Shadows at Stonewylde (44 page)

‘Don’t worry, we’ll look out for Jay,’ they assured her.

‘He’s never yet tried to come here looking for our Magpie,’ added Cherry.

‘I’d give him a piece of my mind if he did!’ said Marigold, quivering with indignation at the very thought of it. ‘I saw the marks on that poor boy’s body and the way he can’t eat meat and gets upset anywhere near rabbit. I can’t believe any grandson o’ mine could behave so cruel! I wish you’d let me tell Yul or Clip about what happened, Leveret.’

‘Please Marigold, you know it would only make things difficult,’ said Leveret with a frown. ‘I wish the whole gang could be punished for what they did – they certainly deserve it – but my brothers were there and Mother would be so upset if I got them into trouble. And of course it’s only my word against the whole gang’s anyway – there’s no evidence and Magpie can’t tell them anything, can he? They’d all just deny it and then I’d get into trouble again for telling lies.’

‘Aye, well, it makes my blood boil to think on it. That Jay is evil just like his father, and if my dear Lily’s watching through the veil she must be bowing her head in shame. ‘Tis all that Starling’s doing, her and those two old sows.’

‘The only visitor Magpie gets is Swift and he seems kind enough with the boy, but ‘tis hard to say. Where Magpie don’t talk you can’t always tell if he’s upset or not.’

‘I’m not sure about Swift,’ said Leveret, remembering Swift’s friendliness to her at the Outsiders’ Dance – unlike the other three bullies. ‘Does he come over much?’

‘Well Martin likes him to come by every evening for a visit and while he’s there next door he sometimes pops in.’

‘Aye but don’t you worry, little maid. We’ll make sure our Magpie’s safe from all harm.’

The day before January’s full moon, when the Council of Elders’ meeting and the school day were over, Leveret received a message from Clip inviting her to visit his tower. After popping in to Magpie’s cottage she made her way back into the Hall again through the kitchens and the maze of corridors and passages towards the tower. She’d never been inside before and was a little nervous, for it was drummed into every Stonewylde child that the shaman’s tower was private.

Clip took her up to the solar on the top floor and brewed some rosehip tea, trying to put Leveret at ease. They sat talking, the fire burning in the grate at their feet, and Leveret stared around completely spell-bound. She was fascinated by his collection of objects from all over the world but most of all by the walls of books, some of them ancient and leather-bound, others very modern. There was an antique globe, a telescope and a computer; it was a juxtaposition of old and new, ancient and modern, and Clip told Leveret this was how she must see her learning.

‘You need the old wisdom of Mother Heggy,’ he said, gazing into the flames and toasting his toes in the heat. ‘You need to know the old ways, the cunning ways and the healing power of plants. There’s much to learn there, Leveret, and you must continue with your gathering when the growing season starts and make your notes and illustrations. You must also observe the seasons and watch how the goddess changes her robes during the year. See the creatures and the birds, how they behave, whether they’re giving clues about events that have happened or are about to happen. You must learn so much about nature, including human nature – you don’t have to be a crone to be the Wise Woman but you do need a great deal of wisdom and that’s hard when you’re so young.’

Leveret nodded at this. She’d wondered how it would work, being only a young girl.

‘I wish there were someone to teach me all the herbal lore,’ she said. ‘There’s only Old Violet and—’

‘No!’ said Clip forcefully. ‘On no account get mixed up with her!’

‘Never,’ agreed Leveret. ‘She’s evil and after the things those three women put poor Magpie through, I’d never trust myself near her.’

‘There are many old ones in the Village who know herbal tradition,’ said Clip. ‘Don’t be afraid to ask. Seek them out and talk to them – I’m sure you’ll find they’ll be delighted to share their knowledge with you. You’ll need to write it all up, create a—’

‘A Book of Shadows!’ she interrupted happily. ‘Yes, Clip, that’s exactly what I want to do, more than anything in the world! I want to record my remedies, my own discoveries and wisdom, and create a detailed encyclopaedia of plants, bark and fungi. I hadn’t thought of asking some of the old ones for help but that’s a really good plan.’

