The Void of Muirwood

by Jeff Wheeler

  “She is the queen’s grandmother you know.”

  Maia ignored the words, her eyes searching ahead as they passed the fish pond and then rushed down the well-worn path leading to the docks. Finally she caught sight of the Holk, tethered to the bend of the river where there was more room to maneuver. A lone skiff manned by oarsmen clove the waters, slicing the way to where Richard and Joanna and Aldermaston Wyrich waited on the docks. Her heart began to pound as she recognized Sabine sitting in the skiff. Next to her was a wild-haired old man, a man she would have recognized at an even greater distance. It was Walraven, her longtime mentor and friend.

  Maia surely would have tripped and fallen down the steps to the dock if Collier had not been gripping her hand so tightly. The skiff was already secured by mooring ropes by the time she reached the end of the pier.

  Sabine looked tired as she disembarked, helped by Richard and Joanna, but her face brightened the instant she saw Maia and Collier, and she rushed over to them. Maia started to weep as her grandmother wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly, murmuring softly in her ear, “Well done . . . well done, dear heart!” Both women trembled with joy, clinging to each other for a long, sweet moment.

  Then Sabine pulled away slightly and reached for Collier’s hand. “I have news for you both. News I wanted to share immediately.”

  “What is it?” Maia asked, wiping her eyes. Her grandmother looked burdened, as if she had witnessed and experienced unspeakable things. But her fortitude and strength had carried her through. It was just like her to want to help someone else when she could easily have justified asking to sit and rest from a long journey.

  Sabine pulled Collier closer and pitched her voice low, for their ears alone. “The Medium has taught me, through a vision, that you two were always intended for each other. While I was imprisoned in Hautland, before they sent me to Naess, I had a vision through my Gift of Seering of the Earl of Dieyre in Rostick. I saw him cavorting with hetaera after the mastons left. His wife was a hetaera! I saw her kiss him. So did others. But it did not harm him. The Medium taught me that his descendants are immune . . .”

  But she must have noticed their flushed smiles and the knowing glance they exchanged, for she interrupted her own chain of thought.

  “I think . . . you have already learned this truth yourself,” Sabine said with a wry smile. “You cannot know how happy this makes me. Come, Maia, your friend wishes to see you again and to meet your intended. Walraven was tortured in the dungeons of Naess. He was broken and maimed when I found him there. The Medium bade me to heal him and adopt him into my Family. I would like to introduce you both to the future Aldermaston of Naess.”

  Looking over her grandmother’s shoulder, Maia saw that her old friend was speaking with Richard, Joanna, and Wyrich. But upon Sabine’s introduction, Walraven looked up and caught her eye. After speaking a few words to the others, he approached and bowed to Maia.

  “To see you wearing the crown,” he whispered huskily, tears gleaming in his eyes. “To see you at long last!”

  She flung herself into his arms, sobbing as he hugged her. She was surrounded, completely surrounded, by those who loved and cherished her, those who had seen her through all her trials. When she finally pulled herself away from Walraven, she reached out and squeezed Richard’s hand, then Joanna’s. Her heart was so full.

  As she turned back to Collier, she saw him looking at her with profound tenderness, tears trickling down his cheeks.

  “She summoned you here,” Collier told Sabine. “Her thoughts drove the wind. Will you please marry us? This very instant could not be soon enough!”

  Although Maia had taken the maston test and crossed the Apse Veil, she had never climbed the winding steps to the high spire of the abbey. Each abbey contained a central tower or spike, and it was at the top of this tower where marriages were performed by irrevocare sigil. She wore the supplicant robes she had donned before taking the maston test. Collier walked with her up the steps, and they followed Tomas, who had informed them that the other witnesses of the ceremony awaited them in the spire.

  The feeling of the Medium grew stronger as they climbed, and Maia felt her burdens lift the higher they went. Collier squeezed her hand, and she gave him a private smile, enjoying the look of anticipation she saw in his eyes.

