‘Where are we going?’ Sloane asked as the woman started herding her into the castellum.
‘You need to get ready for tonight,’ Orelle said.
‘But there’s still so much to do, and nightfall is hours away,’ Sloane replied. ‘Surely I don’t need that long to prepare?’
Her question met a disapproving stare and Sloane sighed knowing there was no fighting with Orelle when she had her mind set on something. Sloane silently followed her through the castellum and was surprised when they started heading towards the far corner of the vast ice building. She had figured they’d be returning to the room she’d been sleeping in to prepare. But instead, Orelle was navigating to the back of the castle, where the icy corridors opened onto a series of caves that were burrowed into the towering mountain behind.
The route became darker as they stepped beyond the glittering ice of the castle and into the dim, rocky tunnels that were carved into the mountain. They were headed towards the large cavern that held the underground lake of Liftsal and the thought caused Sloane’s heart to quicken and her stomach to tense.
She paused when she realised where Orelle was taking her, refusing to go a step further. ‘I can’t go into the Liftsal cavern again,’ Sloane choked out, surprised by the fear that was pulsing beneath her skin. She had nearly died in that cave and had been suffering from nightmares of the place ever since.
Bad dreams and brushes with death were never things Sloane would have feared before. But her memories of the cavern were always so vivid and horrible, and she found herself dreading the thought of returning.
Orelle stopped and turned to look at Sloane. The woman’s face was barely visible in the darkness of the cave, but Sloane’s eyesight was keen, and she could see the sympathy in Orelle’s eyes.
‘We’re not going to the Liftsal cavern,’ Orelle replied, her voice soft and understanding.
‘We’re not?’ Sloane sighed, releasing a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding.
Orelle gave a small shake of her head. ‘There are other caverns within the mountain. I’m taking you to one that contains hot springs that our people sometimes use to bathe in.’
‘Hot springs?’ Sloane repeated. It was difficult for her to picture given the world she was becoming so used to was consistently cold and snowy.
Orelle nodded. ‘Come, I’ll show you.’
Sloane kept close to Orelle as she led the way deeper within the mountain. The route to the Liftsal caves was quite easy for Sloane to recall, but Orelle did not take her near them. Instead, they started down one of the narrow tunnels that shot off from the main one. The walkway almost immediately sloped downwards in a steep descent, and they silently continued to make their way towards the springs held within the core of the mountain.
It didn’t take long for the sounds of splashing and low murmurs of speech to reach Sloane’s ears. The small threads of fear that lingered under her skin were suddenly replaced by curiosity as she followed Orelle towards the noise.
Their descent stopped when the tunnel came to an abrupt end and opened up into a large cavern that contained an underground lake. While the Liftsal cavern was blindingly bright with dazzling crystals covering every surface, the cave that sprawled before them was far darker with deep blue and green crystals emitting a soft, glowing light from below the surface of the water.
The water flowed into the lake from a cascading waterfall at the far end of the cave, and steam leisurely drifted across the surface of the lightly bubbling water. The air in the cavern itself was warm, though the change in temperature barely affected Sloane.
There were a handful of Unfaih in the water. She could see one woman towards the back of the cave, but there were only men close to the entrance. One of the men started to walk from the water, and Sloane quickly averted her eyes when she realised he was naked.
She could feel herself blushing, and she ground her teeth at the reaction. Sloane may have been strong and brave, but she had never been intimate with a man before, and she crossed her arms over her chest as she tried to ignore the fact that the naked Unfaih was drawing closer to them.
Orelle smiled a little when she noticed Sloane’s reaction, and then nodded for her to follow as she moved deeper into the cave. They kept to the cavern wall and made their way around the water’s edge. There was only a narrow pathway around the lake, which almost kissed the walls that surrounded it.
‘Both men and women use these waters for washing,’ Orelle said softly as they walked. ‘The men tend to stay closer to the entrance, while most of the women enter the lake from a more secluded spot around the corner.’
