Sabine reached out and took Suzenne’s hands, smiling at her. “Thank you for your loyalty to my granddaughter. Please stay with us.”
Suzenne returned her smile. “She is my friend, and now she is my queen. She will always have my loyalty.” The three women sat down on the bench for a quiet conversation.
“Yes, my dear,” Sabine said. “Now what news, Maia? How can I help?”
Maia shook her head. “Tell me of the refugees? How many are there? Where are they?”
“I brought them all with me to Muirwood,” Sabine said. “Most of the families were originally from Comoros and Pry-Ree. Some of those with Pry-rian roots are already asking to travel across the Bearden Muir and start for home.”
“I imagine Jon Tayt has volunteered to guide them, by Cheshu!” She smiled as she thought of the abbey hunter and his pointed beard.
Sabine smiled. “Of course. There are thousands of refugees, Maia. We knew they were coming, and still we were not prepared for the numbers. There are tents and supplies enough at the abbey to support them for the moment, but they cannot all stay in Muirwood Hundred. As you can imagine, they are nervous and anxious.”
“How many children? I worry about the little ones. They will not understand what has happened. How can I help them?”
“I think seeing you would be a blessing, not just for the children but for all of them. It would help calm their disrupted lives a little,” she answered. “I was hoping to persuade you to come back with me for a time.”
“Yes!” Maia said with a grin. “I would see them. Do they have a ruler?”
“I was wondering that as well,” Suzenne said with curiosity. “We have been separated for so long. How different are their traditions?”
“They have no kings or queens or earls. There are no ranks among them. They have Aldermastons, as we do, and they are considered the rulers. The chief among them is a wise Aldermaston named Wyrich.” She paused, and Maia could tell there was more she wished to say.
“Tell me,” Maia said, taking her grandmother’s hands. “Please.”
“Aldermaston Wyrich is strong with the Medium,” Sabine said. “I do not know how it will work, but I feel quite impressed that he should be an Aldermaston here in Comoros. The people look up to him and follow his example.” She paused, considering. “I can feel that these people have many Gifts of the Medium, Maia. They have lost everything, yet they do not brood on it. They are anxious to help, asking always for ways they can serve us. They consider themselves indebted to this kingdom for preserving their lives. Such meek people. In all my journeys throughout the realm, I have found few who could equal them. They are a worth more than treasures or ransom.”
Maia nodded, anxious to meet them herself. “Grandmother, I wish to discuss something with you as well. Actually, several things.” The servants arrived with trays of food, which they arranged in a sumptuous array. Maia nodded to dismiss them once they were finished, and after the throne room doors closed behind them, she quickly related the story of how she had come to Comoros in an attempt to stop Lady Deorwynn’s pending execution. She described the upheaval in the government and the many nobles who had clawed at each other’s throats as their ship sank.
Sabine’s countenance changed as she shared the story, her look darkening.
When she was done, Maia said, “I need your counsel. I need the Aldermaston’s counsel! I cannot rule this great realm by myself. From morn to dusk, I am beset by people seeking my direction and approval. I need a chancellor who understands the way I think, one who will act on my behalf and help restore faith in the Medium in Comoros. When my father drove the Dochte Mandar from the realm, he did nothing to fill the void they left. Even the Dochte Mandar believed in the wisdom of the maston tomes. Even though they did not fully understand our ways, they attempted to live by that wisdom and to live by virtue. When that virtue was removed and replaced with the immoral sycophants favored by my father, it drew the Myriad Ones upon us like a plague.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Grandmother, I would like Richard Syon to be my chancellor. I know I can trust his guidance and integrity.”
Suzenne looked shocked by the suggestion. This was not a secret Maia had confided in anyone but Collier. She had wanted to determine her grandmother’s willingness first.
As ever, Sabine’s expression was more difficult to read. “No Aldermaston has ever been chancellor before, Maia.”
“I know,” Maia replied. “And no queen has ever ruled Comoros either. I can tell the mayor wants the position. He has not asked for it yet, but every day he assumes more and more authority and seeks to insinuate himself with me. His help has been invaluable, and yet I am not willing to choose him for the job. The chancellor will lead my Privy Council. The only other person I would trust to do it is yourself, and you are the High Seer.”