Grinnell released a pent-up breath when he felt Moorac’s presence leave him. “I think we’re safe for now. I don’t feel him anymore.”
“Thanks to the stars,” said Mehanna. “I feared he would figure out we had tricked him and punish you.”
“He wanted me to turn toward him, but I kept my face away.”
“My brother is quite tenacious about things like that,” said Tosci. “He might have thought he could use you if things didn’t go his way. As long as he didn’t see your face, you should be safe.”
“So now what?” asked Lawaya.
“We go find my sister,” said Mehanna.
The four of them got up early the next dura and decided they should break their fast before heading out. They were enjoying a morning beverage while they waited for the waitress to bring them the bill. The door to the restaurant they sat in opened, and people turned toward it.
Murmurs filled the air as people shielded their faces.
Grinnell was the one who caught a whiff first.
“What is that awful smell?” asked Mehanna. She must have been the second one.
“That is Tymin,” murmured Grinnell.
The little man climbed up on their table and sat.
“Tymin had trouble finding you,” he said.
“Why are you here, Tymin?” asked Grinnell. He signaled the waiter and ordered an ale for him.
“Orla sent me.”
“Orla? He told us to stay out of sight. I don’t see that happening with you here.”
“I am to help you. Tymin is best tracker. I help.”
Grinnell sat back. Tymin would be a great help for them. Other than the basic information Orla gave them, they had no idea where to start looking for May. However, he knew from experience the man’s smell was not easy to overcome. It wasn’t as bad as when he’d first met the man, but it still could make your eyes water. “I thought your wife was trying to help with the smell.”
“This is Tymin now,” he said. “No cure. Wife said so.”
Too bad. He looked at the stricken faces of his tablemates. “I will leave this up to you, ladies. Tymin is the best, and he helped us when we needed him. The smell is something we need to deal with. If you can’t, I understand, but if you can, we will find May and Grenta faster.”
“Does he always smell like that?” asked Lawaya.
“Unfortunately, yes. I hate to tell you that it’s much better than when we first met him.”
“You’re kidding,” said Tosci. She pinched her nose.
He shook his head.
“Tymin will stay downwind.” He downed the ale. “He learned that from princess.”
“Princess?” asked Tosci.
“Astrid was the princess before her father was killed, although if you use that title around her, she will deny it. She gave up her royal status when we defeated Varal.”
“But she lives in the palace,” said Mehanna. “And the people still treat her as if she’s still royalty.”
“They love her. She stepped down as queen because she didn’t want what happened with Varal to happen again. That just made them worship her more. She put her people first, and they found that showed how much she cared about them. She agreed to be the face of their world, but she has no power. That keeps everyone happy.”
“You done?” Tymin climbed down off the table. “We go now.”
“Now?” Mehanna echoed.
“Tymin, why don’t you wait outside for us? We have to gather our things before we head out.” Grinnell smiled at the little man.
“I understand.”
Grinnell ushered the ladies up to their rooms.
“How do you feel about traveling with Tymin?”
Mehanna frowned. “Astrid traveled with him?”
“She did.” He understood the frown. The smell was a hard thing to ignore. “She even helped him and his wife get back together, but that is a long story for another time.”
“If Astrid could deal with the smell, I guess we can too.”
“Good. He is the best.”
Grinnell had secured them mounts for their trip. Although they could have used public transport, Grinnell knew Grenta. The only way she wanted to travel was on the ground. They could pass right over them in a transport and never know it. Besides, Tymin tracked best on land. Technology just got in his way.
Tymin had his own transportation. The small steed he sat on had been a gift from Orla. He was good on his word about staying downwind, something the ladies appreciated.
“So, what is the story with Tymin?” asked Lawaya. “He doesn’t seem to fit with everyone else.”
“Tymin knew all of us, except Astrid. He had gotten into trouble with a man over a trinket that had belonged to his wife. Tymin went to retrieve it but was caught by the man who had possession of it. He made Tymin’s life a living hell, so he ran. Tymin couldn’t go home, so he learned to track. If you wanted something, he could find it. Orla had met him during his travels. I knew him because he had helped others secure transport for items and people. When I met Orla, Tymin owed me for a transaction that had gone bad.”
“He helped with the defeat of Varal?”
“Yes. He didn’t want to, but he owed Orla his life and wanted to pay back the debt. I don’t think he feels he has paid it back yet because he and his wife are still on Emori instead of their home planet.”
“You done talking?” asked Tymin. “I found trail.”
“Wow, he is good,” said Mehanna.
“What did you find?” asked Grinnell.
“Here two animals.” Tymin pointed to two sets of tracks. “This one carries Grenta.”
“How do you know that?” asked Mehanna.
“Grenta fears truggars. The prints here are from the only animal she will ride. The second set are truggar. Both show light prints, which means women ride.”
