So, she convinced the others to stop in Villadelle for the night. They’d arrived in the late afternoon, and Sonah had immediately requested a bath.
Flopping onto her bed, Sonah closed her eyes and waited for the bathwater to be brought up. Smiling, Sonah recalled Melanos walking into the room with a tub, looking for all the world as if the bulky basin seemed to weigh no more than a bucket.
A knock sounded at her door and she sprang up, excited at the prospect of her relaxing bath. Yanking open the door, Sonah blinked stupidly at the beautiful woman on the other side of the door.
“Bethana,” she said after staring at the nymph. Stepping aside, Sonah gestured for the woman to come in. “I was expecting my bath water.”
Sonah closed the door and turned to face Bethana. The nymph stood with her delicate hands clasped in front of her, a shy smile on her face. Her golden hair was plaited in a thick braid falling to her waist. Despite riding as much as the rest of them, the woman seemed refreshed and without the mud-speckled clothes Sonah still wore.
She tugged self-consciously on her own filthy locks that had long since come undone from her braid.
“Aye, I came to offer assistance with your bath, if you’d like,” the woman said in a soft, lyrical voice.
“Uhm,” Sonah scrunched her chin. “I…. thank you, lady, but I do not need help. Though I appreciate the offer.”
Bethana smiled, the enchanting expression making Sonah even more aware of how feral she must look to this woman. Bethana’s iridescent skin flashed teal and blue as she moved within the small room.
“I know you used to be at court, so must be unaccustomed to such a simple life,” Bethana gestured to the sparse bedroom.Sonah glanced over her shoulder at the thin blankets on her bed and the lone armoire that had seen better days.
She shrugged. “Aye, but I’ve adjusted since… you know. Everything.”
Bethana nodded. “Of course. But as the daughter of Ares, I cannot sit by without at least offering my services. As a water nymph, I can make your ablutions more pleasant.”
“Ah, right.” Sonah nodded. “I’d forgotten. While that sounds lovely, I do not wish to put you to work. Just the act of bathing will be such a treasure I fear I might never emerge once inside.”
Bethana laughed. “It is up to you, of course. At the very least, I have a bath oil I’ve prepared for you. It should ease your aches from riding.”
The nymph held out a small jar filled with what looked like honey.
“When did you have time to make this?” Sonah asked even as she held out her hand for the jar.
Bethana winked. “Oh, I have my ways.”
After Sonah thanked her again, Bethana turned back to the door. “If you change your mind about my assisting you, please let me know. I?—”
Another knock sounded just as Bethana opened the door. Leander, the Riverman, stood on the other side, hands laden with buckets of steaming water.
Bethana gave Sonah a knowing smile before she inclined her head and moved aside for Leander to enter. Sonah fanned her face, turning toward the bed so Leander would not see how flustered she was of a sudden.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he muttered as he poured the contents into the waiting tub. The Spartan soldiers came in as well, their heads studiously locked on their chore before they hustled out of the room.
When Sonah turned around, she noted with a startled squeak she and Leander were alone, Bethana and the others nowhere in sight.
“Lady,” Leander said in a raspy voice. “Do you… desire anything else?”
Sonah’s eyes almost popped out of her head.
In a voice more shrill than she intended, she sputtered, “Aye! I desire your departure at once!”
He chuckled and turned to leave. Sonah grabbed a boot she’d discarded near the foot of her bed earlier and chucked it at the door as he closed it.
His deep, throaty laughter on the other side faded long before her heartbeat settled back into its normal rhythm.
Chapter 27
ERMANEL
Rydon had been surprised to see the Heylisian prince when Soros’s man arrived with the gagged and bound royal, but when the soldier informed him he was to bring the cypher to the captain’s tent on Ren’s orders, he spared no further thought on the man.
