Chapter 15

LOI'S EYEBROWS SHOT UP WHEN Henja said "out the back" what did that mean? Henja ushered them out the back of the Inn, past the tables and more staring people. Audi snuck along behind and scooted through the door before it caught her tail.

There, in a concealed courtyard stood four iron baths lined with sheets and filled to the brim with hot, sweet smelling water. Tiny coal fires burned underneath to keep them warm. A hot and flustered looking woman stood to the side of the courtyard, hooking a long metal pipe back to the side of the building. She wore heavy looking gloves and steam wafted from the end of the pipe.

That's where the hot water came from, Loi thought in fascination, wondering how it all worked.

The others appeared to realize this at the same time and all four of them thanked the maid, making the woman glow even redder. Henja waved the maid away as the girls grinned at each other, gesturing the baths again in delight. Loi felt the tension in her shoulders start to evaporate.

WE THANKED HENJA PROFUSELY AND a red blush stained her jaw line while she laughed off our thanks.

'No! No, not at all, Sian paid generously for your stay so I want you to enjoy it,' she paused then, eyes widening before she regarded us speculatively. 'And if you could mention it at the castle when you get there-'

'Of course we'll give rave reviews about you, Henja, how could we not?' I gestured at the gorgeous little courtyard.

She gave us another wide smile.'You can lock yourselves in, see? There is a key in this side, so no one will bother you. When you are done let me know and I will bring your supper to your rooms.' After pointing out the pile of drying sheets, she stepped out of the room and shut the door.

I locked it behind her then turned to the others. 'Peace at last!'

'And a bath,' chimed in Loi.

'And food!' cried Sian.

We laughed and started to strip our clothes off. I struggled with the high boots, attempting to loosen the laces while pulling the tops down and ended up hopping around the room, with Audi bouncing along beside me. Kassie and Sian could barely stand for laughing at me while I wheeled my arms madly to keep from falling.

Loi rushed over. 'Here. Let me help before you hop through a wall.' She quickly worked the knot out of the laces and yanked the boot down to my ankle.

'Thanks, Loi, you're such a good friend,' I said while pointedly staring at Sian and Kassie, who just laughed more. Reaching down, I pulled the boot slowly off, careful not to lose balance again. We slipped into our baths with sighs of relief and pleasure.

Resting my head back, I let my mind drift, shooing away any persistent thoughts and allowed the heat from the water to penetrate my aching muscles. I groaned quietly in relief; I'd never run that hard before. Elgrids were a pretty good form of encouragement, not that I saw them becoming popular in gyms anytime soon. My thigh muscle twitched and I winced. I will be sore tomorrow.

That word, tomorrow, started the swirls of nausea in my stomach. A panic attack threatened while my brain tried to process everything that'd happened today.

Take it easy, soothed the rational voice in the back of my mind. No need to rush, you're safe.

I settled, breathing slowly till my heart stopped racing and tried to enjoy the silence. I managed perhaps five minutes before I had to call out to the others.

'So, plans for tomorrow? Any thoughts?'

IN THE BATH BESIDE HER Sian heard Loi snort in amusement and grinned.

Trust Cat to break a much-needed silence, she thought, but still contemplated the question.

'Breakfast, pack and go?' she suggested.

'We should have a chat to Wrenwick as to which way to go,' Kassie said, in the bath on the other side of Loi.

'Then what,' frowned Loi. 'Camp in the forest? What if we find more of those things?'

'They said it'd take a month to reach the castle,' Cat said, leaning her chin on the side of the bath, looking over at them. They fell silent then. A whole month, thought Sian; how are we going to do this?

KASSIE SUCKED A BREATH IN, blowing it out through pursed lips.

'Perhaps when we're clear of the town we should spend some time practicing with our weapons. I realize it means we won't get far tomorrow, but if we can reach the forest by nightfall it means at least we'll be a little prepared if we meet anything-nasty,' she suggested.

'I agree,' said Cat. 'I haven't had as much experience with swords as you guys so it'd make me feel a little more secure.'

'I haven't really used a bow like that before,' Sian said. 'Antiquities are more Cat's thing. It'd be good to get a feel for it.'

Cat wrinkled her nose at Sian and the others chuckled. It lifted the mood back to the relaxed state. Kassie lay back and felt her muscles relax in the heat of the water. She peeked over to see where Lucky sat.

On my clothing, of course, she thought with an internal groan. Lucky looked quite happy curled up on Kassie's top. It felt strange to be able to relax fully. At the back of her mind a voice worried about what would happen to them but Kassie kept it as quiet as possible. Still, a few tears snuck out and she had to take slow, careful breaths to resist sobbing.

One day at a time, she thought pushing the anxiety away, keeping her thoughts pragmatic. One day at a time.

Minutes ticked by and the heat helped to dissolve the anxiety enough that she had to fight the urge to fall asleep. A splash broke the silence, making Kassie jerk in surprise.

Cat sat up in her bath, coughing and hacking.

Loi laughed at her. 'Did you doze off?'

'Yes, and took a decent mouthful of water,' she grimaced then coughed some more. 'Ewww.'

SIAN IGNORED THE OTHERS WHILE she listened to her heartbeat, thrumming soft and steady in her ears. She'd have to ask Henja what herbs were in the water, she could feel the medicinal properties working their magic.

The thudding of her heart seemed strangely loud now. Sian opened her eyes, confused; why doesn't that sound right? She noticed Loi staring at her.

'Can you hear that?'

Sian gulped in surprise. 'Wha?' she started.

Henja pounded on their door. 'Girls! Look up, a dragon is flying over!'