She pressedher forehead against her knees and tried to remember what freedom felt like. It had been six years since she'd last walked beyond these walls. Six years since she'd felt grass beneath her feet or wind in her hair without iron bars between her and the world.
Six yearssince she'd been anything more than her uncle's prisoner.
A soft rustlingsound made her head snap up. Her heart leaped into her throat as the door to her wardrobe, barely large enough to be called such, creaked open.
"Holy Mary, Mother of God."Maia gasped, pressing a hand to her racing heart as a familiar figure emerged from between her few hanging gowns.
"Och, daenae look so frightened!"Mollie stepped fully into the room, her round face breaking into a triumphant grin. "It's just me."
"Mollie!"Maia scrambled off the window seat, rushing toward her maid—her friend, really, though neither of them dared acknowledge it openly. "What in heaven's name are ye doing hidin' in me wardrobe? If Uncle Callen found out ye were here, ye willnae like his reaction."
"He willnae find out."Mollie waved away her concern with characteristic confidence. She was only a few years older than Maia, but possessed a boldness that Maia had lost somewhere in the darkness of the past six years. "The guards saw me enter with yer breakfast hours ago. They think I left already."
Maia shook her head,torn between exasperation and affection. "Ye're goin' to get yerself dismissed. Or worse."
"Worth it."Mollie reached back into the wardrobe and pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle. Her grin widened as she thrust it toward Maia. "I brought ye somethin'."
Maia tookthe bundle with trembling hands, already knowing what it contained. The weight, the shape, her heart stuttered with desperate hope as she carefully unwrapped the cloth to reveal three leather-bound books.
"Mollie,"she breathed, tracing her fingers over the embossed titles with reverence. "Where did ye, how did ye get these?"
"Daenae askquestions ye daenae want answered." Mollie's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Let's just say the travelin' merchant who came through yesterday was very accommodatin' when properly motivated."
One of thebooks was a collection of poetry. Another appeared to be a history of the Scottish clans. The third was a novel that took Maia's breath away. It was the kind of romantic tale that made her heart ache with longing for adventures she was likely to never experience.
"Thank ye,"Maia whispered, clutching the books to her chest. "Ye daenae ken what this means to me."
"Aye, I do."Mollie's expression softened. "Books are the only way ye can see the world now. Yer only window that doesnae have bars across it."
The truthof those words settled like lead in Maia's chest as she stared at the books.
These books have becomeme lifeline to everythin' beyond these four walls. Now it is through these pages and ink, I can travel to places I'd never see. Meet people I'd never encounter. Experience emotions that me uncle's prison has tried so hard to crush out of me.
"I daenae kenwhat I'd do without ye," Maia gasped, barely above a whisper. It took her a moment to push back the tears before she set the books carefully on her table and turned to embrace her friend.
Mollie returned the hug fiercely."Ye'd manage. Ye're stronger than ye think, Maia Ferguson."
"I daenae feel strong."The confession slipped out uninhibited because Maia was with someone she could be herself with. "Especially nae after…"
"After yer uncledecided to start the day by remindin' everyone how heartless he is?" Mollie pulled back, her jaw tight with anger. "I heard some of it before the guards moved me along. I wanted to march back down there and pour his mornin' porridge over his head."
Despite everything,Maia felt a smile tug at her lips. "That would have been somethin' to see."
"Wouldnae it just?"Mollie guided her toward the table, pushing her gently into the chair before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "But then we'd both be locked up, and who would bring ye books?"
Maia ranher hand over the leather binding of the poetry collection. "This is what makes me happy. Books and the stories ye tell me about the village, the travelers, the clan news." She looked up, meeting Mollie's eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm goin' mad, locked away like this."
"Ye're nae mad."Mollie's voice was firm. "Ye're a prisoner, aye, but ye havenae lost yerself. Nae yet."
"Sometimes it feels like I have.”
"Nay."Mollie leaned forward, intensity burning in her dark eyes. "Daenae say that. Daenae accept that fate."
"What choice do I have?"Bitterness crept into Maia's tone. "Even if me uncle sells me or marries me away, it'll just be goin' from one cage to another. I daenae think anyone will care about me with the way I look.”
"Stop that nonsense right now!Ye ken yer uncle is mad and ye shouldnae let his words about yer look affect ye.”
Maia flashed her a look,but she did not respond. The room fell into silence for a long moment, while Mollie studied her with an expression Maia didn't quite understand.
