Free Magus of Stonewylde Book One by Kit Berry Page A

only dimly lit. The air was aromatic and tense with anticipation.
    Yul wriggled down a narrow aisle between two tiers of benches and crept onto a seat at the front. The firelight lit him too, making his loose white shirt and the clear whites of his eyes gleam in the shadowy light. His glowing skin and hair were burnished by the flickering of the flames, and Sylvie stared hard at this person who’d just appeared. She and Miranda were sitting opposite him, near the front with a small group of Hallfolk. Sylvie couldn’t decide if this attractive boy was actually Yul, whom she’d left filthy and exhausted in her back garden amongst the weeds and mud only an hour ago. It looked like him and yet the transformation was astounding.
    Clip wove the story in and out, around and around, encircling the audience and catching them in his threads until he had them trapped and waiting for the finale. The fire suddenly flared into brilliant blue flames as he ended with a flourish. People roared their appreciation and the applause was thunderous. They were invited to have a break for food and drink. Yul slipped away as soon as the story finished and ravenously helped himself to food. He saw his mother and waved; she smiled her approval at his clean and presentable appearance. He also noticed Alwyn over by the bar swallowing down a tankard of cider as fast as he could, dribbles of the liquid running off his chin into his collar. He finished the drink and immediately held out the tankard to be refilled from one of the barrels. He looked up and caught Yul watching him; his face darkened instantly. Yul quickly broke eye contact and melted away into the shadows. He thought it best to go outside for a while to avoid his father.
    It was cool and fresh and the stars glittered above. A fat,gibbous moon hung over the trees. Yul felt content; clean and full of food at last, with the prospect of another story to come. He leant against the stone wall of the Barn and breathed deeply, his tired muscles relaxing.
    ‘Don’t you agree, Clip, the likeness is uncanny? It could almost be her.’
    Yul jumped at the sound of Magus’ voice coming from the other side of a stone buttress.
    ‘You’re right. Just like that photo in the archive room, the one in the silver frame. She’s almost identical.’
    ‘I tell you, the day she walked into my office in London I went cold. Hazel had said she looked like Hallfolk but I’d no idea … The face, the hair, the eyes – everything’s exactly the same. I’m only going from the photo, of course, but you remember her better.’
    ‘Not that much. I was very young myself when she died and we didn’t see her often even when she was here, did we? Where did you find this girl?’
    ‘Living in some wretched tower block in London. She’s been seriously ill but the Earth Magic has started to heal her and she’s a great deal better already. Hazel came across her by pure chance at the hospital where she’s working.’
    ‘But we know nothing ever happens by pure chance, don’t we? There’s obviously a purpose, a reason for her coming here. It’s just too much of a coincidence, that extraordinary likeness. Doubtless all will be revealed when the time is right. How old is she?’
    ‘Fourteen, coming up to fifteen at the Summer Solstice, would you believe? Definitely one of us! And there’s something else about her … I can’t quite put my finger on it. She’s got a certain quality … Anyway, we need to get back inside. Are you ready?’
    ‘Give me a moment to finish this divine cake. Nothing else compares with Violet’s special cakes. Make sure you keep me supplied with regular batches next time I’m away.’
    ‘Clip, if I knew where you were, I would. But you disappear off the face of the Earth.’
    ‘Alright, I’m ready now. You’ll like the next story; it’s an Aborigine myth. Watch the staff carefully.’
    ‘Oh no,’ chuckled Magus. ‘I know when to look away. You won’t catch me out with your