The Scourge of Muirwood (Legends of Muirwood 3)

“I Gift you by your true name, Eprayim. I Gift you with courage and strength and power in the Medium. I bestow on you the rank of Aldermaston, the servant of all. May you speak no falsehood and honor your oaths. I grant you the demense and grounds of Muirwood Abbey, rightfully and properly to defend them as Aldermaston. To guide those who come there seeking escape. To guide them to Pry-Ree where the ships await. You will do this until you are released from your service or until death takes you. Be it thus so.”

As he spoke, Lia experienced a flood of warmth descend from the skin of her scalp all the way down to her soles. With the warmth came a weight – intangible, but very real. It was a burden of responsibility, a shifting of responsibility from the Aldermaston of Muirwood to her.

Lia’s eyes fluttered open in shock. “Is he dead, Maderos? Why did you Gift me with Muirwood? Is he truly dead…?”

“Hush, child. Too many questions. You must be an Aldermaston to learn the irrevocare sigil. That is all you need know right now. Do not pester me with questions. All will be revealed in time. Stand – you must learn the sigil.”

Lia rose, her legs trembling. She worried about Muirwood – about what was happening there. The feeling of uneasiness was as palpable as a mist. There was danger and fear. The Abbey was in terrible danger.

“Look at me,” Maderos said, cupping her chin. “You feel the burden already. I can see it. But you have another duty here to perform. Do you hear me?”

Lia swallowed, nodding.

“This is the irrevocare sigil. Watch my hand. You trace this shape in the air with your palm. Think of a block of stone. Down over up and across. A square. There is another square. It starts in the middle and goes this way. It is an eight-pointed star. It is the seal of Zedakah of the first Family. It is the sign he taught his posterity. It is the sign of the Aldermastons, the irrevocare sigil. Whatever you bind with this sign is bound forever, child. You will be commanded by the Medium when to make the sign. If you Gift someone and then make the sign, that Gift will remain with them forever. If you curse someone, the curse will last forever. You can never use it for yourself. You cannot bind someone to yourself or bind yourself to someone. Remember this, child. It is an important responsibility. Never use it against the Medium’s will. Great calamities have happened when that occurs. Do you understand?”

Lia nodded. “I understand.”

“You are an Aldermaston now. You have the authority of the irrevocare sigil. Go where the Medium bids you. I will wait for you here.”

Lia walked carefully around the rim of the circular chamber, staring at the cool light coming from a passageway on the other side. The stones were ancient and carved with masterful details – little patterns of leaves and symbols, cut into the stone and interspersed with glowing blue stones. There was a solemn feeling in the air, a whisper of centuries past. She did not know how long it had been since mastons had walked it, but she felt a peculiar reverence for the place. The pathway led to another tunnel, and from that tunnel, she experienced a Leering calling to her.

As she stepped into the tunnel, her heart spasmed with fear and terror. It struck her with such force that she nearly screamed and ran. Behind the terror beckoned the Leering, commanding her to come forward. She recognized that the fear was caused by stone faces carved into the archway ahead, their eyes white with power. She silenced them with her mind and they obeyed. The fear departed.

Walking hesitantly forward, Lia entered a small cupola. It was small enough to admit only a few people, but the space was consumed by a massive boulder. She did not know how the boulder managed to be there in such a confined space, but then realized immediately that the stones had been laid around it, shielding it from the eyes of the world. The boulder was crumbling in places and seemed as ancient as the world. The face was so worn by time that it was unrecognizable. It could have been a man’s or a woman’s face. The stone was smooth, as if touched by the sea for a thousand years. The power emanating from it was fearsome and immense – a huge presence that made her feel like the child she really was. This Leering had stood there for thousands of years. Who carved it and when?

Instantly she knew. The whispers told her it had been carved by King Zedakah himself. It was nearly as old as the world itself. It had been protected by the elements and safeguarded at Dochte for generations. Lia stared at it in awe. What kind of Leering was it? What powers did it hold?

Lia hesitated, staring at the face – imagining the man who had carved it. The first Aldermaston. The story of her family. A story that had been written and scrived for thousands of years. She swallowed with nervousness, feeling the weight of the responsibility. With a trembling hand, she reached out to touch the stone. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her fingers trembled as they brushed the stone.