  When they reached the top of the tower, the room glowed with the light from the many Leerings that covered its walls. The stone buttresses were meticulously sculpted and inlaid with gold filigree patterns. There were stained-glass windows on each of the four walls, but the main source of light was the Leerings. There were no chairs in the chamber. Maia saw the other guests were all wearing maston robes, except for the Aldermastons present—Sabine, Wyrich, Richard, Joanna, as well as the Aldermaston of Lisyeux, a man whom she had met earlier that day. Suzenne and Dodd were also there with them, and both smiled at her with tenderness. Maia was so grateful to see him healthy. Collier’s mother, the Queen Dowager of Dahomey, was also present. She was a stately woman with striking looks and silver streaks in her black hair. Maia was a little in awe of her, but she had enjoyed meeting her before the ceremony. The deep love she felt for her son was apparent, and that same affection had been readily shared with the girl who had tamed him.

  As Maia and Collier approached the five Aldermastons, the row of people stepped aside, revealing a glistering Leering carved from an enormous white marble block. Unlike the normal Leerings Maia had seen in gardens and corridors, which had been carved from boulders, this Leering contained more than just faces. It reminded her most of the Leerings connected with the Apse Veil. She felt power emanating from it and understood that it was a marriage Leering, for an entire scene was depicted on it rather than a single face. Her Gift of Invocation told her the Leering’s power was to invoke a Gifting on the married couple. The workmanship was exquisite and highly detailed.

  Sabine motioned for them to approach and stand before the Leering, which they did.

  “In every abbey, there is a special chamber,” Sabine explained, “where marriages are performed. While this Leering is relatively new, it is modeled after the one that was originally in Muirwood, which I have seen in a vision.” Sabine began to motion toward the scene. Now that she stood closer to it, Maia could see it showed a man and a woman standing next to each other, gripping each other by the hand. A woman stood between and behind them, one arm draped around either of their shoulders. Behind the man stood another man, as if looking over his shoulder and witnessing the marriage. All four figures were carved from the same block and formed an integrated image.

  “It is so beautiful,” Maia said, staring at it in awe. There were many details that caught her eye, making her wonder at the meaning. The man grasping the woman’s hand had small scars on his face, claw marks like a beast had ravaged him. It made her think, momentarily, of the kishion, but she banished the thought, not wanting such a twisted memory to intrude upon such a sacred moment. The smiling woman behind the couple looked like an Aldermaston. There was a scarf and veil wrapped around the head and shoulders of the bride in the statue. While her groom’s free hand held a cylinder, hers clutched part of her robes, bunching them up and exposing her lower leg, where Maia saw an ankle bracelet fashioned like a serpent.

  “Before you are married,” Sabine said, noticing Maia’s look, “I will explain the Leering. This sculpture represents the First Parents’ marriage in the Garden of Leerings at the beginning of the world. They were immortal beings who chose to eat a certain fruit and take on a mortal state. This you know from maston lore. It is said the First Parents came from a different world, a world ruled by the Essaios. They were made stewards, caretakers of this realm.”

  Sabine motioned to the couple’s linked hands. “The marriage ceremony is ancient, and we do not understand all of the symbolism behind it. But we do know much of it. The joined hands is called the dextrarum coniunctio, or the joining of the right hands. In his left hand, he holds what appears to be a capped s
croll. It is called the Tay Ard scroll. The abbey contains one like it and your names will be written on it, joining you as husband and wife. The bride’s free hand raises the hem of her robes. We do not know why, but it shows a bracelet around her ankle. The jewelry is called the Idock. Maia, you will wear one for the ceremony as well. You will notice the man has a belt and key. Gideon, you will wear that. It is called the vacuata inanis, or Voided Key. There must be at least one witness and, of course, the Aldermaston who performs the irrevocare sigil. Only an Aldermaston has the authority to perform this rite or the sigil. Now, come forward and emulate the Leering.”

  With assistance from the others, Maia was given a long white shawl to cover her head and wrap around her front and her shoulders. Collier was belted with the key. Both of their slippers were removed so that they stood barefoot, as if in the luscious garden of their ancestors. The ankle bracelet was wound around Maia’s left ankle, and an ornate capped scroll was handed to Collier, which he held in his left hand.

