Solstice at Stonewylde (23 page)

‘I tell you again, I have no idea where my son is and I’d never tell you if I did!’ Maizie said, voice trembling and cheeks burning scarlet. ‘How
dare
you come into my home like this?’

‘Magus’ orders,’ replied Jackdaw, cracking his knuckles. ‘Look, woman, I need to know where the boy is and I’ll find out, one way or another. You’d do well to tell me now and save yourself a lot of grief.’

‘Get out and leave her alone!’ said Tom angrily. ‘You were banished from Stonewylde for murder and you can’t come back and order folk about! Who do you think you are?’

Jackdaw laughed at this, a harsh and mirthless bark. His blue eyes were alight with excitement; this was what he enjoyed most.

‘Shut up, you old git! One more word out of you and I’ll rupture your kidneys. What are you doing here anyway? You should be up at the stables knee-deep in horse shit, not chatting up lonely widows, you dirty old bugger. Now listen, darlin’, I’ll ask you for the last time—’

‘I know where they might be!’ cried Rosie from the kitchen, pushing herself forward.

‘No, Rosie!’

‘I think they’ve gone down to the beach!’

Jackdaw pulled her out of the kitchen and looked down into her pretty face, as flushed as her mother’s.

‘A little sister! Yeah, you’re very like him. So what makes you think they’ve gone down there? You better not be lying, girl!’

She shrugged, shaking her dark curls from her eyes exactly as Yul did.

‘I heard our Yul tell another Village boy he were going to the beach later on with his sweetheart. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and I’m not sure, but ‘tis where courting couples go at the Moon Fullness sometimes to the caves down there, to be private like.’

She simpered and Jackdaw stared at her, his ugly face furrowed with concentration. Perspiration beaded his bald head and trickled down his pierced face. The room was rank with the stench of his excited sweat.

‘Yeah, I remember them caves. But why are you helping me when your mother ain’t?’

‘Oh, I’m not helping you,’ said Rosie guilelessly, flicking her curls back and wriggling her shoulders. ‘I want to help Magus.’

Jackdaw barked with laughter at this and chucked her under the chin with a dirty finger, leering into her face.

‘And I’m sure he’ll be grateful, you little peach,’ he said.

At that moment Magus burst into the cottage. He took in the scene quickly and shouted at Jackdaw to get down to the beach and check the caves.

‘Right, you! Up to Mooncliffe!’ he yelled, grabbing Rosie by the arm and pulling her towards the door.

‘WHY?’ screamed Maizie. ‘What are you doing? Leave my daughter alone!’

‘I’m testing the whole lot of you stupid bloody Villagers! There must be a girl who gets moongazy at the Moon Fullness and I’ll find out who it is tonight. That rock is going to be charged up by somebody, whatever happens. You, Tom, knock on every door and get all the girls in the Village to go up there immediately. Every single one! There’s no time to waste – the moon’s rising right now! Punishment tomorrow for any family who refuses to obey me. MOVE!’

Yul was trying to ignore the muffled cries coming from behind him. The Owl Moon must be rising for Sylvie was frantic, squirming around on the nest of leaves, unable to stand, unable to cry out. It was pitiful to hear and he put his hands over his ears to block out the noise. It was quite dark but he was scared to light the lantern in case Magus or Jackdaw were out looking for them. He wished he could silence her completely, but the gag was as tight as it could be tied and there was nothing more he could do. The sounds of distress went on and on and in the end he stood up and walked away, unable to free her and unable to bear it any longer. All around the owls hooted and called amongst the trees, eerie in the deepening darkness.

Up at Mooncliffe Magus stood tall by the great moon rock, his arms folded and face grim as he surveyed the crowded cliff top. Girls of all ages were gathered together with their anxious families looking on. Everyone was scared, not used to being shouted at, herded like cattle and ordered about like dogs. Many of the girls were crying as Jackdaw lifted them one by one onto the moon rock and left them standing there, while Magus looked for any
sign of the jerking and shuddering that affected Sylvie. It was dark, as clouds obscured the sky and the full moon, but Jackdaw had rigged up a powerful lantern using his car battery. The effect was a harsh spotlight on each poor child as she stood alone and scared on the rock.

