The Deepcombers

Chapter Nineteen

Captain Owen followed Atar inside and Sergeant Orchee swelled with pride. The ranger had become more important after the giant sanctioned these visitors as honored guests. He paced around and deliberately dawdled to let the curious villagers gander at the foreigners. Calbians were quizzical folks and whole families approached to inspect the newcomers in their muddy clothes. While on display, Tharus spoke with the goosenecked military commander in their own language and Lon listened for clues.

Moments later Orchee whistled and waved his arms to signal that he wished to clear the congested lane. The crowd complied and the squad was directed down-slope toward another building that also looked like it used the river in some ingenious manner. Huge stone blocks were mortared together and a thick chimney billowed wood smoke. The sergeant opened the door of the sturdy abode and pointed them into the place.  

The travelers could see and hear how the brook roared down the hill behind the establishment.  Once inside the building, Lon felt a moist heat as he passed under thick wooden beams. In the next chamber it became clear they were in a heated bath house with a ten-foot-wide central pool. The facility borrowed water from the river which it heated in a huge stone container.

Reptilian bath attendants, older females who wore brown aprons over their clothes raised and lowered sluice gates using ropes and pulleys. One aperture drained the bathwater out into the river. When this was closed, a slider on the far wall allowed fresh water to flow into the tub. The cold water steamed as it poured in over the hot rocks. Her task complete, the matron bowed, and her bony finger bade them to disrobe and enter the bowl.

Lon, Tharus and Jarl striped off their stolen clothes to enter the steamy cavity. Tharus helped Jarl remove his bandages. The big cat's wound had healed well, but he still moved slow and winced with discomfort. At first the water was only waist deep; and the bottom was too hot to stand in one place very long, but soon more of the creek entered and it became uniformly warm and pleasant. The matron seemed rather pleased with herself as she picked up their torn and dirty clothes.

"That's the best feeling in the whole world," Lon exclaimed as he swam about in the warm water. He dunked his head to wash the grime from his long white hair.

"Now we know this tribe is civilized," Tharus reminded the lionsfeigor. He was in heaven and filled with respect for his fellow reptilians. "...so very clever."

"Do you suppose Clyde will get the same treatment?" Lon wondered.

"No. He'll be lucky to ssurvive the night." 

"Nah. He's silver tongued," Jarl said. "He's real clever."

"He lied to uss," Tharus said. "Notice he didn't mention the Prince once?"

That was true, Lon thought, the letter of introduction was from his grandfather, Frederis Tolden, the one he'd said was a mental invalid. There was no mention of the fair Prince of Havista in his prepared remarks. But he did hand over a second letter which was not discussed, and which Hamlin had read privately before deciding he should be taken away.

Something else caught the lad's eye on the far side of the steamy pool. He watched the mist from the tub make a curious pattern in midair; the vapour exposed an odd space and he studied the anomaly for some time until it faded. Did I just imagine that?

"Did you see his gift to Atar?" Jarl asked, "How would Clyde's kin have such a thing? A hand-painted picture of the giant's friends. That's what it was."

Nobody had an answer.

"Do you think Atar and the white beards can talk without speaking?" Lon asked, his voice low.

"No. What makes you say that?" Jarl clearly didn't get the same impression from observing the quiet parts of the encounter they'd just had, but Lon couldn't shake the idea that there might have been another conversation happening underneath the talk they'd seen and heard.