Chapter 36: Heat

One of the most pleasant surprises in the morning was the lack of a serious hangover. Ever since she ascended, her body had been brought up to its peak. Although she didn’t have the enhanced healing that came from the fourth level of ascension, she woke up fairly well rested, if thirsty and ravenous.

When she ventured to the dining hall, her new friends were there at a long table, but Davos was nowhere to be seen. Tobias saw her and waved her over, shoving Iris over to free up a space. Adriana came by, but sat between Cora and Lucas. “Where is he?” she asked.

Cora sipped a hot drink. “He headed out early to secure his boat. We’re going to be tugging it behind our ship, and he’s helping make sure no one messes up his baby. His words, mind you.” She rolled her eyes.

Adriana laughed. “Sounds like him. So we’ll meet him there, probably. How long until we head to the harbor?”

“About an hour,” said Lucas. He pointed up at the counter. “Get yourself some breakfast, freshen up with some clean, fresh water before we spend a few days on a ship together.”

“Are you saying I stink?” Adriana asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eye. Lucas wasn’t impressed, and others had their opinions too.

“You do have a unique fragrance,” Eva said with a haughty sniff.

“It’s not bad, per se,” said Iris.

When Tobias made a face, Adriana knew the battle was lost. “Fine, I’ll go take a damned bath. Not like the rest of you are much of a prize.”

“No,” said Lucas. “But we’ve all bathed this morning. You smell like sweat and old booze. Not that it’s very bad,” he added with an uncomfortable grimace. “Get food first, then clean up.”

Adriana stood up. “No, no, I get it. I reek and am offensive to be around.” She grinned.

“Yes,” said Eva. It said something about her mood that Adriana just laughed and walked back out of the hall.

Adriana asked the wiry blacksmith where she could find a bath, and he pointed her in the direction of what he considered the plateau’s greatest treasure: a natural hot spring on the other side of a tunnel leading through the mountain. She thanked him and went right there.

The tunnel was claustrophobic, and halfway through it reminded Adriana of when the mountain fell on her, and she had to find her way out. She didn’t like closed-in spaces to begin with, but she pushed on.

The hot spring lay tucked away from the rest of the island, and Adriana had to wonder how jealous the residents who had nothing to do with the Outpost were. If they even knew. There were several pools separated by straw walls, in three different tiers, separated by gender, with one mixed bath that took up the massive center of the clearing. She headed right for there, noting there were already a dozen other people scattered throughout the bath.

“Hey, hold on a second,” a bath attendant jumped in her way. “You have to pay.”

Adriana cocked her head to the side. “Do the Children of Stephanos have to pay too?”

The woman hesitated. “Well, that’s different, and --”

“Lucas will pay for it, and he said to give me your best, most fancy smelling oils.”

The bath attendant’s demeanor changed immediately. “Is that so? Well, if that’s the case, why don’t you make yourself comfortable and I’ll bring you the luxury treatment.”

“Perfect!”

The jerk wanted to make a comment about how she smelled? She’d play his game. He probably made enough haemar to pay for everything and then some, and he wanted on her good side. And if he complained, she’d pay him back. Probably.

Adriana went right up to the water and peeled her clothes off. Now that she had a better chance to look at them, they were pretty dirty. Heedless of people watching her, she stripped down to nothing and sank into the hot water. It was another thing different since her ascension. Heat and cold no longer touched her unless they were extremes, but the bubbling water and atmosphere was nice. She submerged up to her neck and closed her eyes.

Minutes melted away and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was a shame she wouldn’t be able to linger as long as she’d like. In fact, another day or two at the outpost would have been nice. It would give her time to practice and get to know people. Maybe she could even give Eva another chance, see what she’d do with it.

It wasn’t too long until the attendant returned, and she wasn’t alone. Iris was with her, carrying a couple of large towels. “Hey,” she said, looking around nervously. “Want to join me in the women’s pool?”

Adriana looked between them and closed her eyes again. “I’m pretty comfy. You should join me, and if anyone gives you crap, I’ll hold them under until the bubbles stop.”

