The Scourge of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood #3)

Lia was asleep almost before her head rested against the cushion of the pallet in the loft, and she slept deeply. The weariness had seeped into her bones and with little more than a flittering thought at Colvin, just lingering on the memory of his smile and the forcefulness of his arms wrapped around her, she slept and did not stir until Martin crept up the ladder and shook her shoulder. For a moment, everything was a blur, her mind still lost in the fog of sleep, his face foreign with the crisscross of tattoos, almost menacing. She blinked rapidly, hungering for more rest, but she noticed the slant of the light coming into the paddock and realized the day was ebbing fast.

“You should have woken me sooner,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

He shook his head sternly. “Best that you were not seen today. A retinue arrived from Vezins, bearing the tunic and badge of Dieyre. I did not see the man, but I understand that he and Forshee are enemies.”

Lia’s heart strained with worry. “Colvin,” she whispered.

Martin gazed at her sternly. “Focus on your task, lass. Not on his. Dieyre was looking for you. His men were asking if a flax-haired lass had been seen. One without tattoos and carried a blade. It was wise when you arrived as you did, before the other stablehands were here. I have waited until they all left to drink their cups of cider. Now we can go, but keep your hood up. Here – some food. You must be hungry.”

She was and she took the meat pie gratefully and devoured it. The spices were different than what she was used to, but it was still tasty and satisfied her hunger. He also produced some nuts, a wedge of cheese, and a half-eaten piece of bread.

After she finished the meal, she followed him down the paddock ladder and they left together through the rear, heading back to the hidden garden she had emerged from at dawn. The weariness was replaced by strength. They walked stiffly together, listening keenly for the rowdy sounds of onlookers and passersby.

“You know more about what will happen than you can say,” Lia said, seeing how deliberately quiet he was.

“Aye, lass.” His face was stern, his blue eyes narrowed.

“Is it because of the binding? Is that what keeps you from telling me?”

He glanced backward to see if they were being followed. “It is and it is not. I do not know everything that will happen. Or what order it will happen in. What I was told was very sharp at times, and very curious at other times. It has been a great many years which has faded my memory. I know the most important points. But some of it I expected to happen at Muirwood Abbey and it did not. Maybe it will happen here.”

That was not the answer she hoped for. What clues had her father left with Martin to act on? How much had been revealed in his tome? She was anxious to find it – to use the Cruciger orb and find where it was hidden. If she could overturn the binding sigil, she would be free to tell Colvin the truth and end his torment. But as Martin had warned her, it was best to focus on the task at hand. It was probably one of the reasons her father had given her the orb, knowing that she would one day see to find her father’s tome with it.

“There,” Lia directed towards the shallow alcove that led to the garden. They advanced cautiously, listening to the din and laughter that came over the rooftops from another street which was more crowded and blustering. She pushed the gate inward and walked to the hidden spot in the wall where the Leering waited. This time, instead of warning her away, it greeted her with an intoxicating smell. There was no feeling of danger at all, only a thrilling sense of excitement.

She paused, staring at it, confused. She touched the Leering and felt at its powers, trying to understand why it had changed. In a moment, the Medium supplied the answer. Once it had admitted her presence with the proper password, she would be allowed to pass it without barrier. In a word, it thought she was a hetaera because only a hetaera would have known the password. Within the stone, she could sense its formidable defenses. Much like the portals at the Abbey which prevented intruders from entering, the Leerings at Dochte were equally powerful. She questioned the stone with her thoughts, probing to see if another hetaera had passed it since she left that morning. She had the strong impression that none had.

“What is it?” Martin asked, studying the expression on her thoughtful face.