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intently as the bird burrowed with its beak, flipping and tossing leaves, every now and then lifting its head to gulp something down. It was so close, Ket could see the specks of soil and insect legs sticking to its beak. He could almost feel he had a beak himself. If he wiped his face he would find crumbs of insects on his lips.
    Twinges of pain began to pluck at Ket’s shoulders. Cautiously, he unlaced his fingers to ease his back. Instantly, the bird let out a peal of alarm, and flew away.
    Ket unfolded, and rose stiffly to his feet. As he crossed the clearing he glanced at his reflection in the bucket of water. He almost expected to see a beak growing out of his face. Instead, he saw a boy with hair and eyes the same dusky brown as a skylark’s wing.
    â€˜And there’s dirt all over my clothes and face,’ he muttered ruefully. ‘That blackbird probably couldn’t even see me among the brown bracken.’
    Squatting down to wash his face, he paused first, eyeing his reflection, and tried to imagine how he would look wearing a silver circlet round his head, and a long grey robe, like an anruth.
    â€˜Hey, what are you gawping at?’ Lorccán came sauntering over.
    â€˜Nothing.’
    Ket splashed water on his face, and jumped up. He scowled at the tall boy with hair of pale, shining gold. It was easy to imagine Lorccán dressed in the garb of an anruth.
    That night, when they sat around the fire, Lorccán was bursting with pride.
    â€˜Guess what I found!’ he said. ‘I saw an otter! And I watched how it used its legs in the water. When the weather warms up, I’m going to be the best swimmer of everyone.’
    â€˜I looked in the river too, and I searched all over the woods but I didn’t see anything,’ grumbled Nath-í.
    â€˜That’s ’cause you crashed along like a herd of cows!’
    said Bran. ‘I found a squirrel and you scared it off.’
    â€˜Animals are too hard!’ sighed Riona. ‘If you try to get close, they run away. I just gave up and looked at the trees. What did you do, Ket?’
    â€˜I . . .’ Ket was embarrassed. He didn’t want to sound boastful like Lorccán. ‘I was lucky. A blackbird came feeding right up close to me. I watched it for ages. But I don’t think I learnt anything.’
    â€˜You probably learnt how to eat worms,’ chortled Bran.
    â€˜A blackbird!’ Riona exclaimed. ‘How did you get it to come so close to you?’
    â€˜I curled up like this.’ Ket hugged his knees. ‘And kept still.’
    â€˜Like a woodlouse,’ said Nath-í.
    Ket stared at him. Of course! It wasn’t the bird who had taught him a lesson at all, it was the woodlouse. While Nath-í had been crashing around frightening the animals, he, Ket, was learning how to watch without disturbing them. Maybe next he would learn to walk like Faelán!

SAMHAIN EVE
    It was the eve of Samhain – the last day of the year, a time of danger and powerful magic. Tonight the Spirits of the Dead would rise from their tombs and search for living bodies to possess.
    At the druid’s camp, preparations for Samhain were very different from the panic and fear Ket remembered in his father’s household. Here there was no frantic gathering-in of crops and livestock, no hiding behind high stone walls. Instead, Faelán ordered the anruth to open the doorway to the burial mound and lay out gifts of nuts and apples to welcome the Spirits of the Dead.
    â€˜Now,’ he said, addressing the fosterlings, ‘go gather some aspen branches.’ He hurried away to check that the apples were washed and polished and all the nuts perfect.
    The fosterlings eyed each other. Aspen was used to measure the dead for their graves. The scent of its burning would help to lure their spirits.
    Lorccán was the first to speak.
    â€˜I’m not afraid. I know where to find an aspen,’ he cried, and