‘Alright, when you’ve been tested, go back home!’ shouted Magus, getting more irate by the minute at the lack of results. ‘Come on, get a move on. Next!’

There was a background of angry muttering, and one comment rose above the general unrest.

‘What about the Hallfolk girls? Why is it only the Village girls?’

‘Good point,’ said Magus loudly. He took out the radio and got through to Martin at the Hall, ordering every girl there to be sent up straight away in whatever means of transport was available, time being of the essence. This silenced the Villagers’ muttering for a while but made the sounds of children crying even more obvious.

Then a little girl of about five years old was wrenched from her mother’s arms by Jackdaw and swung up onto the rock. She cried and cried, shaking with terror and cold. Magus watched intently as she stood sobbing her heart out, her shawl slipping from her shoulders. Her mother stepped forward, trying to reach her, but Jackdaw yanked at her arm to stop her.

‘Let me take her down, please,’ begged the woman, her heart breaking at the sound of her little girl crying so pitifully. ‘She’s terrified and I can’t bear it!’

‘Get back,’ growled Jackdaw. ‘Magus ain’t finished with her yet.’

‘I can’t decide if she’s just shaking from crying or really shaking properly. She’s probably too young to be moongazy anyway,’ muttered Magus. He glared around at the crowd in exasperation. ‘Sacred Mother, I wish they’d all stop this bloody bawling!’

‘Shall I shut her up?’ asked Jackdaw.

‘NO! Don’t you touch her!’ the mother screamed, trying to push past him. Casually, without even thinking what he was
doing, Jackdaw grabbed the woman by the throat and held her at arm’s length. She started to choke and there was a furious roar from the crowd.

A black crow came out of nowhere, flying into the bright spotlight in a flurry of feathers and flapping. The crow launched itself straight at Jackdaw’s face. He released the woman, who scrambled up onto the rock and scooped her little girl to safety. Jackdaw hit out frantically at the crow just as he’d done at Samhain in the Stone Labyrinth, trying to thump it away from his face. The crow attacked again and again, pecking and clawing, stabbing with its vicious beak. Its raucous cries of attack mingled with the man’s oaths and yells.

Then Jackdaw screamed, long and piercing, and doubled over clutching at his eye. Dark blood trickled between his fingers. The crowd shrank back in horror as the man stumbled about in the harsh spotlight, screaming in agony. Still the crow attacked, pecking and tearing at Jackdaw’s hands. He fell to his knees and the crow landed on his head, its claws digging in to the shiny skin that covered his skull. The sharp beak stabbed down repeatedly, slashing at Jackdaw’s wounded eye. Magus stepped forward, as horrified as the Villagers at the terrible sight. He grabbed one of the stone eggs and tried to bludgeon the crow with it. The crow cawed loudly and Jackdaw jerked round at the sound. In that split second the egg came down with a heavy thud, not on the crow but on the back of his bald skull.

Jackdaw cried out, a low howl of anguish. Completely disorientated, he clambered to his feet again. With the bird latched onto his head he staggered about, maddened and clumsy with pain. Thick blood oozed from the messy eye socket. He screamed and stumbled, thrashing about madly, and then all seemed to happen in slow motion. He tripped and started to fall and the crow spread its great wings and took off. Jackdaw slowly toppled over backwards, his arms flailing wildly. His bald head cracked down full force on the edge of the great white moon rock and split open as easily as eggshell.

Yul approached the tree cage with trepidation. Sylvie was silent, or so he’d thought, but as he got nearer he heard her little mewing sounds of misery. He could see nothing in the darkness.

‘Sylvie!’ he said softly. ‘Sylvie, it’s me. I’m going to light the lantern now. It’ll seem very bright at first so close your eyes.’

In the soft light of the flame he saw she was still curled at an awkward angle and must be in pain with her hands bound tightly to her body and the gag tied hard around her mouth. She wasn’t covered by the cloak and trembled violently, her eyes looking up at him in desperation and begging for release. Her distress was terrible to witness.