The three women turned to look at Grinnell for confirmation.
“He’s right. Grenta would rather walk than ride anything if she could, but if she has to ride it’s going to be the most gentle animal out there. The prints are from a merma. I can see her riding that. The gait of each animal is closer together and light. That normally means a female rider. A male rider makes their gait wider and deeper.”
“They went this way a cycle ago,” said Tymin.
“Then I doubt they will be at the next town we come across,” said Grinnell.
“How are we going to catch up to them if they have that much of a head start?” asked Tosci.
“We know they’re waiting for a signal from Orla that it’s clear for them to return, so they’re taking in the sights. We’re going to continue through each town until we catch up to them.”
“I hope we find them soon,” said Mehanna.
“We will,” said Grinnell.
The next town was much smaller than the Crystal City. It was well known for its heated spas.
“Can we take advantage of the spas?” asked Mehanna. “My butt doesn’t care for the gait of my truggar.”
“Sure.” Grinnell smiled as he touched her face. “We can’t have any part of that luscious body in pain. I’ll get us rooms and find out how we can get appointments.”
Mehanna smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat. How did she capture his heart so quickly?
He walked into one of the inns. “I am looking for two rooms. Do you have any available?”
“I do.” The gentleman behind the counter answered him. “Just had two rooms open up. Do you need them next to each other? These two are near each other, down the same hall.”
“That will be fine. My family would like to try the spas. How do I get that accomplished?”
“Well, it depends on what type of treatment you want.” He pointed to the screen on one of the walls. “We have salt baths, mud baths, and hot springs. Which one do you want?”
“I have no idea.” He laughed. “I think I better ask before I get in trouble.”
“Smart move.” The man took his chip and deducted the cost of the rooms. “We have a great room for you to dine in unless you’d like to eat in private.”
“The dining hall should be fine.”
The ladies came in behind him.
“Perfect.” Grinnell signaled the ladies over to the desk. “They have three different types of spas. I had no idea what any of you ladies wanted, so now is the perfect time to pick your favorite.”
Mehanna stepped up to him and wrapped a hand around his arm. “What types do they have?”
“My lady,” greeted the innkeeper. He bowed. “We have several great spas for you to choose from. Do you prefer mud, salt, hot springs, or a combination?
“I’m not sure,” said Mehanna.
“Here, you can look at what we have to offer.” He guided her over to a holoscreen.
“So much to choose from.” She read the list. Lawaya and Tosci joined her. They whispered amongst themselves as they pointed and nodded.
Grinnell would love to know what they were thinking. Even though they needed to find May, they had to look like tourists, and his companions were perfect. They all turned toward him at once and smiled. That couldn’t be good.
“How long did you want to stay here?” asked Mehanna.
“I made plans for us at the Rainbow City in two duras, why?” Grinnell answered, wondering what they were up to.
“Well, we were hoping we could stay an extra dura. They have such a selection, we’d like to try them all.”
“How about this: You ladies can try one this dura.” He looked at the innkeeper to make sure they were still open. He gave him a slight nod. “Then, after we have our morning meal nesdura you may try another. Perhaps you can combine two nesdura so you can try them all.”
“So no extra dura?”
“I’ll see if I can move some of the plans I had set up. If I can, we’ll stay an extra dura.” He kissed Mehanna on the forehead. “How’s that?”
“Thank you!” She gave him a beautiful smile as she pressed a kiss against his cheek before following the innkeeper to the spas.
He knew he was in trouble. She could get her way with him and he would let her if she smiled at him like that all the time.
He made a change to their meal plans, then brought their bags up to their rooms. Once he was done, he went to the local bar. Tymin, who had disappeared when they entered the town, stepped in right after him. “You know, the ladies want to know where you go at duro. They have noticed that you always try to keep your smell away from them, and they appreciate it.”
“I remember Princess. She always nice to me. Explained how my smell bothered people. I try to be thoughtful.” He climbed up on the table.
Grinnell ordered ales for them.
“New lady?” he asked. “You love?”
“I do, Tymin.”
“Trouble.”
“I know.” He laughed. “I thought the same thing when she smiled at me. That smile is dangerous. She can get me to do whatever she wants with that smile.”
Tymin just shook his head. He picked up the ale the innkeeper placed in front of them.
“I have something for you,” said Grinnell.
“Me?”
“To give to your wife.” He held out a small bag that held the other crystal he had bought on a pretty chain. “To thank her for letting you help us.”
“I give.” Tymin slipped it into a pocket. “Grenta is close.”
“You’ve learned something?”
“I went to where you can house your animal.” Tymin took a gulp of his ale. “Two women traveling alone left here two duras ago.”
“And you think it’s them?”
“Could be.” Tymin shrugged. “Need more to be sure.”
“Hopefully, we’ll learn something that will support your theory.”
