Stonewylde - 01 - Magus of Stonewylde by Kit Berry

Author:Kit Berry
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9780955143922
Publisher: Moongazy Publishing Ltd
Published: 2007-09-01T06:00:00+00:00

12

On the morning of the Dark Moon, Yul rose even earlier than usual. He needed to find an old flaxen bag and couldn’t ask his mother in case there were questions. He’d seen her antagonism towards Mother Heggy and knew he shouldn’t get involved in helping the crone. It was unlikely that the Beechwood Sickeners were needed for any healing remedy and she was probably up to no good, but he felt a compulsion to obey. It never occurred to him not to harvest the red mushrooms as instructed.

Yul crept downstairs to look for a bag, as there may be no further opportunity today. He heard his mother moving around upstairs on the creaky floor and knew he had little time. She usually came down just after him and busied herself stoking the range, putting water on to boil and cooking breakfast for the family. Rosie had already left for the dairy as she had the earliest start and was given breakfast there. Yul’s father would soon be down too, stomping about with a sore head and demanding his bacon and eggs. He rarely spoke in the mornings but shovelled down his breakfast in morose silence.

Yul always kept out of sight in the back garden, feeding the pig and chickens and chopping firewood. As Alwyn ate his breakfast at the table, Maizie would silently pass Yul his lunch wrapped in a cloth, and some bacon and bread for his breakfast. He’d eat this as he walked to the woods. The five younger children in the family, all still at the Village School or Nursery, waited quietly together upstairs until their father left for work. Everyone kept out of Alwyn’s way in the morning. But today was different.

Yul found a flaxen bag in the parlour dresser and stuffed it into his trousers for safekeeping. He heard Maizie coming down the stairs and waited to say good morning, not realising that Alwyn was right behind her. It was too late to open the door to escape and Yul froze, his heart thumping. He looked down at the floor, hoping his father would go straight through into the kitchen and out to the privy in the back garden.

‘What are you doing here?’ Alwyn grunted.

‘Nothing. I was just on my way out.’

‘You should be outside already. I don’t want to see your ugly face in the morning. Get out of my way, you little shit.’

Yul wasn’t in his way but he shrank back against the wall. He held his breath, praying that maybe it would be alright. His father stamped across the room, heavy jaw jutting and piggy eyes alight with belligerence. He was an unattractive man with a huge barrel-belly, gingery hair and a greasy red face. Yul was glad, every time he looked at him, that he’d inherited none of his father’s looks whatsoever.

Alwyn drew level with Yul and stopped. The boy had flattened himself against the wall with his head down. Maizie was already in the kitchen clattering the frying pan onto the range, keeping out of the way.

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