The Death of Yorik Mortwell Read Online Free PDF Page A

now a leafy tangle. The hare had become a majestic yew tree, and its eyes shone with starlight.
    “You’re a topiary!” exclaimed Yorik.
    The topiary hare did not answer. Another gust of wind blew, but the carousel animals did not move. Yorik felt their respectful stillness in the presence of the hare.
    He ventured another question. “Why is it that I have never seen you before?”
    The hare’s voice assumed a rich cant.
There is much you can see now that you could not see before. You can see things as they are. You can see both that which is living and that which is dead
.
    “Yes,” answered Yorik.
    What else have you seen?
inquired the hare.
    Yorik thought about this. He thought about the foam-flecked horses and the whispering voice and Erde’s muddy tears. “Something is wrong with the Estate,” he answered finally. “Something bad has happened.”

    Silence, wind, and rustling leaves. Then—
The land is being consumed by the
Yglhfm.
What shall you do?
    “Me?” asked Yorik, surprised. “There’s nothing I can do.”
    No, Ghost. There is much of which you are capable
.
    This time Yorik was the one who was silent.
    What shall you do?
came the question once more.
    “Why are you asking me?”
    It is not I who asks. I ask on behalf of the Oldest, mother of us all
.
    “The Princess?” asked Yorik, confused. “But she told me she doesn’t need me. She threw me out of her glade.” He did not understand any of this. No one had ever asked Yorik to do anything. Yorik had only been ordered to do things, all his life and all his death.
    “What happens if I do nothing?” he asked, genuinely interested.
    I do not know
, came the reply.
It is your choice
.
    “I want to protect my sister,” said Yorik.
    Is not the fate of one bound to the fate of all?
    Yorik had not thought about it that way. If the Estate was in danger, then his sister was too, and protecting the Estate would do the same for Susan. “What can I do to help, then?” he asked.
    We do not know, Ghost
, replied the topiary hare.
We do not know how to stop the
Yglhfm.
    Yorik suddenly felt a presence—the same presence he had sensed in the water garden. He looked past the hare, past the mound, and into the woods beyond the topiary carousel. There he saw a shuffling emptiness gliding between the trees, the same emptiness that had crouched on his shoulder and rasped into his ear. He heard soft muttering.
    “Is that a Dark One?” he asked.
    Yes
, said the hare, but its voice was strained. Yorik sensed another presence, and then another, three in all, gathered outside the topiary garden.
    A tremble raced through the branches of the hare.
We must leave for now
, it said.
As must you
.
    As Yorik watched, the starlight in the hare’s eyes faded. He turned to the other animals. The lion, elephant, and swan were motionless, back in their places, no longer bowing toward the mound.
    The muttering grew louder.
Ghost
—the dark voices began, but Yorik did not pause to listen. He raced from the garden with all the swiftness of wind.
    Back in the one-room cabin, he pondered the words of the wise and dignified hare, who believed that protecting Susan would protect them all. He thought of the terrified horses, the hounds who guarded the Manor, the Princess, Erde, Master Thomas, and Susan.
    Is not the fate of one bound to the fate of all?
    If that was true, then he had to find a way to protect them all.
    Yorik could see that the dismal cabin was falling to ruin, soon to be reclaimed by the forest. He looked at the cold ashes in the fireplace, and for a moment he could see three people there: Father, himself, and Susan, laughing and playing as a warm fire blazed.
    He shook his head and turned away. That world was gone.
    He walked outside, looked at the cabin for the last time, then strode off toward the Manor.

Chapter Six
    A s Yorik walked down the carriage path, he recalled what Mr. Lucian had said:
Ye seek revenge
. At first that had been true. But no