Mehanna sighed. This was wonderful. She’d chosen the salt bath. She thought she’d be in very salty water, but instead, it was like she was lying in wet sand. They had helped her into a reclining chair in a single-person tank, then covered her body with warm, wet salt.
She had chosen this because she didn’t want to have to be cleaning mud from every part of her body. Instead, she would be cleaning salt out for cycles. Lawaya and Tosci had both chosen the mud. They were on the left side of her, reclining in their tanks with their hair wrapped in linen and soft covers over their eyes.
“I could get really used to this,” said Tosci.
“I know, I’ve never felt so relaxed,” responded Lawaya.
Mehanna kept her thoughts to herself. Grinnell knew how to relax her so much she could fall fast asleep right away if she wanted, but she didn’t want to talk about something so intimate. Her sex life was hers and Grinnell’s, and no one else.
“You have a satisfied smile, Mehanna,” said Tosci. “Thinking about Grinnell perhaps?”
That comment heated her cheeks. She removed her eye cover to look over at the other two. Both still had their covers on. How did they know she was smiling?
Tosci smiled. “You’re looking at me right now, aren’t you?”
“I am.” But how did she know?
“And you want to know how I knew you were smiling and thinking about Grinnell without looking at you.”
“Yes.” Was she a mind reader too?
“I could drive you crazy and say magic,” she said. She paused a little longer. “But it was your silence to our comments that told me all I needed to know.”
“I don’t see how.” She laid her head back down and replaced her covers. “I just didn’t see a reason to comment.”
“Because you were thinking about your man.”
The woman who had been caring for them came in.
“Ladies, it’s time for me to drain your treatment and replace it with a bath. You will feel the floor beneath your feet drop, then the tank will fill with water. It might be a little uncomfortable at first. The water will sit on top of the treatment and replace it as everything drains away.” She went to a control panel and pressed a few buttons. “Once the water replacement is complete, I will also treat your hair and face for the full-body experience.”
Mehanna felt the floor fall from beneath her feet. The sloped seat made her feel like she was freefalling. The water filtered in, filling the tank higher than the salt bath. It did make her squirm a little.
As the salt disappeared, the water came in. The sensation of the water replacing the salt against her skin felt odd, but slowly she forgot as the water flowed around her. It was warm, like the hot spring of her bathing area. She felt like she was in a cocoon.
“I will do your hair first.” She undid the wrapping on Mehanna’s hair, allowing the wrap to fall against her headrest. Their caregiver gently rubbed a salt mixture onto her face. She spoke to Mehanna softly. “The salt I’m using now is a finer grain. It should feel like a paste instead of the sand-like mixture you felt on your body. The water will continue to move around you until there is no more salt detected in the water.”
“That will tell you when there’s no more salt anywhere?”
“Yes.” She worked on her hair, combing a salt mixture into it. “Once I’m done combing this into your hair, I will use a special machine to help it melt properly. While that is happening, I will be applying the mud treatment to your friends.”
Mehanna relaxed against the tank as she felt warm, gentle fingers brush through her hair. Warmth surrounded her face when the fingers were replaced with pulsing heat. It moved over her like waves.
She could hear the woman speaking softly to Tosci. The soft waves of warmth made her feel a little sleepy. It wasn’t long before the woman moved to Lawaya.
That’s when it got interesting.
“Oh.” Still speaking softly, she murmured. “You are Barou.”
Lawaya’s hand shot out and grabbed the woman’s wrist before she could back away. “You are not Barou, so how did you know?”
“Forgive me, mistress.” She gave her a formal bow. “I meant no disrespect. Although I’m not Barou, I believe the child I carry is. She is the one who told me what you were, just like she did the last time.”
“The last time?”
Mehanna turned her head so she could see the two women.
“Yes. About a cycle ago, we had travelers like you. Two women. My child reacted the same way. It was the first inkling that she has Barou power.”
Lawaya released her wrist. “Does the power run in your family?”
“Yes, my husband’s family as well. It has been several generations for my family, but my husband said his grandmother’s sister was Barou. I didn’t think my baby could have the power. She never showed any of the signs our parents told us to look for, but she knew when she was around anyone of power.” She gestured to Tosci and Mehanna. “You two have some sort of power as well, she can sense it, but she only reacted when I touched your hair.”
“How?” asked Lawaya.
“Burst of power. Not enough for anyone to notice, but I could feel it.”
“May I?” Lawaya held her hand out toward the woman’s womb.
“Of course.”
Lawaya laid her hand on the woman’s womb. A smile spread across her face as she moved her hand into another position. She outright laughed as she pulled her hand back. “Your child definitely has Barou blood. You keep calling the child she. How do you know it’s a girl? Did you use the program to tell you the sex?”
“No. My husband and I decided not to. We want the joy of knowing to be from the joy of birth.” She smiled. “But when I met the other lady, I got the distinct impression I carry a female.”
