Balefires Burning

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You pick up the dusty book from the table in front of you. Its binding was once a deep red leather, but now it cracks and flakes in your hand.

You realize, as you open the cover, that this is not an ordinary book but a recording of a very personal journey. The book is full of odd drawings and notes scribbled in the margins.

In fact, as you start to read, you find yourself becoming more and more wrapped up in the story being told. It is, in fact, as if the journey is happening to you, as if the journey is somehow both yours and the narrator's.................

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//Belfires Burning// is an interactive hypertext story. Throughout the story you will find hypertext links in blue. Some of these will expand the story description and provide additional knowledge. Others will let you choose paths for the main character to take through the story. In interactive fiction you are not only the reader but also a creator, navigating your way through the author's world. Some actions you choose will change the outcome of the story. You may save the game by using the save button to the left.

You pick up the dusty book from the table in front of you. Its binding was once a deep red leather, but now it cracks and flakes in your hand. You realize, as you open the cover, that this is not an ordinary book but a recording of a very personal journey. The book is full of odd drawings and notes scribbled in the margins. In fact, as you [[start to read|book]], you find yourself becoming more and more wrapped up in the story being told. It is, in fact, as if the journey is happening to you, as if the journey is somehow both yours and the narrator's.................

//Nine woods in the balefire throw Add the torch and burn them slow. From this song a lesson learn As you watch the fire burn. Moon and stars and sun will show Seasons come and seasons go.// -from //[[Song of the Nine Woods|aboutSong]]// [[Turn the page|Prologue]]

//Song of the Nine Woods// is created by Cassandra Wolf. It is adapted from the poem //The Rede of the Wiccae// by Phyllis "Lady Gwen" Thompson (circa 1975) [[Return|previous()]]

//First is birch of silver bark Gather when the moon is dark. Life and moon tides wax and wane Rest in dark or work in vain.// The words were burned into my brain with leaping flames and [[dancing feet|first2]].

The year is divided into four equal parts marked by the passage of the sun. Winter Solstice Spring Equinox Summer Solstice Autumnal Equinox We also celebrate two fire-festivals each year: May Eve and Mayday fall halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Summers-End falls halfway between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice also marks the beginning of the New Year. [[Return|previous()]]

But I am no longer a child to be chased away from the May Eve festivties when it grows dark. I walk through the meadow which gives [[my clan|clans]] its name my toes chilly in the short new grass underfoot. A light breeze lifts the hair that escapes my long braid. I am fifteen autumns old and by the traditions of the [[Ravenstead|stead]] I am almost an adult. No one can complain it is too cold for me to go barefoot. The slope of the hill which protects our clan's [[common house|houses]] finally hides me from view. Out of sight of my clan I [[walk faster|SteppingStones]], gauging the angle of the sun.

Mayday is a festival of late spring a celebration of the awakening of the earth after its long winter sleep of the new growth of plants of the fertility of the animals. Mayday marks the beginning of summer the growing season and the end of nighttime frost. [[Return|previous()]]

There are 13 clans in the Ravenstead, descendants of the original 13 families that settled here. They take their names from the land where they settled and built their homesteads. Meadows Vine Hill Stone Brook Nightengale Green Lee Alder Willow Heron Elm Birch [[Return|previous()]]

<img src="http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s558/ladycass2/ravensteadmap.sketch.pencilled.complete_zpsl0dchssv.jpg" width="500" height="300" alt="Ravenstead map"> [[Return|previous()]]

The Ravenstead is divided into 13 homesteads around a central commons called the Green. Each homestead is made up of a main common house where the clan gathers and often cooks and eats together. Spread out throughout the homestead are smaller dwellings called lairs for each family group. The clans' common houses all have names: Meadowlair Vinland Hillfort Stonehearth Leeward Greenbriar Alderlan Nightenlair Birch Bark Elmwood Heronwade Willowstand Brook Bend [[Return|previous()]]

The wide, flat stepping stones are cold as I cross the creek that borders the meadow and follow it a little way into the [[Elderwood]]. I scramble up onto a large boulder overlooking the stream my toes just above the rippling surface of the water. It is my favorite place for a little peace and privacy away from the busyness of the Meadowlair. It is also the perfect place to [[work witchery|witchery]] or [[write in my journal|journal]].

Some say the Elder Kin created the Elderwood to protect us. Some say it is their home and the Elder Kin led us here during the Great Cull that destroyed so many people. Others say that the Ravenstead is the only village left that there are no more people that there is nothing beyond the Elderwood. [[Return|previous()]]

It is an excellent day for witchery especially love witchery to focus the mind of someone I desire and call them to me. The moon is waxing and almost full fourteen days past the Spring Equinox and the [[festival|festivals]] of Mayday nearly a moon hence is already on the minds of everyone at Ravenstead. In my shoulder bag I have everything I need to accomplish the witchery. [[There is only one problem.|w2]]

I dig my journal out of my shoulder bag thumbing through to find an empty page. My journal is full but little of its contents will help me when I face the initiation ordeals in the autumn. Drawings of the Elderwood and my dream-visions spill into the margins of my poetry and pages of my rambling thoughts. I am going to have to weed out all those drawings of Dusty before Marjory sees them-- "You can't be studying." [[I slam the journal shut.|sirenna]]

It is only Sirenna but there are some things I do not want even my best friend to know. "Your aunt Marjory said you ran off to write in your journal. I knew you would be here. Are you really studying?" Sirenna asks. "No." "Let's [[go out in the meadow|MeadowSit]] where we can sit in the sun."

We choose a spot at the edge of the Elderwood. The new grass shows through the bent and dried stalks of last year. We stretch out journals and bags piled around us luxuriating in the strengthening sun. Sirenna rolls onto her back the unbraided length of her red-gold hair bright against the grass. "Mayday is coming and the lilacs are almost ready to bloom. I think I will make a love charm out of lilac leaves. [[You should too.|shake]]"

Sirenna's journal lies abandoned beside her a small volume its pages loose. [[I pick it up|pick]] and try to decipher her spidery handwriting. //Tall. Blond. Good with his hands// she has written there. I read it aloud and laugh.

Sirenna blushes and her freckles blend into the ruddy color. "You know you're not supposed to name a specific person when you make a love charm. You're only supposed to say the qualities you would like your mate to have." "You know Marjory is going to look at our journals before Mayday," I say. "So I'll tear that page out." "You've hardly any blank pages left." "I'll make new ones. What about you?" "I have plenty of pages left." Sirenna sighs like I am the most exasperating person she knows. I probably am. "Are you going to make a love charm?" she asks again. "Why?" I ask, although I know the answer but I do not want to tell anyone not even Sirenna [[who I like|like]].

"Don't you want to celebrate Mayday?" Sirenna persists. "I don't intend to go into the Elderwood with anyone on May Eve, if that's what you are asking me." "I would go. If Lynx--if someone asked me." Sirenna closes her eyes against the sun. She is half a year older than me and closer to her initiation. "I'm not ready for an Elderwood mating," I say "Not even with--" I almost speak his name "[[--someone special|special]]."

Sirenna's eyes fly open and she sits up. "There is someone you like!" "There is not." "Yes, there is! You almost said it!" she crows. "Come on! Tell me! You can't keep this from me!" "Yes, Tansy," teases a voice an all-too-familiar masculine voice. "Tell us. Tell us [[who you would follow|Dusty]] into the Elderwood."

