The Banished of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood, #1)(76)

Maia stared at him in surprise. “Who?” Her heart began to burn inside her.

He did not reply, only handed her the letter.

Maia snapped the seal and unfolded the paper, which trembled in her hand. The first word made her heart seize with joyful pain and the tears flow afresh.

Daughter.

It was written in ink, in a tremulous hand. It was from her mother. She had never seen her mother write anything in her life. Always she dictated to secretaries or scribes who wrote her letters for her, as women were not permitted to read or engrave. The hand was elegant, and Maia could see a hesitance in her choice of wording, as if it were not a natural thing for her to write. She mopped her tears on her sleeve and read impatiently.


Daughter,

I have heard tidings today that I perceive (if they are true) that the time is very near when the Medium will prove and test you. I am glad of it. The Medium will not suffer you to perish if you beware offending it. I pray you, good daughter, to offer yourself to the Medium. I have heard that you suffer much under Lady Shilton. If she brings you orders from the king, I am sure you will be commanded what you should do. Listen to my counsel, Daughter. Answer with few words, obeying the king, your father, in everything save only that you will not offend the Medium and lose your own soul. Go no further in learning the ways of the Dochte Mandar. And wheresoever, and in whatsoever, company you shall come, observe the king’s commandments that are right.

One thing I especially desire for you, for the love that you do owe unto me. Keep your heart and mind chaste, and your body free from all ill and wanton company. Do not desire any husband save he be a maston. I dare to hope that you shall see a very good end and better than you can now hope for. We never come to Idumea but by our troubles. More than any earthly Gift, I desire above all to see you again, before death separates us.


Your loving mother,

Catrin the Queen

Maia wiped her nose, watching as the tear splotches on the paper stained the ink. She looked down at her lap, feeling as if a warm blanket had been draped around her shoulders. Just those few words, written in her mother’s own hand, gave her more comfort than she had ever known.

What a wreck Maia had made of her life. She knew, though, deep inside, that despite her wrongs, her mother would forgive her and still accept her. She so longed to see her.

“Is my mother still at Muirwood?” Maia whispered thickly.

“Aye, sister. But your destiny bids you north.”

She sighed, then looked painfully at Maderos. Will I ever see her again?

Maderos gave her a lopsided smile. “All things are possible to the Medium,” he answered.

Maia rose and hefted her rucksack onto her shoulder. She bit her lip. “I will not venture near any abbeys on my journey,” she said. “I did not know . . . what would happen. I am sorry.”

He stuffed his tome in his leather bag and grabbed a gnarled walking staff, using it to rise. The staff was misshapen with a knobby end. It looked like the twisting root of a hulking tree.

“As I told you, sister. You are condemned for your choices. Just as the Myriad Ones were condemned for theirs.”

“How far am I from Naess?” she asked. “It is noon, so I cannot determine which way is north.”

He lifted his crooked staff and pointed toward a tall, craggy mountain wreathed in snow. “Across the Watzholt, you will find the kingdom of Hautland. You must cross it to reach the port cities, like Rostick. There you can find a ship. Be wary, sister. The Hautlanders help lead the Dochte Mandar’s hunt against women who break their laws. They are the closest kingdom to Naess, so they are the most influenced by them. And beware the Victus. They hunt you still.”

“Who are they?”

He smiled knowingly. “You will see, little sister. You will see.”

“Will you walk with me, Maderos?” she asked. “I feel safe with you. I do not have any companions now.” She thought tenderly on the wounded kishion, knowing he would need to rest before moving. But Jon Tayt and Argus might follow her, and though she desperately wanted to see them, she could not risk their lives with the evil inside her.

A crinkled smile. “No, sister. I delivered the message as I promised. We cannot control the storms or the rain. We cannot prevent the wind from howling. But you can choose to whistle, eh sister?” He began to whistle, and started off to the east. She watched him go, amazed at the speed of his stride. Soon he vanished into the woods, leaving her alone.




Maia reached the base of the Watzholt before nightfall. She knew it would be too treacherous to attempt the crossing by moonlight, so she made a small camp for herself in the trees. After living off the land for as long as she had, she knew which herbs were edible, so though she was hungry, she was not starving. A small creek trickled past, providing icy waters to refresh her thirst. Though she was heavyhearted, she did not despair.

Maderos’s words repeated over and over in her mind. She had felt such peace when he recited the words from the Aldermastons’ tomes, as if those words held the power of the Medium. Was that why learners spent so much time reading and engraving? Could the words themselves be instruments of power? It was an idea she had never considered.

A frosty wind from the Watzholt came rushing down the mountain and ruffled the trees, making her shiver. It would be a difficult climb, she knew, but she had endured many hardships on her journey. She pulled her fraying cloak tighter around her shoulders, huddling in the small shelter she had created. She dared not build a fire for risk of being seen. She did not want anyone to find her, for fear of hurting them at night.