The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(32)

Suzenne was quiet, thoughtful. Her effort with the comb quickly loosened the tangles. “I had noticed the pretty earrings and wondered about them. We are all ashamed to feel the lure of power and beauty. Do not the tomes teach us that the Myriad Ones tempt us with their thoughts? That they invite us and entice us to yield to them? The same words are also used by the mastons to describe the Medium. It also invites us and entices us. But to different ends.”

“It is true,” Maia said, increasing the vigor of her brushing.

“I am proud of you,” Suzenne said, her voice sincere. “For the choice you made. We may be ashamed of feeling swayed by such things, but we need only be ashamed of our choices. There is power in choice.” She paused, wriggling loose a stubborn clump. “I feel changed after standing up to Maeg. I am the same person, but I feel different inside.”

“Persecuted?”

“Quite the opposite. I feel self-worth. I know Maeg will make me suffer. That is who she is. She cannot help herself, just as Celia cannot help being so kindhearted. Or you, Maia, cannot help being wise. I respect you a great deal.”

Maia felt a flush of pleasure, but it did little to contain her guilt. She did not deserve praise. Had things gone differently, she would have become a monster, a terror to all the kingdoms. The thought made her shudder.

“Are you cold?”

“No,” Maia answered softly. She turned in the chair and looked up at Suzenne. “Are you . . . afraid of me?”

Suzenne bit her lip. “You saw me staring.”

Maia nodded. “I am not angry. You can speak the truth.”

“I know I can,” Suzenne said, putting her hand on Maia’s shoulder. Her right shoulder. “I do not wish to hurt your feelings.”

Maia smiled. “Believe me, many women a thousand times more provoking than you have deliberately sought to injure me. You are not of that kind, Suzenne. Be honest.”

“I am a little fearful,” Suzenne said. “I thought at first that the Aldermaston chose me as your companion to keep a watchful eye over you. To warn him in case you began to . . . slip. But I have observed your actions, Maia, and I know you to be thoughtful, meek, and quite accomplished. There is much I can learn from you, which wounds my pride a little. Only a little,” she added teasingly. “I had almost forgotten that you were a . . .” Her mouth suddenly twisted, as if she were in pain. “I forgot, I cannot speak it. The binding sigil has frozen my lips. When I saw the mark on your shoulder, a feeling came over me. I do not know how to describe it, but it was not a good feeling. Not a proper feeling. I was almost . . . jealous of you. It is a symbol of great power, Maia.”

“It is,” Maia responded, her thoughts darkening. “If there were any possible way to be rid of it . . .” She sighed. “But the Aldermaston and my grandmother say it cannot be undone.”

“You are safe from the curse while you are at the abbey,” Suzenne said. “Must you always stay here? Is that the only way you can be protected?”

Maia shook her head. “No, if I pass the maston test, I will be permitted to wear the chaen. The chaen will help protect me from the influence of the Myriad Ones. If I were to leave the abbey without one, I would have no such protection. So while they hope I am strong enough in the Medium to reopen the Apse Veil, I must also pass the maston test to protect myself.”

“I know it must happen before Whitsunday, but will it be soon?”

“I do not think so,” Maia said. “I have been meeting with the Aldermaston often. He feels impressed by the Medium that I need longer to prepare myself. It is still too near to the time when the Myriad Ones had sway over me. I must first . . . distance myself from them, both physically and in my thoughts. He says they will test me again. The Myriad Ones do not relinquish their prey willingly.”

“He is wise,” Suzenne said thoughtfully. “Some people are afraid to speak to him. His eyes . . . it is as if he can see through to your very soul. I always feel at least a little guilty when I talk with him.”

“You need not,” Maia said, squeezing Suzenne’s hand. “He is the most gentle, mild soul I have ever met. Even with the Earl of Forshee railing on him, he did not flinch, did not raise his voice. The man is absolutely immune to anger.”

“The stew is getting cold,” Suzenne said, setting down the comb.

They sat at the small table they shared and began to devour the tasty stew and warm trencher bread. After their efforts stacking wood, Maia had certainly worked up an appetite. They ate in silence, savoring the flavors and the warmth of the hearth. Maia watched as Suzenne’s damp hair quickly dried in proximity to the heat. She was a beautiful girl, but her looks were only accentuated by her kind soul and her genuine wish not to harm anyone. So different from Maeg’s beauty.

“Tell me about Maeg,” Maia asked, breaking off another hunk of crust. “She is the daughter of the sheriff of Mendenhall, is she not? I thought the Aldermaston’s wife had said as much when I first met the Ciphers.”

“She is,” Suzenne answered. “Her father does not know she is a Cipher.”

“Truly?”

“Indeed,” Suzenne answered with conviction. “The sheriffs of Mendenhall have all been loyal to the Aldermaston for generations. But Maeg’s father was installed a few years ago after your mother was banished. He was her jailor, so to speak, and he visited often to make sure she was still here and not running amok elsewhere in the kingdom.”