The Void of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood Book 3)(60)
Maia smiled and patted his shoulder before returning to the celebration. Her heart was suddenly heavy. For though she had been able to pardon this one man, she knew she would have to deal with the traitors to her realm much differently.
We are Naestors first and foremost. We live in a land dominated by night, cold, and darkness. We have learned to be hard like ice, and that ice is strong enough to shatter mountains. There is great subtlety in how water destroys things, drip by drip. The first Victus taught his followers that to fight and win every battle is not a matter of supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting. Break their will before you break their bodies.
—Corriveaux Tenir, Victus of Dahomey
CHAPTER TWENTY
Warning from Doviur
Of all the duties that Maia performed as Queen of Comoros, the one she enjoyed the most was done in disguise. It was Suzenne who had started the scheme. The ladies-in-waiting would each take turns leaving the palace to visit the poorest quarters of the city, distributing alms, baskets of food, and visiting the poor and the sick. They were not to use their names or wear fancy gowns. If asked, and only if asked, they would merely identify themselves as servants of the queen. It was not uncommon for little beggar children to approach two cloaked well-wishers—they always left as companions—and receive silver pence in recompense. What the little children did not know was that Queen Maia herself was often one of the cloaked young women. After learning of what her friend had instigated, Maia was determined to take part.
At first, some of the ladies-in-waiting were reluctant to carry out this particular duty, but Suzenne led by example and always brought a different girl with her. The undercover visits were useful in another way—it helped Maia learn how her people felt about her and their city. Suzenne made the assignments and received the reports on who her ladies had visited and what they had learned.
Maia enjoyed making these jaunts into the city herself. One day she was walking through the city streets with Jayn Sexton after a particularly enjoyable visit with an old widower named Albert. Maia had wanted to meet him herself after learning about him from a previous report. Though he was in his nineties, he had been known for helping his friends and neighbors with everything from clearing leaves from the gutters to giving children rides on his cart, until an apple cart struck him and broke his leg.
“I hope Albert recovers from his injury,” Jayn said as they walked through the crowded streets.
“I expect he will be climbing ladders again before long,” Maia said, smiling. The street was shadowed because of the high roofs and dormer windows, but it was clean, and she saw a little girl pick up some debris that had been blown in by the wind. She paused to thank the girl and give her a silver coin.
“Will you report to Suzenne?” Maia asked Jayn, linking arms with her again. “I need to see Simon on the way back.”
Jayn’s face fell a little at the mention of Suzenne.
“What is it?” Maia pressed.
“It is nothing.”
“You looked sad for a moment. What is wrong?”
Jayn offered a guilty smile. “You are very observant,” she answered, swinging her arm a little. “I have been worrying about Suzenne, that is all.”
Maia wrinkled her brow. “Tell me, Jayn.” She had noticed Suzenne seemed more tired lately, but there had been no other signs to give her concern. “Is she unwell?”
“She is unhappy,” Jayn said with a sigh. “I am sure she would not want me speaking of this to you.”
“What has she not told me?” Maia asked, growing more concerned.
“The separation from Dodd,” Jayn said.
Maia felt as if the sunlight had pierced the clouds. Understanding flooded her. “She misses him.” He had been in the north, preparing to defend their borders from the armada.
Jayn nodded, trying to keep her expression neutral. Over time, she had come to know Jayn better and had learned that she was very discreet. She did not flaunt her emotions for all to see. She was private and reserved and a loyal confidante, so it was natural that she was struggling with how much she should reveal.
“I see I have made you feel compromised,” Maia said, squeezing her arm. “Let me try and guess, then you can rightly say I have needled the truth out of you, loosening stitch by stitch. It has been several weeks since Dodd has been to court, as he is securing our northern borders. I know he has been on the saddle a great deal and has amassed a considerable army to help defend Comoros. But the two are newlyweds, so it is natural they miss each other.” She nodded to herself and then patted Jayn’s arm. “I shall contrive an excuse for her to join him. She can cross the Apse Veil to Billerbeck and spend a few days with her husband. Do you think that will ease her spirits, Jayn?”
Jayn nodded eagerly.
“Why did she not tell me?” Maia said, feeling a little exasperated.
Jayn gave her a serious look. “How could she?” she replied earnestly. “You have been separated from your husband for even longer. Yours is across the sea. She felt . . . how could she complain to you when you have suffered more? She was determined to bear it, truly. She will be upset to learn that I have told you.”
The reminder was like a knife in an old wound. She missed Collier desperately and treasured the messages he sent to her through Simon Fox, reading each one over and over. They were like a bridge that spanned the time and distance separating them. She wanted so much to be with him, to walk with him as they had done in Muirwood, holding hands and finding quiet amidst the apple trees or in the shelter of the walled garden. Her cheeks flushed with the memories. It had been over a month since he had left her to protect his own kingdom. It had been a month since Corriveaux had threatened her heart. She worried about Collier. If anything happened to him, she could not bear it.