Sloane nodded, feeling comforted slightly by the fact that she didn’t have to undress in front of Unfaih men. She wasn’t insecure in her skin, but she was hardly an exhibitionist. She would feel much more comfortable fighting a man in battle than being naked in front of one.
‘Why haven’t you brought me here before?’ Sloane asked. Washing in freezing water had been one of the things Sloane despised the most when she’d been living with Orelle. That and the rashi she had to eat. But given the amount of steam rising from the surface, the water in the underground lake had to be hot.
‘It’s too close to the Liftsal caves,’ Orelle responded, a flicker of guilt passing through her eyes before she glanced away.
‘Ah,’ Sloane replied, not needing any further explanation. Now that she had drunk the Liftsal, the Unfaih no longer needed to protect her from it. She guessed that was also the reason why Orelle hadn’t invited Rowe to join them.
They followed the wall of the cavern as it curved away from the lake to reveal a small sheltered section of water where several Unfaih women were relaxing. Orelle started to remove her clothes, and Sloane quickly followed. As soon as she was down to only her undergarments, she darted into the water. Sloane didn’t quite feel brave enough to be naked, although the women around her certainly did.
The water was surprisingly hot, and Sloane let out a sigh of appreciation as she slid further beneath the surface. She didn’t pay much attention to the others around her as she moved deeper into the water. She was too fixated on how the water was making her feel. It was relaxing her, but she was also feeling the strangest sensation from it.
While she could sense the water’s heat and enjoyed the way it seemed to caress her skin, it didn’t make her start to sweat like it might have normally done and it didn’t make her feel stifled. She felt content, like her body temperature hadn't raised even slightly.
She’d felt a similar sensation whenever she’d been outside in the cold since drinking the Liftsal. The chilled air had nipped against her skin, but not once had it been uncomfortable and not once had she shivered. It was yet another weird way her body was changing, but she didn’t want to think about that right now. Instead, she closed her eyes and fully submerged herself below the water before rising to the surface. She lay back and allowed her body to float, pushing all her troubling thoughts away.
Sloane started to smile as she allowed her mind to drift listlessly without settling on the problems that usually plagued her waking hours. She hadn’t felt so relaxed in a long time, and she relished in the feel of floating aimlessly around the underground pool.
Some of the women had been whispering when Sloane first entered the water, but all of a sudden their voices became slightly louder and they started to giggle. Sloane had almost forgotten that she wasn’t alone. Frowning, she slowly lifted herself from the water and stared over at the two women who were causing the disturbance.
She was surprised to find that she had floated beyond the sheltered area where she had first entered the water. She had drifted out towards the middle of the lake, close to the waterfall that was visible from the entrance.
She glared in the direction of the two women who were giggling, but they both had their eyes fixed on something on the other side of the cavern.
Sloane turned to see what it was and immediately wished she hadn’t. Rhyn stood at the edge of the water. His chest wa
s already bare, and he was beginning to remove his pants.
As if he sensed Sloane’s gaze, his eyes suddenly shifted up and settled on her. There was some surprise in the way he looked at her, but his stare turned more intense once he seemed to realise that she was half-naked. Sloane didn’t wait to see what he would do next. She quickly submerged herself in the water again before swimming back towards where her clothes lay at the lake’s edge.
Orelle was already clothed and waiting for Sloane as she emerged from the water and made her way up the bank. If the woman was curious as to why Sloane was moving so fast she didn’t say anything, and Sloane was grateful she didn’t have to dodge any uncomfortable questions.
As they walked back around the edge of the cavern, Sloane kept her gaze firmly on the smooth surface of the rock wall beside her. She didn’t need to look towards the water to know that Rhyn was watching her. She could practically feel his eyes searing a mark on her skin as she walked.
Only once Sloane was out of the cavern did she feel she could breathe easily again. She didn’t know what to make of Rhyn’s reaction to her presence there and the heat she’d felt in his stare. A part of her wanted to chew over the memory, but the more rational side of her brain urged her to spit it out.
