The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(55)

Maia stiffened.

“Do not be afraid,” Carew said. “It will be difficult since there will be many guests at Muirwood, but you will be watched at all times.” He turned to gaze at her, his expression serious. “You must not come to harm, Lady Maia.”

“If the Medium wills it,” Maia replied. “I do not fear death, Captain. I have been to the land where death was born.”

He sniffed, frowning at her words. “Indeed. The cursed shores?”

She nodded and then stopped. “I think we are far enough. What did you hope to tell me?”

He released her arm and turned to face her. “Crabwell failed to convince you. I thought I would give it a try.”

“You?” Maia challenged.

“Why do you chuckle?”

“You are my father’s boon companion. You are one of his favorites. The last time we met, you attempted to persuade me to renounce my rights of inheritance.”

He held up a finger. “Actually, I did not. I saw you stand up to Crabwell. The little spleen beetle. I am a courtier, Maia. I have no illusions about my station. I was there when you stood up to Crabwell. As you ought to have done. I was proud of you, lass. You refused to give up your rights and privileges. How can you give those up? You cannot.” He stepped closer to her, his voice dropping lower. “You are the only one of us to have defied the king and survived. Tomas Morton—dead. Forshee—dead. A host of others—dead. Why did they die? Because of Lady Deorwynn and her vengeance. She is the one poisoning the mind of the king. We thought,” he added surreptitiously, “that she was . . . allied with the Myriad Ones. That she wore a kystrel. Crabwell has an informant in her household, one of her ladies-in-waiting. A maston girl even. She saw Lady Deorwynn bathe not long ago, and she had nary a shadowstain. In the past, some girls from Dahomey were immune to the taint of kystrels, but I do not believe that is the case now. Using that magic leaves its mark. Lady Deorwynn is cunning and ambitious, but she is no het—she is no emissary of evil.”

Maia’s heart was pounding. She wanted to clutch her own bodice more tightly, wondering if Carew suspected her.

His voice was smooth and persuasive. “Yes, you are the only one who has stood up to your father and survived. Your father still loves you, Maia.” His eyes glittered with intensity. “He may rage and he may threaten. But he will not kill you. Believe that. You have power over him. No one else does. Listen to me! Crabwell seeks to overthrow Deorwynn and her brood. Who will be the next heir if not you?” He reached out, and she was afraid he would touch her shoulder, but he only set his heavy hand on the curve of her neck. “You, Maia. Crabwell is a scheming power-monger.” He snorted. “We all are, myself included. But let me speak plainly to you, girl. Your father seeks to throw down the maston order. He is goaded by Crabwell to seize the wealth and riches of the abbeys. Our treasury is flush, to be sure, but it is not enough to sate Crabwell’s lust for wealth. With enough coin, your father believes he can summon mercenaries to defend us from Hautland. I have been to Hautland, my lady. So has Master Collier.” He shook his head. “We are on the verge of being invaded. Now is not the time to cast aside the old beliefs. I am a terrible maston. I forsook my oaths many years ago. But I still believe in it. So do many others. You are here to become a maston yourself. I applaud you! Help us bring down Lady Deorwynn. Help us reclaim your rights by birth. Crabwell has overreached himself. He is tottering and will fall. Another will take his place, but there is only one you . . . and you are the last best chance of convincing your father to do what is right.”

Maia stared into his hazel eyes and saw the deep cunning there. Carew’s approach felt so different than Crabwell’s. So many were scheming for power. So many wished to use her. Though there were no other witnesses, she knew she needed to be careful what she said.

“You are loyal to my father?” Maia asked him pointedly.

“I am. He is my best friend, and he has rewarded me amply for my loyalty.” He dropped his hand. “But he made a terrible mistake when he left your mother. And you, Maia, have suffered for it. I cannot bring your mother back from the dead. I think it is possible to reclaim his soul.”

Maia closed her eyes, wondering what to do, what to say. A sharp feeling of insight came to her. “You disagreed with my father about divorcing my mother, and yet you said nothing. Even when the High Seer pronounced the marriage lawful and the divorce invalid.”

“You are correct,” Carew agreed. “Anyone who spoke against your father’s wishes was severely punished. Look no further than what happened to Forshee.”

“So now that my mother is dead, you are free to speak your conscience? Is that it?”

“Exactly so,” Carew answered. “Accept the truth, lass. He hated your mother at the end.” He shook his head and looked sad. “He rejoiced when he learned of her death.”

“My mother, the lawful Queen of Comoros, was murdered by a kishion in the very heart of the realm,” Maia said with growing indignation. She sought to control her voice, but it trembled with emotion. “Has there been any kind of inquest? Has this kishion been found? Now you say he seeks to kill me. Why are you not hunting him then? You cannot, because you know my father hired him! He allowed the man into his realm. Now look at the consequences of that action. Captain, I appreciate the honor of your visit and your intention to keep me safe so you can use me for your own ends as you have so wickedly used my father.” She stepped toward him. “I am not to be bargained with or persuaded. You, sir, are a coward.” Her lip trembled. “You may be fearless on a horse with a lance, or with a sword in the arena. But you have forgotten the tomes, Captain Carew. You have forgotten the words of Ovidius. No maston can hold his virtue too dear, for it is the only thing whose value will ever increase with its cost. Our integrity is never worth so much as when we have parted with our all to keep it.”