I recognize his voice recognize too the familiar soothing feeling his presence always brings. He has thrown his shirt on carelessly as if he left the lair in some hurry. Only the middle button is caught in a buttonhole and bits of untanned skin peek out. His pants are worn at the cuffs and he too is barefoot. His hair is cedar reddish-brown and shaggy the ends curling up where they touch his shoulders. <<if $DustyFacts is true>>His eyes are green flecked with brown and to me he is [[perfect in every way but one.|summons]] <<elseif $DustyFacts is false>>His eyes are green flecked with brown and to me he is [[perfect in every way but one.|perfect]] <</if>>

“Marjory wants you,” Dusty says, looking at me. “Now? We're studying!” Sirenna protests. [[I laugh|study]] at her definition of //study.//

"Why not now?" I ask. "What's going on?" "I'd better [[let Marjory explain|walk]] that," Dusty says and his face becomes a mask hiding something he wants to tell me but knows he shouldn't.

<<silently>> <<set $LoveCharm to true>> <<set $MakeLC to true>> <<endsilently>>"Sure," I say daring to [[evade Marjory's summons|sw1]] for a while longer.

"I'd better hurry," I say. "You know Marjory," which we all do only too well. Sirenna nods. "I'm walking back through the lilacs. I hear they're almost ready to bloom." I sling my bag over my shoulder. Dusty drops into step beside me. Without speaking [[we choose the long way back to the lair|back]] through the woods instead of straight across the meadow.

<<set $DustyLove = $DustyLove + 5>> Our fingers touch again and this time our fingers tighten around each other. We're not exactly holding hands but it's close. "You didn't have to come with me," I say. "Maybe I wanted to," he says although he does not look at me. "We haven't had much time to talk since my initiation." "Marjory's been keeping us all busy, especially with [[Mayday coming up.|fierce]]"

<<set $DustyBro = $DustyBro + 5>>The path is not very wide but I shift over a step putting some distance between us. Dusty does not seem to notice. "Marjory must be keeping you busy," he says. "Seems like [[I rarely see you|bro1]] these days."

"We could skip out on May Eve," I suggest. His eyes meet mine and hold. "We can leave before the ritual begins, when it's starting to get dark. Marjory will be too busy to notice." "Skip ritual?" Dusty sounds scandalized. "I like it." He smiles. "[[What will we do?|do]]"

Without warning [[Lynx Lee and three other boys round a bend in the path.|round]] [[The Pack]] has arrived.

The Pack is a group of boys between the ages of fourteen and twenty. All but the youngest are initiated. None of them are mated. [[Return|previous()]]

The kitchen in the main house at Meadowlair is busy. It is bread-making day and the tabletops and counters are covered with freshly baked loaves and bread pans waiting to go in the oven. The whole room has a sweet yeasty smell. Aunt Marjory is a moving center of calm supervising the youngest children as they cut out biscuits for supper. The other aunties laugh and gossip as they work. Marjory [[stops when she sees me|mw1a]] and wipes her hands on the towel tucked into her belt.

<<silently>> <<set $DustyLoveSpell to true>> <<endsilently>>From the bottom of my shoulder bag I draw out a smooth gray stone the size of my palm. Three nights ago I hid it under Dusty’s bed at the Meadowlair and I retrieved it when he headed out to do chores this morning. It should be suitably charged with his energy and [[ready for the working|w5]].

I mark the stone with three symbols cup the stone in my hands and [[breathe out my desire|w6]]. My breath dries the blood as I murmur //Turn his heart to me bring me joy and love take the message through the water and my blood.//

<<silently>> <<set $DustyStone to true>> <<endsilently>> //Turn his heart to me bring me joy and love take the message through the water and my blood.// The stone sinks and settles onto the sandy creek bottom almost indistinguishable from the other stones. //So shall my will be done.// I blow out a deep pent-up breath. [[The witching is complete.|w7]]

"You want us to go now?" Ivy asks, turning from the dishpan where she is working her way through mountains of dishes from the bread-baking. "Now," Marjory snaps. "I need that branch before supper." "Anything is better than doing dishes," Ivy says, happy to be released from her chore. "What's the branch for, Auntie?" "Harmony Green is pregnant," Marjory says, her lips thinning into a grim line. [[`"Now go. Both of you. And don't dawdle."`|mw3]]

Death is not the end of something it is the beginning of a new cycle. Once someone or something like an animal or a tree dies it does not cease to exist but only changes form and crosses over to another plane of existence. [[Return|previous()]]

We take the path that heads west skirting the green and duck into the Elderwood on a little footpath just beyond the Birch clan's lair. Twelve-year-old Ivy chatters brightly picking wildflowers and sticking them into her hair. [[I am quiet, weighing Marjory's words.|mw4]]

Harmony is eighteen years old initiated and proficient in the ways of witchery. She is bright and bubbly as a springtime stream and her baby might have been fathered by any of a half-dozen boys of the Pack. Who she will [[choose as a mate|mate]] is a good question but not one that should bother Marjory unless she is [[afraid of losing one of the clan boys|mw5]] to the Greens.

Dusty is [[clan.|clan]]

But we are not related by blood. He was three years old when one of my aunties chose Dusty's mother to be her mate and she and Dusty came to live at the Meadowlair. Dusty's father was probably a Willow he looks like them. But no matter where his blood traces we were raised in the same clan. In the Ravenstead that makes him an unsuitable mate. <<if $DustyFacts is true>>[[Marjory would never approve|w4]] of an attraction between us not even a casual mating in the Elderwood like I might have with any of the other boys. <<elseif $DustyFacts is false>>[[Marjory would never approve|summons]] of an attraction between us not even a casual mating in the Elderwood like I might have with any of the other boys. <</if>>

"If Marjory is waiting for you, you'd better go," Sirenna says, and knowing Marjory she's right. "I'm going back the long way," she says "if you want to walk with me." I wonder if I should [[walk back with Sirenna|SirennaWalk]] knowing she will want to [[make love charms|SirennaWalk]] or if [[Dusty will walk with me|DustyWalk]] if I refuse to join her.

Sirenna grabs for the journal. "I mean I want someone who can build things. Give me that!" "Sounds like Lynx Lee to me," I say, and [[toss the book at her|toss]].

Dusty smiles. “It’s too springy a day to be studying. Save that for rainy gray days.” "I don’t think there are enough rainy gray days left," I say, and tuck my journal into my shoulder bag before anyone gets any ideas about looking inside it. “You’d better not be neglecting your work,” Dusty says, [[a hint of warning in his voice.|warn]]

Sirenna gathers up her loose pages crawling around on hands and knees. “Listen to you. You just initiated last moon and now you're talking like an elder. Seems to me since you had to take the tests twice you don’t have any cause to talk.” “That’s exactly why I have cause to talk. You’re up for initiation at Summer Solstice, Tansy at Summers-end, and neither of you ought to be slacking off. [[Especially now.”|now]]

Our pace slows as the woods close around the path hiding us from all except the trees and any [[Elder Kin]] who care to observe us. The path is barely wide enough to walk next to each other and our fingers brush once twice as we walk. For a moment I can't decide if [[I want him to hold my hand|HandHold]] or if [[he is too close to a brother to me|bro]] to have those kinds of thoughts.