All she knew was that she was confused and that her heart had skipped a beat when their eyes had met. She needed to talk to Rhyn tonight and finally find out what was going on between them. Then, one way or another, they could put the tension behind them for good.
Chapter Eight
Sloane’s dress looked as though it had been sewn from midnight. It was like someone had captured the essence of night’s darkest hour and contained it within the floaty navy material that shimmered against her skin. She had thought her dress at Kai’s choosing ceremony was exquisite, but this one certainly rivalled it.
Rowe smiled as Sloane entered her room, her eyes bright with appreciation as she admired the outfit. But Sloane wasn’t the only one dressed beautifully. Rowe wore a deep green dress that was the same hue as her eyes, and she looked so stunning that Sloane couldn’t help but smile.
‘You’re going to have to get used to attention tonight, Rowe, because you are a knockout in that dress.’
Rowe blushed prettily and glanced down at the slinky fabric that clung to her figure. ‘I’ve never worn something this beautiful before,’ Rowe replied. ‘I’m sure people will only be looking at the dress.’
Sloane shook her head and walked up to Rowe to lightly grasp her arms. ‘You’re the one that’s beautiful,’ Sloane said. ‘And don’t you forget it.’
Rowe looked up at her and gave a slight shake of her head, as though she didn’t believe a word Sloane said. But at least she didn’t object to the compliment as she might once have done.
‘Is Jack meeting us here?’ Sloane asked, taking a step back and allowing her hand to drop to her side again.
‘I don’t think so,’ Rowe replied. ‘He was busy with Kai when I saw him last. I reminded them about the celebration tonight, but the two of them were so enthralled by that stone, I don’t know if either one of them heard. The way they’ve been obsessing over it since the battle, we’ll be lucky if we see them at all tonight.’
Rowe sounded disappointed, and her shoulders slouched as she spoke.
‘Is there something going on between you and Jack?’ Sloane asked, tilting her head as she watched Rowe closely. Sloane knew her sister better than anyone, and she’d noticed that Rowe had been acting differently lately, especially whenever Jack was around.
‘No,’ Rowe replied quickly. Too quickly. She may have denied Sloane’s suggestion, but there was no denying that Rowe’s cheeks were growing redder. Sloane didn’t push her on it though. If her sister wasn’t ready to talk about what she was feeling, Sloane wasn’t about to force her.
‘If you say so,’ Sloane said, with a cheeky wink.
Rowe laughed brightly and shook her head in response. She took a step towards Sloane and linked her arm through her sister’s. ‘We should get going. Unless, of course, you’d like me to start questioning you about whatever’s happening with you and Rhyn?’
Sloane scowled at Rowe, but the expression quickly dropped and was replaced with a smile when she saw how happy her sister was. She couldn’t remember the last time Rowe had teased her, and after seeing the sorrow in Rowe’s eyes following the battle with the humans, a part of Sloane had wondered if her sister would ever laugh again.
The two of them left Rowe’s room arm in arm, followed by the Unfaih warriors, who had been standing guard at Rowe’s door. It offended Sloane that Rhyn had ordered guards to watch them. After everything they’d done to help his people, the least he could do was trust Jack and Rowe.
Sloane knew the reasons she had a guard were different though. The warrior wasn’t following her because she couldn’t be trusted around the castellum. He shadowed her steps because there was every possibility that she was turning into one of the Unfaih’s greatest enemy.
Most of the Unfaih were already out in the courtyard by the time Sloane and Rowe arrived. The night was cold, but hundreds of small balls of flame hovered over the celebration like fiery fairy lights. Sloane hoped they would keep the temperature tolerable enough that Rowe wouldn’t freeze despite the thin dress she wore. Rowe lifted up her shawl and wrapped it over her shoulders as they walked towards the large gathering of Unfaih.
‘Are you cold?’ Sloane asked.
Rowe shook her head. ‘I’ll be okay,’ she replied.
