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I pull my shirt off, just to watch his eyes light up. I am not disappointed.
“And?”
He pulls on one of my bra straps. I slap his hand away.
“Don’t push your luck.”
The breeze rises up. My skin, still damp with sweat from the exercise, rises up in goose bumps. Everyone of them tingles, and I shiver not from the cold but from delight. I think about taking off my bra, too, but I don’t have the guts.
The path narrows, and we can no longer walk side by side. Renxel’s pack is hanging low. I’m about to tell him to hitch it up higher – the better to watch his butt – when he stops and turns.
“Where –?”
“You’ll see.”
I follow him down the barely discernible path in the woods. If I was alone, I’d be afraid of getting lost. I’d probably be lost. But I can feel his excitement and pure happiness. He’s not worried, so I’m not.
The trail leads us to a rock face. I peer up at it. He can’t be serious.
“It’s really steep.” My voice is high and squeaky. I don’t try to hide the fact that I’m afraid. He would feel it anyway, no matter how brave I act.
“This way.” He takes my hand and leads me around a very narrow ledge. The rock has cracked apart.
“Are we going in there?”
“Yep.”
He pulls a torch out of his pocket and lights it. I clutch at his arm as he leads me out of the sunlight and into the darkness. I glance back at the thin slice of sunlight indicating the cave opening. I want to get out of here, but the pull to stay with Renxel, wherever he may lead me, is stronger.
“Shut your eyes and don’t move.” I heed his instructions automatically, though I do gasp when he pulls out of my grasp. “Stay still, I’m right here.”
I hear him moving around. Then there are some soft whooshes that I recognize but can’t put a name on.
“Just another minute.”
He’s close, but I stand as still as possible, determined to wait until he tells me the time is now. He pulls my pack off, and I hear him set it down behind me. Then he presses his chest into my back and wraps his arms around me.
“Okay, now you can look.”
I open my eyes. Renxel has lit torches, and now I can see we’re in a small cave. The walls shine with all the colors of the Skylights. As the flames flicker, the walls appear to move in slow ripples.
“What is it?”
I reach out my hand to touch the wall. It is just rock, but it’s like the Skylights are trapped in it.
“Skystone. This is a family secret. It goes back generations. My family decided it was too beautiful to mine it for profit.”
I turn my gaze to the pool. Steam rises up lazily. I sniff deeply.
“Like all the flowers at once, isn’t it?”
Renxel fingers the strap on my bra. I turn, and while he undoes it, I slide off the rest of my clothes. He does the same. We step into the pool, and I notice the water is warm.
“Sit on the ledge. No one knows how deep it is.”
As the water envelopes me up to my chin, I feel everything washing away. Not just the grime I accumulated on the walk up here, but the past. I look through the vapor at the dancing colors.
“How do you feel?”
