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I never expected to see again.
    Mud turned her hair stringy, clay dyed it red. Her eyes were milky white and empty, her skin stained. The plague had left her cadaverous. Her nails were jagged from digging out her grave.
    “Maier,” I breathed her name.
    Her head cocked to one side, and she lifted her other hand skyward. “Help me.”
    “I’m here now.” I ran my palm over her hair. “It’s all right. I’ll take you home.”
    She planted her palms on the ground and grunted, pushing until her knees cleared the slush. She flung her head back and issued a keening cry that broke my heart. Then she backhanded me. Blood exploded in my mouth as I flew backward. While I lay wheezing on the ground, she raised her hand to strike again. Before she swung, a low buzz began vibrating my teeth until they throbbed.
    Then it occurred to me…if Maier’s mouth had been buried, then who had cried for help?
    “Lepus turns chewy if you let it get cold.”
    I shivered free of the past. “What?”
    Murdoch wiped his mouth with a crumpled scrap of fabric. “Are you eating or aren’t you?”
    My stomach tightened at the memory of Maier’s emaciated face. “No.”
    Carrying a plate to the bed, he sat beside me and speared a hunk of meat. He pressed against my lips when my mouth stayed shut. Steam rose to tickle my nostrils. I coughed and dry heaved.
    “My nephew knows that trick too.” Murdoch pinched a roll and held it out for me. “He used it when his mother cooked a meal he didn’t like. Though he sticks a finger down his throat first.”
    Being compared to an unruly child tempted me to act like one, but if I opened my mouth, he would stuff it full of roll. Instead, I ignored him in favor of the hall. He’d left the door open, and I had a view of the room across the way. Leaned against its frame was Lleu, who blew me a kiss.
    “Don’t encourage him.” Murdoch rose, stalked across his room and slammed the door in his friend’s face. “He’s worse than a case of fleas and twice as hard to get rid of. Trust me. I know.”
    Since he stood across the room, it seemed safe enough to say, “I want no male’s attention.”
    “Then you’re doomed to a life of disappointment, because no male will ever pass you by and not take a second look, or a third if he thinks you didn’t notice the first two.” He watched for a reaction. It satisfied me not to show him one. “Now. When I asked you if you were eating or not, what I meant was—are you feeding yourself or am I shoveling it in for you? My orders are to get food down your gullet, then escort you to the maven’s quarters for a bath and change of clothes.”
    He leaned down and offered me the same bite of bread. Despite the unease churning my gut, I snatched the morsel from him with my teeth, gulping it whole. “Untie me and I’ll feed myself.”
    Murdoch wiped the edge of my mouth with his thumb. “I’m going to regret this.”
    Setting me free? Yes. I would make sure of it.
     
     
    I wobbled like a filly on unsteady legs, my hands braced on the walls to either side of me. It took three times as long to reach Mana’s room as it would have if I had accepted Murdoch’s arm, but I was tired of being dependent on him. I was ready to stand on my own. He made no comment as I crept down the hall, just trailed after me, barking orders at any who came too close or stared too long at me. Ah. So this was how one treated mavens in Cathis. I couldn’t say I cared for it.
    It must drive Mana insane to have a path cleared for her when she would rather blaze her own.
    When at last I reached the end of the hall, Murdoch sidestepped me and rapped his knuckles on the door. It swung open to reveal a fresh-faced Mana. Steam poured from the room, the scent of lavender billowing past her to perfume the hall. Her pink cheeks stretched in a smile.
    “Your timing is excellent.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Your bath is ready.” She gestured toward an enormous metal