  Once they were both prepared for the ceremony, Maia stood by Collier, clasped his hand in hers, and stared into his piercing blue eyes. He was trembling slightly, his eyes fixed on hers. She felt the Medium so strongly it brought tears to her eyes.

  Sabine stood behind them and wrapped her arms around each of their shoulders, her face peering between theirs. Richard Syon, the witness, stood by Collier’s side where he could observe.

  “I invoke this Leering,” Sabine said in a soft voice, “to marry Queen Marciana of Comoros and King Gideon of Dahomey. Do you, Queen Maia, accept this man to be your lawful lord and husband, married and joined by the Medium in all holiness?”

  Maia’s heart burned inside her as she gazed at Collier and squeezed his hand. “Yes,” she whispered, her throat tight.

  “And do you, King Gideon, accept this woman to be your lawful lady and wife, married and joined by the Medium in all holiness?”

  A tear trickled down Collier’s cheek. “Yes,” he said firmly, squeezing her hand in return.

  Maia held her breath. She had been waiting for this moment her entire life. Her heart filled with gratitude, and she felt, unseen around them, silent witnesses to the union. Even as children, they had been meant for each other. All that had passed before, all the troubles and doubts and sadness, seemed to melt away.

  “Then, as High Seer of the maston order, I join you two in marriage, bound by the dextrarum coniunctio to last beyond death itself. I invoke this Leering to grant you all the Gifts of the Medium. I Gift you both with blessings on your marriage. I Gift you with protection from the Myriad Ones. I Gift you with the perpetual sanctuary of this abbey, Muirwood. I bless you with the Gift of Firetaming that you may pass, when your mortal life is through, beyond the Apse Veil and into the world of Idumea. By the Medium, make it thus so.”

  “Make it thus so,” Maia murmured, as did the voices of others.

  Then, releasing her hold on their shoulders, Sabine used the palm of her hand and invoked the irrevocare sigil, drawing the eight-pointed star in the air between them.

  “Forever and always,” Maia said, releasing the hem of her robe and letting it fall down around her ankles.

  “That is barely long enough,” Collier answered with a smile, bringing her knuckles to his lips. Then, without waiting for permission, he dipped his head and kissed her again, this time as her husband.

  They emerged from the abbey from the pewter doors they had entered a short time ago, holding hands as husband and wife. They were dressed in their beautiful wedding clothes, each wearing a coronet or crown. A sea of faces awaited them on the grounds of the abbey, and as soon as they emerged, this crowd of well-wishers raised their voices in a sustained enthusiastic cheer.

  In the crowd, Maia saw many of the Ciphers with whom she had studied, several of them dabbing their eyes. Practically jumping up and down in the front of the mass were Davi and Aloia, and Thewliss and Collett were there too, trying to keep the girls’ feet on the lawn and failing. The rulers of the other realms had gathered in a place of dignity near the front, along with the members of Maia’s Privy Council who had not attended the ceremony. The lord mayor of Comoros, Justin, the Earl of Caspur, and Lord Paget. They led the cheering. Small flower petals began to stream from somewhere above, coming down like little snowflakes.

  Maia felt the Medium swell in her heart as she looked at her people with mingled love and gratitude.

  Collier held up his hand for silence, and the murmuring praises quickly ceased. He turned to Sabine and gave her a knowing look and a wink, which alarmed Maia. The High Seer smiled, nodded to him, and stepped back slightly.

  After releasing Maia’s hand, Collier stepped off the porch of the abbey and turned to face her. She looked at him incredulously, her concern growing with each moment. His look said just trust me, but she was not certain what he was about.

  Then, without a word, Collier knelt before her. He lifted his hands and removed his golden crown and set it before her feet. He bowed his head before her. Maia stared down at him and was trying to puzzle out his sudden gesture when the King of Paeiz left the crowd and spanned the short distance to her. He knelt next to Collier, removed his crown, and set it before her. Maia’s heart hammered in her chest as the King of Avinion approached. Then they all came, removing their crowns and laying them at her feet. They were all kings and rulers in their own right, but they were paying homage and fealty to her.

