Shaman of Stonewylde (2 page)

‘A rainbow? Oh, Rainbow! Yes, she’s a girl – woman now I suppose – who used to live here back in the old Magus’ days. She was banished along with all the other Hallfolk but they say she’s coming back soon for a stay. She’s a famous artist in the Outside World so I guess she’ll be interesting, and I’m sure she’ll love your work, Maggie. Anyway, have you been well lately? Is everything alright?’

He continued to hold her hand and Leveret sensed a succession of images: Magpie eating at the table in Marigold and Cherry’s cottage by the Hall, holding cutlery and using a napkin; Magpie lying in his own bed in the tiny bedroom with his clothes folded neatly in the drawers and his pictures pinned on every wall; Magpie digging manure into the trenched soil in the walled Kitchen Gardens; finally, Swift’s secretive face peering into the Art Room as Magpie stood painting a huge canvas. He squeezed Leveret’s hand then and she nodded.

‘I know – I’m still not sure about Swift. I’d try to steer clear of him if you can, Magpie. And remember what I told you – never, ever eat anything that he or Jay or my brothers give you. It might be poisonous and you’d be very ill. You understand?’

He nodded emphatically and she sighed, releasing his hand and getting to her feet.

‘I’d better go back now. Today’s my last day of solitude – I’ll be at the sunrise ceremony tomorrow and I’ll have to face
the
community again. I’ll look out for you, Magpie. And soon we must go to Mother Heggy’s cottage together – will you help me clear it up? Clip’s getting me a special new book and I’d love you to draw all the different plants for me. Would you do that?’

He nodded with a smile and Leveret thought for the hundredth time that whatever else had happened, the one good thing to come out of all the horrible events since Samhain was Magpie’s new life.

Bluebell and Celandine skipped along by their mother’s side as they left the Nursery in the centre of the Village, making their way across the cobbled area towards one of the lanes radiating out.

‘If Granny Maizie isn’t in, we’ll see if she’s up at the Hall,’ said Sylvie, nodding to people as they passed by.

‘Oh, I hope she has some honey biscuits in the pantry!’ shouted Bluebell, the iron tips in the heels of her little leather boots clattering on the stones. Her white-blonde curls cascaded out from beneath the bright blue felt hat and her cheeks glowed. ‘I love Granny Maizie’s honey biscuits. And her oat-jacks! And her rosehip drink! And—’

‘We get the idea, Blue,’ said Celandine evenly. ‘The whole Village doesn’t need to know. Mum, why are we visiting Granny now? What’s happened?’

Sylvie glanced down at her elder daughter, nearly seven years old and as perceptive as ever. The child’s deep grey eyes, exactly like her father’s, bored into her and forbade any platitudes.

‘I’m going to ask if we can stay with her for a bit,’ she answered quietly. ‘We can keep her company now she’s all alone in the cottage.’

‘I thought Auntie Leveret was just living with Grandfather Clip for a little while until she was well again,’ said Celandine. ‘Isn’t she going back to her cottage in the Village?’

‘Is Auntie Leveret still poorly?’ asked Bluebell, her hair tangling as she pulled off the hat.

‘No, I think she’s fine now,’ said Sylvie, ‘but she wants to stay in the tower. So, Granny—’

‘So poor Grandfather Clip won’t be lonely!’ cried Bluebell. ‘That’s good. He always looks so sad and his face is all grey and patterned. Auntie Leveret will cheer him up. I wish she could live with us though!’

‘But Granny Maizie will still be alone so we’ll keep her company?’ asked Celandine. ‘Is that it?’

‘Exactly,’ said Sylvie thankfully.

‘But what about Father?’ Bluebell said. ‘Then he’ll be all on his alone!’

‘He’ll have Harold,’ said Celandine drily. ‘Oh Mum, I do hope Granny Maizie says yes. I’d really love to live in the Village with all my friends!’

‘Yes, I always wanted to live in the Village too,’ said Sylvie wistfully. ‘It’s fifteen years since I came to Stonewylde, almost to the very day – it was just before the Spring Equinox when I arrived – and I wanted to be a Villager then. So if Granny Maizie says yes, this will be perfect.’

Maizie was at home, but took some persuading to agree to them moving in with her, even temporarily. She gave the little girls a drink and biscuits, then shooed them out of the cottage and down into the long garden to see the chickens.

