The Scourge of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood #3)

The entire hillside of Dochte Abbey was a maze of walls and an endless parade of stone steps that ascended higher and higher. Every time she passed through another arch, it would curl upwards again, another laborious ascent bringing her higher and higher within the grounds. Her legs burned from the effort and still she had not reached even the lower portion of the outer walls of the Abbey. There were fellow pilgrims everywhere, thronging the grounds and visiting shops and bakeries for food. There was cider in abundance. As Lia finished mounting one particular set of steps, she looked back the way she had come and could see over the outer walls far below and saw the rippling waves of the sea that now smothered the lowlands beyond, trapping her inside. From the vantage point, there were several tall sturdy trees spreading their foliage over the lip of the walls and offering patches of shade. The walls were cut of square stone blocks, forming guardrails and even steps, so meticulously laid that it seemed as though every portion of the grounds had been sculpted. Lia rounded the corner and started up again, trying to keep her breath. The pilgrims around her were marked with tattoos and she shielded her face with her cowl. Hawkers tried to sell pies or cider, but she waved them away.

The Cruciger orb was her guide, helping her maneuver the twists and bends as she ascended the heights to the Abbey proper. What she needed and desired was a secret way into the Abbey, one that would bring her past the eyes of the sentinels – the Dochte Mandar. She did not want to meet any more and hoped the orb would guide her to a safe entrance. It did.

Near the fifth level of the city as she walked down a long corridor full of inns and shops, the orb guided her to a secluded park set off by a wrought-iron gate that was not locked. It was rusty and squeaked as it opened, but she walked down a narrow aisle between two crammed buildings that opened to the park full of mature pine trees and stone benches. The inner walls were thick with rose trees as well that were interspersed and offered a splash of color and wonderful scents. There was no one in the garden, it seemed tucked away and hidden from the main ways she had passed. Lia rested a moment, trying to summon her strength, and then studied the orb again. The pointers directed her to the wall.

As she approached a dark hollow, hidden by the shade, an ominous feeling confronted her. It sent a rushing tingle down to her stomach and caused a swarm of conflicting emotions, which she recognized immediately as those caused by a Leering. She ground her teeth as she pushed forward and the sense of dread heightened so much that her teeth chattered and the urge to run nearly overwhelmed her. She reached out to the Leering with her mind and silenced it, but the feeling persisted, growing worse with each step. In the shade, she saw a symbol carved into the stone wall – two intertwined serpents. It was the symbol she had seen in her visions.

Seeing it caused a sense of dread and fear deep inside her. It was the mark of the hetaera, she realized. It was one of their Leerings. How would she be able to get past it? There was a password, she realized. Just as existed within the tunnels beneath Muirwood, there were Leerings that guarded her Abbey as well. Without the password, she would not be able to enter.

But what was the password?

Lia breathed deeply, staring at the twisting snakes defiantly. She had come too far to be thwarted now. When she had passed the maston test at Muirwood, there was a password she did not know. The Medium had whispered it to her. Confidently, patiently, she waited, pushing down the awful feelings of dread and instead she thought of Muirwood and how calm and peaceful it was. Closing her eyes, she thought of its beautiful grounds, the brilliant tendrils of fern, of flowers planted in sculpted stone boxes, of the laundry and fragrant sprays of purple mint. She fell inside herself, drawing deeper into the memories. There was the Aldermaston, Pasqua, Prestwich. From the core within herself, she sensed the Medium hiding, aware of her – unafraid of the surroundings but seeing if her fear would get the better of her. She would not let it. Gently, she bid it to assist her with the password, to teach her the command that would silence the Leering and open the hidden passageway beyond.