Page 53 of Dawn of Hope
Storm takes a step forward out of the shadows, and I can see him more clearly. He’s young, probably close to Dane and my age. He extends his hand and clasps my forearm, a greeting I knew was common in a nearby kingdom.
It isn’t just Blackwood that has a fountain, then.
“Lennox.” His voice rumbles, reminding me of thunder, and I come to appreciate his name and wonder if it is real.
He releases me, taking a step back again.
“Anyone else back?” Dane asks.
“Not yet. Should be soon if they are coming at all.” He glances up at the sky that is now turning a light shade of purple.
“Alright. I’m going to show Lennox around and get her a platform. I’ll be back.”
Dane steps off the platform onto a thin beam of boards above a net of ropes and starts making his way across it. I follow, more wary and slow than Dane’s sure-footed gait and am grateful for the net below. Once across the beam and back onto more solid walkways, he gestures to the right, where a set of wooden steps wrap around the side of a tree and disappear behind it.
“This leads to the tavern, or so we call it. Food is prepared there, and if you follow the steps, there are some tables and chairs, enough for all of us.”
I lean to the side, trying to see past the steps, but it must be too far back into the trees. My stomach gurgles slightly at the thought of food. I don’t actually know how much time has passed since I last ate.
He continues on to the rope bridge on the other side of the tavern, his footfalls shaking the planks underneath me and causing me to stumble. I grab the ropes on either side quickly and stabilize myself as I try to keep up with him. I feel like I am walking on ice in the winter at the castle. Hopefully, I will get used to this for the time I am here.
He points to the right again at a smaller set of steps and a long, shrouded tunnel. “Back this way are the bathrooms and showers. Yes, there is running water, and no, I don’t know how it works. It just does. Same with the food too. The island takes care of us, knows what we need, and it just happens. There aren’t enough of us to have separate bathrooms, but there are separate sleeping quarters. Most people are shy when they first get here, so it’s okay if you want to shower at odd times. Some of us don’t at all and just go out in the water. It is up to you.”
Bathe? With other people?
I hadn’t ever had to share space with anyone before. Being the princess, I had everything of my own, and the idea of a bunch of strangers bathing at the same time
me while I bathed was not something I was expecting to have to do.
Dane looks me up and down, his eyes trailing slowly over my entire body.
“We’re going to need to get you some cooler clothes or this heat is going to get you.”
I’m suddenly aware of how much my clothes must be clinging to me, and how much he may or may not see. Beads of sweat run down my back and my hair clings to the back of my neck. What was Tila’s masterpiece hours ago is probably an absolute nightmare now.
The suns have now fully set, the only light coming from the fiery torches every few feet. Dane turns off the main walkway and starts climbing some steps up into a densely packed tree.
“Here are your bunks. Ours are on the other side over there.” He points across the center of the clearing to the opposite end of the ring of trees. “Right over there is the armory, but you shouldn’t have to worry about that yet. I’ll show you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I say, following his gestures and trying to see the areas he points out in the darkness.
“Doesn’t look like Mara is back yet. She might not be tonight, so you’ll have the place to yourself. She sleeps there.” He points to a platform close to the bottom. “You can pick any one you’d like. They all should have what you need.”
I nod and look around at the unclaimed platforms. They all have a thick sleeping pad, with a pillow and blanket stacked on top, ready for someone like me to show up. “Thank you, this is perfect.”
“Are you hungry? Do you want to grab some new clothes?”
“Yes, but some new clothes and a bath would be great, actually.” I need to wash off all this sticky sweat, although I have a feeling it will come right back. I hope I can get what I need and get back to Blackwood long before my body starts adjusting to this new climate.
“Let’s go then.”
Going back the way we came in, leaving the other half of the circle for another time. We still haven’t seen anyone else yet, despite Dane saying they didn’t stay out after dark. When we finally come to the so-called bathroom, I am shocked to see what is before me.
While I am used to bathing in a tub that Addy fills with warm water and oils, there is no tub here, only wooden walled stalls like the stables I rarely visited. A hollowed log grows out of the middle of the tree, branching into arms that drop one into each stall. Towels, soaps, creams, and oils are stacked on shelves carved directly into the thick trunk of the tree, and beneath it are piles of folded clothing, in different shades of earthy colors.
“You can take whatever you need. There are all different sizes and styles, whatever you feel comfortable in. There’s a basin just back there. You can wash anything you want to keep. And the outhouse is just past it. Again, don’t ask how it works, it just does,” he adds with a smile. He sees the confused look on my face at trying to figure out how all of this is possible up in a tree.
“Thank you,” I say timidly, walking over to look at the clothing options. “Um, do you think anyone else is going to be needing to bathe right now?”