"You." Keeper Colin glared at Rosy over the rim of his gilded goblet standing on a table covered in linen so fine it would easily grace the manor house.

Anger stabbed into the soft of her belly but she willed it away. "Let me guess. You were waiting for somebody to come forth but you don't want me as I'm too inexperienced and too disrespectful?"

The old Keeper sighed. "No, child, it's not that. You still have your life ahead of you. I was hoping for somebody older. You have given your vows to the Green, so you qualify. But I would have liked to spare you."

He waved at the carved oak chair facing him. "Pray, sit down. Let us drink and discuss this in a civilized manner."

Colin's joints cracked when he got up, but his movements were as fluid as hers. He rummaged in the ornate cupboard behind him and returned with a second goblet which he placed in front of her, filled it with a spicy smelling drink from the pewter jug, and shifted it across. It was hot, she realised when her hands closed round the goblet. She had not even noticed how chilled to the core she was despite the balmy weather.

Rosy sipped the smoking sweetness, drank in the spicy aroma of honey and apples.

"Better?" Keeper Colin asked.

How could it be better? Today was the day of the solstice. The day the White Wardens would be leaving. Her last day on this Earth. But that was not what he meant. 

"Yes, better. Thank you. To return to the conversation, am I right to assume somebody older would not have enough life force to give, might well be sick? And that might taint their gift. Tell me, Keeper. Why did the Council rule out sacrifice?"

The old man ran his long stick-like fingers over the rim of the goblet. The movement made the thin wisps of steam coming from the drink swirl and dance. "We were convinced we shouldn't ask for it. We were hoping people would come forward out of their own free will."

"But they haven't."

"No. They seem to be prepared to throw parts of their families to the wolves instead."

"I haven't drawn them towards us, have I?" Rosy asked in a small voice.

"Possibly, but they would have come anyway. And soon. That's why we have to risk it. We cannot wait until winter solstice. And we feared there would not be enough light to see us through even if we lasted that long. No, it is now or never." Colin drank from his goblet, his Adam's apple shifting in his scrawny throat.

"We will get through, right?"

Colin tapped his long fingers against his nose. "If you're serious about your offer, then you better trust the Keepers, young woman."

His words stung. But then he was a Keeper, what did she expect apart from the usual arrogance? Rosy shuffled upright in her chair, determined to get this behind her "Well, I do. But I also want to understand what it is you're planning. So, if there is no sacrifice, then it will take whatever feeble magic the red ones have to offer, everything stored in the sacred items, all the White Warden's and their familiar's might, correct? All of this taken together will just about enable us to open the portal that will take us to safety. Am I right?"

Keep Colin pursed his mouth. "Mostly. Going through might still impair our magic. We don't know. We will see. The only thing we know is that the Red Wardens must not enter the circle. They might only perish if we're lucky. At worst, they might block the opening for all of us."

"And them depleting their powers is not a sacrifice?"

"One might consider it a duty."

"But you don't think so?"

Keeper Colin said nothing.

Rosy tried another tack. "So, how much life force will it take to compensate for the skylles of the redheads? Will a year be enough?"

With a sigh that came from all the way down, he shook his head. "If this is what you are willing to donate, then that is it. But it won't be enough for what you want."

Rosy felt the twinge of guilt. "And what do you think I might want?"

Colin smiled, then used his fingers for counting. "Item one, leave the skylles of the redheads untouched. Item two, give them the minimum of grimoires and magical items they need to survive. And item three, leave a White Warden behind to guide them. Oh, and item four, save your man from the Others. Am I right?"

Keeper Colin's emerald eyes glittered in the candle light, making her feel naked and vulnerable.

"And? If that was so? How much would it take?"

He stared into his cup with an unreadable expression on his weather-beaten face. "If there were two sacrifices, I would say five years each. With only one it will have to be a decade. At the very least."

"A decade," Rosy whispered in horror.

Colin nodded. "It might not even suffice. The Head Keeper will want to play it safe, and I don't blame her. But we can always find a middle way. If it shouldn't be enough, then we can't leave a White Warden behind. If it is, then somebody can move at the last minute. All we need to do is get the portal to open. Once we have achieved that, we can still decide whether we can afford to leave some of us behind. What do you say?"

A decade. If she wanted to get the redheads a chance at escaping, she would have to let the Keepers take ten years of her life. And there were no guarantees.  But at least her folk would have a chance which they didn't have now. And with them, Bill. Was that a fair payment for such a large part of her life? She might not even be able to be with them. Her folk. And Bill. 

"Could I then stay behind? If you can open the gateway, I mean? I could be the White Warden that remains with them?"

Colin sighed. "If you so wish and if it works, yes. But perhaps a more experienced practitioner might give our families a better chance?"

Tears stung her eyes, trembled on her lashes and blurred her vision. It was all so—unfair.

Keeper Colin regarded her calmly. "Go back home, young woman and think about what you want to do. I won't tell on you if you change your mind. At least you inquired. That is more than any of the other wardens has done."

He emptied his goblet and placed it on the tablecloth.

"Do they know? The redheads I mean? That you're leaving them stranded on this side of the portal with empty hands sucked dry of their magic?"

"You coin harsh phrases, but perhaps you're not wrong. Yes, the Head Keeper has shared the news. I'm sure, though, they suspected beforehand. These things you can't ever keep secret. But they will do their duty."

"Puts the White Wardens to shame really, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

Anger replaced the sadness and Rosy wiped her tears away. The redheads were risking their lives. She would only lose a decade.

"Go home, find some sleep if you can. You'll need all the strength you can find."

A grin flitted over his lean face so quick it was gone before it could register. "Look after your man. Should your scheme succeed, he can join your family in their flight for safety. And one never knows, if all goes well you might even go with him."

If he still wants me, for then I'll be older than he is.

The candles on the table flickered in the draft coming in through the shutters. One of them sputtered and died. Keeper Colin rose and stretched his tall frame before he placed the back of his hands on his shoulders in the traditional salute. "I'll see you at the henge then."

Rosy nodded and waved her farewell before she slipped through the door. It snicked shut behind her, the latch slipping through the bolt.

Outside, it was still night, but it was restless rather than quiet. As Rosy hurried towards her farmstead and her family, she heard voices, saw lights shining in many places, heard the lowing of cattle, the whinnying of horses. Nobody was sleeping tonight. 

And in the far distance, in the dark mass of woods that lay between them and Marlborough she noticed pinpricks of light.

The witch hunters were coming.

Please let me have your comments. Or your votes. Or both. XD Wattpad stories are for free, but Wattpad writers thrive on reader feedback. And if you really like this story - maybe you would like to mention this to your friends? Thank you!

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As to music, I thought I should give you something a little bit more contemporary. Renaissance music from Spain which is quite lovely and soothing - Diego Ortiz - Recercada No. 1. I also thought the stormclouds gathering in the picture were quite fitting... Below is an impression of the Avebury stone circle as it might have looked back in the time of the Druids.

This chapter is dedicated to ni3ko6li, thank you for reading and voting on my novels!