Chapter Twenty-Six
Korik
Korikwokewiththefirst rays of sunrise. The same strange mix of relief and dread still felt heavy in his stomach as he sat up, looking out at the snowy expanse surrounding them. He could see the gentle slope of the mountain giving way to the valley ahead, and the natural hot springs would be only a few hours’ walk from where they were now.
He was relieved that the hardest part of their journey was over, yet anxiety gnawed at him every time he thought about it ending. It was silly, but he had started to enjoy Varen’s presence. He hadn’t really had a friend like this before, and the thought of going back to his same solitary existence in Drol Kuggradh was growing less and less appealing.
Afriend. Was that even what they were? Friends didn’t sleep with each other, did they? But they weren’t...morethan friends, either. It was transactional. Practical. A way to keep warm. When they arrived at the elven fort, whatever strange relationship they had would be over. Wasn’t that what he had wanted all along? Why did the prospect of it feel so bitter now?
He had always been fine alone. He would be alone again, and he would be fine then, too. He had to be.
Varen stirred beside him, the first rays of daylight on his face. The way the light landed on him was beautiful.Hewas beautiful—Korik had had the thought often enough now that he didn’t try to shove it away in embarrassment any longer. Varen was an elf, so of course he was beautiful. It didn’t have to mean anything special.
The elf’s eyes opened and blinked, before landing on him. Varen shot him a sleepy smile.
“Morning,” he mumbled. A small, fond smile tugged at the corners of Korik’s lips.
“Good morning,” he said, standing to his feet. “Hot springs today.”
“That sounds divine,” Varen groaned, rolling onto his side. “Let’s not waste any daylight, then.”
They ate a handful of berries each—not nearly enough to be satisfying, but enough to stave off the worst of the hunger—then Korik slipped into the earth, as Varen packed up their things. Birds and small mammals were abundant here, so it was easy enough to scout ahead. There were no signs of danger on their route, and he could see the hot springs nestled within the foothills.
Rocks surrounded one large pool, and a few smaller pools clustered around it. The largest pool was natural, and the smaller had been carved out long ago by the clans that roamed nearby. The springs currently appeared unoccupied, which was a relief; there was still no telling how welcoming any of the mountain clans might be.
The path looked clear, and he knew where they were going. He released his hold on the bird and came back to himself. Lately, when returning to his body, the first thing that he was aware of was the biting cold on his fingers. He winced and tucked his hands into his coat to warm them as he stood. Varen was waiting a few steps away, packed and ready to go, holding Korik’s rucksack out to him.
“Just a few hours,” he said, as he took his pack. “Nothing too difficult, hopefully.”
Varen grinned up at him, hazel eyes flashing in the morning sun. “It’ll be nice to have a more relaxed day today, then. Compared to yesterday.”
Korik snorted. Their use of his wooden panel as a sled had been more than a little hare-brained, but he couldn’t deny that it had worked. Still, he’d had more adrenaline pounding through his veins yesterday than perhaps ever before in his life—which was saying a lot, considering how tumultuous the past few weeks had been.
With their snow shoes strapped back on, they broke camp and headed out. The snow beneath them was soft and largely untouched. Korik could see where piles of it had slid down the mountain like tiny avalanches. Varen pointed out several types of trees he recognized, all indications that they were slowly, but surely, making progress closer to the elven outpost. The air was cool and crisp and still. The snow muffled all sound, making the world nearly silent, save for the soft crunch as they walked.
As he’d estimated, it took about three hours to descend the rest of the mountain and finally arrive at its foot.
“Thank thegods!” Varen exclaimed, when Korik remarked they were no longer on the mountain, throwing himself down onto the snow with exaggerated happiness. Another hour of travel, and the hot springs came into sight.
Korik spotted the faint haze of steam on the horizon first, relief washing over him at the sight.
“We’re nearly there,” he said, turning to Varen. He pointed. “See the steam coming up?”
“I can’t wait,” the elf groaned. “I’ve been dreaming of a hot bath fordays. This is going to be the best day of my life.”
His pace quickened, and Korik bit back a laugh, shaking his head as he followed. He was so unlike all the stuffy, prim elves he’d met before; it was hard to imagine that he had once thought Varen was the same.
When they finally arrived at the spring, Korik pointed out the large main pool, along with its smaller offshoots, explaining to Varen that they were all from the same source: the big pool was the natural spring, and the small ones had been dug up long ago. The warm water was calm and still, steam rising up from the glassy surface in big, lazy billows. As picturesque as it was, now that they were here, it took all of Korik’s self control not to jump into the hot water immediately.
Despite the fact that they had been sleeping together for a week, it still felt too awkward to disrobe and get in the water with Varen. Instead, he stepped over to one of the smaller pools, facing away as he carefully removed his layers of clothing; he folded them neatly where they would stay dry, then stepped into the pool. The warmth was almost painful on his cold feet at first, but quickly faded to a much more pleasant sensation. He sank all the way in with a deep, relieved sigh, eyes closing in bliss. The water was perfectly warm, just enough to ease the ache in his muscles, but not so much as to become uncomfortable. He couldn’t quite say that this had made it allworthit, but it was certainly a great reward for his long-suffering.
He could hear Varen splash nearby. Korik opened his eyes and watched the elf sinking into the closest small pool with a similar groan of pleasure.
“Gods, that’s perfect,” the elf murmured, eyes closed. “I could stay here all day.”
Korik chuckled. “We can stay if you want. Take a day to rest up, recover a little.”
“Yes, please,” Varen said without hesitation, which made Korik chuckle again. They were close enough to their destination that he doubted one extra day would make the difference. And the hot springs wereverynice, after days of trudging through snow.
