The Void of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood Book 3)(8)
One of them grabbed Maia by the arm, his grip painfully hard as he dragged her from the cell. Suzenne received the same treatment from another guard, and they were paraded down the hall in front of the other cells. Because of the sunset, there were torches—no Leerings—to light the way. She smelled spoiled meat and sickness, which not even the heavy pitch smoke could quite conceal. The soldiers marched them down the hall toward a cluster of six more guards who awaited them in front of a closed door.
“Suzenne! Maia!”
She jerked her head toward the sound of the noise and saw Dodd straining at the bars of his cell, his eyes wide with fury and concern. Manacles secured his wrists and ankles, and the metal cuffs jangled and echoed throughout the tower. His shirt was stained and scuffed and his dark hair was sweaty and tousled. He pulled against the solid bars, trying to achieve the impossible and shake them loose.
“Do not fret about your lady friends,” Trefew said, pausing at the bars. His expression twisted with malicious glee. “That one is your lass, is she not? A beauty. We will handle her gently for you. Rest assured.”
“If you touch her . . .” Dodd warned savagely.
Trefew laughed in his face. “What, Maston? Will you raze the tower walls with your powers? Wilt me like a dried reed?” He spit in Dodd’s face suddenly, his smile melting into hate. “We will treat them kindly. The Aldermaston wants them checked for certain marks.” Maia stiffened, and a sickening feeling wrenched her stomach. “I am sure they will oblige us willingly enough. Now back in your corner, whelp.” He reached through the bars and shoved Dodd back with his hand. Dodd did not fall, for he was sturdily built, but his nostrils flared with rage and he clenched his hands into fists.
The group of soldiers continued to pull Maia and Suzenne down the hall.
“Take Deorwynn’s two brats into the girls’ room,” Trefew ordered some of the guards. “We will bring up the two gowns after they have disrobed. They will not be coming back up here tonight.”
“Yes, Captain,” one of the soldiers said. He marched over to another set of cells near Dodd’s, where Murer and Jolecia hung back from the bars. As the girls were pulled out of their prison, Maia caught a glance from Murer, whose face was ashen and whose dress was of a far lesser quality than the last one she had seen her wear. Their eyes met, and Murer looked both humbled and pitiful.
The guards at the end of the hall opened the door, and Dodd let out a groan of impotent rage, the sound of which was silenced as the thick wooden door was thrust shut behind them. Maia felt the mewling of the Myriad Ones all around them in the dark confinement of the corridor. The soldiers were grim faced and silent. Trefew walked ahead of them, his expression turning wary at every intersection. Finally he paused before a door, tapped on it gently, and then waited as the lock was opened from the inside.
Maia glanced at Suzenne, and saw that her friend was white as milk with fear. Her own stomach twisted with dread as she imagined the humiliation they would be forced to endure. The door opened, leading to another hallway in the mazelike keep. Leerings provided the only illumination in the darkened corridor, and Maia was tempted to extinguish them all, but she decided not to risk antagonizing her captors further.
“Here we are,” Trefew said with a hint of anticipation in his voice. They had turned a corner, and Maia was hopelessly lost. She did not recognize this part of the grounds at all. The walls were dank, the crevices riddled with scum, and there was a damp, musty smell in the air. The pathway led them on a downward slope, and several more guards awaited them below.
“Cannot be too cautious,” Trefew said to Maia conspiratorially. “There are rumors the King of Dahomey has spies at court. You will be moved all night to foil any attempts he might make to rescue you. But mastons like to go without sleep, eh?” He winked at her. “Consider it a vigil, my pious prisoner. This way.”
The door was unlocked and opened to a small stone chamber with no windows. It was another cell, much more isolated and stark than the last. There was no cot to sleep on, no table to sit at—not even the smallest of comforts or conveniences. It was wide enough to fit a dozen men, but most of the guards waited outside. Only Trefew and the two who gripped her and Suzenne entered. The door was closed and locked behind them. A Leering, set into the ceiling, was the only source of light.
Trefew walked across the room and then tapped on the stone wall with his dagger hilt. After a moment he whispered something that Maia could not hear. The stone swung inward to reveal a Leering on the other side carved to resemble a man in great pain. The eyes in the gouged, worn face glowed orange, and Maia shuddered.
There was another room beyond, in which Maia immediately recognized Aldermaston Kranmir and his mushroom-shaped black hat. He was standing, for there were no chairs.
“Come in,” Kranmir said smoothly, gesturing for them to enter. The room was lit by several lanterns and two Leerings. The thought of being in the same room as him made Maia’s skin crawl, and she started with surprise when she realized Lady Shilton was also present. Her cheeks flaming, her eyes puffy with tears, Lady Shilton looked abashed to see Maia. The grieving look aged her. Seeing the woman who had tortured her for so long caused a visceral reaction in Maia—a stab of fear, dread, and indignity.
There was a dark, twisted feeling in the room, and though she could not help but tremble, Maia steeled herself to face what would come.