The Ciphers of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #2)(7)
“This is her final year of study, and she is to pass the maston test herself come Whitsunday. She is of a respectable Family, the oldest of three children. She helps the others learn, and does not have airs. She is well respected by the other learners and has influence among them. I believe she will be discreet in this matter. She is a Cipher, so she can be trusted with secrets.”
“Send her in,” Sabine said. Tomas smiled, flashing his dimples again, and left to get her from the anteroom.
“You prepared the tome, I see,” Sabine said to the Aldermaston once the door had been closed once more.
“As you instructed,” he replied thoughtfully, indicating the tome in front of him.
“That tome is for you, Maia,” Sabine said, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I asked the Aldermaston to engrave a page. The final page.”
The door opened, and the tall steward returned to the room with a young woman, nearly Maia’s match in age and height. She was a beauty, Maia saw, and wore a silk-and-brocade gown that must have cost at least a thousand marks. A jeweled choker circled her neck, and her hair was braided into a long golden rope. Her appearance made Maia feel a prickle of envy, as she was once more dressed in plain clothes that did not speak of her station. The girl’s expression was one of alarm, especially when she saw she had been brought into a crowded room.
Sabine rose from the chair and greeted her. “Welcome, Suzenne. Be at ease.”
Her eyes widened. “You are the High Seer,” she gasped, then did a deep curtsy.
“Have you told her, Joanna?” Sabine asked the Aldermaston’s wife.
“No.”
Sabine nodded, then reached out and took the younger woman’s hand. “You are probably fearful. Be at ease, truly. You are here because of your merits, not as a punishment.”
The girl flushed at the compliment. “Thank you.”
“Suzenne, you are here because the Medium wills it. I asked the Aldermaston to choose a learner of great ability and discretion to assist us. The Medium impresses upon my mind that they chose well. I have a duty for you to perform that will require the utmost secrecy and discretion. Before moving forward, I must ask if you will willingly accept this charge.”
Though she looked overwhelmed, and her eyes were shiny with held-back emotion, the girl did not hesitate to reply. “Yes, High Seer. Of course! I will serve however the Medium wills.”
Sabine nodded and released her hands, then walked over to Maia and gestured for her to rise. “This is my granddaughter, Lady Marciana . . . Maia.”
Suzenne looked at Maia, her eyes widening with shock. “The king’s daughter?” she gasped.
“Yes,” Sabine said, stroking Maia’s arm. “She will be studying at Muirwood. She is to become a Cipher before she takes the maston test. I need your help to teach her, Suzenne. The fate of the abbey rests on her.”
“Yes,” Suzenne stammered. “Of course. If you wish it, High Seer.”
“There is one thing you must understand. It is knowledge that you must protect above all else, Suzenne. Everyone in this room will know, but no one else can know. Do not be frightened. Maia . . . please show her the mark on your chest.”
Maia’s stomach lurched and she felt herself go pale with shame. Obediently, she tugged at the bodice of her blue gown and exposed some of the shadowstains on her chest, the whorl of tattoos that had afflicted her since she first wore the kystrel, which now hung around her husband’s neck.
Suzenne’s eyes widened with fear.
“This you must keep secret,” Sabine said, motioning for Maia to cover the marks. “It is written in a tome on the Aldermaston’s desk.”
Maia felt the flush of the Medium engulf the room. A small stone Leering on the desk began to glow red-hot. The Aldermaston produced a set of tongs and set them on the Leering, heating them up.
The Aldermaston looked at the trembling girl. “Suzenne, you must safeguard this secret. It is the Medium’s will. Maia was deceived by the Dochte Mandar and tricked into becoming a hetaera. You will understand what that means when you take the maston test shortly. You must know that she did not make this choice willingly. She will carry the mark the rest of her life, but she is not evil. I want you to know that I trust her implicitly, just as I trust the High Seer . . . just as I trust the Medium. That is how I know Maia belongs here. This place is her only refuge, her only sanctuary. You must guard her secret, Suzenne. Will you do so?”
Suzenne sniffled, dabbing tears from her eyes. “I will, Aldermaston.”
With that, the Aldermaston nodded and pulled the tongs from the burning Leering. His wife fixed a band of solid aurichalcum across the bottom of the tome, pressing together the final page and the page above it, which was blank. With the tongs, he gripped the ends of the bands, allowing the heat to fuse it around the pages. Then he set down the tongs and pushed the tome away from him.
Sabine took up a scriving tool from the table and drew a symbol into the molten gold. The Medium thrummed in the chamber, making Maia feel strange and wonderful.
“This is a binding sigil,” Sabine said softly, setting down the tool. “No one will be able to speak of Maia’s secret.” She looked at Maia. “Not even our enemies.”
Or your husband, her eyes seemed to say.
We all face difficulties, but they should not become our core. We grieve, we suffer, we weep. Challenges are experiences that help us to grow, like the winds that help strengthen the roots of the apple trees in the Cider Orchard. Storms are always temporary and should never distract us from the beautiful days that were before or will come after. Do not become so fixed on a single injustice that you can no longer remember others may be suffering near you. Like the healing of the body when it is ill, the healing of the heart requires patience.