The Way Between the Worlds Read Online Free PDF Page A

the door to them, but he caught sight of Livilda doing her impression of a heron, standing on one leg and darting its beak into the water after fish, and something very strange happened, something that he hadn’t experienced for twenty-one years: he began to laugh. To begin with, it sounded like the creaking of an old door that needs its hinges oiled, but then, as he began to remember what laughter felt like, the sounds became free and joyful. He ran outside, caught hold of his loyal sister with one hand and grasped Livilda’s shoulder with the other. “You look like a horse and you move like a deformed chicken,” he said to her, “but you have just worked a miracle. You are many years younger than me, for I am an old man now, and you probably have a husband; if not, will you consider marrying me?” ’
    I looked round at my audience. Six pairs of eyes were fixed on me and, behind them, I saw the small, upright figure of my granny, siting in mid-air in the place where her little cot used to stand. She gave me a nod of encouragement and mouthed, go on, then! Don’t keep them in suspense!
    I gave her a grateful look and said, ‘Livilda had never been called a worker of miracles before and it rather tickled her fancy, so she told Ailsi she didn’t have a husband and would marry him, adding that, because he was indeed so old, they’d better not waste any time. They were married within a month and, to put the crown on their unexpected happiness, Livilda gave birth to three healthy children, all with the right number of legs.’
    I paused. Tempting as it was to go on with Livilda’s tale – she’s always been one of my favourite ancestors – there was another strand to the tapestry of our history that I wanted to finish with. ‘Now I will return,’ I said, altering my tone so as to sound less frivolous, ‘to Luanmaisi, most powerful of Wise Women, who was sister to Alma and Ailsi. She walked with the spirits –’ there was a soft exclamation from Zarina – ‘and they taught her their ways, taking her between the worlds to encounter beings of other realms. It is the great mystery of our bloodline that we know not how, when or where she died, although it was said among the wise that she left this world and did not return. What is known is that she disappeared into the mists of the fenland one autumn day, just after the equinox celebrations, and that later she bore a daughter, Lassair the Sorceress, child of the Fire and the Air.’ Like me, I thought, but I did not say it aloud. ‘We do not know what became of Lassair either, for her thread of the tale is shrouded in mystery and we do not even know who fathered her. It was, however, strongly believed,’ I added, lowering my voice to a whisper, ‘that she was half-aelven.’ There was another gasp; in fact, several gasps. I glanced across at Granny’s corner and she shook her head, mouthing: enough, now. Always leave them wanting more.
    Thanking her with a small bow, I straightened up, looked round my audience and said, ‘As to what might have happened to Lassair the Sorceress, and what did happen to the children of her uncle Ailsi and his one-legged wife  . . . I shall tell you another time.’
    There was a gratifying chorus of groans and one or two comments pleading for more, but I shook my head. I saw Granny silently clap her hands, smiling her approval, and then she gently faded away.
    All in all, I thought that my foray into storytelling hadn’t gone too badly.

THREE
    I slept surprisingly well, waking only after everyone had left for the day’s work to find my mother busy kneading bread, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the strong muscles of her forearms working hard. It was only when I was fully awake that I realized I hadn’t dreamed. Or, if I had, I’d forgotten. Perhaps the spirit who was trying so hard to attract my attention appreciated that I was already doing my best.
    My mother looked up from her bread-making and gave me a loving