Shadows in the Trees: Book 1

Chapter 18

Despite their questions, Cerridwen had refused to tell them more. Instead, she insisted that they eat, drink, and bathe. She led them from the cave, Vess and Jubil following behind. Rhiannon could feel their stares searing into their backs, and she knew if she tried to run she wouldn't make it far.

Though she was curious about the fate of the twins, and what it had to do with the band of humans that had found themselves in the forest, Rhiannon was excited for a bath; she needed one desperately. She had never felt so unholy. She hoped Cerridwen would offer her some sort of clothing as well, as her poor, tattered robe probably couldn't last much longer.

The mouth of the cave spilled out into the forest, back into the thicket of pallid bark and unnaturally green leaves. There was a footpath leading from the cave, and Cerridwen led them down it until they approached a clearing. Cerridwen stopped, so quickly that the man -- she believed was called Malik -- nearly collided with the Sylph woman. Cerridwen turned.

"Do not say anything. Do not stare. And remember, they are as afraid of you as you are of them. They have not seen humans in quite some time," Cerridwen said. Rhiannon exchanged a look with Jaida. Though Cerridwen seemed to mean them no harm, she was terrified to step into an entire nest of these creatures.

The clearing was a nearly perfect circle, with fires scattered throughout. There appeared to be some sort of makeshift amphitheater, a collection of logs arranged in a half-circle. The trees at the edge of the clearing were warped to make shelters, and Rhiannon could see more of the green-brown creatures walking in and out of their homes. When they saw the entourage of humans, they halted, some frozen in rather comical positions. Rhiannon was used to strangers staring at her, but she could tell her companions were uncomfortable with the attention from their tensed shoulders. Cerridwen paid them no mind, cutting through the clearing and leading them back into the woods. Just past the clearing, the trees opened up once again, this time for a wide pool of clear water.

"Bathe," Cerridwen said. Jubil had stayed in the village, but Vess and Cerridwen sat at the bank of the pool.

"So you're just going to watch us bathe?" Prince Julian asked.

"We cannot have you drowning. Or running away," Cerridwen responded pleasantly. Rhiannon shrugged. As a girl, she had often bathed at the public bathhouses with her subjects in an effort to win their favor. Once she grew older, it became too much of a risk, and she was forced to bathe in her chambers, but she had never been self-conscious of her naked body.

Rhiannon peeled her filthy robe from her skin and stepped into the water, her face impassive as the other humans gasped or averted their eyes. The water clouded with soot, blood, and dirt, but it was quickly carried away by the current.

"The water is very warm," Rhiannon said. She had expected it to be cold and had mistook the steam coiling along the surface of the water as fog.

"Yes, it is fed by underground hot springs," Cerridwen said. "Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful," Rhiannon said, combing the grime from her hair with her fingers.

"Lucky that a hotspring happens to be next to a perfect, flat clearing," Jaida scoffed under her breath.

"It is not here by luck," Cerridwen said. Jaida started. "But by design."

"Bathe, humans," Vess said, her voice deeper and surlier than Cerridwen's. "I can smell you from here."

The other humans reluctantly removed their clothes, leaving their undergarments on as they sloshed their way into the pool. They were careful to keep a good distance from each other while they bathed and washed their soiled clothes. Rhiannon chuckled to herself, finding their modesty amusing. Though she didn't want to leave the warmth, she stepped out of the water. She picked up her tattered robe and found she couldn't bear to put it on her newly clean skin.