The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(43)

Maia felt her stomach lurch at the words. Dizziness washed over her, but she tried to keep her expression calm.

“What did my father tell you about my departure?” Maia asked, her mouth very dry.

Crabwell rubbed his eyes. “Very little. He said he was sending you away for a time and that when you returned, you would be more . . . docile. That was his very word. You seem to be the same headstrong girl I met years ago. But let me test it. Do you accept the Act of Inheritance?”

“No,” Maia answered flatly. “I am a princess.”

Crabwell continued. “Do you swear to uphold the Act of Submission on pain of treason?”

“I do not,” Maia said, shaking her head. “The king has no authority over the maston order. He was anointed by an Aldermaston. He cannot rise above the one who raised him.”

Crabwell smirked. “Yes, docile is not the word I would use. Where did you go, Lady Maia?”

Though she had managed to hide her reaction, the chancellor’s words had affirmed her darkest suspicions. Her father had sent her, deliberately, into the hetaera’s lair. Suppressed rage and crushed love bled inside her heart. Truly, her father had broken every vow.

“If my father did not trust you with that information, why should I?” she replied. “You are his chancellor.”

He stepped forward, his eyes glittering with emotion. “But I may not be for much longer,” he said in a low voice. “There is a . . . rivalry between Lady Deorwynn and myself. She seeks to undermine my authority and bring me down.”

“You seek the same for her,” Maia replied. “Why should that concern me?”

“I think it does,” Crabwell said, dropping his voice even lower. “I am not the only one who despises Lady Deorwynn and her ilk. Her relations have been so grasping. It is her uncle, you know, who is to become the new Aldermaston of Muirwood. He will be arriving in a fortnight, before Whitsunday, to prepare for his new domain. Much is transpiring in the realm right now, Maia.” Wiping his mouth, he turned aside and began to pace.

“Tell me,” Maia said, watching him. She schooled her emotions, keeping her expression wary.

“My spies have seen someone entering her chambers at night,” Crabwell said. “A man. I believe he is a hired killer.”

Maia frowned. “A kishion?”

He looked surprised she knew the word. “Indeed. Very secretly, I have been investigating Lady Deorwynn’s actions. Remember when you were poisoned? I received a report from Doctor Willem regarding the incident. I interviewed some witnesses, and I have reason to believe this kishion was brought to Comoros and paid for by Lady Deorwynn herself. You were his first target. Her husband, your father, is his second. You see, she wishes to rule Comoros herself. I believe she may be a hetaera. Do you know what that is, child?” He stopped to look at her as he said it.

Maia swallowed and nodded, her throat constricting with shock. She had always felt unsettled by the knowledge that her father had hired the kishion to protect her or destroy her. But had Lady Deorwynn used the same man to try and poison her? How could she hope to distinguish the truth from so many lies and evasions?

Crabwell wiped his mouth again and continued pacing.

“Why would she kill my father?” Maia asked hoarsely, still wrestling with the implications.

He looked at her in surprise. “Because he has fallen in love . . . again.”

Maia lowered her gaze, her heart twisting with anguish. Not again, Father. Please, not again! “Who is the girl?”

“One of Lady Deorwynn’s ladies,” Crabwell said with a shake of his head. “He was flirting with her during Lady Deorwynn’s pregnancy. When she miscarried, the king seemed to lose all interest in her and began to pursue—”

“What?” Maia asked, confused. “Lady Deorwynn lost the babe?”

Crabwell nodded. “The day after . . .” He stopped, swallowing. “The day after she caught her lady sitting on the king’s lap. Their marriage is crumbling into ashes before our eyes.”

Maia sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. It was happening again. She had little compassion for Lady Deorwynn, but she was not surprised to hear the woman had become frantic to prevent the collapse of her power.

“Oh, Chancellor,” Maia said, disheartened. “We have so many enemies without. Enemies who seek to prey on our kingdom. Yet we squabble within like children.”

Crabwell sniffed, stifling a chuckle. “Well said, Maia. The intrigue goes deeper. Lady Deorwynn is pushing your father to make an alliance with Dahomey. You may not know this, but the King of Dahomey was recently imprisoned and held for ransom.”

Maia’s brow crinkled and her heart raced. She struggled to keep her interest concealed. “I had heard this. You imply that he is free?”

Crabwell nodded vigorously. “The ransom is paid. I am certain he bankrupted his entire treasury and probably secured loans from Paeiz or Avinion for the remainder. It was truly a king’s ransom. He is an ambitious young man who owes a great debt, and he is agreeing to an alliance with Comoros. Lady Deorwynn seeks to marry him to her eldest daughter, Murer. He is arriving shortly to consummate the alliance and to be invested as an earl of the realm.” He snorted. “He will be given the earldom of Dieyre with its lands and income. That alone is worth fifty thousand marks. Ironic, is it not?”