The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(98)
The ring dancers stepped back, and Collier approached the fluttering maypole. He turned to Maia, bowed gracefully, and extended his hand in invitation. Now she understood. He had arranged this with her father in her absence.
Maia approached him and dropped into a deep curtsy before him. She took Collier’s hand, feeling its warmth, and stared into his piercing eyes.
“For Briec,” he whispered, winking at her.
The minstrels began the passionate tune of the galliard, only slower, and Maia and Collier danced before the assemblage. Though hundreds of eyes were focused on her, she looked only at Collier, trying to ignore the others’ attention. His hand pressed against her hip as their steps built toward the lift and twirl. She swallowed, anticipating it, and then she was flying, pressing against his firm shoulders and looking down at him, the tips of her hair just touching his. There was an audible gasp of delight from those watching them. He twirled her slowly before bringing her back down, and she felt dizzy and alive. The minstrels’ flutes cast a haunting spell on her.
Collier took her around the circle again, then lifted her high, bringing her around. She felt her skirts swishing, felt the palpable thrill of the dance invade her heart. When it was time for the third lift, she was patently exhausted and dipped her head down, resting her forehead against his. Their noses just touched. He set her down.
“Are you all right?” he whispered, his eyes staring into hers.
“A little faint,” she answered, smiling shyly.
The smile he gave her was a reward in and of itself. Their performance was met with a round of applause, and a circle of dancers who wanted to try the new style favored in Dahomey formed around the maypole. Maia saw Lia and Colvin join the circle. Then Suzenne and Dodd. Then Jayn and her father, which made her wince. The music began once more.
As the next dance began, Maia caught sight of Maeg Baynton, standing alone in the shadows, without a partner. She was wiping her eyes. Maia’s heart went out to the girl who had just lost her father.
“What is it?” Collier’s question drew her eyes back to his face. “You look pained.”
She smiled wistfully. “You always watch my expressions.”
“Always,” he answered. “Whenever I am near you, I am drawn to your face, to your gestures, to your glances. I can tell how much you truly care about others just by observing you, Maia. You are constantly assessing their needs. Truthfully, I find you remarkable . . . most princesses are fixated primarily on themselves. Why did you wince just now?” he asked her and then lifted her high again and twirled her.
As Maia came down, she glanced back at Maeg. “I saw Maeg Baynton over there, and my heart went out to her.”
“Where?”
“By the hanging lantern near the cook’s stall.”
“Ah, I see her. She was the sheriff’s daughter?”
“Yes. His death last night . . . oh, she looks so miserable. I wish I could do something for her.”
Collier smirked. “Sending me to dance with her would create the wrong impression. Hopefully you were not thinking that.”
Maia shook her head decidedly. “I want you to myself.”
“I could almost kiss you for saying that,” he said, pleased. “But I will not. I respect you for your compassion, Maia. Truly I do. I have much to learn from you. But you cannot meet the demands of all the people your heart pities. Who was there to ask you to dance when you were banished?”
Maia stared at him thoughtfully. “Perhaps that is why I do it,” she answered. “Because I know what it feels like to be so alone.”
He stopped in the middle of the dance, ignoring everyone else around them, and reached out to take her chin in his hand. “That will never happen to you again.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Assinica
The Leerings throughout Muirwood Abbey thrummed with power and radiated cool light. Maia and Lia stood with Sabine, who clung to a carved wooden staff and was garbed for a long journey. A strap and satchel hung behind her cloak, and part of her hair was braided on one side. They were in front of the Rood Screen inside the abbey, and Sabine looked a little nervous about what lay ahead of her. It was time for her to go to Assinica and prepare the mastons there for their return to Comoros.
Sabine looked to Lia. “Will I have trouble understanding them when I reach Assinica?”
Lia smiled knowingly. “You have the Gift of Xenoglossia, Sabine. You will be fine.”
Maia gave her grandmother one last hug and felt a few tears go down her cheeks.
“I will return as soon as I can,” Sabine whispered into her ear, then pulled back and squeezed her hands. She looked to Lia again. “Will I not see you again?”
“If the Medium wills it. Colvin and I will go to Tintern Abbey next to fulfill a promise there. Sabine, now that you have authority over the Apse Veils, as High Seer, it will be up to you to open the rest of them. This is not our era. We do not belong on the records here and must leave you to your destiny.” She looked knowingly at Maia. “Remember everything I have told you.”
“I will,” Maia promised. The prospect of never seeing Lia again flooded her with tender sadness. Lia’s tome had influenced so much of her thinking and maston training. The little girl who had been a wretched in the Aldermaston’s kitchen was a legend. But she was still a person, and Maia could feel the intensity of her love for Muirwood.