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We dispersed into this new cave, spreading out to take it all in.
If that first cave was nice, this one was breathtaking.
Like the sky hall, one entire side was glassy, translucent stone. Directly in front of that transparent wall was a massive heated spring. Its smooth, glistening edge went right to the see-through window, which made it look like an infinity pool. Clouds of steam billowed up from the surface, creating rolling beads of condensation on the clear stone wall.
Above us, the cave arched upward into a natural cathedral of stone, sapphire-like rock shattering the firelight. The fire was larger in this cave, which made sense – there was more space to heat. The fire stood opposite from the heated pool, crackling in a carved pit. Its smoke vented upward into a crack in a sparkling stone overhang. I couldn’t tell if that chimney was natural, or if it had been created. A little way out from the wall, on either side of the fire, were two huge carved rectangles, piled high with neatly folded fuzzy hides. Each rectangle was at least the size of a California king bed from Earth. Even with four of us sharing those two beds, the amount of room we’d have was glorious.
Like some other areas of the mountain, lanterns had been created in pockets of that clear crystal stone – kaktuir. They looked like magic gems that glowed from the inside – little diamonds of light studding the walls.
“Fuck me, this is brill,” Fiona said, her brown eyes wide. “Hell, I don’t care if Mister Moody Gahn wants to marry me off anymore. As long as I get a room like this!”
I snorted, shaking my head at her as she hurried to the side of the heated pool. Nasrin and Tilly followed while Grim, Valeria, Taylor, and Tok headed for another dark crack at the far end of this big cave. A few moments later, those four came back, saying they’d found their guest quarters for the evening in a pair of smaller caves beyond.
“I wanted to check out the heated pool tonight, but I’m knackered,” Taylor said. Tok’s giant golden arm hooked around her waist, drawing her into his side. “I’m just going to go relax I think.”
“Grim and I are going to go to our cave for the night, too.” Valeria slipped her hand into Grim’s clawed one. “The Sea Sand guys will be sleeping in shifts, so just shout if you need anything. Plus, Grim and Tok only sleep a few hours a night, so if anything happens, one of them will probably be awake, too.”
Nasrin, Tilly, Fiona, and I said our goodnights to them. They disappeared from view, heading for their own beds for the night.
“OK. But do you guys get the sense Gahn Thaleo is pulling out all the stops here?” Tilly said as she took in the gorgeous room that would be ours for the night. “I mean, maybe they always set up their caves this nicely... But the lanterns, the fire, the bedding hides all clean and folded for us... It’s like a hotel.”
“That’s what I was thinking!” I cried. “It totally feels like one of those luxury rustic retreats that seem simple but actually cost like five grand per night.”
Tilly nodded.
“Exactly.”
“Well, we are allies now,” Nasrin said slowly, her green eyes flitting from the heated pool to the beds. “It makes sense that he’d want to keep us happy.”
“Or maybe he’s trying to woo somebody,” Fiona said, wiggling her eyebrows at Nasrin.
Nasrin frowned. “I’ll admit he’s looking at me a fair bit, yes. But he would have had to have gotten all this ready before he came to find us tonight. Before he saw us. And we’ve already established that we don’t think he has a mate among our group, right?”
“True,” Fiona replied. “But maybe he’s just trying to woo us in a more general way. Like, ‘look, tiny humans! We can take care of you here! Accept my warriors’ big alien dicks with open arms! Or, er, legs!’”
Tilly and I descended into a fit of giggles at that. Even Nasrin cracked a smile and shook her head.
“Yeah, that could be,” Nasrin said.
“Let’s not read any nefarious purposes into it just yet,” I said, slipping out of my jacket. “I think Fiona’s right. He probably just wants to show us what a good ally he is and how nice his mountain is, just in case some of his men end up with human mates. Let’s just accept the gift and take advantage. I, for one, am dying to get in that hot spring.” Unlike Gahn Errok, Gahn Thaleo had given us no obvious strings attached to this invitation besides trying to prove what a nice home he had. There were no brash declarations that I would fall in love with him someday. No demands that I give him my heart in return.Like someone else I could name...
With that, we all undressed and splashed into the water. It was the perfect temperature, and it glided silkily over our skin. There was a slight mineral tang to the fragrance, making it feel like some kind of fancy spa treatment rather than a simple hot bath.
At its deepest, the water came up just about to our chins. Fiona half-waded, half-swam over to the clear wall of the cave. She rapped a wet knuckle against its crystalline surface.
“What do you guys think? Is this the totally see-through stuff or the half-see-through stuff?” She pressed her nose to the foggy window.
“Any warriors flying by, trying to catch a peek?” Tilly asked, chuckling.
“Can’t tell,” Fiona replied. “Too foggy. So, I guess either way, they wouldn’t be able to see in.”
“It’s aguir,” Nasrin said.
“Someone paid attention to Gahn Grumpy’s geology lesson,” Fiona said with a grin.
“‘Gahn Grumpy?’ How many nicknames do you have for him already?” I laughed, splashing water her way. She splashed back at me, shrieking.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a bunch more for Gahn Gym Bro, too, so don’t feel left out.”