"I hate Mayday. And May Eve," Dusty says and he sounds fierce. "The only thing people think about is pairing up. It's the only topic of conversation. Who is getting together? Who is going to duck into the Elderwood on May Eve? I hate it all." [[I love Mayday.|LoveMay]]

Unfortunately, I have no plan. I have nothing but wanting to spend time away from the eyes of others. "I'm not sure," I admit, "but we'll think of something." "Something far removed from the Mayday madness," he agrees. I do not mind just a tiny bit of the madness. Maybe just a kiss or two. But I will [[give up the madness|lynx]] if I can spend the evening alone with Dusty.

"So you found Tansy," Lynx says to Dusty. "We've been looking for you. We're running over to Elmwood to pick up some garden seed." "And it takes five of you?" I ask. "It'll take as many as it takes," Lynx says, [[tweaking back a lock of my hair.|dw1]]

I hate having my hair touched. "Say, you'll initiate in the fall." Lynx says. You're old enough to go to the Elderwood this year. [[Who will it be|dw2]] for your first May Eve?"

"Are you asking me to join you in the Elderwood?" I ask. I know he is not. Lynx has golden hair and golden eyes and all of the girls in the stead want him. [[All of them but me.|dw3]]

"I might," he says. "Well, then, if you decide to ask me, I might have an answer." I brush between him and Asa Nightingale and [[head towards home.|dw4]]

"Tell Marjory I might not make it to supper," Dusty says. [[I shake my head.|dw5]] When the Pack are out together, they rarely come home at night. They prowl the woods all night finally taking refuge in someone's barn or on the floor before their hearth. Girls do not get to roam around all night like the Pack.

"Don't forget my offer," Lynx calls. There is laughter and some scuffling as the boys nudge each other [[but I do not even turn around|mw1]] to watch them walk away.

I love the fresh spring smell of the earth love the new leaves on the trees the first flowers blooming. The way the earth warms up after a long cold winter the new colts in the meadow it is all a part of Mayday. And now I am old enough to enjoy some of the wilder ways to [[celebrate Mayday.|celebrate]]

"Let's walk back through the lilacs," Sirenna says. "I hear they're almost ready to bloom." "You going to pick some lilacs?" Dusty asks. I sling my bag over my shoulder. Sirenna giggles. "Maybe." "[[Don't keep Marjory waiting too long,|sw2]]" he warns.

[[Lynx Lee and three other boys appear|sw3]] suddenly on the path from the Meadowlair. [[The Pack]] has arrived.

"So you found Tansy," Lynx says to Dusty. "We've been looking for you. We're running over to Elmwood to pick up some garden seed." "And it takes five of you?" I ask. "It'll take as many as it takes," Lynx says, [[tweaking back a lock of my hair.|sw4]]

I hate having my hair touched. "Say, you'll initiate in the fall," Lynx says. "You're old enough to go to the Elderwood this year. [[Who will it be|sw5]] for your first May Eve?"

"Are you asking me to join you in the Elderwood?" I ask. I know he is not. Lynx has golden hair and golden eyes and [[all of the girls in the stead want him.|swa6]] [[All of them but me.|sw6]]

"I might," he says. "Well, then, if you decide to ask me, I might have an answer." "Haven't we heard enough about May Eve?" Dusty asked. "It's a fascinating subject," Lynx says with a laugh. [[sw7]]

"I might," he says. I catch a look from Sirenna. Her hands are balled into fists but she is trying to look unconcerned. "Well, then, if you decide to ask me, I might have an answer," I say. "And how about you, little red-haired beauty?" Lynx says turning his back on me and turning his charm on Sirenna. "It will be your first May Eve as well." He smiles in that lynx-like way. "[[I think I know|swa7]] who you would like to follow into the Elderwood."

"Maybe you do and maybe you don't," Sirenna answers with heroic poise. "Cut it out," Dusty says with a growl in his voice. Lynx turns to Dusty then. "Why? [[Are you going to ask her?|swa8]] Maybe //you// like the one with the fiery hair."

"Maybe I'm just tired of talking about May Eve," Dusty counters. "I thought we were [[going to Elmwood.|sw7]]" "Yeah," Asa Nightingale agrees.

"Tell Marjory I might not make it to supper," Dusty says. I shake my head. When the Pack are out together, they rarely come home at night. They prowl the woods all night finally taking refuge in someone's barn or on the floor before their hearth. [[Girls do not get to roam around all night like the Pack.|sw8]]

"Don't forget my offer. Either of you," Lynx calls. "There aren't any rules that say I can't take //both// of you into the Elderwood. There is laughter and some scuffling as the boys nudge each other and [[head off towards the south.|sw9]]

We gather up the rest of our things and head out on [[a long circuitous route.|sw10]]

Years ago someone planted a grove of lilacs at one edge of the Green near the [[Moon Lodge.|moon lodge]] Now they grow almost as tall as trees spreading wider every year heavy with blooms of purple and lavender and white that often find their way into May baskets and flower crowns their-heart-shaped leaves ideal for [[creating love charms.|sw11]]

The Moon Lodge sits on the far side of the Green isolated in a thin grove of elder with raspberry canes clustered around it. The round building rises in the shape of a full pregnant belly from the earth its walls plastered with earth itself a cool, welcoming spot. Men are not allowed inside this sacred place where women retreat each month to bleed to talk to teach and work blood magic. [[Return|previous()]]

Sirenna and I wade into the lilac grove the buds closed tightly almost ready to bloom. Sirenna [[picks two of the biggest leaves|swb11]] she can find sits down on the grass and begins [[rummaging through her bag.|sw12]]

I stand indecisive surrounded by lilac blooms the leaves brushing my shoulders close-to-bursting blooms against my cheeks. [[I close my eyes|swb12]] and breathe in the promise of scent.

I choose two lilac leaves not too large but gently curved a [[matched pair of hearts.|sw13]]

Do I want to [[make a love charm?|sw12]] Or do I [[trust the strands|swb13]] of [[wyrd]] that are already woven to bring me a mate?

Sirenna unbuttons a small pouch revealing a small curved knife a tiny book with pages of brightly colored felt stuck all about with [[needles and pins|sw14]] and a ball of red thread.

She tears a bit of paper from her journal and I know it is her description of the perfect love the one who sounds remarkably like Lynx. Sirenna stares at the paper whispers her intention and [[sticks her thumb with the needle.|sw15]]

"That hurts," she mutters squeezing out a large drop of blood. "Witchery worked without a gift carries no power," I say. Sirenna smears the paper with a vague heart shape drawn in blood and [[folds the paper into a teeny triangle.|sw16]] "You sound like Marjory." "At least I've learned something," I say.

