Chapter 26
Ihardly remembered who I was when I woke. Sitting up, a mess of drool and tangles, I took in the strange chamber.
By Callesis’s luck, had I gained a fortune while I slept? Luxurious silk sheets caressed my skin, beneath a canopy of silver. Gorgeous dark wood furniture rested on tile decorated with carvings of Psythos, the goddess of emotions.
Everything rushed back to me in a flood. Tangled in the sheets, I rolled onto the floor, taking half the bed with me.
Someone knocked, and I looked up from my pile of fabric like a wild-eyed animal. Seraphim’s voice carried through the thick oak door. “Baths are ready. Don’t miss out.”
“I’m coming,” I shouted, scrambling to my feet and adjusting my dress to actually cover my indecency.
I flew outside and found Seraphim waiting for me in a thin white robe. “There you are.” She smiled. “Come. I have something special in mind.” Turning around, she beckoned for me to follow.
Padding down the hall after her, I admired the stunning home. Though such opulence was to be expected of a city lord.
Everything was silver. Marble tiles veined with silver threads, silver-painted walls, and delicate silver decorations lined up along dark-wood tables. Several pieces of fine porcelain tea pots and ornate vases caught my eye, and I bumped into Seraphim’s back as I stared in awe.
Chuckling, she ushered me through a door into a glorious bathroom, complete with two enormous baths, separated by a beautiful, carved-wood folding wall.
“In Cynthus,” Seraphim pushed me toward the bath. “We once worshiped a goddess of water. The sea was sacred. To express our deepest trust, our most hidden vulnerabilities, we bathed together. That tradition has lived on.”
“Ah,” I nodded, vaguely remembering someone mentioning the ‘Cynthuns’ perverted baths.’
Shrugging off her robe, Seraphim gently lowered herself into the bath.
I stared rudely at her body, counting the scars crisscrossing her abdomen, arms, and legs.
Beautiful tattoos in black ink traced up her thighs and down her arms, patterned her breasts and back.
Covered at all times by a coat, Seraphim had never displayed them to me.
‘Our most hidden vulnerabilities.’ Realizing the depth of the gesture, I undressed and lowered myself into the water, sighing as the warmth enveloped me, stealing away the aches of the previous day.
“Don’t panic,” Seraphim leaned forward, wearing a wicked smile. “But Cynthuns do not consider bathing to be sexual.”
“Why would I panic?” I asked as the door flew open.
Percy strode through, utterly unbothered by our presence. “Glorious baths.” He groaned. “Not as glorious as that other bathhouse, admittedly.” He glanced at me. “Should I move the divider for you? Shield you from the boys?”
“If you would.” I squeaked.
He snickered. “It’s considered rude to diminish a bath with lewd thoughts, Aethra.”
“I’m not diminishing it, I just. . .” I trailed off. What did I care if they saw my tits? Eleos already had. “Never mind. I’m fine.”
“That’s the spirit.” Percy grinned, dipping behind the folding wall. A white shirt flew over it, draping over both sides, and a loud splash followed.
The display that followed was a sight to behold. The door opened again, and Eleos steered Seth through, mouth twisted in a grimace. Seth tried to look in my direction, but Eleos shoved him behind the folding wall.
Seraphim chortled. “Everything alright, Eleos?”
“Just controlling the lecher,” Eleos said calmly.
Seth tried to defend himself. “I was only joking.”
“Mhm.” Eleos sounded unamused. His tone changed to lighthearted curiosity. “What is that, Percy?”
“Oh, you haven’t seen it?” Seth asked. I heard him undressing, and found myself envisioning what he might look like naked.
No lewd thoughts. Dipping my head in the water, I regained my purity.
“Oh, not this again,” Percy lamented.
“What are you boys talking about?” Seraphim called.
“Percy’s tattoo,” Eleos answered.
I pressed a hand to my mouth, trying not to laugh. Seth laughed in my place.
“I regret it, alright?” Percy said. I could hear the water splash as he threw up his arms. “Leave me be, I’ve been through enough.”
“We can cover it,” Seth suggested. “Duath Nun is known for its tattoo artists.”
“How would you know that?”
“Seraphim.” He said quickly. “Look at hers. Where do you think she got them? Therapne?”
Eleos chortled. “The priests would faint.”
Tilting my head, I studied the tattoo painting Seraphim’s chest: two wicked horns curled up from her sternum and caressed her collarbone. “What does that one mean?” I asked.
She traced the black ink. “So many things. Motherhood, life, song, and dance. She’s Duath Nun’s chief goddess.”
“They have different gods?” I asked, intrigued.
“Many, many different gods.” Seraphim quietly confirmed.
“Hm,” Eleos grunted, unhappy. “You should have told me. I would have been fascinated.”