The two of them fell silent as they admired the celebration. The Unfaih were all dressed formally in gorgeous gowns and elaborate suits. There was an instrumental band standing on a stage that had been erected in the middle of the courtyard. They played unusual looking instruments that released soft melodies into the night’s sky. Some of the Unfaih sat at the long tables eating and drinking, while others were dancing under the soft burning lights that hovered over their heads.
‘I thought the Unfaih didn’t eat or drink,’ Rowe said, keeping her voice low as they approached the nearest table.
‘They don’t need to, but I think they do enjoy it on rare occasions,’ Sloane responded.
Rowe lightly picked up a small bowl of rashi as they passed the table and nibbled at the food with slight disinterest as she watched the party surrounding them. ‘Do you want some?’ Rowe asked, nodding at the bowl in her hands.
Sloane shook her head as she eyed the food. As much as she missed eating, she did not miss the taste of rashi. A part of her was glad of the fact that she never had to taste the foul stuff again.
The two of them came to a stop at the edge of the area in which the Unfaih were dancing and quietly stood as they watched the men and women moving to the joyful beat. Rowe was tapping her foot along to the music happily, appearing to share in the merriment surrounding her.
Though the people were dancing cheerfully enough, Sloane couldn’t ignore the slightly solemn mood that seemed to cloak the evening. The celebration was stunning, but there was a distinct absence of laughter, and most of the Unfaih were talking in hushed voices. Many Unfaih men stayed seated, and Sloane wondered if it was due to the injuries they had suffered in the battle. Every so often Sloane caught looks of concern on women’s faces as they watched the men they were dancing with. Flanking the area, some warriors stood to watch over the people, and they were a stark reminder that the world around them wasn’t as safe as it should be.
Sloane felt every ounce of that sombreness invading her spirit. It felt wrong to be celebrating after the battle they’d just endured, and she didn’t feel like rejoicing when there was so much uncertainty over what her future held.
The crowd parted ahead of them, and Rowe abruptly stopped tapping her foot as Jack came into view. He was deep in conversation with Lorian. Both of them looked extremely serious as they spoke, and Sloane couldn’t help but wonder what they could be discussing. Jack glanced in their direction and his expression completely changed as he caught sight of t
he two of them. He grinned broadly, his smile becoming larger as he admired Rowe’s outfit. He murmured something to Lorian, not taking his eyes off Rowe, before he started making his way towards them.
‘He came.’ Rowe spoke so softly that Sloane thought she might have missed it before she’d drunk the Liftsal.
Jack wore a similar suit to the Unfaih men with pants that clung to the muscles on his legs in a flattering way. His jacket was done up with buttons that looked like softly glowing crystals, and even his deep red hair was brushed back neatly from his face. Sloane had never seen him look so smart. From the way Rowe was watching him, it was clear that she was also impressed, but it was also obvious to Sloane that her sister felt something more than friendship for the man.
‘You look incredible,’ Jack said to Rowe as he approached. ‘You both do,’ he added, when he suddenly seemed to realise that Sloane was standing next to her sister. His eyes barely glanced in Sloane’s direction though, and she began to feel like a very conspicuous and unnecessary third wheel.
‘What were you and Lorian talking about?’ Sloane asked, crossing her arms over her chest to fight the sudden sense of awkwardness she was experiencing.
‘He was just telling me more about when the first rift was closed,’ Jack replied. This time when he looked at Sloane there was a hint of enthusiasm in his eyes. ‘It sounded horrible, but it was kind of incredible to hear the story first hand. He told me all about Joran closing the rift and how he could actually see the world changing around them. How the devastation slowly spread from where the rift had been, freezing the air and ground around them before it moved on to touch the mountains and the sea beyond.’
‘Sounds like the perfect conversation for a celebration like this,’ Sloane muttered.
Jack ignored her sarcasm and continued excitedly. ‘Can you believe he was there though? It’s kind of crazy to think about how old he is.’
‘True,’ Sloane agreed, though the elder’s age no longer shocked her as it might once have done.
The Rift War (The Liftsal Guardians Book 4) Page 8