Sirenna threads her needle dips the point in her blood and begins to stitch the leaves together with the paper sandwiched between them. [[`"Your turn."`|sw17]]

<<if $MakeLC is true>>Reaching over I tear another strip of paper out of her journal. For a long moment I think about Dusty and all he means to me and before I can change my mind I [[stab my thumb with a pin.|sw18]] <<elseif $MakeLC is false>>I shake my head. "I think I will let things happen naturally. I am not too worried about May Eve." [[`"You'd better be getting back to the Meadowlair,"`|sw22]] Sirenna says. <</if>>

rather more viciously than is necessary and blood wells up crimson bright with a sharp stinging pain. I quickly scratch //strong// //wild// //free// in rapidly drying blood and [[fold the paper.|sw19]]

With a match and a bit of candle Sirenna cleanses the needle with fire and passes it to me. My stitches are large and ugly but they join the leaves and I stand up. [[`"Where shall we hang them?"`|sw20]]

"Near water," she says decisively. We follow the path past the school and the gardens to a point where it crosses a stream. We wade along it our feet numbing in the winter-cold water until we come to an [[apple tree|sw21]] its roots drinking in the stream.

"Perfect." I tie my charm on a low branch almost touching the surface of the water while Sirenna chooses a higher branch where her charm will swing in the wind. [[`"You'd better be getting back to the Meadowlair,"`|sw22]] Sirenna says.

I know it but I was trying to forget it. "Want to come home with me? Have supper?" Sirenna laughs and shakes her head. "Not a chance." She hugs me. "See you tomorrow." I wave shoulder my bag and head [[back to the Meadowlair.|mw1]]

"There you are. I need you to go out and [[find me a birch branch|mw2]] about as big around as your thumb. Cut me a good length of it," she says, indicating the distance from her elbow to her fingertips. "Why?" I ask. "You are only supposed to cut birch in the dark of the moon," I say, remembering the rhyme. "That is only for wood for the balefire. [[Take Ivy with you.|ivy]] It's time she learns these things." There is a bite in Marjory's voice which is normal but she seems more bitey than usual.

In the clan blood relationships don't mean very much since we are all related by clan ties that are just as strong or stronger than those of blood. But Ivy's mother Rowena and my mother were sisters and after my mother [[crossed over]] Rowena and Ivy and I shared a tiny little house with climbing roses growing up the sides. But now I am fifteen and [[I live in the Meadowlair|mw2]] until I am initiated and find a mate.

When a woman becomes pregnant she can ask anyone to raise the child with her and become her mate regardless of who the blood father may be. A woman may also choose to raise a child with another woman. In the Ravenstead your clan is based on your mother's line and the men will move to their mate's stead to build a lair. If two women choose to become mates and raise their children together they will decide which clan they wish to join and their children will belong to that clan. [[Return|previous()]]

I stop. //Not Dusty. Please don't choose Dusty.// Surely Harmony will not ask him. He was never one of her mates but she could ask anyone she liked to lair with her and raise her baby. She is pretty and [[she is the Hearth-Maiden|mw6]] and almost any of the boys would be honored if she chose him. "She's the Hearth-Maiden," I say aloud because now Marjory's snappishness makes sense.

We use the word //stead,// while others might use the word village. There are thirteen clans in the Ravenstead, each with its own homestead within the village around a central commons called the Green. Within the Green is a large central hall called the Ravenhof a small school the women's Moon Lodge and community gardens. [[Return|previous()]]

Ivy dances back to where I stand. "Harmony? Yes." She tucks two tiny violets into my hair. "What does that mean anyway? Why is Auntie so upset?" "A woman usually takes four important paths in her life journey here in the Middle World. Maiden         Mother              Matriarch                     and Elder. To honor this one woman on each of those paths is chosen to represent the stead in rituals and festivals. It's a [[terrible honor to be chosen.|mw7]] And a lot of work."

"So if the Hearth-Maiden gets pregnant she can't be the Hearth-Maiden anymore?" "No. She has moved onto the path of the Mother. She has to step down and a new Hearth-Maiden must be chosen," I say. "Is that why [[we are looking for a birch stick|mw8]]?"

"A branch, not a stick," I correct her absently. "It has to be living wood. And yes, that is why." [[`"What about May Eve?"`|mw9]] Ivy asks. "It's less than a moon away."

That was the cause of Marjory's foul mood. As Hearth-Mistress of our clan and Hearth-Mistress of the entire stead she was faced with planning the Mayday rituals and replacing the Hearth-Maiden who would play a large part in the festivities. "Why are we stopping here? These aren't birches, are they?" Ivy looks around. "I was just thinking. [[Come on.|mw10]]"

The birch grove is a quiet sacred spot where the trees are far enough apart to let soft grass grow below. We wander among the trees looking sensing until we find a branch that will suit Marjory's needs. [[Ivy and I|mw11]] lay our hands and lean our heads on the silver-white trunk of the tree.

We are silent listening [[waiting|mw12]].

A welcoming warmth flows from the tree, and when I open my eyes Ivy is smiling. [[`"You cut it."`|mw13]]

I slip my knife out of its sheath and saw through the branch murmuring "We honor your sacrifice." "I leave this in exchange for your gift." Ivy drapes the stub of the branch with the chain of violets she braided as we walked along. Impetuously [[she kisses the cut end|mw14]] of the tree branch. "There. That's to make it better."

"Silly," I tease. "Why? It works for babies. Why won't it work on trees?" Ivy asks. [[`"Maybe it will."`|mw15]]

"So why do we need a birch branch just because Harmony is having a baby?" Ivy asks as we start home. "Marjory is going to make tokens. [[A new Hearth-Maiden has to be chosen|mw16]]."

Ivy's eyes widen. "Am I old enough to be chosen?" "Not until you reach your [[First Blood]]." "Drea Nightingale has already had her First Blood, and she's only ten." "It happens when your body is ready," I say, trying to be soothing. "I had mine when I was 13. Maybe next year." Ivy sighs dramatically because a year can feel ten thousand years long if you are waiting for something important. For a moment I think I see movement between the trees. "[[We'd better get back|st1]]," I say because I know Marjory is in a hurry but a part of me wants to [[turn to look|look1]] in the direction of the movement.

First Blood is an important rite for a young girl the first on her path to womanhood. When she has her moon time her first monthly bleeding there will be a celebration in her honor and she will be allowed to join the other women in the Moon Lodge where she wil begin to learn about blood-magic and dark-moon magic. [[Return|previous()]]

<<silently>> <<set $Lady to true>> <<endsilently>>Her green gown seems to be made of leaves and tree shadow and it melts into the grass at her feet. She is undoubtedly [[Elder Kin]]. [[`"Look."`|ek2]] Even at a whisper Ivy's voice is awestruck.

It is supper time and the great hall at the Meadowlair is overflowing. Families crowd the long trestle tables and there is not a vacant space on the benches that line the walls. The rich smell of rabbit stew is strong and the room echoes with chatter and laughter. [[Ivy slips off to join her mother|st2]] by the big stone fireplace that dominates the longest wall.

The Elder Kin are beings far more ancient and far wiser than humans and they have inhabited this world far longer than we have. Some say they came from the Otherworlds some say that they had a hand in creating humans others say that they care very little for us except when we interfere with their plans. Our stories told in the firelight whispered as children tell us that long ago when a great sickness spread across our world destroying other steads the Elder Kin brought our ancestors here helped us build the stead and now they roam the Elderwood protecting us from any that would bring us harm. [[Return|previous()]]

The Lady walks forward as if stepping from the trees themselves barefoot her eyes the bright green of new leaves her long hair golden like shafts of light in the forest hanging untamed down her back. "Tansy. Ivy." Her voice is felt more than heard and holds the sound of streams laughing of hawks crying and an owl's soft calling in the night. [[`"Greetings,"`|ek3]] I say, for I do not want to insult the Elder Kin who stands before me. "Greetings," Ivy echoes, almost breathless.

