The Scourge of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood 3)

As she approached a dark hollow, hidden by the shade, an ominous feeling confronted her. It sent a rushing tingle down to her stomach and caused a swarm of conflicting emotions, which she recognized immediately as those caused by a Leering. She ground her teeth as she pushed forward and the sense of dread heightened so much that her teeth chattered and the urge to run nearly overwhelmed her. She reached out to the Leering with her mind and silenced it, but the feeling persisted, growing worse with each step. In the shade, she saw a symbol carved into the stone wall – two intertwined serpents. It was the symbol she had seen in her visions.

Seeing it caused a sense of dread and fear deep inside her. It was the mark of the hetaera, she realized. It was one of their Leerings. How would she be able to get past it? There was a password, she realized. Just as existed within the tunnels beneath Muirwood, there were Leerings that guarded her Abbey as well. Without the password, she would not be able to enter.

But what was the password?

Lia breathed deeply, staring at the twisting snakes defiantly. She had come too far to be thwarted now. When she had passed the maston test at Muirwood, there was a password she did not know. The Medium had whispered it to her. Confidently, patiently, she waited, pushing down the awful feelings of dread and instead she thought of Muirwood and how calm and peaceful it was. Closing her eyes, she thought of its beautiful grounds, the brilliant tendrils of fern, of flowers planted in sculpted stone boxes, of the laundry and fragrant sprays of purple mint. She fell inside herself, drawing deeper into the memories. There was the Aldermaston, Pasqua, Prestwich. From the core within herself, she sensed the Medium hiding, aware of her – unafraid of the surroundings but seeing if her fear would get the better of her. She would not let it. Gently, she bid it to assist her with the password, to teach her the command that would silence the Leering and open the hidden passageway beyond.

The orb glowed in her hand and she thrust her eyes open as a single word appeared on the surface. The Leering was tamed and the stone moved silently open, allowing her a way inside. Thanking the Medium silently in her mind, Lia ventured inside.

It opened to a narrow walkway, between a chasm of stone walls. One of the walls stretched up so high that she realized she was staring at the base of the Abbey itself. In her mind, she repeated the command. She wanted to find Colvin but in a place where she could meet him privately. If she could not go where he was, then she wanted to go where he would be. She judged that the orb could do this, as it has done it before when she sought him after Almaguer’s men had captured him. It would guide her on the safest course, not just the most direct course. The spindles spun and pointed and she followed the base of the wall for a good distance before it stopped at another section of wall that contained another Leering. She repeated the request with the Medium and again the orb flashed and the Leering obeyed. Once more she stepped beneath a short archway and found herself inside another garden. This one was enormous and sculpted, full of shade and fountains and trimmed hedges. There were stone paths winding in lazy circles and rows of flowers and terraced stone boxes. Some plants hung from iron chains in dishes. The cloying smell of star jasmine filled the air. There were small benches and cushioned seats arrayed for guests, though the park was empty. She was grateful to find a stand of plum trees that still were full of ripe fruit. She ate several and savored their sweetness then stowed some in her rucksack for later. As she looked past the screen of branches and leaves, she saw the citadel-like walls of Dochte Abbey loom above her and noticed windows set into the towers and small balconies. The view must have been breathtaking.

Lia consulted with the orb again and it led her to the outer wall of the Abbey. She crossed the grass and hedges swiftly, anxious not to be caught wandering there and she listened carefully for the sound of any intruders. There was a shallow alcove and a door and she reached for the handle and it opened without resistance. Within was a corridor completely engulfed in stone, as black as a tomb. She swallowed, staring at the orb once again, and it blazed with light as she entered and the door shut behind her.

Lia found herself within a maze of interconnected narrow tunnels deep within the Abbey walls. The passage was not straight, but went up and down, forking this way and that as it followed between the walls of the lower portion of the Abbey. It was designed for stealth and moving unseen. Without the orb she would have been completely lost. With it, she managed to find her way to a section that led to a winding stairwell ascending higher and higher. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she climbed the steps, the path so narrow that she nearly felt the walls rubbing against her arms. Higher she went until the orb directed her to a massive stone block set on hinges. There were metal braces set into it and she saw the place where a loose stone could be pushed from the other side to unlatch it. She put her hand on the wall, her breath nearly bursting.