Iris let out a nervous laugh, but didn’t argue. “I’ll take these,” she said before she dropped the towels near the lip of the springs and grabbed the tray. It contained a variety of soaps and oils. “Ooh, I’ve always wanted to try this scent!”

“Then get in and let’s make the most of the generosity of our glorious leader.”

Iris hesitated, but stripped down to just underwear. She was an extraordinarily skinny, tanned young woman who looked like a stiff wind would blow her over, despite her endless energy and optimism. She disappeared into the water as fast as possible. “Is Lucas really paying for this?”

“He did say he’d pay for anything I need. What else was I supposed to do?” Adriana splashed Iris playfully.

“I dunno! Probably this.” She took a bar of purple soap and sniffed it. Her eyes lit up and she soaped up a cloth and began washing herself. It was a good reminder that Adriana didn’t have as much time as she liked.

She picked a dark green soap that smelled like trees in the summer. The next twenty minutes were spent scrubbing every inch until the water was cloudy with dirt and muck and Iris had to put more distance between them. Once, a man came close, but Adriana raised a hand and the sight of bubbling Smoldersap made him back up in a hurry.

Stolen story; please report.

All too soon, they’d washed and dried off and put a few dabs of sweet smelling oil on their necks and under their arms. Adriana’s clothes were still filthy, but there was a change in Davos’ boat. No doubt he was there right now, moving their stuff to their ship’s quarters. She was clean enough for now, but now there was no time for food.

“That was pretty nice,” Adriana said once they were on their way out. “Wish I’d known about it yesterday, after our spar. Do you know if Hessiopolis has good baths like this?”

“Even better! Hessiopolis is so big, and gorgeous, and half our buildings are monuments to our God!” Iris gushed, before she remembered Hessius was dead. Her face dropped.

“I’m…sorry he died,” Adriana said. That was how people comforted each other, right? “He went bravely, and the last thing he talked about was protecting people. It’s part of why I’m going with you. He gave me his power, and his responsibility.”

Iris nodded. “You’re not what any of us expected, but you’re strong and I think you’ll be a good addition to the team.”

Her stomach twisted once more. “If I join, of course. But yeah, I’m going to give you a chance. C’mon, let’s meet up with the others.” She put on a burst of speed. Anything to get her out of that wretched tunnel.

The rest of the group waited in front of the dining hall, and both Lucas and Eva looked annoyed at her. Adriana grinned and approached with her arms spread. “You were right! That was like being transformed. How do I smell now?” She sidled up to Lucas and put her elbow on his shoulder.

He pushed away from her, failing to hide his smile. “Wow, I can still smell you from ten feet away, but now it doesn’t make my eyes water.”

“Looking good,” Tobias said with a hungry, lopsided grin.

“What about me?” Iris asked, twirling in place.

“Oh. Uh, yeah, you look good too,” said Tobias.

Eva cleared her throat. “We’re running behind, and the captain is not a very patient man. We should be off now.”

Adriana laughed. “What’s he going to do, leave without me? If this task of yours is so important, then we can take whatever time we want.”

She had never seen one man sigh as often as Lucas did. “While that is technically true, I’d rather be on time, thanks. How about this, Adriana? Race you to the harbor.”

It made her laugh. “Do you think I’m that easy to bait?”

Lucas stared her down. “Am I wrong?”

Rather than answer, Adriana took off running. She heard a cry behind her, and then the rest of the team gave chase.

There were few things in the world more exhilarating and pure than pushing one’s body to the limit. Much like fighting, it made her feel alive. As did the competition. Tobias had a similar power as Davos and could move lightly. At one point he even showed off by pivoting and running sideways on the wall for a dozen yards before he pushed off and floated down the side of the red mountain.

“That’s cheating!” Adriana shouted after him.

“Is it?” Eva said, buzzing by her in the air. “Then this definitely is!” She bypassed the city entirely and headed straight for the harbor, darting through the air.

Iris trailed behind them all, but she had enough energy to keep going. Lucas, on the other hand, came up right beside her as they turned a corner and changed directions. The sloping path did that a few times, and it always cost momentum.

“You feel that?” Lucas called, looking at peace with the exertion.

