The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(26)
She was not quick enough.
After being praised by one of the younger girls, Maeg lifted her voice mockingly, “Well, I may not have been born a king’s daughter, but I did learn to play from my mama. She was excellent at the harp. I was not showered with gifts as a babe like Maia, given the best instructors from Paeiz or Dahomey. What a waste. Fleeing so soon, Maia? Off to scrub clothes again with Celia? You really are a wretched.”
Maia ignored her, not even looking at her, and fled the room into the afternoon air, trying to subdue pangs of loneliness and anger as her feet padded on the soft grass. The air smelled like rain and the sky was full of brooding clouds, beginning to turn orange in the dimming light. She was going to find Celia, it was true, but how did Maeg know? Maia had not realized anyone had witnessed her helping the other girl. Another thing to be used to torment her. She shook her head and sighed, but what she heard next stopped her in her tracks.
It was Suzenne’s voice.
“Stop it, Maeg. Stop it! How can you say such things?” Her voice was full of scolding and pent-up emotion, and the words trembled as they came out of her mouth. Maia blinked with shocked surprise. “Maia deserves our compassion, not scorn. You have tormented her since she arrived. Enough! It is not right with the Medium to treat someone this way, especially to strike a girl who you know has decided not to strike back. It is cowardice, Maeg. Stop it. We are the oldest and should set the example.”
To Maia’s surprise, Suzenne came marching out of the music room, her cheeks livid with emotion, moving so fast she almost collided with Maia. She took Maia’s arm in hers and started to march across the green, her eyes flaming with passion, anger, and defiance.
“I am so sorry, Maia,” Suzenne said, the words tumbling out of her mouth in a rush.
“It is all right, Suzenne. I do not let her taunts stick in me.”
“No, I am sorry for not having defended you the day you arrived,” Suzenne said, shaking her head. “I have been a terrible companion. I have abandoned you; I have stayed silent too long. This is not what we are taught in the tomes.” She squeezed Maia’s arm, her voice dropping lower as the reality of what she had done seemed to finally work its way into her mind. “I do not care how she treats me because of this. She is a vengeful girl, and no one likes to be insulted in public. But I could not bear it another moment, not when you are always so patient and kind. You talk and listen to Davi and Aloia in the kitchen. You even draw out shy Thewliss, who does not usually speak to anyone save his wife! You are truly a princess, Maia, regardless of what your father says or has done to you. I admire you and I am even envious of you.” Suzenne looked into her face, her eyes bright with tears. “You carry so many troubles, yet you cared about mine and sought to comfort me this morning. It has been a fishhook wriggling in my heart all day.” She swallowed, her look pleading. “I lost my best friend a year ago when she left the abbey. Her name is Jayn Sexton and she serves Lady Deorwynn now. She is miserable in her position because Lady Deorwynn is much like Maeg. She does not have a friend in the world. And neither do I.” She looked down. “And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that you are truly alone too.” She stopped, tears dripping down her cheeks. “We must be companions, Maia, but I would be your friend too, if you would let me.”
Maia was shocked by the girl’s words and the raw need they awoke inside of her. She saw the sincerity in Suzenne’s eyes and knew she was a girl who did not change her opinions easily, that she had consciously made a stand by scolding Maeg—one that would earn her the girl’s enmity.
Tears pricked Maia’s eyes. “I would,” she whispered thickly and hugged Suzenne.
The two smiled as they wept together, and suddenly the clouds above them did not look nearly so oppressive. The sunset, when it came, was glorious.
The clouds glowed with the warmth of the fading light, turning orange and pink and a thousand dappled hues as Maia and Suzenne walked together in her mother’s garden. They talked and listened, sharing the first intimacies of friendship with the knowledge that whatever they said would be kept a treasured secret.
Maia explained the troubles of her parents’ marriage: how the stillborn births following her birth had poisoned her father against her mother; how Chancellor Walraven had used his kystrel to tame their feelings instead of letting the couple learn to work through the sadness and comfort each other. She talked about her years in Pry-Ree as the heir apparent, of making decisions in her father’s name and learning the intricate dance of politics and negotiations between kingdoms. Suzenne’s grandfather had once been part of the Privy Council to Maia’s grandfather when he was king, so she had knowledge of her own about the political world.
The conversation then went on to Maia’s banishment and disinheritance, though Maia spent only a little time talking about her horrible time living in the attic of Lady Shilton’s manor and the torment she experienced there. Although she did not share all the details, what she did say affected Suzenne greatly and she had hugged Maia, soothing many unspoken hurts.
Finally, Maia explained about her father sending her to Dahomey to seek out the lost abbey. She had described getting the kystrel and what it felt like to use one, especially in comparison to the sensation of being surrounded by the Medium at Muirwood. The difference was so stark she wondered how she had ever been confused, but Suzenne explained that in big cities like Comoros, it was always more difficult to feel the Medium, which abhorred human suffering. Maia talked about the protector her father had assigned her, the kishion who had been sent to watch over her and even to kill her if necessary to prevent her from being captured. She spoke vaguely about her journey through Dahomey, only mentioning that she had managed to escape after being abducted by the king.