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Lia felt a pulse of warning "I cannot speak it I will not say it"

"Of course not It is probably a trifling little Abbey hidden in thedid not come from Muirwood, the ancient Abbey of your country It did not coe Abbey in Paix Nor any of the other chief Abbeys Yes, young Ellowyn gave us the warning when she first arrived But when pressed as to the facts, she said the warning was given in a language she did not co a bit of Pry-rian, of course, in her deep studies at Billerbeck But the Alder to you, and you translated it for her You, who serve the machinations of Muirwood You may understand why I a so obviously self-serving If it is true, then why have not all the other Aldermastons been made aware of it the your cider, my lord The poisoned cider that has been so expensive to buy Only the most wealthy can afford it"

He smiled tautly "The cider comes from Muirwood, child," he reminded her

"I knohat I speak to be the truth The Medium has confirmed it to me"

"Yes," the Aldermaston nodded sympathetically He paced sloithin the s with sweat "You will find, child, that everything you were taught at Muirwood is a lie The Mediu Even I can make you believe that what I tell you is true" The force of feelings sla her ely that tears pricked her eyes and she found herself sobbing uncontrollably Then she was laughing, hysterically and violently, and she fell against the floor, twitching as the ainst her Then sadness – a sadness so deep and terrible she drowned in it She could hardly breathe through the pain, the pain of a thousand deaths, the pain of a irls jilted by love, of s for husbands The depth and i but the suffering Then it was gone, and she found herself huddled on the floor, choking on her tears, clawing at the stone Her entire body was drenched with sweat

Sniffling and still feeling the dregs of the eth to raise her head as the kishion hefted her body and dragged her into an open cell Fro,his broith a silk kerchief

As the kishion dumped her on the floor, she proceeded to retch violently, expelling everything within her stomach The stink was vile andhad drained her, the millstone of emotions had left little else inside her As she turned to look for sooblet of cider

"Water," she begged hioblet down near her

She knew that they would never give her any water The only thing to drink would be the poisoned cider She re Marciana in the tower, frantic with emotions She also understood what Dieyre

"All is well and safe They caught Lia in my chamber in the tower I knew she would return I could sense her distrust They will test her She will fail The Aldermaston has told me that she will She will fail because ato a kystrel We will leave soon for hoht is already sprouted in his mind Soon – so very soon"

- Ellowyn Demont of Dochte Abbey

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE:

Ordeal

There was no way to tell if it were night or day There was no way to distinguish sun or shadow The only light was the pitch-soaked torches and the incense braziers The soblet lay before her, te Her throat was on fire with the desire for a drink She was still weak froht any food The kishion stood guard within the shadows, occasionally changing position, pacing like a caged ani at their cells and then he would s the opportunity to torture theroaning She heard hi the floor of his cell

"I am sorry," she said

There was no reply

The kishion appeared outside her cell His gaze was full of eagerness He said nothing, only stared at her Actually, he leered at her Prowling the sry