The Lady inclines her head towards the birch branch. "You choose a new Hearth-Maiden tonight." "Yes," I say. "Harmony has done well, but her time is past. The new Hearth-Maiden must be strong. Change comes. Even now darkness enters the Elderwood." I look up. Twilight is falling rapidly and the wind has a strange wild keen in it. A spring storm is brewing. "Choose your token wisely." [[Her eyes delve into mine.|ek4]]

For a moment everything drops away and I see the deep green forest as the Elder Kin see it every rock and tree and fallen leaf connecting like a spider's web and just as fragile. [[`"You are needed at home,"`|ek5]] the Lady says gently. And with her words I return to the wood as I know it my toes cold in the soft grass the rising wind tugging at my skirt.

"What is happening to me?" I ask, my voice shaking. "At first the visions were only in my dreams, but now they come during the day as well." The Lady laughs lightly. //[[`"You are awakening."`|ek6]]//

"I don't think I like it," I say. "It is not an easy time," the Lady says. "Does everyone go through this?" I ask. "No." "So why me? Why now?" I persist. "Because it is time. [[Go now.|ek7]]"

Ivy unwraps the chain of violets around her wrist and holds it out. "May I give this to you?" The Lady nods allowing Ivy to wind the violets around her wrist. The chain seems to come alive weaving around her pale skin the scent of violets intensifying. The Lady lifts the hand that bears the violet chain in farewell then turns and [[fades into the shadows.|ek8]]

"How do they do that?" Ivy asks. I shake my head. "Their world lies alongside ours, within it, almost. They can cross wherever they like." "But how?" "I don't know. Marjory says if an Elder Kin takes a liking to you, they can teach you how." We turn back towards the Meadowlair. "Are you going to tell Marjory about this?" Ivy asks. "Of course. [[And we'd better hurry.|st1]] It's getting late."

The room is bright with firelight and flickering candlelight. There are never enough seats and too many dishes to wash but the traditional clan supper is a good time to see everyone and discuss the events of the day. I scan the hall for Dusty, but he is not there. A touch on my shoulder is the only warning of Marjory's presence. She takes the birch branch with a brief nod. [[`"Come join me."`|st3]]

The door to Marjory's workroom is half-hidden down a short dark hallway off the main hall. It is unlocked, which proves she had been working there when she sensed my arrival. [[The center table is cluttered|st4]] as always Marjory's supper barely touched sitting on one corner.

Despite the mess the workroom is welcoming dusky smell of drying herbs always warm it shares a chimney with the great hearth in the main hall. Marjory points me towards a worn rocker next to the hearth and wordlessly [[hands me a bowl of stew|st5]] and a biscuit. She takes the birch branch and begins cutting it into small disks.

I settle back into the soft cushions staring into the fire slowly spooning up the stew letting my thoughts unwind until I am calm. [[`"Did you put something in my stew?"`|st6]] I ask.

Marjory laughs. "Would I do that?" "Yes." "Well, this time I did not. I need you alert tonight. This is an important Maiden-calling perhaps the only one left for you. Choose your token wisely." <<if $Lady is true>>"That is what the Elder told me." Marjory puts down her work knife. "I knew you had seen someone. You have the Elderwood in your eyes, like they do. [[Tell me what happened.|sta1]]" <<elseif $Lady is false>>[[I stand up, empty dishes in hand.|st7]] <</if>>

The tale did not take long in the telling. When I fall silent, Marjory goes back to work on the birch branch. Feeling dismissed, [[I stand up|st7]], empty dishes in hand.

"Just put them on the table. Pour us a cup of tea. The water's hot and I have the cups ready." The teakettle sits directly on the stone hearth close to the small fire. I fill the ceramic teapot with hot water and wonder what sort of an herbal tea [[Marjory has concocted|st8]].

<<silently>> <<set $DustyFacts to false>> <<set $DustyLoveSpell to false>> <<set $DustyStone to false>> <<set $LoveCharm to false>> <<set $MakeLC to false>> <<set $Lady to false>> <<set $TalonDance to false>> <<set $WantMaiden to false>> <<set $DustyLove = 50>> <<set $DustyBro = 50>> <<set $Maiden = 50>> <<set $Sirenna = 50>> <<set $Nyx = 50>> <<set $Marjory = 50>> <<set $ElderKin = 50>> <<set $Talon = 50>> <<endsilently>>

Love witchery that names a specific person is strictly forbidden. And I am not yet initiated so working any kind of witchery without supervision is also forbidden. I pause a moment bite my lip and consider... Do I [[work the love witchery and risk the wrath|w3]] of the Hearth-Mistress of the stead, my aunt Marjory? The rules are in place for a reason. Perhaps [[I should not risk it.|journalW]]

<<silently>> <<set $DustyFacts to true>> <<endsilently>>It is not only love witchery that is forbidden. The [[one that I desire is forbidden...to me.|perfect]]

Knowing this, do I still want to work the love witchery to [[attract Dusty to me|cast]]? Or am I [[too faint of heart|journal]]?

I slip the short knife I always carry from the sheath at my belt and made a quick cut in the soft flesh of my inner arm. It stings but I ignore it squeezing gently to bring up more blood. Blood carries power [[blood carries desire.|casting]]

I repeat the words until the busy-thoughts in the front of my mind relax their hold and my witch-mind takes over. In the patterns of sunlight and shadow on the water I picture the two of us together walking hand in hand talking late into the night and slipping off into the Elderwood in the shadow of the May Eve belfire. I bring the stone to my lips kiss it and [[toss it into the creek.|stone]]

I can only imagine Marjory’s wrath if she discovers what I have done. And if Marjory has any inkling of my feelings for Dusty-- Through the trees I spot Sirenna’s red-gold hair. I hastily dig my journal out of my bag and [[thumb through to find an empty page.|sirenna]] "You can't be studying."

Marjory counts out the birch tokens, one for each girl who is eligible to be the Hearth-Maiden. She spreads them out on the table before her touching each one thoughtfully. Choosing one at last, she takes up the dagger she uses only when [[she is witching|st9]]. She is silent a long moment and I know she will not speak the words aloud in front me until I am initiated.

Without hesitation Marjory cuts the tip of her left index finger and squeezes two fat drops of blood onto each side of the token rubbing them in to stain the wood. "Four drops. No more, no less. The Dark Mother hates waste. One drop for each phase of the moon waxing full waning dark. And one for each phase of a woman's life Maiden Mother Matriarch and Elder." Marjory says the words as if she is talking to herself. She [[scoops all the little tokens up|st10]] and drops them into a small red cloth bag she ties onto her belt.

Marjory looks up and smiles. "Let's have our tea, shall we? Pour it out." The tea is a deep red smelling of mint and chamomile and other things I should have be able to identify but can't. Marjory takes her cup and sits down in the rocker. I sit on the built-up stone hearth back against the chimney. The [[tea relaxes me|st11]] even more than the stew.

