Solstice at Stonewylde (44 page)

His behaviour was becoming increasingly erratic, and many now thought it was time for a new magus. But they feared they’d lose their privileges and lives of ease if a young Villager were to take over the reins of leadership. Yul may be Hallfolk by blood but he certainly wasn’t one of them, as he himself had insisted so vehemently the other day. Below stairs there was a fever of excitement amongst the servants, and a fervent hope that the Hallfolk
would
lose their privileges and lives of ease.

‘Might I have a quick word please, sir?’

Magus glanced up as Martin slid silently into his office. The man was so deferential and Magus acknowledged ruefully that he needed something to help calm him down; Martin was probably the best antidote for his rage. He’d spent it on Sylvie, of course, but every time he thought about the missing eggs he felt his fury rise up again. He’d left her locked in his apartments whilst he worked down here for an hour, trying to bring himself under control.

‘Yes, Martin. What can I do for you?’

‘Please forgive me being personal, sir, but I been wondering … Yesterday Master Clip told us he were Miss Sylvie’s father and I wondered if that was really true?’

Magus frowned, not wishing to be reminded of the debacle in the Galleried Hall and the awful humiliation as his lies were unmasked in public.

‘I imagine so. It seems probable, and he and Miranda are agreed on it. Why do you ask, Martin?’

‘Well, sir. I always understood that although Master Clip owns Stonewylde, passed on by his father Basil, as he had no children himself ‘twould pass on to you one day. But if he has a child, then I suppose she’d be the heir to Stonewylde?’

‘Yes, you’re right. Whatever made you think of that, Martin?’

‘My mother, sir – I visited her last night and she and my Aunt Vetchling were talking about it and wondering.’

‘I see. And how is Old Violet?’

Martin’s nose wrinkled with distaste at the memory of the filthy cottage shared by his mother Violet and her sister. Vetchling’s daughter Starling also lived there, with her own little boy and her nephew, Jackdaw’s son. The cottage was a little way out of the Village and the family were generally ostracised by the Villagers. The three women were not popular and the two little boys were dirty and unsociable.

‘She’s well enough, sir. Busy baking ceremony cakes for the Solstice o’ course.’

‘Good. And tell me, Martin … what’s the general feeling amongst the Villagers about this coming Solstice? I mean this business about Yul and the ridiculous prophecy that’s been raked up again. Are people talking much about it?’

Martin eyed Magus carefully. He knew he was treading on eggshells here, for the master was touchy at the moment.

‘I don’t get to hear much of the tittle-tattle, sir, not in my position. The servants always whisper in corners, o’ course, but they stop when they see me coming.’

‘What about Violet and Vetchling, and Starling for that matter? Have they heard anything?’

Martin shook his head firmly.

‘Not really, sir. But they have some scheme afoot for tomorrow night, some dark magic, and they’ll do their bit to help out as ever.’

‘So they haven’t heard any rumours or gossip about Yul and his plans?’

‘No, sir. My mother’s family are treated shockingly, and that’s a fact. Folk cross the road to avoid them. ‘Tis on account of Jackdaw, o’ course, but ‘tis not right. Not for a woman of my mother’s position. She should be respected, not insulted.’

‘I promise you, Martin, that once this Solstice is over, things will change at Stonewylde. Loyalty will be rewarded … and betrayal will be dealt with severely.’

‘Have you seen what is to come? What will unfold?’ asked Mother Heggy, peering almost sightlessly at the blond man in the chair opposite her. He shook his head, eyeing the crow on the table warily. He knew what that crow had done at Mooncliffe during the last full moon.

‘I’ve seen very little lately,’ he replied. ‘My gift, such as it is, seems to have deserted me in recent months.’

The crone nodded and creakily bent forward to take his hands in hers. He flinched – all his life he’d been terrified of this woman. He knew she hated him and had done so since his moment of conception. She gazed at him with milky eyes and crooned softly as she rocked.

‘Your father were a bad man,’ she mumbled eventually. ‘He took what he shouldn’t have and he violated what were forbidden. And you, born under the eclipse – you should’ve been truly gifted. But you too took what you shouldn’t have and you’ve suffered for that, right enough.’

