There’s that secrecy again, too. I wonder if it’s all because of his paranoia about the relic or if it’s something else entirely. He clearly holds a high position with the King, so maybe choosing a less populated town is for his protection as well.
The carriage slows and eventually comes to a stop. The door opens, and I see the female Hunter who greeted us earlier. Jenna? Gina? Whatever her name is, she’s around Callum’s age, maybe a couple years older than me. Her dark hair is tightly braided into a crown around her head, with gold pieces adorning parts of the braid, shining in the moonlight.
“Everyone all right?” She asks, eyes flickering to Callum for the confirmation that I didn’t try to kill him or something.
“All good, thanks, Ginna.”
She nods curtly. “I’ll take care of the horses, and I’ll meet you inside.” She steps out of view, leaving the door open.
Callum exits the carriage and holds his hand out to help me out. His courtesy supports his noble-born aura. No man I’ve met in the Traps would act in this manner.
I tentatively place my gritty hand in his, sand still wedged under my fingernails, as he helps me down the carriage steps. We’re standing in front of another stone building, sizable compared to the other structures I’d seen on the ride in. The inn’s sign depicts a very faded dragon, slowly creaking back and forth in the wind. The name is also faded, and in the poor lighting I can’t make out the name.
I take this opportunity to inhale the night air, relishing in the fact that I can take a full breath without any sand clogging my throat. I catch a faint whiff of wet grass. It’s the best scent I’ve ever smelled, one I won’t take for granted again.
Callum walks into the inn, and I follow right away, not wanting to be left behind in the night. It’s a small entrance room, with two lumpy sofas by the fireplace that’s smoking its last embers. It’s cozy and clean, two things that have been foreign to me for a while.
A plump motherly woman emerges from the back room and smiles broadly when she sees us. Callum does the talking, asking for baths to be drawn and food to be delivered to our room. The conversation fades in the background as the exhaustion of the entire day starts to sink in. I’m tired andhungry and my sandy clothes have made me itchy. I’m sure I must have a rash from all the irritation on my skin. Even if I was back at the camp I would have cleaned off by now, changing into my sleep shirt that I tried to keep meticulously free of all grit. It all still feels like a bit of a dream, afraid that if I dared to pinch myself I’d wake up in my bunk back in the Traps.
“Elia?” I jump as Callum speaks. “You okay?”
My expression softens. “Just tired.” I subtly pinch my thigh. But alas, Callum is still talking, and there’s no sand in sight.
“Our room’s right upstairs, first door on the right she said.” He hands me a large iron key with the number four etched into the top. “A bath is being drawn for you now. I’ll be back to our room in an hour or so – I need to check in with my Hunters and make sure they’re all settled as well.”
I start to nod, eyes heavy with sleep, and head towards the stairway, then stop in hesitation. “Wait – did you sayourroom? As in you’re sharing a room with me?”
He smirks at that, and I see that he has a dimple in his right cheek which somehow makes him look younger. “We barely know each other. How do I know you’re not going to take off in the middle of the night?”
“How do you know I won’t murder you in your sleep?” I retort.
“I don’t,” he responds, still flashing that infuriating dimple at me. “But seeing as you’re not even armed, I’ll take the chance. I’ll be back in an hour.”
Callum heads out the door, but not before I call out to him. “You’re sleeping on the floor! And I could still smother you with a pillow!” I hear a chuckle, and then I’m alone, still trying to process everything.
Eventually, the lure of the promise of the bath has me climbing the flight of stairs and unlocking my – I mean our – room. It’s a nicer room than I was expecting. I guess being the King’s lead Hunter pays well to buy the best room available in this place.
I’m also relieved to find that there’s two single beds on opposite sides of the room, with a small table and chairs separating them. There’s a fireplace in the corner, and a tin bath basin has been set up in front of the hearth.
The smoke tendrils coming off the hot water call to me, and I practically rip my clothes off in my hurry to jump in. I can’t remember when I had a bath last, nevermind a hot one.
The warmth of the water causes me to sigh audibly, tension and muscles easing immediately in the heat. There’s a strong scent of lavender and I’m grateful for whoever added the calming scent.
In less than a day, I’ve gone from being treated like a servant to being treated like a princess, even being escorted to the palace itself. I hope I canfind this relic for Callum so I can, in some way, pay him back for all he’s given me, even in this short time.
After giving a second - okay, maybe longer than that - for my muscles to relax, I tackle the not so easy task of scrubbing the sand off my skin and washing my hair. The water has gone cold by the time I’m satisfied I’ve cleaned off most of the remnants of the desert. I grab the towel that was left out, wrap it around myself, and climb out of the tub, careful to stay close to the fire to try and dry my hair. I haven’t cut my hair since the first couple years of being in the camp when I learned that using rusty shears was not worth it, and I’m desperate for a trim. My wet hair is heavy on my back, and I don’t want to sleep with it wet or else I know I won’t get warm. When I’ve about dried my hair to a damp state where I’m not shivering, I hear a knock at the door.
“Elia?”
It’s Callum. Has it been an hour already?
I glance down, noticing I’m only wrapped in a towel.
“Shit, shit, shit.”
I frantically scramble to find something to put on, but the only clothes in the room are the sand coated ones I took off, and there’s no way I’m putting those back on to sleep. Maybe I should have gone back to my tent and grabbed my sleep shirt when Callum made the suggestion.
Another soft knock. “Everything okay?”
