“You seem as if you knew him,” Lia said. “You described him perfectly.”

“I have never met the man. But I am acquainted with his kind. He is driven by his anger. When he does not get what he wants, he calls it injustice. The anger feeds itself and destroys him from the inside. A wise man once taught me this saying from his tome. ‘For as the wood of the forest is, so the fire burns. And as a man’s strength is, so shall his anger be, and according to his riches he will increase his anger.’ Is it not strange that the more someone has, the less he feels he has? Envy can never be sated.”

“This way,” Lia directed, thinking on his words. It reminded her of the Aldermaston of Augustin. He had a wealthy Abbey and more fine things than she had ever seen before. Yet it was not enough. He coveted Muirwood and its supposed riches. She sighed, longing to be back home and hoping things were not as desperate yet.

They reached the small conclusion to the tunnel and Lia demonstrated the latch to open it. As expected, the room was empty. She knew Colvin would be with Hillel and she would be telling him of her plan. He would suspect that Lia would be waiting for him in his room, as she had the previous night. The memory of it still burned. It was still too new. Billerbeck Abbey was their destination. That was where they would marry.

She noticed Martin’s expression as he studied the room, glancing over the furnishings, the simplicity and sparseness of it. He nodded with approval.

“Thank you,” Lia told him, reaching out and touching his sleeve.

The fierce grin answered her. “I am proud of you, lass. Whatever happens, know that I am.” He struggled to speak as his eyes brimmed with tears. “He would be proud of you as well.” His jaw clenched shut, and she could see him fighting against his tongue – unable to say more.

Lia clasped him tightly, kissing his bearded cheek and then stole back into the tunnel, anxious to return to the tower and wait for Hillel’s return. She would do everything within her power to persuade the girl to leave. But if she chose not to go, Lia would leave her trussed up in the room and unconscious.

Suspicious and wary, Lia made her way back to the hetaera’s garden.

* * *

“Lia is here. I am astonished that she found us so easily. Somehow, I knew that I would have to face her again. The Aldermaston said it would happen. Not directly, but he said that before I could gain my deepest desire, I would face an obstacle to that desire which would seem insurmountable. She is the one person who threatens my happiness with Colvin. I imagined her far away, safely away, and that it would be too late when we next met. But here she is, come all this journey to save us. I know she will resent me for taking Colvin away from her. But she does not deserve him. It is a mockery to think that a wretched deserves an earl. If I were but a wretched at Sempringfall, I would not aspire to someone like him. When I think of her, I remember that terrible dawn when Colvin abandoned me to the ossuaries to rescue her. It was not until that moment when I realized how much I cared for him, and how much he would not return my love because of her. I hate to admit it to myself, but I was glad when she was injured. I even secretly hoped she would die. She did not. There is an image that keeps coming to my mind, again and again. I am putting rocks on her grave. I am burying her beneath a mound of stones. Colvin is with me. I know it is the Medium. I do not know what it means. I think the stones are symbols. They are concealment. They are walls. I must help Colvin bury his affection for this girl so that he can then in turn care for me as he ought. There is a noise.”

- Ellowyn Demont of Dochte Abbey

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE:

Dieyre’s Chamber

Lia finished ascending the spiraling stairs outside the tower and her legs throbbed with the exertion. The night was cold and windy and threatened to yank her from the steps. She focused on the final blocks and reached the balcony ledge as she had before. It was nearly midnight. Sweat trickled down her ribs as she raised her arms and pulled herself over the lip of the balcony. Her breath was harsh in her ears and she waited a moment to rest and calm the wild shuddering of her heart. Soon, if her plan worked, Colvin and Hillel and Martin would be gone and slipping away with the tide. She still had a duty to perform – to confront the Aldermaston of Dochte and give her warning. The orb would guide her on the safest route to him and away again. She longed to be back at Vezins, aboard the Holk with the others and casting off. The feeling of Dochte Abbey filled her with dark thoughts. Something ancient and terrible lingered in the stones.

The door was shut from the balcony and she peered between the gap. There was little light – only a few candles burning, filling the room with shadows. It meant the residents were still cavorting at the dance. Lia pushed on the doors and they opened soundlessly. There was no one inside. Her heart filled with courage, knowing she would have time to search the room and learn of Hillel’s existence at Dochte. First, she needed to find a place to hide.