylvie. And trust your sweetheart here. We’d do you no harm and you know that in your heart.’

Sylvie nodded reluctantly, her eyes scared. She looked at Yul and he put his arm around her, holding her tightly as she trembled.

‘I’d never hurt you, Sylvie. I love you. They’re leeches, those
men, feeding off your magic. This is for your good, I swear to you.’

Sylvie sat in the chair opposite Mother Heggy and Yul kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The crone took Sylvie’s hands and looked into her eyes, and within seconds Yul felt a change in her. She was somehow more rigid, less conscious, although she didn’t look any different. He remembered the power he’d sensed inside the old woman; a power all the stronger for being so well disguised in the withered, feeble frame.

‘You’re a blessed moongazy girl,’ she began, in her high, singsong voice. ‘Blessed by the Triple Goddess at the rising of the Moon Fullness. You are hers – she calls to you and you must come. She calls to your heart and your soul. She’s in your eyes, your moonstone eyes, and she gives you wings to fly and a tongue to sing in her honour. This is what you must do at the Moon Fullness, my little one. Listen to the Goddess calling you, as she’s done since you were born, and obey only her commands.’

She paused, tiny and hunched in her chair, and Yul marvelled again at the power inside such an ancient body.

‘The stone at Mooncliffe is of another power,’ she continue, her voice cracked and reedy, ‘the evil power of the serpent at Stonewylde. In your heart you know ‘tis a place of suffering and malevolence and you don’t truly want to dance there. You must go where the Goddess herself calls you. At the Moon Fullness you must honour the Bright Lady in her special place on the hill with the hares. You must dance only where you feel ‘tis right, not where others force you to go.’

She looked over Sylvie’s head at Yul, her eyes cloudy.

‘Will it work?’ he whispered.

‘Let’s hope so,’ she replied. ‘She
must
be at Hare Stone for the Harvest Moon. She needs that red harvest magic if she’s to face the dangers that lie ahead.’

The evening party in the Great Barn was riotous. This was the festival for serious cider drinking and as the next day was a holiday, everyone let themselves go. The cider had been brewed
the previous autumn for just this event and was particularly potent. Yul had in past years been especially wary of Alwyn at the Autumn Equinox celebrations. The man was renowned both for his prowess at cider consumption and his brutal aggression afterwards, and this year was the first Harvest Festival where Yul could truly relax and enjoy himself.

After the evening ceremony at the Stone Circle the party got underway in the Barn. There were traditional country dances involving circles, lines and arched arms, and Sylvie found herself galloping round the Barn with several different partners. She’d hoped to be able to dance with Yul but he was monopolised the whole evening by girls, both Hallfolk and Villager, who wouldn’t leave him alone. Even when he did break free of them he didn’t dare make any move towards her. Instead he sought refuge with his family whenever possible, and had to content himself with meaningful looks across the floor at Sylvie.