“Why listen to my poor tales when you could see their temples in person?”
“Fair.” Eleos conceded.
Dipping my head below water, I grabbed a bar of soap and lathered it through my locks. “So, what is your tattoo, Percy?”
He sighed laboriously. “Tits.”
“Really? How bad could that be?”
“Bad,” Seth said.
“Well, now I want to see them,” I said.
“Ogle me all you like,” Percy said, “if you get out first.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you naked later.” I said, “Right now, the baths call.”
“Oh? And why are you so sure of that?”
“We’re traveling together, sleeping in piles, patching each other’s wounds,” I shrugged, figuring the rest was obvious.
“Oh,” Percy said, noticeably disappointed.
Seraphim lifted an arm, displaying the tattoos running down her bicep. “Want to see the rest?”
Shimmying closer, I sat beside her, marveling at the ink. They bestowed an unusual beauty upon her, painting her as a goddess of war who could shield me from any threat.
Duathian symbols covered one arm, fascinating runes I couldn’t decipher. Snakes entwined the opposite arm, entangled in leafy vines. Flaming wings grew from her spine, my favorite of them all.
“We should get you one.” Seraphim decided.
“Won’t we be hunted? Will we have time?” I asked.
“We’ll only be hunted if they know our identity. Speak their language, dress like them, keep your head down, and you won’t rouse suspicion.”
Something she’d said on the road returned to me. ‘What do you want to see, when you look back, at the end?’
“It’s a deal.” I decided. “I’ll have to consider what I want.”
Sighing in bliss, Seth emerged from the bath with a loud splash followed by wet footsteps. I peeked around the dividing wall, expecting him to pull a towel around himself before stepping into our view.
Instead, he strode by, completely naked.
Once, I considered myself a woman of class, unmoved by pretty faces and charming words. Maybe in a few hours, I would think back to this moment and have the decency to be ashamed of how I gaped.
Water droplets trickled down his tanned muscles, outlining a deep scar running down his side. A pleasant V-shape beckoned my eyes to fall from his abs to his waist, and below.
Grabbing a towel from a hook on the wall, Seth swung it around himself, warding away my depraved eyes. He smirked at me. “See something you like, princess?”
I opened my mouth to say no, but changed my mind. “Yes, actually,” I said.
A smug light gleamed in Seth’s eyes as he glanced back towards the men’s bath. Percy scoffed. “Shove off. Take your vanity elsewhere.”
Beaming, Seth winked at me and swung out the door. Eleos groaned. “He wanted to enter that way, too.”
“Of course he did.” Percy audibly rolled his eyes.
Eleos breathily laughed. “Well, Percy? Want to grandstand for the ladies?”
“I respect the ladies, thanks.” Percy denied.
I turned back to Seraphim to see her grinning at me. “Life’s all too short.” She shrugged. “Why not take what we want while we still have the time?”
Sinking into the water, I pushed the soapy bubbles around. Did I want lust and simple fun? Maybe once we reached Duath Nun and the end grew near, I would change my mind.
Foolish and stubborn, I still desired love.
* * *
The housemaids had gifted me a beautiful gown upon my return from the baths. Feeling like a proper princess, I strode down the grand stairwell, gleefully watching the skirt flow behind me. Jumping the final two steps, I grinned as the fabric swirled around my sandals.
A golden clasp secured the over-the-shoulder, pale blue gown in place, and flowers adorned the layered skirt. Adjusting the ribbon binding back my curls, I walked into the dining room, where the lord of the house awaited me.
Phaedrus leaned on the back of the head chair, red locks tied in a half-bun.
A silver cloak draped his shoulders, framing the deep blue vest he wore beneath.
With the chandelier burning bright above the dark wood table, I could see lines of age framing his eyes, but like his sister, they did not diminish his beauty.
“Good morning, Lady Aethra.” He said warmly, his voice deep and inviting. “I hope the traditional Cynthus bath didn’t frighten you too much?”
“No.” I laughed. “It was kind of nice.”
“Seraphim used them as excuses to bring other girls home.” He shook his head.
“Did you not?”
“Themis was an uptight statue. Seraphim was a depraved maniac. I tried to be the normal child.” He picked idly at his fingernails, gazing behind me. “I, of course, say that with love, dear sister.”
“Mhm.” Seraphim touched my shoulder as she passed, grabbing a honey cake from a plate and popping it into her mouth. Her charcoal coat once again concealed the tapestry of art she’d painted on her skin.
Folding my arms, I raised my eyebrows. “Baths aren’t sexual, hm?”
Growling between mouthfuls of crumbs, Seraphim glared at her brother. “I was a teenager.”
Seth snuck up behind me, wet hair clinging to his face as he rolled up the sleeves of his tunic. He glanced down at me. “Don’t you look cute?”