Jayne Castle [Jayne Ann Krentz] (25 page)

carry out that contract was a side issue, one that was no longer important. Ridge had a right to share her

pallet. But she had come to that decision only to discover that Ridge no longer seemed interested in doing

so. Even last night, when she had tried to explain that she felt obliged to honor the terms of the marriage

contract, he had made no move to touch her.

The way he had ignored her presence in the sleeping pallet since Adverse confused and alarmed her.

She had kept her uncertainty to herself, of course. Honor might demand that she accept her husband's

claim on her, but it did not demand that she throw herself at him. Ridge was not yet getting his morning

yant tea served to him in his pallet.

When all was said and done, Kalena knew only that her emotional reaction to Ridge wasn't clear, even

to herself. Almostagainst her will she found herself respecting his authority, his ability, and even, in some

ways, his outsized sense of pride. He was atough, honest, capable, honorable man. The core of

self-confidence and determination about him commanded respect.

But a very feminine part of her was extremely wary of Ridge, and not only because of what had

happened the night of her wedding. He was a Houseless bastard, a paid employee of a Great House.

Furthermore, he had a temper that surely originated at the Dark end of the Spectrum. Kalena knew she

would never forget the sight of the sintar glowing in his hand. Nevertheless, she couldn't escape the fact

that he was her husband. For the duration of this journey, this bastard son of a Great House had full

authority over her. She wondered why he hadn't used that authority since Adverse.

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They found the village inn at the north end of the dusty street that ran the length of Hot And Cold.

Kalena dismounted with her usual sense of relief and examined the sign over the inn door. The design

was a crude rendition of a mountain cave with what appeared to be a steaming pool. Her spirits picked

up quickly.

"I want to try the hot pools, Ridge," she said. She had made it a point to ask very few favors from him

during the past eightday, but Kalena had no intention of missing out on something as interesting as an

underground hot spring.

Ridge frowned slightly as he started into the inn. "Perhaps. It's a little late."

Kalena's mouth firmed, but she said nothing. As far as she was concerned, there was no "perhaps" about

it. She was very curious about the natural hot waters and this difficult husband of hers was not going to

stop her from exploring them. She followed him into the small lobby.

The fire blazing in the huge stone hearth warmed the rustic room adjoining the tavern where several

locals were lounging. They eyed the newcomers through the open doors between the two rooms. A

woman, probably the innkeeper's wife, came to the front desk and Kalena greeted her with a smile. The

woman hesitated and then smiled back.

"My wife and I need a room for the night and stable space for two creets," Ridge said.

The woman behind the desk nodded briskly. "We can accommodate you." She glanced suspiciously at

Kalena, who sighed and causally loosened the opening of her traveling cloak so that the innkeeper's wife

could see the lock and key around her throat. They proved her respectability.

"Very good," the woman said, handing Ridge a key. "Perhaps your wife would like to sample the

waters? There is a section of pools set aside for women. The villagers use them frequently in the

evenings." She glanced at Kalena. "It's all quite respectable," she assured her. "Many Healers have sent

people here, and occasionally even a High Healer will come out of the mountains to take the waters."

"I would love to try the waters," Kalena said before Ridge could think of a reason to forbid it. "Where

do I go to find them?"

"The women's pools are located in the southern caverns, just north of the inn. It's only a short walk.

There will be others there this evening and the route is well lighted."

"Thank you," Kalena said before turning to smile challengingly at Ridge. "I shall go after the evening

meal, while you're in the tavern."

Ridge arched one brow "You will?"

"Yes," Kalena declared, starting past him to fetch her bag. "I will." Sometimes, she was discovering, you

had to be quite firm with a husband.

Two hours later, Kalena was submerged to her neck in a rocky pool of deliciously hot water, lazily

contemplating the various and assorted techniques required for managing males.

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The room in which she was relaxing was a huge cavern lit by numerous firegel lamps. The cavern arched

high over the many hot pools, its ceiling studded with oddly shaped mineral formations that threw strange

shadows. Several uninviting dark tunnels opened up on the main pool room, but only one of these was lit.

That was the tunnel that led back to the hillside entrance of the extensive cave system.

The setting would have been unnervingly eerie if the cavern hadn't been so populated with local women

who were obviously enjoying their evening relaxation. The bubbling pools were clearly an entrenched

female social institution in the community.

Three other women were sharing Kalena's hot spring. They lounged naked on the natural seats formed

by the craggy interior of the pool, eyeing Kalena with shy curiosity. Elsewhere in the huge cave other

pools contained similar little groups. The women had been polite to Kalena, but only as they relaxed

around her did they grow increasingly chatty.

"My name is Tana. I've heard you and your husband are on your way into the mountains," the woman

across from Kalena said politely. She was a plump blonde about Kalena's age. Like all the other women

in the cavern, she wore a lock and key around her throat. It was all any of them wore as they sat nude in

the bubbling water.

Kalena nodded pleasantly, glad of the opportunity to socialize again with her own sex. "My husband

wishes to trade with the High Healers."

The blonde tilted her head. "But you're not with a trading caravan."

"No."

"Lately, all of the caravans have been turned back by the veil of white mists," a second woman

volunteered. "No one has gotten through the pass."

Kalena shrugged. "My husband is a very stubborn man. It will take a great deal to turn him back."