"We meet in the moon lodge soon so do not get too comfortable," Marjory warns. "You need to be open tonight, but not unaware." "Are you trying to influence the Maiden-calling?" I ask. "You should know better than that," Marjory snaps. "I sent the same tea to every girl who will draw a token tonight. There is no way to influence something like this. The one who is meant to be Hearth-Maiden will draw the blooded token. It is that simple. There are no mistakes." I close my eyes and consider if [[I want to be the Hearth-Maiden|st11a1]] or [[I would rather not be the Hearth-Maiden|st11b1]].

"Doesn't every young girl hope to be the Hearth-Maiden some day?" I say. "She always looks so alluring mysterious like she holds all the secrets of the stead in her eyes." "[[It isn't always as glamorous as it looks|st11a2]]," Marjory warns.

"I don't want to be Hearth-Maiden," I say. "I know you don't." Marjory sighs and gazes into the fire. "But you cannot dodge your fate." I feel [[the words come out unbidden|st11b2]] as they often do in Marjory's presence.

"I don't want the attention. I don't want everyone watching me wondering who the Hearth-Maiden is going to choose to pair with me at the next ritual. I don't want Lynx hovering over me because he thinks it will be good to be seen with the Hearth-Maiden. I don't want every move I make to be analyzed and talked about over supper in the stead. And I don't want to be pressured to go into the Elderwood on May Eve." Marjory smiles softly, her eyes never leaving the fire. "Harmony will lead this Mayday ritual as planned. What better way to show the fertility of Mother Earth than a Hearth-Maiden who is pregnant? [[We will honor the new Hearth-Maiden at Summer Solstice|st11b3]]."

"I still don't want to be Hearth-Maiden." "Do you think I wanted to be Hearth-Mistress?" Marjory takes her cup to the table. "Do you think I enjoy being responsible for everyone in this stead? Do you think it is an easy job keeping track of all the festivals planning all the rituals overseeing the planting and the harvesting and the breeding of the livestock? Not to mention worrying about which young people are pairing up." My hands clench on my cup. [[I do not dare look at Marjory.|st11b4]]

"I guess I never thought about it," I say. "You are so good at it. I just thought--" "Thought I enjoyed it?" Marjory laughs. "Well, most of the time I don't. But we all do what we are called to do, even when it is difficult. That is something you should think about." Marjory looks at the window stars beginning to prick the darkness. "Finish up your tea and go change clothes. There is a grass stain on the back of your skirt. [[I will meet you at the moon lodge.|gr1]]"

Later that evening I walk alone not bothering to take a lantern [[my feet know the path well|gr2]] and the moon is nearly full.

The Moon Lodge sits [[on the far side of the Green|gr3]] isolated in a thin grove of elder raspberry canes clustered around it. The round building rises in the shape of a full, pregnant belly its walls plastered with earth a cool, peaceful spot. At the dark of the moon when the women bleed they gather in the Moon Lodge to rest talk and work blood-magic and dark-magic. Young girls look forward to their [[First Blood]] and the special ceremony that marks it after which they will join the women every month.

The torches around the green are lit girls heading down the path to the Moon Lodge. I pause a moment deciding if [[I hurry to join them|ml1]] or if [[I wish to remain on the Green a bit longer|gr4]].

I unbraid my hair as I slip in the door of the Moon Lodge no jewelry nothing binding during ritual. A stack of simple red tunics are piled on a bench in the forechamber. Harmony helps the younger girls shed their clothing. I hang my clothes on a hook and [[pull a tunic on|ml2]] as quickly as possible.

I do not want to join them yet. It is dark and warm and close in the Moon Lodge. Usually I enjoy the comfort of the Moon Lodge but tonight [[I want to be out in the fresh air|gr5]].

I feel strange. <<if $Lady is true>>It began when I looked at the wood through the eyes of the Elder Kin. Now it is a full-blown sense of unease. Something is different... is it me or the Elderwood that is changing? Do I [[step out onto the Green|gr6]] or [[continue to the Moon Lodge|ml1]]? <<elseif $Lady is false>> Something is different... is it me or the Elderwood that is changing? Do I [[step out onto the Green|gr6]] or [[continue to the Moon Lodge|ml1]]? <</if>>

I step into the sheep-cropped grass of the stead Green extending my arms closing my eyes my steps tracing a small circle in the grass. [[I want to dance|gr7]] not the choreographed circle dances of rituals or even the more abandoned circling of the bale-fire I want to move to the dance of the rising moon to feel the strong heartbeat of the great Mother Earth as I watch the sky darken and the stars wheel above.

My hips begin to sway back and forth. It is not a dance I have ever been taught but it is a dance older than time a dance from within. [[I circle my hips|gr8]] and the earth comes alive beneath me tingling up through the soles of my feet.

My eyes still closed I feel the Elder Kin gathering in the shadows around me seen and unseen watching as I dance to the call of the earth. One of them seperates from the shadowy circle and comes towards me holding out his hand. And I must decide Do [[I dance with him|tal1]] Or do [[I ignore him|gr9]]?

<<silently>> <<set $TalonDance to true>> <<set $Talon to $Talon + 5>> <<endsilently>>I cannot make out his features clearly but he is taller than I am hair halfway down his back longer than our men wear theirs. A striped feather is woven into his hair at his temple and it hangs by his cheek. [[I take his hand.|tal2]]

My dance is not a dance for men or a dance that requires a partner. I step around him dancing in this shadow space that is not in my world or theirs but someplace in between. //[[`"Tansy."`|gr10]]//

[[I snap back|gr11]]

[[with a suddenness|gr12]]

[[that makes me sick to my stomach|gr13]]

Marjory grabs my shoulders and [[I fall against her|gr14]]

The shadow-world and the Elder Kin disappear in an instant and [[I reach out to stop them.|gr15]]

"Don't," Marjory snaps. "But I was-" "I know what you were doing." [[Her eyes search mine.|gr16]]

<<if $DustyStone is true>>I slide the gift from Hawk-feather into my pocket before Marjory notices it. I am exhausted my legs weak. "We will discuss this later," Marjory says I see not only anger but an unusual fear within her. "[[Go inside.|ml1]] We have been waiting for you. And take down your hair. You know better." <<elseif $DustyStone is false>>Suddenly I am exhausted my legs weak. "We will discuss this later," Marjory says I see not only anger but an unusual fear within her. "[[Go inside.|ml1]] We have been waiting for you. And take down your hair. You know better." <</if>>

A fire burns inside the Moon Lodge for companionship not warmth on this spring night. Around the outer edges of the room a few candles flicker shedding just enough light to pick out faces. [[I edge in next to Sirenna|ml3]] sitting cross-legged on the earthen floor.

A tense excitement fills the moon lodge much low chatter and giggling rising towards the curved roof above us. Marjory guides the last of the girls into a circle taking her place in the middle with Harmony beside her as [[silence falls|ml4]].

"I am sure you all know [[why we are here tonight|ml5]]," Marjory says. "Harmony, our Hearth-Maiden, is with child. She leaves behind her days as a girl, and moves on to become a mother." Harmony blushes her pregnancy not yet showing on her slim frame but radiating a new inner joy.

"It is [[a special journey|ml6]]," Marjory says, "one I hope all of you take in the fullness of time. When you are ready when you have found the mate you wish to have a child with it is a joyous transition. We talked when each one of you reached First Blood and you know you need not have a child until you are ready to welcome one. If you are not ready you need only to come speak with me or with Demy and we will show you what to do."

