letting me know?’
‘I’m sorry, Maizie, it all happened so quickly. The doctor said he can’t possibly survive so I thought it best for him to leave us tonight at Samhain, with proper ceremony, and meet the Dark Angel.’
Yul could hear his mother sobbing and crying, screeching her grief and desolation. His heart felt as if it would break at the sound of her suffering. Then suddenly her sobs quietened.
‘No!’ she cried. ‘No – that’s not right. You told Sylvie that he were fine this afternoon, but you said that Yul would be up here tonight. How did you know that? You lied to her and you’re lying to me! I don’t believe you, Magus – my boy’s not ill at all!’
She started to struggle again. Martin and the bearers did their best to hold her as she flailed her arms and tried to wrench away from their grip, and Magus swore viciously.
‘Maizie,’ he called sadly, ‘I promise you I’m not lying. Ask Martin – he’s only just left the labyrinth and he’s seen Yul. The boy’s completely paralysed. You know how fast poisonous mushrooms can act. He’s only barely alive and his breathing’s very slow. I’m afraid to say he really is dying and it won’t be long now.’
‘NO!’ she shrieked. ‘I never gave my permission for him to enter the Stone Labyrinth! ‘Tis forbidden to take anyone in there without their closest relative’s say so and I never agreed! I want him out now!
Now
, Magus! If my Yul’s dying I want him to die in my arms, not in there with those old bodies. You bring him out!’
‘I can’t do that, Maizie.’
‘Yes you can! I want to hold my boy one last time.’
‘I can’t bring him out, Maizie. It’s just too late and—’
‘NO IT’S NOT! You need my permission to have him in there and I don’t give it! I don’t give it, Magus! I’m going back to the Village now and I’ll bring all the folk up here and let them see what you’ve done! You took my son in there without my agreement and everyone will know!’
She was almost screaming with hysteria, a heady mixture of panic and fury. Magus swore strongly again and Jackdaw fidgeted, begging permission to silence her once and for all. Magus stayed him with one hand and took a deep breath. He looked down at Yul. The boy lay like a corpse but his dilated eyes were wide open and watching everything. Magus smiled at Yul. In the flickering light his face grinned with wicked glee, like the Jack o’ Lanterns painted on the stones.
‘Maizie, listen to me,’ he called. ‘Stop shrieking and listen. I didn’t ask for your agreement because I didn’t need to. I decided to bring Yul in here tonight and I gave the permission myself.’
‘You can’t do that!’ she screamed. ‘You can’t do that, Magus!’
‘Oh yes I can!’ he shouted back, triumphantly, still staring down at Yul. ‘I can because I’m his closest relative too. I’m his father!’
Yul thought his heart had stopped in his chest.
Magus his father?
Could he be? He heard Maizie howl in anguish, a cry of pure pain as if someone had stabbed her.
‘NO! You can’t do this, Magus! How dare you do this now, at such a time? How can you be so
cruel
?’
She sobbed uncontrollably, unable to speak any further. With his eyes swivelled as far as they could go, Yul saw her sink to her knees, head in her hands. He knew then, with awful certainty, that it was true. Magus, this sadistic tyrant who’d so relentlessly singled him for punishment and humiliation, was his father. Magus laughed, the sound ringing out around the great stones.
‘But I thought that’s what you wanted? You said so earliertoday, and now I’ve acknowledged Yul as mine at least he’ll die knowing who his father was.’
Maizie sobbed even louder at this.
‘Go back to the Village, Maizie! You’re not permitted to stay up here as the moment of midnight approaches. Come back in the hour before dawn with the other relatives, and then we’ll know whether or not the Dark Angel has chosen
‘I’m sorry, Maizie, it all happened so quickly. The doctor said he can’t possibly survive so I thought it best for him to leave us tonight at Samhain, with proper ceremony, and meet the Dark Angel.’
Yul could hear his mother sobbing and crying, screeching her grief and desolation. His heart felt as if it would break at the sound of her suffering. Then suddenly her sobs quietened.
‘No!’ she cried. ‘No – that’s not right. You told Sylvie that he were fine this afternoon, but you said that Yul would be up here tonight. How did you know that? You lied to her and you’re lying to me! I don’t believe you, Magus – my boy’s not ill at all!’
She started to struggle again. Martin and the bearers did their best to hold her as she flailed her arms and tried to wrench away from their grip, and Magus swore viciously.
‘Maizie,’ he called sadly, ‘I promise you I’m not lying. Ask Martin – he’s only just left the labyrinth and he’s seen Yul. The boy’s completely paralysed. You know how fast poisonous mushrooms can act. He’s only barely alive and his breathing’s very slow. I’m afraid to say he really is dying and it won’t be long now.’
‘NO!’ she shrieked. ‘I never gave my permission for him to enter the Stone Labyrinth! ‘Tis forbidden to take anyone in there without their closest relative’s say so and I never agreed! I want him out now!
Now
, Magus! If my Yul’s dying I want him to die in my arms, not in there with those old bodies. You bring him out!’
‘I can’t do that, Maizie.’
‘Yes you can! I want to hold my boy one last time.’
‘I can’t bring him out, Maizie. It’s just too late and—’
‘NO IT’S NOT! You need my permission to have him in there and I don’t give it! I don’t give it, Magus! I’m going back to the Village now and I’ll bring all the folk up here and let them see what you’ve done! You took my son in there without my agreement and everyone will know!’
She was almost screaming with hysteria, a heady mixture of panic and fury. Magus swore strongly again and Jackdaw fidgeted, begging permission to silence her once and for all. Magus stayed him with one hand and took a deep breath. He looked down at Yul. The boy lay like a corpse but his dilated eyes were wide open and watching everything. Magus smiled at Yul. In the flickering light his face grinned with wicked glee, like the Jack o’ Lanterns painted on the stones.
‘Maizie, listen to me,’ he called. ‘Stop shrieking and listen. I didn’t ask for your agreement because I didn’t need to. I decided to bring Yul in here tonight and I gave the permission myself.’
‘You can’t do that!’ she screamed. ‘You can’t do that, Magus!’
‘Oh yes I can!’ he shouted back, triumphantly, still staring down at Yul. ‘I can because I’m his closest relative too. I’m his father!’
Yul thought his heart had stopped in his chest.
Magus his father?
Could he be? He heard Maizie howl in anguish, a cry of pure pain as if someone had stabbed her.
‘NO! You can’t do this, Magus! How dare you do this now, at such a time? How can you be so
cruel
?’
She sobbed uncontrollably, unable to speak any further. With his eyes swivelled as far as they could go, Yul saw her sink to her knees, head in her hands. He knew then, with awful certainty, that it was true. Magus, this sadistic tyrant who’d so relentlessly singled him for punishment and humiliation, was his father. Magus laughed, the sound ringing out around the great stones.
‘But I thought that’s what you wanted? You said so earliertoday, and now I’ve acknowledged Yul as mine at least he’ll die knowing who his father was.’
Maizie sobbed even louder at this.
‘Go back to the Village, Maizie! You’re not permitted to stay up here as the moment of midnight approaches. Come back in the hour before dawn with the other relatives, and then we’ll know whether or not the Dark Angel has chosen
Similar Books