“Feel what?” Adriana tried to keep her eyes on the ground ahead of her, but Lucas was distracting.

“The sun. It makes many of us stronger. Your Godmark hints you’re one of us. That gift I gave you last night. Are you ready to use it? I can help you learn it better.” Like usual, there was no deception or agenda on his face. Despite his size and strength, Lucas was so oddly quiet and calm. His movements were steady and predictable, and her sense of his where he’d be was oddly pleasing and hypnotic.

“Yeah,” said Adriana, finally. “I feel it. My Inner Fire…” She thought about just activating it, but for once, wisdom won out. “What should I do?”

They continued to run, neither going as fast as they could. At one point other people on the trail had to flatten themselves to avoid being run over. The distance between the two warriors and Iris grew by the second. As they approached the next turn, Lucas said, “Watch me closely, and only use it when you need it.”

They turned as one. One, two, three steps before Lucas’ steady, predictable gait changed in a flash. His foot came down, and then her perception of him flared as he expended power and flew forward. As soon as it started, it was over…until his long, skipped step ended and he touched the ground again. He sprung forward once more.

Adriana understood. She took a long, deep breath and focused on feeling both her body and the sun. Everything was as it should’ve been. Her power waited for her, and the next time her foot touched ground, she unleashed her Inner Fire.

It was like her entire body came to life and pushed itself to twice its limits in one smooth motion. It burned steadily, eating through her energy almost as fast as her flashfire. She understood then why he’d warned against holding onto the power for too long. Adriana’s next step launched her into the air and she cut it off.

She landed next to Lucas and kept moving. An uninhibited laugh bubbled past her lips. The long trek up the mountain just two days before had taken maybe ten minutes on the way down. They’d nearly trampled several people and left Iris behind, but Tobias waited for them. Eva was probably already at the ship. They stopped at the base of the mountain.

“That was fun,” said Lucas. He breathed a little harder than normal, and a light trail of sweat trickled down his temples, but he otherwise seemed fine.

Adriana, on the other hand, had to catch her breath. “You’re…relentless…”

“Seriously,” said Tobias. “He never gets tired. Ever. And he always expects the rest of us to keep up! I don’t have any problems doing it, obviously, but look at poor Iris. If you guys want to go ahead, I’ll wait for her.”

Lucas and Adriana shared a look. “Yeah, go for it. We’ll get on the ship and get comfortable. Don’t linger!”

Once that was done, they walked the rest of the way to the harbor. At midmorning, the city was starting to get busy. The plateau had been bustling, but there was a peaceful quiet to the top of the mountain that the city lacked. Being at sea for a few days would be a relief, before Hessiopolis overwhelmed her.

“Nervous?” Lucas asked her, as if he could read her mind.

“Never,” she lied. “Just thinking that this is my last chance to back out and run away. I could just get Davos and go.”

He nodded in understanding. “Please don’t.”

It was so simple and quiet that she didn’t quite understand why it worked as well as it did. “Fine,” she said. “But if I’m going to join up, we need to make room for Davos too. He can be our pilot and scout.”

“Eva’s our scout,” said Lucas, “but I wouldn’t say no to more hands. With you on our side, we’re going to face more dangerous missions, so more could be better. Oh look, there’s Eva there.” He pointed up and over the ships.

Eva hung in the air, waving her hands frantically. She pointed, and Adriana had a bad feeling. She looked over her shoulder. The streets around the harbor were almost completely empty. Too empty at this time of day. “Lucas?”

“Yeah,” he said. What do you think it is?”

Her stomach plummeted. “It’s Synto.”

Slow, mocking claps had her whirl around. Synto and Mykos slipped out of an alley. They weren’t alone. Out of other alleys, more men poured out, at least eight of them from all directions.

“The way I see it,” said Synto, “this is our last chance before it gets to be more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Adriana shouted. “You think these people will stop me? I’ll end you this time.”

Synto’s greasy, smug face twisted into a smile. “Oh, do you think so? Bring him out.”

Two more men came out where Synto had been. They carried a limp figure, bound in ropes of silver and shackled with Builder-made devices. He struggled as best he could, but Davos was helpless.

“Do I have your attention now?”