“I see.” Lawaya removed her hand.
“Is it true?” the young mother-to-be asked hesitantly, “that if she is Barou she will have white hair like Queen Astrid?”
“Yes.”
The young woman nodded. She looked at Lawaya’s hair but remained quiet.
“You want to know why my hair isn’t white.”
She nodded again.
“People sometimes fear the Barou. Others want to take advantage of our abilities. When I am home where I feel safe, my hair is white, but when I travel I always disguise my hair. Most of us do.” Lawaya sat up and allowed the white of her hair to show to the young woman.
“Thank you for trusting me, mistress.” The young woman bowed. “That explains a lot. The other lady disguised her hair as well. I was too surprised to ask her the questions I’m asking you. I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries.”
“No.” Lawaya smiled. “We’re trying to catch up to our friends, but I would like to come back when you’re close to giving birth. Help you prepare.”
“I would like that.” The woman bowed again.
“How long ago did the other Barou leave?” asked Tosci.
“She and her friend left two duras ago. Why?”
“I just thought that Lawaya might want to meet the other Barou. They might know each other.”
“They said they were going to the Rainbow City.”
“Perhaps we’ll run into them. Didn’t your husband say we were going the same way, Mehanna?”
“I think so. I’m pretty sure he named that city when I asked if we could stay an extra dura.” The machine warming her turned off and lifted so she could sit up. She was handed a warm cloth to wipe her face.
“You ladies are finished. Would you like a robe to wear to your rooms, or do you want to get dressed?”
“I’d love a robe,” said Mehanna. She was far too relaxed to want to put her clothes back on. Her friends did the same thing.
They came out of the spa with happy smiles. Mehanna went to their room and opened the door. Grinnell was nowhere to be seen. She did find a wonderful wine waiting for her as well as two glasses. There was a soft knock on the door. Should she answer it?
Before she could make the decision, she heard voices and watched the door open. Grinnell came in with an antigrav tray. She looked at it curiously.
“I thought you’d be hungry after going to the spa,” he said.
“I am a little famished.”
He rested the tray in front of the bed and gestured for her to sit down.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you got back. I went to the tavern to meet Tymin. He said your sister and Grenta was here until two duras ago.”
“I know. We learned that as well.” She uncovered several dishes and smiled as the wonderful aromas filled her nose.
“How?”
“The wife of the innkeeper said they were here a few duras ago and are heading to Rainbow City.” She filled a plate and offered it to him.
“Tymin said the same thing.” He took the plate as he sat next to her on the bed. “We could catch up to them before they reach the city if we leave first thing nesdura.”
She nodded as she took a bite of food.
“Did you talk to the others?”
“I think we were all thinking the same thing. We exchanged looks, but we didn’t say anything to each other.”
“And you feel this nonverbal exchange is all you need to do to know what they’re thinking?”
“I do.” She smiled and pointed to words floating in the air.
Grinnell read the words out loud. “‘Are we leaving first thing? We know we should.’ Tosci sent this?”
“What do you think?”
“I should know better than to question my bond-mate. You might as well answer them.”
“And what should I say?”
“Yes. We will leave after we break our fast.”
The next dura they met in the common area, their items packed and ready to go. Grinnell had a hearty meal ready for them, plus a basket packed for them to eat later.
“Are you trying to make us fat?” asked Tosci. “I have never had so much food.”
“We could travel horas before we can stop to eat. I want to be sure you ladies don’t feel faint or get sick from traveling too far without a full stomach. Eat as much as you can. You need to be as strong as you can be to travel todura.”
“Why?”
“Because I know a shortcut through the mountains nearby.” Grinnell sat back in his chair. “We don’t need to climb the larger mountains, just the foothills, but we still might have places where we might have to lead our animals instead of riding them.”
“And you’re not sure if we’ll find a place to rest and eat while we’re on the trail through them,” said Lawaya.
He nodded.
“We will do our best to eat our fill,” said Lawaya as she took more food. “But if I heave this all back up, you must hold my hair.”
“Don’t eat so much it makes you feel ill, but make sure you fill yourself enough to face the dura.” Grinnell filled his plate a second time. “Pretend you’re going to be working in your garden all dura and don’t have time to stop for a meal.”
The breads, fruits, and sweets that were leftover were loaded into a satchel they could nibble from as they moved. Once they loaded their animals, they headed off. Tymin met them at the city’s limit.
The beginning of their trip was easy. The ladies chatted amongst themselves as they headed to the mountains. Tymin went ahead to scout out the path Grinnell wanted to take. He came back when they were halfway there.
“Path still there.”
“Did you see any evidence of Varal? I don’t want to find one of his minefields while we’re using that path.”
“It not used in several yepas. It safe.”
“I hope so. I don’t want anything to happen to these ladies.”