die.â
âReveal and die,â the people promised.
The tribesâ people held hands and made a circle, a human circle around the small stone circle.
âLet the Circle keep its secret while stones stand and hawks fly,â everyone shouted, then chanted, âAva, Ava, AVA, AVA.â
Hewll pointed in amazement. Heâd spotted two watching hawks.
The largest bird spread her wings, left her stone and circled above them.
âAVA! AVA! AVA! AVA!â the people roared as the hawkâs black shape appeared against the moon and circled above them before disappearing into the night.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
Owen shifted uneasily in his hawkâs body. His concentration had broken when Ava left his side. He was tired and cold and could no longer see with Hewllâs eyes. He ruffled his feathers, moved his feet and wished that Ava would return.
The cold seeped into his bones. Gradually Owen realized that this wasnât just cold from the weather, but a deadly cold coming from the mist at the base of the next stone. He peered down.
A wild boar had left the forest and was snuffling for mushrooms near the Circle. The wraith enfolded its mist around the boar and disappeared â absorbed into the boarâs body.
Instantly, the boarâs eyes gleamed red. It snorted angrily.
Owen watched in horror as the boar charged between the stones. With his last remnants of strength, he reached out to Hewll one more time.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
A sense of foreboding filled Hewll. He stared around the Circle, but nothing seemed amiss. All was quiet for the final blessing.
Then a terrible snorting erupted as a wild boar, tusks glinting wickedly in the firelight, entered the Circle. Its angry eyes searched for a victim.
Children screamed and hid behind stones. Women gathered up infants and dragged back the elders.
The chief shaman turned. Her glittering mask attracted the boar. It charged.
A fleeing figure stumbled and fell. The boar gored her leg. Ulwin screamed and twisted to keep her belly from the pointed tusks.
Hewll ran to the fire, pulled out a burning brand and thrust it into the boarâs face.
âCrawl away,â he yelled to Ulwin.
âI canât,â she shrieked. âIts tusk is caught in my cloak.â
Squealing with terror and anger the boar tried to retreat.
Its cloven hooves trampled Ulwin. She screamed again.
Hewll jammed the blazing brand into the boarâs eye and tugged at Ulwinâs cloak. The hunters were closing in to help, but no one wanted to loose a spear while the girl was entangled.
âA knife,â called Hewll. A tusk grazed his arm. He thrust the burning brand forward again.
The shaman threw her sickle and Hewll sawed at the twist of cloth. It parted and he staggered backward, pulling Ulwin with him.
The hunters rushed forward. They skewered the boar in the neck and belly and yanked it up on its hind feet. The chief shaman retrieved her sickle and slashed the boarâs throat.
Ulwinâs weak cry of triumph was echoed by the crowd.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
Owen could stay inside Hewll no more. He huddled, retching, on the stone, and watched the faint wraith mist rise from the dead boarâs mouth.
Unseen by the tribesâ people, the stone beside Owen quivered. The earth at its base yawned open. The stone spun quickly on its axis, creating a vortex, a whirlpool in the ground. With a silent cry of pain and defeat, the wraith was sucked beneath the earth. The hole closed. The wraith was banished.
A shout drew Owenâs attention again to the Circle. The hunters had removed the boarâs head and were stripping meat from its bones.
Children rushed forward and grabbed the head. They tossed it one to the other and paraded it around the Circle for all to see.
âStuff its wicked mouth,â shouted Old One Eye. âShow it ainât going to worrit and terrorize us no more.â He threw a dried apple to the
Jill Lepore
Beth Kery
Andrea Dale, Sarah Husch
V Bertolaccini
Alison Acheson
Douglas Skelton
K. Renee
Linda Howard
Katie MacAlister
Anne Michaels