The other women nodded their understanding of stubborn males. "Perhaps the two of you will be able to

get through. Who knows? The High Healers can be very unpredictable," said one.

"Have there been times in the past when so many trading caravans have been turned back?" Kalena

asked.

"Not in the years I have lived in Hot And Cold," Tana said thoughtfully. "My husband says something is

very wrong up in the

mountains. The Healers have been unpredictable, and have occasionally done strange things in the past,

but they have never cut off all communication for such a long period of time. Everyone knows the

mountains have always been a little strange. It makes sense that the people who live in them are rather

odd, also."

"I've heard the waters in these pools come from the heart of the Heights," Kalena ventured. She glanced

down into the depths of the pool in which she was sitting. The water was so clear that she could see to

the bottom of the hot pool, which was a little deeper than she was tall.

"So it's said," Tana agreed. "There's no doubt that people find the waters refreshing. Some claim they

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have certain healing properties."

Another woman said knowingly, "It's because of the Light Key. My grandmother once told me it's

buried somewhere in the mountains."

"Do you really believe that?" Kalena asked.

"Who knows? Anything is possible," the woman said. "My grandmother had a touch of the healing

Talent, although it wasn't enough to enable her to take the training. She was usually right about such

matters."

Tana grinned. "Your grandmother should have been a story spinner. Her true talent was in the telling of

tales." She turned to Kalena. "I saw the tunic you wore here tonight. Is that the style they're wearing in

Crosspurposes?"

Kalena nodded. "The shorter length is very comfortable." Tana sighed. "My husband would probably

throw me out of the house if I shortened my tunics."

The other women laughed and turned to Kalena with more questions about the latest styles in

Crosspurposes. The conversation became increasingly animated for a time. The hot pools were filled with

women exchanging gossip, recipes and advice. Gradually, however, the noise level in the huge cave

began to diminish as one by one the bathers dressed and made their way home for the night.

Kalena closed her eyes for a while, luxuriating in the wonderful water as she listened to the voices of her

companions gradually fade into the distance. She knew the bathers were leaving the waters, knew they

were toweling dry, dressing and disappearing down the lit tunnel that led outside. But somehow it seemed

too much of an effort to open her eyes and climb out of the water herself.

In a little while, Kalena thought. She'd go back to the inn shortly. There was no rush. After all, Ridge

would still be in the, tavern, hoisting his tankard along with the rest of the local males. And never had

bathing felt so good. All the aches and pains of the past eight days of riding were soaking away, leaving

behinda lovely, languid, totally relaxed sensation.

It was a long time later before Kalena realized just how silent the cave had become. With an effort she

finally opened her eyes and discovered she was the last bather. All the other women had left. Kalena sat

up abruptly in the water, glancing around with a new sense of uncertainty. Sharing the lit caverns with a

group of cheerful, friendly women was one thing; finding herself alone in the underground cavern was

another matter entirely. The water seemed much less inviting now.

Kalena's sense of relaxation evaporated. She turned to climb out of the pool, reaching for the huge towel

she had brought with her from the inn. Her clothes were folded on a bench near the edge of the pool and

she slipped into them quickly after she had dried herself. A sense of urgency was beginning to awaken in

her.

When she had entered the huge cavern earlier, Kalena had found the array of bubbling pools an

interesting natural phenomenon. Now, shrouded in silence and lamplight, the pools seemed strange and

vaguely alien, the creations of a story spinner. The stream that rose from the surface of the hottest of the

springs seemed to have thickened, clouding the air. The steam also seemed to be causing the firegel

lamps to look dimmer, Kalena thought as she hurriedly slipped into her soft boots.

Her imagination was getting the best of her, Kalena decided irritably. Still, as soon as she was dressed,

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she scooped up her towel and started toward the passage that led out of the cavern. En route she passed

two other darkened tunnels and discovered that theyseemed more sinister than they had earlier. She

stayed well clear of the shadowed entrances of the unused tunnels and moved swiftly toward the main

one. She wished she had left when the other women had gone back to their homes.

The lamplight definitely seemed to have faded, especially the light in the main passageway. Kalena

paused at the entrance and gazed warily down the wide, curving tunnel that had seemed so brightly lit

when she had used it to enter the cavern. The lamps farthest away from her were almost completely

dark. Kalena shivered involuntarily and thought about what it would be like to get halfway into the tunnel

and find herself in total darkness. Smaller passages led off the large one, and if she couldn't see she might

accidentally turn into one of them. If she did that she would be in great danger of getting lost in the

endless corridors that branched off of the main cave.

Kalena took a deep breath and started determinedly into the tunnel. But she had taken no more than a

few steps when another distant row of lamps flickered and died. Instinctively, Kalena stopped. The

darkness that filled the far end of the tunnel seemed unnaturally thick.

She had to go forward, Kalena told herself. She had no choice. It was obvious, however, that she would

have to provide her own light. She backed out of the tunnel and went over to one of the firegel lamps that

circled the inside of the pool room. Lifting it down from its hook, she held it out and started once more

down the main passageway. Very few of the lamps strung along the tunnel were still alight.

Kalena was several feet into the tunnel when the lamp she was carrying began to falter. At first she

thought she had only imagined the gradual dimming of the glowing firegel, but three or four steps later she

knew for certain she was going to lose her light. The tunnel ahead lay in utter blackness now. There was

no way she could take the risk of continuing without a lamp. Even as that thought crossed her mind,