The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(99)
Sabine adjusted her satchel strap and turned to enter the Rood Screen. Maia watched her disappear behind the wooden latticework.
“Are you and Colvin leaving today?” Maia asked. “Could I persuade you to stay longer?”
Lia shook her head. “We are not taking the Apse Veil into Pry-Ree. We have decided to travel into the Bearden Muir first. There are memories there. Old friends to bid farewell. The mountains of Pry-Ree are special to us.” She took Maia’s hand and gently squeezed it. Her countenance became serious. “If there is one thing I have learned, Maia, it is the loneliness of leadership. Bear it as graciously as you can. I do have compassion for what you have suffered . . . and for what you will suffer yet.”
Maia fidgeted, feeling her stomach wrench with anxiety. “Yet? Can you not prepare me for it?”
Lia shook her head. “The Medium coaxes us along the road we must travel. It does not tell us the destination from the beginning. If we knew the travails we would face on the road, would we have the courage to step forth at all?” Her grip tightened. “Have courage, dear one.”
Maia embraced her, relishing the time she had spent in her presence. As they left the abbey together, Maia saw one of Lia’s Evnissyen waiting for them. She recalled his name, Jouvent. Lia gave him an enigmatic look. Jouvent nodded subtly and walked away.
Maia and Collier walked together in the Queen’s Garden, both of them enjoying the smells of the flowers and the blossoming trees. The workers at the abbey were still harvesting the apple crop from the Cider Orchard and the air had a sweet aroma. The learners had left with their Families after the Whitsunday festival, and the village was slowly returning to its normal, languid pace.
“Have you decided where you will take the maston test?” Maia asked him after watching him bend to examine a bee sipping from a bloom.
He glanced back at her, his expression somber. “How did you know what I was thinking about?” He smiled wryly. “I thought Lisyeux, the chief abbey in Dahomey. It would certainly startle and shock my old Aldermaston if I returned to Paeiz to finish what I started there.”
“Why not Muirwood?” she pressed.
He shook his head. “It should be in my own kingdom. I have been visiting here for long enough. I need to make preparations to receive you for your coronation. You are already queen in my mind, but not officially. There are rites and customs—” He waved his hand as if that all bored him. “The people need to know you as I do. They are lucky to have you, Maia. As am I.”
He moved to a stone bench and sat pondering for a moment before lifting his finger, inviting her to come closer. “There is something else we must discuss. I must break my oath to you.”
A prick of apprehension shot down her spine. “What do you mean?” she asked in a small voice. She stood near him but did not sit.
He winced. “This is difficult. I am a man of my word. Yes, a good lie seasons the truth, but it does not change the dish. You see, when I accosted you in Dahomey, I asked what your conditions were for becoming my wife. You wanted me to spare Jon Tayt and even that ugly kishion. I need to educate you further on negotiation tactics, Maia, but we will save that for a later discussion. My terms were rather specific and I regret them now.” He looked at her seriously. “My condition was that I would not love you.” He shook his head slowly and clucked his tongue. “My dove, I am afraid I have broken that oath. I am sorry.”
Maia stared at him in surprise and then felt a playful smile tug at her mouth. “Is that your way of declaring yourself, Feint Collier?”
He tried to keep his expression neutral, but failed miserably. He reached out and took her hips with his hands and pulled her down onto his lap. “If I must say it, then you had best be here where I can see you better.”
She sidled even closer to him. “Is this close enough?” Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she felt a flush creep onto her cheeks. She was used to his attraction to her by now, but hearing his tender profession of love felt marvelously heady.
His arms wrapped around her. “I do love you, Maia. My dearest, sweet Maia. I have been tempted all this while to risk fate and kiss you.” He shook his head. “I will not, though part of me feels it would be worth dying for. You are my friend, my companion, my queen. I must go to Dahomey, but I will not leave until I am sure you are safe. I do not trust your father. Nor should you.”
She smiled and stared into his piercing blue eyes, losing herself in them. “You have my heart as well, Collier. I think you started to steal it when I was a very young lass. I often daydreamed that my parents would fulfill the plight troth.”
He hugged her warmly. “Then it was time well spent. Parting from you will be painful. So is not being able to kiss you. But I will endure it for you.” He grinned slowly. “You are worth the suffering.”
She dipped her forehead until it touched his, closing her eyes. The feel of warmth transferring from his skin to hers made her shiver. The urge to kiss him was so intense it caused pain. But she pulled away and traced a finger over the little scar beneath his eye.
“How did you get this?” she asked, touching it.
He smiled. “I have had it since I was a child,” he said. “A story that makes me look quite foolish, actually.”
“Then I will enjoy it all the more,” she teased. She put her arms around his neck.