"Some of you have been to a Calling before. Many of you have not. Harmony and I will do a brief ritual then Harmony will walk around the circle with a bag of tokens. You will each choose your token and keep it in your closed fist until all the tokens are drawn. No peeking! When I am ready you will all open your hands at my word and [[the new Hearth-Maiden will be revealed|ml8]]."

Harmony crosses the ring of seated girls and moves around the circle behind us. The candles flutter then still as she returns to the center. "We are here in a place between worlds a place out of time." [[I close my eyes|ml9]].

There is an uncomfortable shifting in the circle. We all know that. Demy is the midwife of the stead and the Hearth-Mother. She and Marjory repeat the instructions often so the young ones will remember it when they are [[old enough to think about mating|ml7]].

My breathing slows I draw in the deep calm I usually feel during ritual. Marjory's words blur in my ears until they become the buzzing of insects the whir of dragonfly wings. //[[...and I cross into another world|ml10]]//

//I stand in the middle of a stream cold water tickling my ankles old growth trees arch thickly overhead. I am in the Elderwood but not a place I recognize odd and quiet no birds singing or animals going about their usual business. A black horse approaches the stream. We watch each other warily and at last the horse bends its head to drink. I am uneasy it does not belong in the Elderwood.// [[`"Tansy."`|ml11]]

Linzi the girl at my left jostles my elbow. [[I open my eyes.|ml12]]

and I am back in the semi-darkness and warmth of the Moon Lodge. I let the vision of the wood slip away and [[struggle|ml13]] to make sense of where I am.

"As we travel the cycle of life we become many women." Marjory is deep into her sing-song ritual voice. "At First Blood we pass from being a child to being a maiden where we learn [[all we need to know|ml14]] to become a woman a mate a mother the head of a household the matriarch of a clan."

Linzi nudges me again offering me an earthenware goblet. I sip at the elderberry mead trying to [[refocus on my surroundings|ml15]]. Sirenna looks concerned as she takes the goblet from me.

"Now it is time for a new Hearth-Maiden to step forward," Marjory says. "The calling of the Hearth-Maiden is never random. Only the one who is meant to be Hearth-Maiden will draw the blooded token. It is there only for her. The others will not find it." Harmony starts around the circle with the bag of tokens. She stops before each girl and [[holds out the bag|ml16]].

My heart is beating so hard I can barely hear Marjory's words. The thudding of blood in my ears drowns out everything else. Next to me Linzi draws her token. Harmony steps in front of me holding out the cloth bag. "[[May the token call the Hearth-Maiden|ml17]]," she whispers.

My hand shakes as I plunge it inside the bag sifting the tokens with my fingers. My hand closes over one. For a heartbeat or two token in my hand I consider my fate. There are many girls in the Moon Lodge. It is not likely I hold the blooded token. Do I keep the token, [[hoping to become the new Hearth-Maiden|hmA]]? Or do I simply pretend to draw a token, because [[I do not want to become the new Hearth-Maiden|hm1]]?

<<set $WantMaiden to true>> I draw my hand out of the bag clutching my token tightly fist closed in my lap. Harmony offers the bag to Sirenna I stare into the flame of a candle nervous hoping [[wondering|hmA1]] if my future is about to change.

<<set $Maiden = $Maiden - 10>> <<set $Marjory = $Marjory - 10>> [[I let the token go|hm2]]. I draw my hand out of the bag and hold it closed empty in my lap. Harmony offers the bag to Sirenna I stare into the flame of a candle awash with relief.

[[Who will be the next Hearth-Maiden?|hm3]] If the Call is made on knowledge it will definitely be Lauryl who sits across the circle her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she concentrates on holding the proper token. Perhaps it will be Sirenna so that she can attract Lynx's attention.

Harmony steps back into the center of the circle. Marjory hugs her shoulders and says, "The Hearth-Maiden has been called. You may all open your hands. Speak forth if you hold the blooded token." I look studiously at my empty palm and close it quickly. Sirenna gives a little cry of disappointment holding out her token. "Do you have it?" she asks. [[I shake my head.|hm4]]

"Who holds the token?" Marjory asks, her voice as eager as any of the girls. There are murmurs around the circle. "Speak up!" Silence. Questioning looks. "Palms up! All of you. [[Let me see your tokens|hm5]]."

I unroll my hand slightly holding it up hoping Marjory finds the new Hearth-Maiden before she sweeps over to me and discovers my deception. "Marjory," Harmony says softly holding the bag "[[there is still a token in here|hm6]]."

Marjory snatches the bag feels it. [[`"Who did not draw a token?"`|hm7]] she demands.

I have never never seen her so angry. "Open your palms. I need to see everyone's token. Now." She is unfortunately close to me. [[She grabs my hand.|hm8]] "Show me your token."

I cannot meet her eyes cannot answer. "Tansy?" Her voice is disappointed. "Everyone has their token but Tansy?" She makes a quick turn around the circle to make sure. Harmony nods. [[`"Open your hand and take your token."`|hm9]]

To make sure I comply Marjory does it herself holding the bag above my hand she shakes the last token into my palm. It is definitely darker than the other tokens stained with blood. [[My stomach drops.|hm10]]

"[[Tansy is our new Hearth-Maiden|hm11]]," Marjory says her voice flat.

There is no celebration no well wishes only stares and whispers. "She didn't even choose the token," Lauryl says. "Maybe there is a reason. Maybe we should all draw again." "Yes and Tansy should not be allowed to draw this time," another voice says. "She doesn't want it." "There will not be another drawing," Marjory says firmly. "I told you the token chooses. You do not. None of you drew the token. It was meant for Tansy. Since she did not draw one it waited for her." There are uneasy looks all around the room and [[the whispers begin again.|hm12]]

[[`"Tansy is the new Hearth-Maiden,"`|hm13]] Marjory repeats "and I expect all of you to understand and honor this." No one lifts their voice to welcome me. Not even Sirenna.

Perhaps it is true what Marjory says. //You cannot dodge your fate.// Maybe I was fated to be the Hearth-Maiden but [[I can write my own story...|BetaTestEnd]]

Thank you for reading the first chapter of //Balefires Burning// in the 2017 Spring Thing! Your comments are appreciated. [[Restart|Start][state.restart()]]

As our hands touch I hear music distant enticing. His hand on my waist pulls me closer [[guiding me|tal3]] into the steps of a dance I do not know.

