She stopped as Maizie came back in the room and then the carriage arrived and they were off, with old Tom at the reins, up to the Stone Circle.
It was still dark up there and very wintry indeed. Leveret trembled with cold and nerves and was relieved that so few people attended this ceremony. Flickering lanterns had been placed under each stone making the darkness even deeper somehow. Yul was dressed in green robes decorated with crescents and stood behind the Altar Stone scowling at everyone. He’d been furious to discover the painting of the hare with green eyes on the biggest stone, not wishing his sister to be honoured any more than was strictly necessary. Sylvie looked beautiful in her silver and white ceremonial robes and smiled warmly at Leveret when she arrived.
‘You look lovely,’ she whispered. ‘I know how you feel – I was terrified at my Imbolc ceremony too. And happy birthday, Leveret! You’re fifteen today, aren’t you?’
Leveret had completely forgotten that, as had Maizie. Then Kestrel arrived with his father, looking strikingly handsome in the green outfit with a great cloak swirling round him. He looked at her admiringly and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.
‘They made the right choice, Leveret – you’re gorgeous. Pity it’s not your sixteenth birthday today.’
She blushed at this and looked at the ground as her insides gave another queasy leap.
The ceremony started well, the intimate atmosphere making it feel all the more magical. Leveret remembered what she had to do, which wasn’t much at this ceremony beyond making some sweeping gestures with the traditional besom, stepping forward at the right moment to take the ceremonial silver bow from the Green Archer and chanting a few lines. Sylvie did most of the work, delivering her words faultlessly, her lovely clear voice rising out of the Circle. The sky gradually lightened to the south-east, becoming brighter and paler in the chill air and finally the sun rose, golden and bright. The bonfire was lit and crackled into life as Yul chanted on the Altar Stone, receiving the Earth Magic from its source and standing with his arms outstretched, his head tipped back.
He felt a mere flicker of energy pass through him and was bitterly disappointed. He’d really hoped that at this festival the Earth Magic would return to him but once more his hopes were dashed. He thought back to the night before with Sylvie. They were going through the motions and Sylvie was doing her best but clearly not feeling anything of her former passion or abandonment with him. He felt a surge of anger that completely doused the faint tingle of Earth Magic. What was the matter with her? It wasn’t all his fault.
When the people came to receive the energy from him, their obvious disappointment made him feel impotent. What he’d dreaded had come to pass and he glanced angrily at Sylvie, standing stony-faced and watching him with sadness in her eyes. He didn’t need her damn sympathy either. Leveret came forward then in her glimmering robes and despite his anger with her, he had to admit she was a perfect Maiden, tiny and delicate and so very pretty. She smiled tentatively up at him but he glared back at her, his face hard, and her smile faltered and died. She bowed her head as he took her hands in his, and withdrew them quickly when she realised that once again there was no jolt of magic flooding from him.
It wasn’t until the cakes and mead were passed around that Leveret started to feel really strange. She swallowed her cake and felt sick, still full from her breakfast. She quickly gulped down the mead and then regretted it, thinking she actually might be sick. She swayed slightly and Kestrel, standing next to her, put out a steadying hand. After that he held her hand and she was grateful for the warmth and comfort of it, and stunned that she was holding hands with the boy of her dreams.
Then the ceremony was over and Yul climbed down from the Altar Stone and went over to the bonfire to warm his hands. He felt humiliated about the lack of energy he’d passed on, and deeply concerned about where this was leading. He’d been magus for thirteen years – why was this happening now? The only consolation was that there weren’t many here today to witness it; hopefully he could rely on people’s loyalty not to tell the whole community. By