The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(102)
Maia nodded. “Thank you. I will plan to meet you there.” She stared hungrily at his face, feeling the sharp pain of separation already.
Collier swept her into his arms, giving her a fierce hug while clenching his teeth. Then he pulled away, caressed her cheek with his thumb, and gazed possessively into her eyes. “I must go now.”
Maia touched his arm tenderly and then watched him stride out of the chamber, rushing over to his horse.
Maia’s preparations were much simpler. She was not packing for an extended journey. She changed back into her wretched’s gown and fetched her cloak to add to the disguise. Suzenne wore one of her plainer gowns, and Dodd put on his hunting tunic and bracers. He strapped an axe across his back and added a few throwing axes in his belt. He was only too eager to accompany them to Comoros in disguise.
Maia stood before the billowy Apse Veil, staring at the chamber she had previously entered to pass the maston test. A small pink scar was on her hand, marking the spot where the stone had burned her. It was a little odd being in the room with other people, but her companions had been here before too. They were all ready for whatever challenges lay ahead, their faces solemn.
“Are you certain you wish to come with me?” Maia asked them once more.
Suzenne looked a little nervous. “Of course. I have not been to Comoros very often. All I remember is that it is a big city and the streets are filthy.”
“My father and brothers were executed unjustly,” Dodd said grimly. “While I do not fancy Lady Deorwynn, I wish someone had possessed the courage to speak up for them. If the king will not submit to reason and justice, we may have to compel him.”
Maia looked at him, her brow furrowing. “You do not have any thoughts of revenge, do you?”
He shook his head and took Suzenne’s hand, squeezing it. “I have no other motive than to protect you both. I am nervous just standing here. Shall we go?”
Maia nodded and turned to face the Apse Veil, summoning her courage. She stared at the smooth fabric of the Apse Veil, then closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on Claredon Abbey. She had visited that abbey before and knew the look of it from the outside. Holding the thought in her mind, she stepped forward and entered the Apse Veil.
There was a dizzying sensation, a lurching feeling in her stomach as if she were going to stumble. She tried to catch herself, her legs weak and her thoughts disoriented, and found herself staring at the oath chamber of Claredon Abbey. This one was smaller, and the workmanship of the carved Leerings was quite distinct. The feeling in the room was different as well. The abbey felt . . . weak. That was the only way Maia could think to describe it. The Medium was much more subdued here.
Maia turned and waited a moment, then pushed her hand back through the gossamer shroud. She felt Suzenne’s warm hand and grabbed it, pulling it to draw her friend through the Apse Veil. Suzenne spilled onto the floor, her face twisted with nausea, shuddering from the experience that had only mildly disturbed Maia.
“That was . . . singular,” Suzenne whispered, holding her stomach and gasping. She tried to stand, wobbled, and sat back down. “Give me a moment.”
Maia smiled and reached back through the Apse Veil again. Dodd’s hand was callused from his months of splitting wood and roaming the Bearden Muir with Jon Tayt. He came through the Veil on faltering legs and promptly joined Suzenne on the ground. She gave them a moment to collect themselves and tried to subdue a smile as they helped each other stand.
“I have often wondered what plummeting off a waterfall feels like,” Dodd said, shaking his head and smiling roguishly. “I think I have a comparison now. We just crossed the entire kingdom in a moment.” He stared at Maia in awe. “In the past, the mastons did this regularly. Think on it, Maia. Think what it will mean.”
Maia nodded. “Think what it will mean among the mastons throughout the realm,” she said. “The ability to communicate and send messages so quickly. What a blessing for my grandmother. It will be a dramatic change. This is just the first instance.” She gripped Suzenne’s arm. “Are you ready to try walking?”
“I feel like a newborn foal,” Suzenne said, smiling queasily. “But I am ready. To Flax Street?”
Maia led the way out of the maston chamber, and they quickly departed the abbey. A maston was approaching the pewter doors from the outside. He startled when he saw them.
“Who are you?” he asked. “I do not recall seeing you earlier. No one is supposed to be in the abbey at this hour.”
He did not wear the gray cassock of the Aldermaston order, so Maia assumed he was someone who taught at the abbey. He had a large, hooked nose, reddish-brown hair, and a stern expression.
“We hail from another abbey,” Maia said, nodding to him. “And only just arrived.”
His brow furrowed in confusion, and while he walked past them, he kept glancing back.
“Keep walking,” Dodd whispered. “We do not want to attract more notice.”
Maia remembered to lift the cowl and cover her hair as they approached the gates. Most abbeys were built on sprawling grounds with woods and gardens and multiple buildings, but Claredon Abbey was situated near the palace and had a tall, spiked wall that kept it out of view for cityfolk. The palace, much higher than even the abbey’s double turrets, could be seen looming over the eastern boundary. Maia felt the prickle of apprehension inside her turn into a festering sore. The last time she had entered the palace was at night, guarded by Captain Rawlt and the kishion, before her father sent her on the mission that had branded her a hetaera.