The only dances I have ever learned are the round dances the whole stead performs during festivals and rituals. But the dance of Hawk-feather and the Elder Kin is different smooth floaty ecstatic and somehow my feet know the dance I feel it through the music and Hawk-feather's hands and I think I could dance like this [[forever|tal4]]

[[`"Tansy!"`|tal5]]

At first I barely hear my name but it grows louder more insistent [[`"Tansy!"`|tal6]]

He turns his head as if he too hears the voice and frowns. <<if $DustyStone is true>>He presses something into my hand and my fingers close around it but I am losing my grip my hand slips from his and I cry out as [[the world grows darker|gr10]] <<elseif $DustyStone is false>> my hand slips from his and I cry out as [[the world grows darker|gr10]] <</if>>

As a child I watched fascinated as people danced around the balefire on [[Mayday|mayday]] laughing singing coming closer together in the heat of the fire until their springtime finery was tossed away bit by bit and then they disappeared from the circle of flames in twos and threes "Time for bed," someone would say, taking my hand leading me away. Tucked in bed snuggled up with my clan sisters and brothers I could still hear the singing and the laughter until I heard nothing but the sighs and moans of the wind in the Elderwood. //[[The page flutters and turns|walkMeadow]], releasing a faint, perhaps half-imagined, scent of smoke and lilac from the bloom pressed into the book for so long it is little more than a stain on the page.//

To know your //wyrd// is to see the tapestry of your fate woven before you. Some believe that there are three sisters very ancient Elder Kin who weave the fate of every being and that we can do nothing to change it. Others believe that we weave our own tapestry choosing our threads of wyrd by our actions. [[Return|previous()]]

<<silently>> <<set $LoveCharm to false>> <<set $MakeLC to false>> <<endsilently>>Sirenna unbuttons a small pouch revealing a small curved knife a tiny book with pages of brightly colored felt stuck all about with [[needles and pins|sw14]] and a ball of red thread.

I laugh. "Maybe it's because you're too busy hanging out with [[the Pack|The Pack]]. What do you guys do all the time?" Dusty shrugs. "You know. Hunt fish ...men's stuff." "Well, I wouldn't know, since [[I don't get to do|bro2]] any of those things."

"You get to do other things that men don't get to do," he says defensively "Women's things." "Like cooking and baking and taking care of babies?" I ask. His cheeks redden. "There are other things. Like women's mysteries and the [[Moon Lodge|moon lodge]] and I know Marjory teaches you witchery that men are never supposed to know." "And [[`how do you know that?`|bro3]]"

"I hear things. I know," he says but looks uncomfortable. "Well I know that you and Badger Hill were caught sneaking around outside the moon lodge last year so maybe [[you don't know|bro4]] as much as you think you do."

It's true that the blood magic and other witchery I have yet to learn is not taught to boys. Marjory says that women are the keepers of the magic and that men can only learn the simple magic the earth magic that helps crops grow and brings in a good hunt. "We need to get back to the [[Meadowlair|houses]]," Dusty says interrupting my thoughts. "[[Marjory needs you|bro5]]."

"Is that it?" I ask. "Something to do with the women's mysteries? Is that why Marjory wants me to come back?" "Not something I can talk about," he mutters [[walking faster|lynx]] as if to hurry me along.

[[Go to map|map]]

"It's not all holding a cup and looking pretty during the festivals," Marjory said. "It's a lot of work. The Hearth-Maiden has to know more witchery than anyone else in the stead except me. That's a lot of studying which I might add is [[not one of your strong points|st11a3]]."

It is true but it still stings to hear it said out loud. "At least the Hearth-Maiden is never left out when it comes to choosing a mate." I say. "Which is fine," Marjory says, "if you don't mind everyone in the stead [[watching you|stlla4]] to see who you are going to pair up with and discussing whether Lynx or Asa or Wolf is the best match for you and who you are going to lead into the Elderwood on May Eve."

I remember then that Marjory was Hearth-Maiden when she was young and that like Marjory the Hearth-Maiden often becomes the Hearth-Mistress of the stead later on. "Was it like that when [[you were Hearth-Maiden|st11a5]]?" I ask.

Marjory's gaze falls to the fire and her face changes. "Things were different in the stead when I was Hearth-Maiden. I was barely twelve summers old when I was chosen and had to become an adult far too quickly. I've tried to make it easier for the rest of you so you do not have to learn [[the lessons I learned|st11a6]]."

"But we all do what we are called to do, even when it is difficult. That is something you should think about." Marjory looks at the window stars beginning to prick the darkness. "Finish up your tea and go change clothes. There is a grass stain on the back of your skirt. [[I will meet you at the moon lodge.|gr1]]"

[[Who will be the next Hearth-Maiden?|hmA2]] If the Call is made on knowledge it will definitely be Lauryl who sits across the circle her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she concentrates on holding the proper token. Perhaps it will be Sirenna so that she can attract Lynx's attention. Perhaps it will be me.

Harmony steps back into the center of the circle. Marjory hugs her shoulders and says, "The Hearth-Maiden has been called. You may all open your hands. Speak forth if you hold the blooded token." I take a deep breath my stomach in a tempest and [[pop my hand open|hmA3]].

<<set $Maiden = $Maiden + 10>> The birch token rolls around in my hand nearly falling to the floor. It is definitely darker than the other tokens stained with blood. A thousand thoughts emotions hopes regrets sweep through me and [[I cannot speak|hmA4]].

"Who holds the token?" Marjory asks, her voice as eager as any of the girls. There are murmurs around the circle. Sirenna gives a little cry of disappointment holding out her token. "Do you have it?" she asks me. [[I can only nod.|hmA5]]

"It's Tansy!" Sirenna says, her voice a mixture of clouded anger defeat and restrained excitement. She [[grabs my hand|hmA6]] and holds it aloft. <<set $Sirenna = $Sirenna - 5>>

"[[Tansy is our new Hearth-Maiden|hmA7]]!" Marjory cries pulling me to my feet and enveloping me in a stifling hug that squeezes the breath out of me. "The token has called the Maiden!"

And then [[I am surrounded|hm13]] by a crowd of girls hugging petting kissing me equal parts tears and shrieks. I think they are happy for me but it is hard to tell.

<<set $Maiden = $Maiden - 10>> <<silently>> <<set $TalonDance to true>> <<set $Talon to $Talon + 5>> <<endsilently>> I feel strange. <<if $Lady is true>>It began when I looked at the wood through the eyes of the Elder Kin. Now it is a full-blown sense of unease. Something is different... is it me or the Elderwood that is changing? Do I [[step out onto the Green|]] or [[continue to the Moon Lodge|]]? <<elseif $Lady is false>> Something is different... is it me or the Elderwood that is changing? Do I [[step out onto the Green|]] or [[continue to the Moon Lodge|]]? <</if>>

The legends say you can walk for eight days in any direction without reaching the end of the [[Elderwood]]. On the ninth day the trees surrender to meadow but [[no one knows|pro2]] how far the meadow reaches. No one alive in the Ravenstead has ever seen it.

The Elder Kin know for they can traverse the woods in a night but they speak little of such things and are rarely even seen by people like me. [[I am only fifteen autumns old|pro3]] not yet initiated not yet a witch not even a full member of our [[clan|clans]] and stead. But the Elder Kin have spoken often to my aunt Marjory who is Matriarch of our clan and Hearth-Mistress of our entire [[stead]].

But I am thinking of none of these things as [[I walk|first]] singing under my breath towards the fringe of woods that borders my clan's stead

I dig my journal out of my shoulder bag thumbing through to find an empty page. I do not want to risk getting in trouble for working witchery right now. My journal is full but little of its contents will help me when I face the initiation ordeals in the autumn. Drawings of the Elderwood and my dream-visions spill into the margins of my poetry and pages of my rambling thoughts. There will not be much left in my journal after I weed out all those things before Marjory sees them-- "You can't be studying." [[I slam the journal shut.|sirenna]]

I turn my head and Ivy sensing my gaze looks as well And then [[we see her|EK1]] though she had no doubt seen us long before.