‘I still think—’

‘Please, Mother Maizie. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.’

Maizie shook her greying head and frowned at her daughter-in-law. Sylvie looked pale and drawn.

‘What does Yul say?’

‘I haven’t told him yet,’ Sylvie admitted. ‘But Maizie, please – I can’t spend another day in those apartments. It’s not just that I need a break from Yul – it’s the place too. I’ve never wanted to live in those rooms and the memories of Magus . . .’

‘Aye, but why now? You’ve lived there since you were handfasted – what . . . eight years ago?’

‘And I never wanted to live there! I said so from the start but
you
know how Yul always gets his own way! Honestly, I don’t want to sound disloyal but he’s awful at the moment. I simply can’t take it any longer!’

Her face crumpled and she started to cry silently, haunted by the memories of Yul’s increased drinking and aggression, and his regular insistence on her fulfilling her wifely duties. Maizie leaned over and hugged her, gazing sadly over her head at the white-washed wall that had once sported a nail and a dark, coiled whip. Her poor son – surely he deserved happiness? But she also knew that nobody loved Yul more than Sylvie and she wouldn’t be asking this lightly.

‘Right enough, you and the girls can come here for a while,’ she said. ‘But you must promise me it’s just for a stay, not forever. You and Yul . . .’

She stopped as sudden tears choked her throat too.

‘I know, I know,’ sobbed Sylvie, trying to pull herself together in case the girls burst back in. ‘Believe me, I want things to be right between us. But it’s been bad for a while now . . . right back since Samhain I think. He’s not my Yul any more. He’s a different man – cold and cruel – and I can’t bear to be with him when he’s like that.’

‘Dry your eyes,’ said Maizie gently, stroking Sylvie’s shoulder and feeling quite horrified at its angularity. ‘ ’Twill all work out in the end, that I do know. You and Yul were destined to be together – ’tis unthinkable for you to be apart for long. Nothing in this life runs smooth all the time and everything goes through darkness as well as brightness. By Beltane we’ll have it all better again between the two o’ you.’

‘I do hope so,’ Sylvie gulped, blowing her nose and brushing the tears from her eyes. ‘I can’t stand this – I just want my old Yul back again. And thank you, Mother Maizie. The girls will be so pleased – it’s been difficult for them too.’

That evening in the Dining Hall, all talk was of the newcomer to Stonewylde. Most of the youngsters had little or no recollection of Rainbow or any other Hallfolk; amongst the adults, feelings
were
divided about her return. Hardly anyone had actually seen her arrive. Alerted by the Gatehouse, Martin had been waiting and had shown her straight to the bedroom he’d allocated her. Hazel had then taken her down to the Village to Dawn’s cottage, next to the School House, and David had joined them for dinner. They were all still there, hence the excited speculation now in the Dining Hall.

‘I met her,’ said Swift quietly to some of the youngsters on his table.

‘So what was she like? What did she say?’

The girls in particular were agog for details. Swift flicked back his long straight fringe and shrugged.

‘She was okay, but not what I’d imagined. She just stared around her as if she couldn’t believe it all.’

‘What was she wearing?’

‘Was she really beautiful?’

‘Had she brought loads of paintings with her?’

The questions came thick and fast and Swift smiled, enjoying his moment of importance.

‘She’s pretty hot. She’s got wild blonde hair all over the place. She was wearing a long bright skirt and she had bare legs and arms and loads of jewellery. And she can’t have brought any paintings because she only had one bag. She can’t have many clothes, in fact, if that’s all she brought for three months.’

‘Is that how long she’s here for?’

Swift nodded.

‘How come you know so much?’

He smiled again and tapped the side of his nose.

Upstairs in their apartments, Yul and Sylvie glared at each other across the dinner table. The girls were in bed, finally asleep. They’d spent the evening in great excitement packing their knitted animals and rag dolls into a big wicker hamper, along with their books, pencils and paper.

‘You can’t do this.’

‘Yes I can. We’re going tomorrow morning after the ceremony.’

‘I won’t let you. I’ll speak to Mother.’

‘It’s too late – she’s agreed. We’ll be company for her now she’s all alone without Leveret.’

‘Nobody’s even asked
me
about Leveret.’

