‘We’re going on a journey and we’ll need some food or we’ll never make it there. It’s a long way to walk in the cold. I’ve been dreaming about it every night and I know Magpie and I must go there – it’s where we belong.’
Clip looked at Leveret in consternation. She really did look terrible and all the light had gone from her eyes.
‘You’re not running away, are you? Because Leveret, if—’
She shook her head impatiently, and stood up.
‘No, Clip. I’ve never wanted to leave Stonewylde and that’s half the problem. My life isn’t my own anymore – everyone else makes all the choices for me and I’ve had enough of it. I’m taking control of my own destiny and I’ve decided what we have to do. It’s the only thing we can do, with everyone hating us. Sorry but I must go, Clip. You’re a kind man and I liked you a lot.’
She left then, stumbling across the hall into the passage leading to the kitchens. Clip watched her go with a sad heart, thinking how he must do something to help her after the Solstice. Before he left Stonewylde he’d take her under his wing and try to nurture the magic he knew she possessed.
It was mid-afternoon when Magpie and Leveret finally reached their destination. The trek had been horrendous and many times Leveret doubted whether they’d actually make it. Even though they’d stuffed themselves with bread and cheese in the empty kitchens before they left, both were weakened by their lack of food over the past few days. She suspected that Magpie had at least one broken rib and he was limping badly too. Jay had obviously given him a good going over before the rabbit scene that she’d stumbled on, and then they’d all laid into him when he couldn’t get up. Poor Magpie – her heart ached for him. He’d retreated into himself after that terrible night, gone to a place where nobody could hurt him anymore. He was filthier than ever and she thought he must have just been curled up on his blanket under the stairs ever since that night, unable to do anything for the pain and unable to eat the food that was tauntingly offered by his mother, who probably knew all about the raw rabbit torture. Leveret realised how lucky she’d been to grab Magpie as he hobbled outside to use the lavatory at the bottom of the garden. She may not have had another chance.
They approached Quarrycleave slowly, both exhausted. The wintry sun was hazy behind thin cloud and the air was cool but mild for the time of year. A flock of rooks flew overhead noisily; Leveret saluted them and dragged Magpie on.
‘Come on Maggy, nearly there now. Look, there’s the quarry, the Place of Bones and Death they call it, and it’s where the old Magus died. It’s a very special place of death and I’ve been dreaming about it ever since I decided what we must do. Quarry-cleave has been calling to me and I know this is where we belong – at least we’re wanted here.’
They approached the shallow end of the sprawling quarry and as they got closer Leveret made the sign of the pentangle. She felt a trickle of fear in her throat; it truly was a place of death. She knew where they were heading – she’d heard all the talk and stories over the years, as had every other child at Stonewylde. Magus had died falling from Snake Stone, a huge pillar different to the Portland limestone in the quarry. Made of a sparkling rock, it was carved with writhing serpents and was the site of a battle between her eldest brother and his father on the eve of the Winter Solstice, thirteen years ago tonight.
Leveret had never visited Quarrycleave before – it wasn’t exactly forbidden, but very strongly discouraged as it was a dangerous place. She’d heard the place was haunted by evil spirits but she wasn’t sure whether that was just superstition. Nevertheless she felt an uneasiness here that surprised her, a constant feeling of being watched and even being followed by something. Several times as they struggled through the quarry, stumbling down the long corridors of rock and brushing past the sinuous ivy, she’d felt as if something were just around the corner behind them, stalking them. Once the feeling had taken hold it was difficult to ignore and she found her heart beating faster. Magpie