‘Nobody will have old Mother Heggy’s knowledge,’ said Clip, ‘nor even Old Violet’s. But if you ask enough people you’ll build up facts and information. There are plans afoot to move the most elderly and frail people up to the Hall, which is a good idea, so why don’t you get involved with that? Once they’ve made the move it’d be easy for you to sit regularly with a group of them and make notes, that sort of thing.’

‘That’s a brilliant idea!’ she said.

‘But Leveret, you need to do more than that,’ said Clip frowning. ‘I don’t know – I have the strangest inkling … I think you’re destined to be far greater than simply the Wise Woman, for all that’s a special role.’

‘Really? But that would be enough for me,’ she said. ‘Please don’t suggest I study to become a “proper doctor” like Mother wants. I’m not leaving Stonewylde.’

‘No … it’s something else. You’re a magical girl and you need to feed that part of you too. I want you to learn about other cultures and how they celebrate life. You must read and study the writings of wise people from all over the world and of every religion and spirituality.’

‘Okay,’ she said with a gulp. ‘If you say so but it sounds like hard work.’

‘From what I’ve heard you’re very clever,’ Clip said with a smile. ‘You’ve the gift of a fine intellect and a good memory and you must make full use of those gifts. Because there’s another role you need to fulfil at Stonewylde other than healing the sick.’

‘Is there?’

Leveret began to prickle all over, knowing that she was stepping along a path of no return. Clip’s words were leading her towards her destiny and he took her hand in his gently, gazing into her green eyes.

‘I think you know this in your heart already, Leveret. You need to start your own inner journey towards spiritual knowledge from the divine. You must learn to be a shaman – to be Stonewylde’s shaman. I think it’s what you were born to do.’

As he spoke, Leveret felt a great rush of emotion and her eyes filled with tears. Hearing Clip spell it out in real words made all those bizarre feelings and longings she’d experienced her entire life suddenly slot into place. This was right – this was her destiny. Leveret sat and cried quietly at the profound sense of relief and truth that Clip had released in her heart and soul.

They continued talking for some time and Leveret confessed to finding the whole idea very daunting – much more complicated than gathering a few herbs and casting a spell. Clip wished he’d started to teach her earlier because if he kept to his plan to leave by Samhain, she must learn very fast. He selected three books for her to begin the education she needed.

‘You’re going to be working incredibly hard,’ he said. ‘You mustn’t let your conventional school-work suffer, and you need to be out in the open watching and learning, but you’ll also need to do this extra, heavier study too.’

Leveret nodded, hoping she was up to it. There was also the problem of helping at home too – she didn’t want to upset her mother and was keen to keep her promise to Yul and take on some of their mother’s burden of work.

‘There’s also the other side, the most important side of course – journeying. I’ve always found it easiest at the Moon Fullness,’ he explained. ‘Others find different times better – but tomorrow’s Moon Fullness is the Wolf Moon and it’s very special to me. My spirit guide and totem is the silver wolf, you see. I think we should journey together and see if the time’s right to begin the search for your spirit guide.’

‘Oh Clip!’ Leveret said excitedly. ‘So you think I’m ready?’

‘I think so, yes, and if I’m to be your mentor we need to make a start, especially as you probably won’t make contact with your guide until you’re a bit more practised. I believe you travelled during your experience with Fly Agaric, which was uncontrolled and dangerous for a novice like you. I want to train you to go on a safe journey where you’re always in control and where you can ask questions and find answers – that’s what being the shaman is all about. You’re the interpreter for your community, the link between this reality and other realms. I’ve been a very poor shaman, I’m sorry to say, but you, Leveret – I think you’ll be a truly great one.’

Clip wore a silver robe, well-worn but beautiful, decorated with a Native American wolf design. He gave Leveret a plain white robe of soft wool, as befitted a novice, and a bowl of sweet-smelling rose-water for bathing her hands and face. She’d fasted for the day as instructed, and now they sat in the solar in front of the fire. It was still only late afternoon but the sun set very early at this time of year. They sat on comfortable cushions on a round woven rug of many colours that she hadn’t seen here yesterday. In the middle was a dish of herbs, a small drum, and a black cloth covering something. Leveret felt nervous but excited and Clip smiled at her, patting her hand comfortingly.

