Page 44 of HaL

“Where I am going, you can keep your claws in, little Roja. Grab your jacket and come here. I am not going to change forms yet.”

CHAPTER 15

DAWN

Lesson to self: wrap up before you step through the membrane.

“Holy hell, HaL, there is no reason for anywhere to be this damn cold. Do you guys have a warm season at all, or is this as sunny as it gets?”

“No. This is the coldest time of the rotation. But even when it gets warmer, we never get the kind of warmth you are wishing for.”

“Doesn’t that figure? I miraculously overcome being allergic to the entire world, only to discover I’ll never get a beach trip or be able to lie in the sun again. It’s like winning the lottery at ninety-four and being too damn old to enjoy it.”

He grabs me around the waist, gently tossing me into the air before catching me, pulling me snugly against his chest.

“I may have an alternative, but you are going to have to keep an open mind.”

“Oh, I’m just being fussy. And you’ve had enough issues today without me adding to them.” I reach up, pulling his furry face toward me. “Do you want to talk about Troza?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Okay, then. Lead on, dearest. I am quite enjoying my new way of getting around.”

In his true yeti form, I can’t read HaL’s emotions nearly as well as I can when he’s, well, slightly less him. I expect him to take the same route we followed yesterday when he brought me here, but instead, he heads straight toward what appears to be a solid wall. I instinctively press closer to him, mostly because I have no desire to collect any more bruises today. Then, just before we reach it, HaL turns slightly—and we walk straight through it.

I blink.

The wall I thought was solid is nothing more than an expertly camouflaged entrance.

“Clever trick right there.”

“There are many hidden entrances and exits throughout the compound. In time, you will learn them all. This particular place is more difficult to access, so many avoid it.”

He keeps walking for several minutes, and I take in my surroundings; the walls gradually growing damp, and the passage becoming less constructed and more natural. Stone replaces the compound’s smooth surfaces, and moisture clings to everything around us.

“Where are you taking me, hot stuff?”

“You will see. It is just around the bend.”

Then I hear it.

Water.

At first, it’s little more than a distant murmur, but with every step, the sound grows louder. The air becomes warmer, thicker, heavier with moisture.

Then HaL steps through a natural archway, and I gasp.

Steaming, shimmering water stretches before us, filling a massive cavern as far as I can see. Wisps of steam curl through the air, catching the faint light filtering down from somewhere above.

“Holy shit! Troza mentioned hot springs, but I never dreamed anything like this existed here.”

HaL carries me farther inside, and I finally notice that the springs are divided into two distinct sections.

One is warm—gloriously, wonderfully warm.

The other is considerably cooler, its surface sending up far less steam. A small opening high above lets outside air reach it, and thin sheets of ice cling to the surrounding walls. It’s almost as if winter has managed to invade one half of the spring while the heat fights to reclaim it on the other.

“The two sections are constantly battling,” HaL explains. “The warm water comes from beneath the mountain, while the colder section is exposed to the outside through that opening.”