Chapter 12. More Dreams

CYRAN

I’m finally convinced to take a bath by Veesa.

“She’ll be out for a long while, a few hours at most, but she’ll be fine,” she said, “Go on. A bath and a hot meal will do you a lot of good.” She drew the curtains, then left the hall without much coercion, and I knew she was right.

I was barely standing, and my stomach rumbled now and then. So I followed her to a large hut, a sauna of sorts behind the hall, down by a creek below the village. Water was already drawn for a bath, a steaming pool in the middle of the room. Then she left me alone to bathe.

I immerse myself in the thermal water, savoring the heat and the steam. I could sit here forever in this hot pool, but I still worry about Saelyna, so I hurry about scrubbing and washing. My hair particularly gives me trouble; it’s grown longer and unchecked down my neck. I make a mental note to get a haircut at the slightest chance as I scrub out dirt that joins the rest of my body’s grime in staining the w