Clip nodded and sat silently, reflecting on his plight. Mother Heggy sighed.

‘But now you have another chance – you must protect your daughter and do what is right.’

‘Yes I will! To discover I have a daughter, after all this time … I want so much to do what’s right. And I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone.’

‘Aye, you speak the truth. You have the gentleness of my Raven in you, I see it clear. What you did under that Harvest Moon – ’twas destiny, for the silver girl had to be conceived. The moongazy maiden had to return to Stonewylde to dance the spirals. But she’s in great danger, the bright one, caged as she is. I feel it strong, yet ‘tis not clear. My power has all but gone. The binding spell is almost over, its magic spent, and tomorrow my dark one will stand alone. Oh how I fear for him!’

It was silent save for the crackling of the meagre fire in the hearth and the creaking of the rocking chair. Clip felt himself drawn to the ancient Wise Woman and wished that he’d visited
her before. He’d always been too scared to approach her knowing how she cursed him and his brother, and when Yul had said Mother Heggy wanted to see him he’d been terrified of the encounter. But now he felt the old magic in her, the knowledge and wisdom of a true witch. He could’ve learnt so much from her over the years, if he’d only had the courage to seek her out. He resolved to forge a bond with her and visit regularly from now on. He’d make the tumble-down cottage more comfortable for her too; it was in a terrible state of repair.

‘Beware o’ your brother,’ she whispered suddenly, her grip on his hand tightening. ‘He has evil in his heart. He’s the serpent that creeps.’

‘I’ve always been wary of my brother,’ he replied sadly. ‘I know he’s evil and I long for his reign to be over.’

‘No,’ she said. ‘I speak not of him. ‘Tis the
other
brother who’s a danger to you.’

Clip frowned at her, but then she began to moan softly, a strange noise that made his skin horripilate. The old woman was peering under the table, and he bent to see what she stared at. The scraggy black cat was under there, growling low, its mangy tail lashing. Laid out carefully in a neat row were five dead rats, their throats torn. The cat glared malignantly, daring anyone to touch his trophies.

‘Five! Always five!’ croaked Mother Heggy. She clutched at her dirty shawl in fear, her gnarled fingers scrabbling on the worn fabric. ‘Five deaths at the Solstice! Five souls for the Dark Angel, and I know not whose!’

T
he day of Solstice Eve finally dawned. Yul received the earth energy not on the Altar Stone as usual, but in the dolmen up in the hills by the woods. He sat in the ancient temple feeling the power spiral up from beneath him as the sun rose above the horizon. This was the energy of the earth dragon of old, the serpent lines of green magic that lay deep in the ground, waiting to be drawn upon by those wise ones with special ability. He’d spent the night in the dolmen, not trusting Magus to leave him alone. There could have been a midnight raid on his cottage or a surprise visit to the Stone Circle at sunrise, as Magus had done the day before.

Yul sat for a while, deep in thought. Tonight was the brightness in the darkness, the Moon Fullness at the Winter Solstice. As from sunset today, Yul would be unprotected by Mother Heggy’s spell and Magus would be out to hunt him down. By sunrise tomorrow morning at the Solstice, the prophecy would’ve come about if it were to happen as foretold. And if not, Yul would be dead. Whilst he wasn’t trying to kill his father, he knew without doubt that his father intended to kill him. Yesterday Magus had offered him partnership and Yul had instinctively refused, knowing his father wasn’t honourable and couldn’t be trusted. Regardless of what Magus might promise, he and Sylvie would always be in danger from him, and so he’d refused the compromise.

Tonight he must rise up against his father to overthrow him.
He had no choice, for those words had greeted his birth and blighted his life. Tonight, when the moon was full, was the time for fulfilment of the prophecy. Yul had to face his father one to one at the Place of Bones and Death. All that remained unclear was the outcome; what would happen there tonight was out of his hands, and all he could do was be there to let destiny take its course.

