A: Ch. 6.3 (Clean)

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Kya was still finding it difficult to catch her breath and hours had passed since she’d escorted those despicable men from the training grounds. Every time a glimmer of the incident scurried across her memory, her stomach would cramp and her breathing would quicken.

She couldn’t even recall the last time she had actually utilized her military position. More often than not, she was far away from any of the other soldiers. She trained on her own, avoided any and all battles, and attended only the sparsest of officer meetings. She even shot a man! Granted, nothing had ever felt so wonderful in her life, but she shot her own soldier!

If she hadn’t, they would have killed Hilt. And, here she went again, restarting the endless cycle. Why hadn’t she let them? She would lament the few opportunities she had to kill the Third General, but then be faced with the reality that she prevented several instances that may have taken his life. Each time it felt like something else took over and her body acted of its own accord.

To save herself the agonizing analysis of her actions, Kya made an effort to put all thoughts of General Hilt far from her mind. What she needed more than anything was a long, relaxing bath. After she cleared her head, maybe then she would find the courage to talk to the General. Perhaps then she could find a way to get out of being his ‘guide’. She’d procrastinated this much; she just needed a smidgen longer before even he would admit it would be too dangerous.

So Kya made the familiar journey down to the thin spire which held the whole castle above the tumbling falls. She had been meaning to go to the hot springs here for ages, but always had an excuse not to. The walls grew damp the farther she descended and the lanterns grew more sparse. Steam traveled like scavenging caterpillars across the rugged stone ceiling, circling up to the catacombs above. In the deep winter, the heat from the springs would warm the entire castle.

Bare feet offered better traction on the slick stone path, so Kya abandoned her boots and continued. The oppressive vapor clung to her lungs and cleansed her mind, just as she had hoped. She wrapped the silk robe tighter around her body and held the towel close to her chest as she made the final few winding steps into the springs.

The softest scents of lavender, lily of the valley, and honeysuckle tempted her mind, pulling her into the surprisingly well lit and large room. There were over a dozen springs that mimicked the cascading stepping stones of the Capital’s layout. Each one was connected by a small waterfall or blocked by a large hot boulder. The effect was much like a maze, one spring leading to another below. An extravagantly crafted chandelier hung above the misty pools and hundreds of lit candles were placed about, bathing the room in shimmering emerald and gold light.

Normally there would be several lords and ladies relaxing in the various pools, but today it was quite empty. Normal soldiers weren’t allowed down here, and any ranking officer who was had journeyed North with the King.

Ugh, the King.

Gritting her teeth, Kya slipped out of her robe, wrapped the towel around her torso, and finally stepped into the tantalizing waters of the first spring before her. She let out an audible sigh, and pressed her aching back into the perfectly smooth and sculpted rocks behind her.

Kya only vaguely recalled the last time she had seen the King. That whole week had been a daze. Elivagar had received ‘definitive’ proof that Lorant had perished on his mission –which they had all expected months prior, but had all been wrong, as Kya now knew—and the council had been bickering about their next move. King Yaro, the prick, was nowhere to be found at the meetings, but was instead fucking his newest wife. They never lasted very long with him. He wanted them young, almost as young as the women married off in Nibheis, and he would discard them as soon as they ‘showed their age’. Sometimes he would find some excuse to find their marriage null, but more often than not the body of the young queen surfaced after a ‘difficult childbirth’ when no impending pregnancy was known. Everyone knew what happened, but none dared bring it to light.

When Kya was younger, she used to count Yaro’s wives. She stopped when the king hit thirty.

Sinking deeper into the waters, Kya tried to piece back together what happened in that week. Cress had come to see her, along with Liore, giving her the news of yet another failed mission, and then she spent several days in the Salvation of Serenity. She prayed to all the spirits, but mostly to Aru’mat the Baleful. She had already made up her mind months prior as the crippling guilt and depression latched onto her heart. Her prayers simply asked for the most oppressive of Spirits to help her face King Yaro one more time.

Then, just as she had decided to barge into the King’s quarters and announce her plans to be the next assassin, Master Silae sat down next to her and whispered something in her ear. Then the plans changed.

Kya distinctly remembered the prickling shivers that ran across her skin and the lifting sensation of something else guiding her body. It was frightening, yet oddly reassuring. She didn’t know what to make of it. The next few days were lost to her. Then she was kneeling before the king, speaking words she once begged for the courage to say. They came easily, fluid.

And then she was off to capture the Third General, but not kill. Not yet. Did she even look into Yaro’s eyes? She didn’t think so. She would have gagged if she had.

“Apparently there is a woman beneath those unflattering uniforms. I’d never have guessed.”

