Jass had no idea how Ben knew this place, how he’d become friends with people living in a strange, beautiful valley in the middle of nowhere, with a set of hot springs in a tucked-away spot at the narrowest end of the valley.
She might not know, but she wasn’t about to complain. After two weeks of slogging through late autumn forests, hoping they wouldn’t bump into one of her brother’s patrols, she was well overdue for a little indulgence.
She pulled a towel from the shelf by the cabin door, added it to the pile of clean clothes tucked under one arm, and followed the path to the rocky alcove housing the pools.
Ben’s friends were busy in the kitchen and waved her off with warm grins, Leon was curled up on the window seat with a book and barely even noticed her leave, Ben had headed out some time ago, muttering something about traps. She’d the place to herself and would be able to soak to her heart’s content.
She ducked around the curtain of rock hiding the bathing area from the forest around it and nearly fell over her own feet. So much for being alone. Ben was in the large pool at the back, the one Myra had said was the perfect temperature for bone-deep relaxation, and he certainly looked relaxed. He also didn’t look surprised to see her.
What to do? She should turn around and go, just head straight back to the cabin, and catch up on her own reading. She should…
The DNA of Stories 