her first?’ asked Jay, unable to contain his disappointment. ‘Not have any fun with her at all?’
‘No … unless … lie her down on her back a minute. I’ve got an idea.’
Jay held her down on the ground, prickly with fallen chestnuts cases, whilst Sweyn picked up the barrel and began to pour cider into her mouth. She kept it shut and twisted her face to one side so the sticky liquid ran off into her hair and all over the grass. But then Gefrin grabbed hold of her head to keep it still and Jay sprawled across her, pinning her arms painfully to the ground by her sides. He held her nose shut and grasped her chin. She could barely breathe anyway and had to open her mouth, her eyes wild and pleading. Sweyn poured the cider in steadily – although much of it still ran down the sides of her face – and she started to choke.
‘Mother’ll be upset Lev’s been up to her old tricks again, sneaking about in the night. But when she sees Hare-brain drunk as well …’ he chuckled. ‘I reckon our little sis might even have to miss Yuletide for this.’
13
Yul sat cross-legged on the Altar Stone waiting for the sun to rise. It was two days before the Winter Solstice and the Stone Circle was almost ready. The bonfire was huge, with a hollow centre and ladder reaching to the tiny crow’s nest on top. Here the Herald of Dawn would wait with his unlit torch for the first rays of the rising sun to appear. This year Yul had chosen his half-brother Rufus for the role and Miranda had been so pleased, not realising it had been Sylvie’s suggestion. Miranda tried not to push her son forward for special treatment, but she also wanted to ensure he didn’t miss out on something just because he was Magus’ posthumous last-born child.
Yul glanced around at the vast standing stones, noting how the decorations weren’t quite finished yet. There was holly, ivy and mistletoe painted beautifully on every stone in an intricate design, and several deer leaping gracefully across them, for the deer was the totem animal of this festival. All that remained to be done were the golden discs of the sun, the fiery emblems always present at the two solstice festivals. Doubtless the artists would be back today to finish them off.
Yul looked at his watch, wishing impatiently that the sun would rise so he could get back to his office. He hadn’t been up here for a while to mark sunrise or sunset and had realised, as he faced the ordeal of yet another restless night, that he was losing touch with what really mattered. He should be up here every day receiving the Earth Magic and honouring the goddess as he’d always done in the past. It was just that he was so very busy all the time and there were so many demands on him.
But the thing that was really affecting him so adversely was the breakdown in communication with Sylvie. This, more than all the work piled on him, made him tired and irritable and unable to function properly. He’d always taken their happiness for granted, basked in the harmony of their love and passion without realising that at some point it could come to an end. Had it come to an end? He didn’t know – Yul thought she still loved him, but things had gone very wrong between them. He was terrified that she was becoming ill again; that the present problems were an early indication of the return of her psychosis. He loved her so much and couldn’t bear the thought of watching her slowly disintegrate again before his eyes. Last time it had started with irrational behaviour and the hearing of voices, and history seemed to be repeating itself.
Yul hung his head – he couldn’t cope without Sylvie by his side and if she wasn’t there, he wouldn’t even want to. She was so much part of Stonewylde that the two were inextricable. He felt unutterably weary, exhausted by worry and lack of sleep. There was also the problem of his damn sister to contend with. The morning after the last Moon Fullness Maizie had marched up to his rooms early in the morning with a puffy-eyed Leveret in tow. The girl had obviously been sobbing her heart out for she could barely see and her breath was still catching in convulsive gasps. But