Kya yelped and nearly jumped straight through the ceilings. Blinking, she swirled around, looking for the source of the voice. She prayed that it was just a trick of the echoing walls, but she knew it to be true. Of course the fucking General would be here.

But how had Kya wandered so far? She wasn’t in the spring she first settled into. In fact, she was in the opposite side of the room; far away from the only escape route and proper attire. How had she not noticed he was here? And where the hell was he?

“What were you thinking about? I’ve never seen such a peaceful expression on that face before.”

Kya whipped around and shot a sickening glare at the dark silhouette through the fog.

“That’s more what I recall.”

How the hell could he see her face when she could barely see him? He was up several steps, leaning lazily in the waters. Her body shivered as his lamp-like eyes burned through the mist like torches.

“What are you doing here?” Kya grumbled, grateful that she managed to keep her towel with her through her aimless wandering.

“Well, I’m not making cherry and blueberry pie,” Hilt called sarcastically.

Asshole.

“I thought that I was alone,” Kya admitted.

Hilt chortled, “Obviously.” His form suddenly rose from the waters. Panicking, Kya ducked down and clamped her eyes shut. Unfortunately, she could not keep them closed as Hilt slid into her pool. She was lucky enough to capture a view of his perfectly tanned buttock, naked as the day he was born.

Oh Spirits above. “It’s customary to wear a towel for some privacy,” Kya remarked.

“Couldn’t find one,” Hilt shrugged. Without the haze to distort his features, Kya could plainly see him smirking at her. He was perfectly positioned. There were nothing but slick rocks and large boulders around her. If she wanted to leave, she would quite literally have to get past him. Fuck.

Kya gnawed at her lip, an old habit she couldn’t break. “What do you want?”

“Why would you assume that I wanted something?” Hilt asked innocently. He lifted his hand from the water and rested it on his chest as if mortally wounded. Now that he was closer, Kya noticed there was a bandage wrapped around his head. She hadn’t realized how hard he had been hit.

“Then move so I can go by.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

Fucking asshole.

“So we shall stay in here until we cook into a lovely stew?” Kya asked, shifting uncomfortably. She clung to her towel as if it alone could save her.

“Oh, I couldn’t allow that to happen to the dearest Princess of Elivagar,” Hilt said calmly, looking up to examine the chandelier. “Quite fascinating. What is it made of?”

“Amber and crystalized ferns,” Kya growled. “What do you want, Damien?”

The Third General lazily looked back down at her. He paused, examining her. She squirmed under his gaze and felt a flush creep up from her neck.

“I want you to tell me all you know about The Castle in the Wall.”

Kya blinked. She wasn’t expecting that. “What?” she asked. “You mean that legend I told you about over a week ago?” She hadn’t heard it referred to in such a way. “It’s just a story.”

“I saw something. There was a lantern, or a torch, something—there was someone in the cliff face.” Hilt’s voice was low and serious.

Kya scoured her mind for an explanation. “I’m not hiding some entrance, if that’s what you’re asking,” she said defensively. “All I know is the story I told you.”

“I know when you’re lying—“

Kya opened her mouth to yell at him, but he continued talking.

“—and it’s clear you don’t believe that I saw anything.” Hilt scowled at the surface of the water. “You are certain there are no other clues in your scriptures?”

“I—“

“Never you mind. You wouldn’t know a clue if it whacked you across the face.”

Offended, Kya leaned forward, once again ready to scream and shout and, once again, he stopped her.

“I need to see those scriptures. You say you have read them? Where are they? I’ve been through your castle dozens of times and I can find no library to speak of.”

“They—“

“—are up in the North. I figured as much.”

She glared at him. “Am I allowed to—“

“Speak? No. Your voice annoys me. I simply find it easier to sort my thoughts against another person. You are the most knowledgeable person here, except perhaps that Master Silae. But he has made quite the point of avoiding me ever since that bloody Cress came back. I’m fairly certain he suspects something. During the little prayer sessions—or whatever you people call your religious gatherings—that I’ve attended, I will catch him staring at me and not drop his gaze.”

Kya didn’t know how to respond. How could he cover so many topics at once? Instead, she tried to change the subject.

“I thought you were here to reprimand me for my leadership skills earlier today and then remind me of our impending departure.”

Hilt’s head snapped up. “Reprimand? No. Laugh, perhaps. Though I was a bit surprised by your choice of punishment for that grunt.” His eyes glistened and his grin widened.

The flush on her cheeks grew hotter. “They broke the law. I punished accordingly.”

“And you Northerners call Nibheis cruel.”

Kya wrapped her arms firmly around her chest. “May I leave now?” she asked, trying to be as polite as possible.

“I’m not holding you here hostage. You can leave whenever you would like.”

That was too easy. “Will you please move?”

“No.”

Damn. “Why not?” she demanded again.