Yul’s clear grey eyes roamed across the body of the woman before him, clothed in her winter robe. Trees sprang from her head, and the hills formed her shoulder and hip as she lay on her side. The curve of her waist was the valley, and the ancient tumuli her breasts. The Goddess in the landscape lay silent and still before him as he looked out from his vantage point on the hill. This was the woman who held the gift of life in her womb, latent now in the depths of winter but ready to be born again as the returning sun bestowed his warm caress in the spring. This woman, this sentient landscape, was Stonewylde; he must guard her with his life and cherish her until his death, for he was the chosen one, the magus.

Yul thought then of Sylvie, the other woman he must protect. She too was part of the synergy of Stonewylde and linked to the landscape as strongly as he. As ever, just thinking about her made his bones melt. He loved her more than life itself and tonight he was prepared to die for her. Should everything go wrong and she be put in danger, he’d give his life to save her from Magus.

‘Bring hand guns, yes. You shouldn’t need them, but … yes, exactly. Remember the element of surprise will be crucial and it’ll all take place outside. Definitely camouflage gear, and cuffs and rope too. When you arrive you’ll be stopped at the Gate House. They’ll ring me and I’ll come to get you, and brief you fully … Yes … I see, but absolutely no later than three p.m. You have to be in position before sunset at four … Yes, and the other half on completion. Fine, see you at three.’

Sylvie shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep as Magus came over to the sofa. Her heart clutched with terror at what she’d
overheard – a hired man to help him tonight with guns, camouflage gear and rope? Yul wouldn’t stand a chance; she had to get warning to him. She quaked with fear but tried to keep still as Magus looked down at her. He ran his fingers delicately over her cheekbone and she stirred slightly.

‘Wake up, sleepy head,’ he said gently. ‘Breakfast will be coming soon and I’m sure you’re hungry.’

He knelt and stroked the hair away from her face, then leant forward and softly kissed her cheek. She was enveloped in the exotic smell of him, and remembered with shame how there’d been a time when that scent had thrilled her. She opened her eyes quickly to prevent any further intimacy and gazed at him in trepidation. He’d been so very cruel to her yesterday. Was he still playing cat and mouse? But Magus was kindness itself this morning; a different person from the man of the previous night who’d shouted at her and threatened her with torture on the rock at Mooncliffe. He went off to run a bath for her as they waited for breakfast to arrive.

Immediately Sylvie ran to his desk and grabbed a pen and a scrap of paper. Her hands shook badly and the heavy diamond cuffs weighed her wrists down and caught on everything on his desk, restricting her movements. She had to get a message to Yul and warn him, particularly as Magus had said the element of surprise was crucial. Fingers trembling, she scribbled a note to Clip and crumpled it small in her hand. Her black silk pyjamas had no pockets where she could hide it and she thought frantically – would a servant bring the food or would it come in the dumb waiter? She usually missed breakfast and had no idea, but decided on the latter.

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she yanked open the concealed panel. She saw with relief that the small lift was up here and not downstairs. She put the note inside, knowing that the servants would find it. She hoped against hope that they’d pass it on to Clip, who’d make sure Yul was warned.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I … I thought I heard the food coming, but it wasn’t.’

‘Are you very hungry?’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘Come here.’

She padded reluctantly to him as he stood by the window. The sun had risen and was sparkling the melting frost into dew on the lawn to the south-east. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, feeling her thin shoulders and arms as he cradled her head against his chest.

‘I’m sorry, Sylvie. I’ve treated you cruelly and I’m truly sorry. Something inside me – it takes over sometimes and I can’t stop. It’s not your fault, any of this, but you’ve borne the brunt of my anger and frustration over the past month. Look at the state of you! I’ve starved you deliberately and now you’re far too thin, and your poor arms with these horrific black bruises … You’re beautiful and delicate like a rare butterfly and I’ve damaged you with my rough, careless handling. I hope you’ll be able to forgive me – I fully intend to put everything right, believe me.’

She stood perfectly still, her skin crawling wherever he touched her. His fingers gently but insistently caressed her back, feeling her bones through the flesh, tracing her shoulder blades and the vertebrae in her spine. He sighed and squeezed her tightly for a moment, then held her away a little and tipped her face up to his. His gaze was soft and he groaned.