equally nasty retort. At least he still received the Earth Magic, whereas she no longer moondanced and channelled the moon energy. He’d bitten back the cruel words and merely glared at her as she stormed out of the office and up to bed. But she wouldn’t have the final word. Nobody, not even his beloved wife, ever got the better of Yul nowadays.
Unbeknownst to Yul, one of the masked figures now treading the labyrinth on the Village Green was his youngest sister. Flicking a glance at the nine robed teenagers following the white stones of the path, Yul strode round the edge towards the Great Barn where the children were almost ready for their dance and drama. Leveret didn’t notice him either; her eyes were fixed on the narrow path marked by the pebbles and she was fighting waves of nausea that made her sway alarmingly. She’d decided to eat the mushroom before she walked the labyrinth, knowing it could take some hours for the effects of Fly Agaric to reach their peak.
Leveret wished that she could’ve asked somebody’s advice. She knew the mushroom’s effects had three distinct phases: the initial nausea and physical reactions, the dreamy, calm state, and finally the hallucinatory stage. It was during the final phase that she hoped to journey, as her spirit left her body and travelled into other realms, and she wanted this to happen during the afternoon. Then she’d be free to cast her first spell that night after sunset and make contact with Mother Heggy. She thought she’d eaten the dried mushroom early enough but was only guessing at the timings. As she lurched around the labyrinth, Leveret realised she’d made a mistake.
Inside the wicker dome the man in the crow mask chanted to the slow-beating drums, indicating the mats where the youngsters should sit. Leveret’s legs had turned to jelly and she crumpled onto the hemp mat, swallowing the saliva that suddenly filled her mouth. Her stomach was clenching and bloating and the gulps of saliva threatened to boil over like a geyser any minute. Suddenly her face was on fire, burning as scarlet as the cap of Fly she’d consumed. She tore at the mask, desperate for air, but as she wrenched it off she noticed the other teenagers had done the same. Now the crow man was passing around the tiny skull cups of blood. Her mouth flooded again and she started to gag.
‘Drink of the blood of death and rebirth,’ the crow intoned, and everyone put the vessels to their lips. They sipped gingerly, knowing it was only elderberry wine laced with something stronger but still reluctant to swallow the dark, viscous liquid. Leveret gasped for air, unable to drink, but the tall, dark crow put one hand at the back of her head and the other under the cup and tipped it so she had no choice but to swallow. She felt the blood-red juice swirling into the void of her stomach, which started to heave. The others were now lying down whilst the drumming increased in intensity and aromatic smoke filled the tiny space. Leveret fell back and immediately the smoky dome started to spin. She heard far-away laughter and the raucous croak of a crow. The black emptiness spiralled and she was disappearing down into a great maw of nausea, flailing at the sides but falling down, down.
Strong hands jerked her to her feet and she recognised Martin’s voice hissing at her.
‘Behave yourself, Leveret! The others are outside already. Walk the path and think of what you want to achieve this year, and don’t you dare spoil this sacred ceremony with any of your messing about!’
She staggered out into the cool, grey light clutching her mask, and walked unsteadily along the coiling path that led eventually out of the labyrinth. She hoped Martin wouldn’t tell her mother or Yul that she’d acted strangely. The nausea had receded and she was relieved to find herself at the exit where another masked person handed her a slip of yew. She hoped to quietly steal away now and make her way to Mother Heggy’s cottage, where she’d curl up on the wooden settle and maybe start the dreaming.
But she heard the cry of a familiar voice and her heart plummeted.
‘Leveret! Come into the Barn with me and watch the Dance of Samhain! ‘Tis just about to start.’
Her mother took her arm and led her firmly inside through the great wooden doors that were flung wide open. Inside,