“Because this particular spot has an absolutely lovely stream of bubbles caressing the skin on my feet. And this molded seat here is quite wonderful. It just cups my—“

“So you won’t move?”

“Nope,” Hilt grinned.

Kya didn’t have a choice. She would have to find a way to climb around him. Oh, Spirits above.

She tiptoed across the pool, occasionally having to swim as the floor would drop away. All the while General Hilt was watching her. Awkwardly half-swimming, half-clinging to her towel, she managed to skirt around the edge of the spring. Soon enough, she was right next to Hilt. He still wouldn’t move.

“I need to get by.”

“Then go by,” Hilt responded.

Kya tried to keep her eyes on his face, recalling how he was completely bare to show the world. There was a narrow opening in the rocks that allowed entrance (and escape). Kya gingerly stood up on one of the ‘seats’ that had been carved into the stone, the steaming water streaming off of her. This was the only instance she had ever physically towered over someone. For half a moment, she reveled in that thought.

She pulled at her covering a bit more before reaching her leg up. If she could just get some leverage, she could leap to the other side. As it was, her legs were too short. Cursing softly, she held the flimsy cloth with one hand and reached out with the other. There was a rugged rock sticking out. If she could just reach it…

The calm and droll observer finally spoke up. “You’re making this more difficult than it needs to.”

“If you would move, then it wouldn’t be difficult.”

Kya could feel the fabric slipping on her skin, but all of her weight rested on her left hand. She couldn’t let go. Oh, no. She wasn’t going to lose that. She desperately grasped with her right hand and tried to conceal as much of her chest as she could. But alas, the ends of the fabric released their grasp of one another and the elegant knot she had used to keep it tied in the back flitted away.

Instinctively, she tried to reach back and catch it. Then the front fell.

“Well, isn’t that a sight?”

Kya wasn’t quite sure what happened next, but there was quite a bit of cursing, arm flapping, scraping, clawing, and water splashing about. She was fairly certain that she managed to slap something, but then her hand rubbed against something she had no intention of touching. Panic ensued again.

“Hey! No—OW— What do you think you’re—JUST STOP!” Hilt roared. He finally managed to grab hold of Kya’s ankle while she flailed, drag her to him, pin her arms to her sides, and keep her still.

As the sloshing water settled, Kya was finally able to sense her situation. She couldn’t very well see it since all the splashing extinguished each and every one of the candles, leaving them in the eerie glow of the chandelier which was swaying precariously above them. How had they gotten that to move?

Kya gulped as sensation returned to her limbs. Hilt was clutching her forearms, yes she already knew that, and her hair was sticking to her face. What good was that knowledge? Her toes tingled and something seemed to be aching deep inside her stomach, as if her body knew something she didn’t.

Why was she so close? She could count each and every whisker on his unshaven cheeks and see the little droplets of water glisten on his neck and drip down to his chest. His chest… which was pressed against hers.

She seized up and tried to pull back. Sensing this, and likely anticipating another rabid flailing attack, Hilt’s fingers clenched further down onto her arms. She swallowed hard and looked back into his face. He looked concerned, and quite surprised. Kya was certain her face was etched with horror. How much time had passed since they ended up in this position? She couldn’t recall.

Neither of them were speaking. She tried to open her mouth, but it refused. She couldn’t swallow anymore. Her fingers felt numb. Numb? If they were numb, why were they moving? An eerily familiar prickling sensation traveled along her skin, originating from the base of her neck and following the contours of her body to the tips of her toes.

Her mind went foggy, and her eyes went black...

Kya’s eyes snapped open and her foggy trance shattered as if by an angry herd of rheteks. What had she done? What was she doing? Anyone could see her in such a state.

Disgusted, Kya ripped herself away from Hilt’s embrace to see his startled and confused face. He looked ready to speak when she pulled back her hand, rolled it into a fist, and punched him with all of her might smack in the face. She felt bones crunch beneath her and felt hot blood spew on her knuckles.

“Holy--! Fuck, woman! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He roared, doubling over in pain. Kya pounced on this opportunity and leapt over him. She abandoned her towel (admittedly, she didn’t know where it was) and scurried as quickly as she could up the tumbling falls and through the blistering waters. Was it the water burning her skin? It was either that or her shame.

“Hey!” Kya heard him calling after her, but she tried to ignore it. “Hey, Kya! What the—“

What had Hilt done to her? He had to have done something. She would never, in a million centuries, do anything, anything, with that man. What magic was he concealing? How had he managed to put her under such a spell? Embarrassed and humiliated, she pulled herself out of the final pool, snatched her robe, and bolted out of the room.

There was one thing she did know. She would never admit to another soul what happened under the veil of mist with the Third General of Nibheis.