‘First,’ he said softly, ‘we’ll sit and empty our minds, focusing on nothing at all. I shall play my gongs to help this process – the waves of sound will help your mind to clear itself of everything that tries to crowd in and allow your mind’s eye to open. When we’re both peaceful and calm – for playing the gongs is as spiritually uplifting as listening to them – we’ll go out on the roof and watch the light fade from the sky and the stars and moon appear. Then when we feel ready we’ll come back in here and begin our journey. Is there anything you wish to ask before we start?’

‘Yes – why are we in here and not up in the Dolmen or somewhere sacred?’

‘Because it’s too cold out there for you, Leveret. Wolf Moon is cold and icy and it takes years of experience to be able to ignore your body’s clamouring for warmth and leave it behind. Years of self-discipline and self-denial and even then it can be difficult. As soon as the weather warms we’ll journey outside, but not now.’

He was silent for a while, then rose and stood behind her where the gongs hung on their stands like golden suns. Very softly, very slowly, Clip began to beat the bronze discs into quivering, magical life.

‘Stare into the flames,’ he instructed, ‘and empty your mind of everything but this glorious sensation of sound.’

Leveret looked into the crackling heart of the fire, mesmeric in its continuous flickering dance, and let the beautiful dome of resonance and reverberation engulf her. Thoughts came rushing in but she gently pushed them away; they sneaked up again but she sent them back, and slowly she found her mind full of cloudy greyness that absorbed the dancing flames and the heartbeat of the shimmering gongs. Her breathing slowed right down and became as soft as the ebb and flow of gentle waves over shingle.

The quivering music slowed, quietened and stopped, the final shred chasing around the circular room until the air was free from vibration. Clip came over and took her hand, helping her up. He fastened a thick woollen cloak around her, an embroidered Stonewylde felt hat on her head, and a pair of warm mittens on her hands. Leveret felt calm and dreamy, her spirit awakened by the voices of the magical gongs, though perfectly conscious of everything around her. Clip wrapped himself in a dark cloak and led her out through the oak door onto the roof. The cold air hit her skin like an icy flannel and she was pleased for the warm clothing.

They stood looking to the south-west where the pale blue sky was striped with golden shreds as the sun disappeared. Leveret breathed deeply and felt so very peaceful. A flock of birds flew overhead and she heard a cow lowing in the distance. She stood perfectly still as gradually the light dissolved from the skies and the first star began to twinkle, faintly at first, then getting brighter and brighter as more stars appeared. They turned towards the north-east and the darker horizon and watched silently, in deep reverie, until eventually a deep gold moon started to rise. It was streaked with low cloud that wisped around its perfect beauty; slowly it emerged from its place of slumber, slowly it rose in the sky as a great golden orb.

Leveret thought then of wolves, of black pointed noses and silver eyes, the streaking of grey and silver in the thick coat of fur. She felt wolf all around her as the moon rose, losing its golden glitter and becoming yellow and then more subtly white. There were soft grey shadows on its face and she thought again of wolf, a nose pointed up to the sky, a throat opening and the mouth letting out a long note of celebration. She breathed in the Wolf Moon magic, feeling the cold prickling around her just as the stars prickled the velvet sky.

Clip’s hand slipped into her mittened one and he led her back into the warm, glowing solar, where they removed their outer clothing and sat once again on cushions on the woven rug. He picked up a handful of the herbs and tossed them into the flames – they released a powerful aromatic scent and the fire crackled blue and green. Leveret breathed deeply of the heady smoke, feeling her head become lighter. Her cheeks and fingers tingled with the heat, throbbed with it, and she felt strange. Clip began to drum very softly an insistent, summoning rhythm.

‘Remove the cloth,’ he said, ‘and take up the ball. Feel it and look deep into its heart.’

The ball was of smooth polished crystal and danced with firelight under her hands.