  Maia stared at the bowed heads, her eyes awash with tears. She felt Sabine’s hand on her elbow.

  “I know you do not want this,” her grandmother whispered. “But they would all have you to be their queen and ruler.” Addressing the crowd now, Sabine said, “Kneel.”

  The congregation obeyed, including Maia herself, and she felt tears gush from her eyes as Sabine lifted the coronet from her head and held it aloft.

  As Maia shuddered from her shoulders down to her knees at the responsibility that was about to be settled upon her, as she listened to her grandmother pronounce the words of authority, she saw Collier peeking at her, a smile on his face. A smile that said the Medium truly did give a person the fruit of their innermost thoughts and intentions. He had wanted to unite the realms under a single ruler. But only by giving up his crown had he achieved it.

  And as difficult as the task seemed in that awful moment, she was grateful to have her husband with her to enjoy the long journey together.

  EPILOGUE

  Maia was a little weary from their ride from Briec to Roc-Adamour, but they had arrived at the city carved into the mountain before sunset. She and Collier had taken a secret path up to the manor at the top of the hill rather than using the normal roads. The grooms were stabling their horses, brushing them down and feeding them. So long ago it seemed when the king’s collier had led her and her companions to this very manor and provided them with mounts and provisions.

  Inside their bedchamber in the manor, she rubbed her sore arm and gazed out the window at the majestic view—the sunset over the ragged cliffs. Lights from the town below were already starting to dispel the encroaching darkness, and she imagined the pots of melted cheese and skewers of meat being served in the inns. There was a veranda outside the window decorated with ornate furniture and a sculpted garden full of Leerings. She did not want the light to ruin the view, so she kept them tamed for now.

  Collier set aside his riding gloves and cloak, and she heard him approach behind her, then felt his stubble grazing the back of her neck, making her shiver.

  “Does your arm still pain you?” he asked her, stroking her arms with his hands as he continued to nuzzle her.

  “The wounds are mostly healed,” she said, tilting her head to one side to expose more of her neck to him.

  “Have you enjoyed your tour of the realm, my lady?” he asked her, nipping at her earlobe playfully. “There are many wonderful sights in Dahomey, of course, but this one has always been a favorite.” He rested his chin in the nook of her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her
waist, holding her. “You notice the difference when we are not at court. I prefer the anonymity. I think you actually prefer these simple gowns to the ornate confections at court. I have always fancied that about you.”

  “Have you?” she said. “Why spend so much on a costly gown that cannot be worn except for at state functions? I would rather give it to the poor.”

  “Yes. You have not despoiled all your treasures yet on the poor, though you try. It seems the faster you give it away, the faster new coins fill our coffers. Did you like staying at the Gables last night? The young folks who danced with us did not know who we were.”

  “Some may have recognized us from before,” Maia said. She hugged his arms to her and swayed gently.

  “I am going to fetch you a lute,” he said. “I have two here, I believe. You and I will play music to each other before our meal arrives and then we will discuss where to go next. You want to rebuild an abbey in Mon, and I want to see the lost abbey. There are soldiers to protect and guard it, and I would like to make sure they understand its significance. Shall we play?”

  “I would like that very much,” Maia said. She turned, the window and view now behind her, and kissed his cheek and then took his hand, letting him lead her to the sumptuous couches nearby. The large four-post bed was crafted by master artisans and stained a dark umber color. She loved admiring the tapestries on the walls, the distinctly Dahomeyjan designs that she had always found appealing. She still could not get over the change in her life in the weeks since their marriage and her sudden coronation. Collier explored several chests on the other side of the bed until he found the hidden instruments. After picking one from the collection, he brought it over to her, and they tuned the strings together.

  “Cruix or cursed?” he asked her, twisting the pegs.

  “We are closer to the lands you wish to see,” Maia said, testing the strings for the sound and adjusting them.