Fumbling with guilty haste Yul untied the thick rope that fastened the cage. He reached in to help her out but she couldn’t move; she’d been lying awkwardly for so long that her legs were numb. He half climbed into the cage himself, squeezing through the gap, and untied the tight knot of the gag. Her mouth was white and unmoving and she could only stare up at him in mute misery. Yul was almost crying, wondering how he could’ve gone off and left her at her most desperate time. He had great trouble unbinding the rope round her torso but once it was free, with her wrists still bound together, he pulled her half upright and dragged her through the narrow gap and out of the cage. He carefully stood her upright but she crumpled at his feet, her legs unable to take her weight.

Yul felt worse than ever before. Last month at the moongazing he’d watched Magus put her through hours of suffering and this month he’d done exactly the same thing. He’d never forgive himself for this. He pulled the beautiful scarlet cloak out of the cage and tried to wrap it around her as she lay motionless on the earth. Then he knelt over her, fumbling at the bindings around her wrists, wondering why he’d tied her so very tightly. Eventually the hemp rope unravelled to reveal her wrists, swollen and bruised. Her arms were damaged right up to the elbows and her hands were very cold and white. He scooped her up and sat down with his back against the tree cage, gathering her into his lap. Wrapping the cloak around her as she curled into him, desperate
for warmth, he held her in his arms, rocking her gently, chafing her hands and kissing her head. His tears fell silently into her silver hair.

The Villagers had scattered, parents trying to cover their children’s eyes to protect them from the hideous scene at the moon stone. The air was full of children’s crying and the shocked, hushed voices of the adults. Nobody could believe what they’d just witnessed. Magus stood in silent disbelief, gazing down in the glaring spotlight at the blood-splattered rock and the body that lay sprawled on the grass. Shaken out of their obedience to Magus, the crowd started to head down to the Village, meeting the first group of Hallfolk girls on their way up the cliff path.

‘Don’t go up there,’ they warned, shaking their heads, and the Hallfolk turned back when they heard what had happened.

By common consensus the Villagers trooped into the Great Barn, feeling the need to be together at such a time of crisis. Hot drinks were made and children wrapped in warm blankets. Gradually, as the shock of Jackdaw’s death lessened and the full impact of what Magus had done began to sink in, they started to get angry.

‘He’s got no right to put our children through that.’

‘Who does he think he is, dragging us up there in the middle o’ winter?’

‘Aye, and why was that Jackdaw back anyway? He’s banished!’

‘How dare he touch our girls, force ’em up on the rock!’

‘’Tis what he’s been doing to that lovely girl Sylvie every month.’

‘That crow was Mother Heggy’s, you know.’

‘Where’s Yul? He should be here.’

‘He must be off hiding the poor maid away so Magus can’t get at her again.’

The complaints grew louder until eventually, in the absence of any clear leader, Tom climbed onto the dais where the musicians played at the celebrations. Everyone quietened down, wanting to hear what he had to say.

‘Folk, I ain’t one for speeches. But we need to think on what’s to be done after this terrible night. Something’s happened to Magus. He’s been good to us in the past, right enough, but he’s changed. The man’s turned bad, evil, just like his father afore him.’

He paused to let the growls of agreement die down.

‘At the stables tonight I heard him on that there radio thing speaking to Jackdaw. And I must tell you this – Magus told Jackdaw to kill Yul!’

There was a roar of disapproval at this and Tom raised his hands to quieten them.

‘I know, I know! ‘Tisn’t the first time it’s happened neither. Twice now that boy’s been locked up in the stone byre by the stables for days on end, and been beaten, starved and tortured. First time Magus had Alwyn to help him, second time it were Jackdaw, and that poor boy has suffered, I can tell you. You all seen the state of him when he came back to us. We know what Magus tried to do to him at Samhain.’

The Great Barn echoed with people’s angry voices.

‘To my mind, Magus must be scared o’ Yul to treat him like that – he must see the lad as a threat. Yul’s no ordinary Village boy but neither is he Hallfolk. Pardon my impertinence, Maizie, for being personal here but now ‘tis finally acknowledged that Yul is Magus’ son, not Alwyn’s. We know ‘twas Mother Heggy’s crow that killed Jackdaw tonight. And we all remember what happened at the last Summer Solstice, when the crow sat on Yul’s shoulder and Magus dropped the sacred fire. Some of us know there was a prophecy, many years ago, about Yul.’