The Scourge of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood 3)

The steps intersected with the foot of the rail of the balcony. The balcony was not spacious, but large enough to stand on and overlook the entire gardens below. Without knowing the stairs were there, one might never notice them at the corner of the railing wall, on the other side of the balcony, without a thorough search. Lia grasped the lip of the stone rail, with stubby pillars creating narrow gaps in it, and pulled herself over it, grateful to be in an enclosed area again and away from the risk of falling. There was a doorway beyond, well-lit with lamps and a cushioned seat. From the edge of the railing, Lia could barely discern the hetaera gardens below. Had Hillel seen the gardens and wondered what they were? Had she attempted to find them and been thwarted? Or had she discovered the steps leading down and found the courage to brave the descent?

Lia heard voices and pressed herself against the wall. She stuffed the orb into the pouch at her belt and waited, listening intently. What would she say to the girl? How could she impress on her the danger they faced and the need to flee?

Very cautiously, Lia waited and then peered around the edge of the doorway into the room. The door was wooden, but there were enough gaps for the light to exit and sound to carry. Lia stared through the crack in the door first and saw movement in the room. There were three girls in the room, but two of them seemed like servants. One of the girls disappeared through a door on the other side. The other lingered, waiting for the third, which Lia hoped was Hillel. She pressed her ear against the crack.

“Yes, you go down ahead,” said Hillel’s voice, which she recognized. “I am going to write again in my tome and then will join you at the fete. No, do not wait for me. I am slow in my engraving. I know you are excited to see that young knight who danced with you last night.”

She spoke in strong Dahomeyjan, but Lia still recognized her voice clearly.

The other girl did not need to be encouraged to find her beau and soon followed the first out the door, leaving Hillel alone. Lia held her breath a moment, waiting just a moment longer to be sure no one returned for a shawl.

Carefully and slowly, Lia pulled on the door handle and it bucked and resisted, giving her alarm that it was locked. But after the initial resistance, it opened quietly to her touch, the hinges oiled. Lia slipped into the torchlit room, amazed at the gauzy veils covering the enormous velvet bed, the ornate chests, hidebound and trimmed with gold, the fresh rushes, the smell of purple mint that was almost staggering in its intensity. The fragrance clung to the entire room. There were dishes, shelves, polished marble tiles beneath the rushes. It was the palace of a princess and contrasted sharply to Colvin’s small booth deeper below in the fortress.

There was a waxed wood changing screen, with several gowns hanging haphazardly across the top. It was from the changing screen that the sounds emerged, the rustle of fabric and then Hillel Lavender appeared immediately around the edge, facing Lia as she struggled to fit an earring into her lobe on her own. The two stared at each other, startled by the suddenness of their abrupt meeting.

Lia took the image in with a rush, her hunter’s eye clinging to every detail in a blink. The low-cut gown revealing ropes of gold and pearl necklaces to fill the open bodice. The gown was elegant, worthy of the tailor’s praise, but it was just the sort of gown Pareigis would have worn. She saw the rings flashing on her fingers, the rouge on her lips and smears of kohl at her eyes. But what startled Lia the most was her hair. It was lighter than what she remembered seeing before. It was almost a pale blond and the tresses had been crimped from excessive braiding. She realized immediately why. Hillel was slowly transforming herself to look like Lia in the hopes of winning Colvin’s heart.

For a moment, neither could speak. For Lia had the queer sensation that she was staring into the eyes of an enemy.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:

Secrets of Dochte

Neither spoke. It was too much of a shock for both of them, but Hillel recovered and her demeanor changed to a look of ardent relief. “Lia!” she gasped exultingly. “I should not have doubted my senses seeing you here. The orb led you?”

Lia could not shake off the feeling that the other girl’s first reaction was not friendly. It was an oily feeling lodged in the quick of her bones. “Look at you,” she said, staring openly at the transformation. Hillel had always been so meek and timid – there was a fire in her eyes that was not there before. “You have changed.”

“I have!” she said, nodding quickly. “I am desperate to leave this place. Thank the Medium you have come. It is a boon, Lia, truly.” She rushed forward and embraced Lia, squeezing her with affectionate warmth and the tremulous waver of a suppressed sob. Lia smelled her, inhaling the rich fragrance of purple mint. It swarmed them both.