‘Why should they? It’s not up to you. Clip and Maizie have agreed between themselves that the best place for Leveret is with him, in the tower. She’ll be out of harm’s way there and he’s going to keep her really busy with her studies. Maizie’s happy not to have the worry of her and Clip’s happy to have a protégée. There’s no need for you to be involved, is there, Yul?’

He frowned and Sylvie resisted the urge to lean across the table and stroke the lines from his forehead. His face was lean and angular, his hair long and rather unkempt. He looked desperate, and so vulnerable. She steeled herself; this had happened before and she’d regret it when he turned off the vulnerability and bit her hand with a snarl.

‘Are you leaving me because of Rainbow?’

His voice had a different edge and Sylvie sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head.

‘That’s it, isn’t it, Sylvie?’ His accusation sounded almost triumphant. ‘You’re annoyed because for once you’re not getting your own way and—’

‘
For once
? Yul, I
never
get my own way!’

‘So because Rainbow’s coming to stay for a few weeks to do some painting, you’re leaving me and taking the children away from their home.’

‘Oh for goodness’ sake! I’m not exactly
leaving
you and it’s certainly nothing to do with Rainbow.’

Yul stood up abruptly, making Sylvie jump. He abandoned the dinner table and took his glass and wine bottle over to the sofa. Sylvie loaded the dishes into the dumb waiter, realising with a jolt of pleasure that this would be the last time she’d do this for ages.

‘Why are you so against her coming back? What is it about Rainbow that bothers you?’

‘I don’t want to discuss it, Yul,’ she said wearily, closing the
panel
and pressing the button for the tray to descend. ‘We’ve talked about it too much already and I’m sick of the subject. You know I hated the idea of her coming back. Yet you deliberately went against my wishes in public at the Elders’ Meeting and humiliated me. Nothing we say now will make any difference.’

‘And this is your revenge – moving out and taking my girls away from me.’

‘No, it’s—’

‘It’s your way of humiliating me in return! What’s everyone going to say? The magus can’t even keep his own wife by his side? What sort of a husband is he that she has to go running off to his mother? How do you think it’ll make me feel?’

She looked down at him as he slumped in the sofa, glass in hand and his face mottled now with anger and self-pity.

‘I don’t know and to be honest, Yul, I don’t really care. You haven’t thought about my feelings much in the past few months and I need a break from you. I’m going to have a bath now and an early night. Don’t drink too much – remember it’s the sunrise ceremony tomorrow and you need to be on better form than you were at Imbolc and the Winter Solstice.’

‘Yeah, stick the knife in, why don’t you?’ he muttered to her retreating back, pouring himself another drink. He glared at the ruby liquid, tormenting himself with the image of Sylvie undressing and slipping into the foaming water. He sighed and tossed back the wine. If this was to be their last night together for a while, he’d better make the most of it.

Clip stared into the flames burning in the hearth. He should really be up at the Dolmen now, spending the night in vigil ready to greet the sunrise at the Equinox. He’d half planned to go up earlier this evening but in the end decided against it. He stretched his thin frame, curling his bony toes in their felt slippers and making all his joints crack. Clip was really feeling his years now and looked older than he should. His wispy silver hair, now straggling down his back, added to the illusion of an old wizard but in fact he was only in his fifties.

He sighed heavily and, pulling on his reading glasses, once again picked up the wad of papers recently arrived from his lawyer prior to their intended meeting later in spring. It was all so complicated and made his head ache. He scanned the pages of closely-typed legal jargon and yawned. It was important to get the handover of the estate right. His gaze wandered easily from the paper as his thoughts drifted back to Sylvie’s visit earlier on. She’d seemed jittery, but that was normal nowadays; even he could see that she was thinner and looking careworn. When she’d explained that she’d just seen Maizie and would be moving into the Village with the girls the next day, Clip had felt a strange sense of relief. He couldn’t understand why, but knowing she’d be out of the Hall had made him glad. He didn’t press her for an explanation although her stumbling excuse about wanting to keep Maizie company rang false to both of them.

‘Is Leveret really happy living here with you?’ she’d asked.

‘She is – and so am I,’ he’d replied. ‘The situation after Imbolc was impossible and I couldn’t let the poor child suffer any more. None of it was her fault, you know.’

She’d nodded at this and bowed her head.

‘There are things going on . . . I feel Leveret’s got caught up in it all through no fault of her own. It’s so good to know you’re caring for her, Clip. She’s a strange girl and I’ve never managed to get close to her, but . . .’