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‘So you do remember!’ I said, relieved. ‘You remember our mother?’
‘I’ll never forget dear Laragh,’ she said, her eyes softening. ‘She was so lost when she came to us. So broken. She was only expected to stay with us a few short months, but months turned into years. She simply couldn’t get past the loss of your father, you see. And after she gave birth she got worse, rather than better. She started to believe her babies were going to kill her. We thought she was going to harm you, so we had to summon Emrick to take you to safety. It was a difficult decision, but we had no choice. We had a lot of difficult decisions to make back then,’ she said with a sigh.
We were all quiet, and I thought about my mother and how she’d grieved the loss of her beloved Ashen. I could imagine how I’d feel if Sirius had been killed in that way, and I couldn’t imagine ever getting over it. Automatically, my hand crept into Sirius’s hand, and he held it tightly as if he knew all too well what I was thinking.
‘We didn’t want to do it you know,’ Sister Agnes said suddenly.
‘Do what?’ I asked, startled.
‘Summon the High Council to remove her magic.’ She shook her head. ‘We had no choice. We’d tried to talk her out of it for a long time, but she was adamant that magic was the cause of all her troubles, and that if she could just be rid of it she, and her children, would be safe. We did all we could to dissuade her, but…’ She broke off and I was touched to see her wiping away tears. ‘That night. That awful night. It was terrifying. We had to do as she asked, you see. After that.’
‘After what?’ Lowen asked nervously. ‘What happened?’
Her eyes took on a faraway expression, as if she were reliving every moment of whatever had gone on that night.
‘It was raining,’ she said, her voice a whisper so I had to strain to hear her. ‘We couldn’t find her. Somehow, she’d got out of the house and—well, we hunted high and low for her. It was me who found her in the end. She was soaking wet and covered in mud. It was her despair,’ she told us, looking round at us all tearfully. ‘I felt her despair. It drew me to her.’
‘Where was she?’ I asked fearfully.
‘She was standing in the churchyard,’ she said. ‘I say in the churchyard; she was actually teetering on the brink of the cliff, looking down as if she…’ She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry to have to tell you this about your own mother,’ she said sadly, ‘but I honestly think—no, I know—that she intended to take her life. She was planning to hurl herself from that cliff, I know it. I’ve never felt such sadness. Such overwhelming hopelessness.’
‘I know,’ Lowen said quietly. ‘I felt it, too.’
‘You did,’ Killian said, surprised. ‘I remember. When we were up there you were not yourself, not at all. It was only when we headed down Church Street that you managed to shrug it off. How is that possible?’
‘How was it possible formeto feel Laragh’s despair?’ Sister Agnes asked. ‘Who knows? I know what Mother Hild would have said about it, and who can say she’d be wrong? Anyway, I managed to coax her back to this house, and that was it. We all decided we had no choice but to do what Laragh wanted. I contacted the High Council through Emrick, and they came to Whitby to perform the ceremony. They removed Laragh’s magic, just as she’d wanted.’
‘So the High Council know about you?’ I asked.
‘No. Everything was done through Emrick. We had no personal contact with them, and her magic was removed in the abbey grounds late at night with only Emrick and the High Council there. After it was done, Emrick brought her back to us. Eventually, she recovered enough to decide it was time to make a life for herself again. She wanted a fresh start. Her sister, Keresen, wanted to help her. They planned to take care of the children together, somewhere the Pendragons would never find them. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.’
‘It must have been awful for you,’ I said sympathetically. ‘I’m so sorry.’
She gave me a smile that quite transformed her face. She looked suddenly rather beautiful.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘It was an extremely sad time, and we still mourn her passing. And Keresen’s, too, of course. We were sorry to hear from Emrick that she had also passed away.’
I appreciated her kindness towards the woman who’d brought me up as her own. She’d been a wonderful mother, but even I hadn’t appreciated at the time all she’d done and sacrificed for my sake. I wished she was still here so I could hold her one last time, and tell her how grateful I was, and how much I loved her.
‘At least now,’ Sister Agnes said, her gaze understanding, ‘you have found your brother. That’s something, isn’t it?’
‘It is,’ I said. ‘We’re so glad to have found each other, aren’t we, Lowen?’
‘Linnet and Wulfram,’ she said. ‘You were the eldest, Wulfram,’ she said, nodding at him. ‘And a fine pair of lungs you had on you, too. It caused quite a stir when we realised you were a boy. A boy child, born to one of the Nine Sisters! It had never happened before. We knew immediately it meant something, and that you had to be special. Your mother named you after the wolf and the raven. Magical leaders both, as will you be.’
Lowen blushed and shrugged, as modest as ever.
‘And you, dear Linnet,’ Sister Agnes continued. ‘Named after your grandmother.’
‘My grandmother?’ I asked nervously. ‘Which one?’
‘Linnet Pendragon, Ashen’s mother. She died when Ashen and Havok were young boys, but Ashen had always told Laragh that she would have spoken up for them. I believe their father didn’t give her the best life. Well, one can imagine.’ She sighed and shook her head. ‘You were the youngest. What a shock of bright red hair you had. You and Wren were both blessed with that.’ She chuckled. ‘You were a fierce baby from the start, making sure you got the attention. Poor Wren was always quieter, waiting her turn. Ah, I hope she’s safe and well, wherever she is.’
Lowen and I stared at each other, then at her.
‘Who’s—who’s Wren?’ I asked tentatively.
Her eyes widened in astonishment. ‘Why, the middle child of course. Named after the wife of Phoenix Tremayne, who I believe was the first ever leader of the High Council of Witches. Laragh had great respect for her.’ She glanced round at us all, seeming to finally realise we were in shock. ‘Wren was your sister. Did you not know?’
