Page 9 of Apple Boy

“Oh, Gods! Are YOU a practitioner?” I gasped.

Adam held the lantern up to my face and considered me. The light hurt my eyes, and I shied away from it a little.

“You are a funny fish, Win Harding,” Adam said with a tone of surprising affection, “Did ye get a bang on the head when ye was a babby?” he asked witheringly, and moved off again along the track, pulling me behind him.

I’d thought that by using a rare magical gemstone Col Sewell may understand the power he wielded and have passed it on to his son, but then again, maybe he had no idea about why men became so docile and tractable in his presence. It seemed that Adam was oblivious to the power of the gemstone. Chagrinned by my foolishness, I followed on.

After several minutes of staggering along the riverside path with the scent of wood smoke increasing, we broke through the trees and I saw the outline of a small cabin in the darkness. Beside it there appeared to be a huge cooking pot with a fire raging beneath it. I had no idea what was going on, but the Fairytales ofErias my nanny told me as a child leached into my memory—of witches in the woods, and strange vanishings. As if sensing my disquiet Adam muttered,

“No, I am not about te cook ye in that pot an’ serve ye to the harvester’s fer supper!”

“I never—“ I said aghast, not finishing my sentence as Adam’s rich laughter lifted to the air.

“There’s not a pick on ye, so ye wouldn’t be a filling meal.” He turned and gave me a warm, playful smile then poked his tongue out. I’d known many men, but I’d never had a man smile at me in a way that stole my breath. Adam may not be a mage or the son of a practitioner, but he did possess great power and magic, and I hoped he knew how to use it wisely.

Adam let go of my hand and said, “Stay here. I’ll call ye when I’m ready,” and then rushed forward and into the cabin.

CHAPTER EIGHT

HOT WATER

I didn’t realize until he’d gone just how much holding Adam’s hand meant to me. I’d felt safe with Adam, and it was a feeling I’d lacked these past weeks. Without the lantern light, my eyes adjusted and I could see darkness retreating as dawn approached on the horizon. I shivered and stood clutching my arms on the timber steps outside the cabin, the wood beneath my feet warmer than the icy earth. A light grew around the edges of the cabin door, I heard water splashing and the scents of citrus, and lavender met my nose.

The door opened, and I saw Adam’s visage lit by golden candlelight. “Ye can come in now, my Lord,” he said, bowing, the mockery in his tone evident.

I stepped into what I instantly realized was a bathhouse. The air was warm, steamy, and fragrant. A large timber tub with two broad black iron bands around its belly sat on a raised brick platform and took up most of the space in the cabin. A pipe led through the timber wall from outside to just above the tub. It was then that I understood that the boiling pot outside delivered hot water for the tub. It was fascinating. The water boiler was basic, but it worked. Readily available hot water was something that we in Thorn took for granted with our public bathhouses and indoor pipework. Parts of Erias were known to be backward in comparison to its largest city of Serein. I did not expect to find such simple engineering here in the Pasturelands.

Coals sizzled on a small brazier sending plumes of welcome heat around the cabin. Adam had lit several candles which sat in lanterns, the light, and shadows dueling to inhabit the space. The bathtub was half-full and fragrant steam rose and danced in the air. Dumbstruck at seeing such a luxurious bath, I turned and looked at Adam questioningly. His expression was one of cautious unease. I think he was waiting for me to speak, but, for the life of me, at that particular moment I had no words to offer.

“I thought ye might appreciate a bath,” he began sheepishly. “Not that ye smell nor nothin’.” He bit his lip anxiously; “The bathhouse is fer family use only. Pa would string me up if he found out I’d let a laborer use it.” He paused and nervously said,

“I got you some clean clothes too… and boots. They was my brother, Evan’s, but since he’s gone he don’t need ‘em no more—” Adam gestured to a pile of clothing and a pair of black leather knee-length boots on a bench.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” I stuttered. I was truly stunned by Adam’s generosity. “Thank you… this is wonderful.” Our gazes locked and I near fell into Adam’s verdant green eyes. Silence lingered awkwardly between us, but then my manners came to the fore.

“I’m sorry for your loss. How did your brother die?” I enquired, hoping I had not spoken out of turn, but Adam drew his head back in confusion, and the spell was broken.

“Oh, Evan ain’t dead,” he scoffed. “Pa pushed him too far, and one day he just upped an’ left. He went te find work in Serein—said he’d come fer me when he’d gotten settled.”

“Oh… okay.” I was secretly relieved that I would not be donning a dead man’s clothing. “How long ago was this?”

“A year or more—” Adam’s green-eyed gaze met mine again and then, he bit his lip and awkwardly looked away. I could tell from the nerves and tentative reply that he’d not seen or heard of his brother in all that time. Did he worry his brother might never return and he was abandoned? From what I’d observed of life at Blackdown Farm with Col Sewell and his lapdog Nico Barat, I wouldn’t have blamed Evan Sewell for leaving and never coming back. I felt for Adam, having been left behind to deal with those two brutes day-in, day-out.

“Well, what are ye waiting for? Don’t let the bath water get cold. It’s taken me more than an hour te get it goin’.” Adam harangued.

I turned to the bath and inhaled the sweet, fragrant steam of citrus and herbs. Gods, this was such a treat. Bathing was another thing I’d taken for granted in my old life. How I’d longed for a bath, dreamed of running my hands over my clean, smooth flesh and maybe, pleasuring myself. I hadn’t done so in weeks. The thought of having unsoiled hair once more and not smelling like something I’d want to wipe from my boot was marvelous.

Without a second thought, I turned from Adam and stripped the disgusting filthy shirt from my body, unbuckled my leather belt, then dropped my stinky silk britches, stepped out of them and my unsightly small clothes. I stood naked in the candlelight, goosebumps prickling at my skin. Running my hands over my torso, I could see how grimy they appeared when compared to the pale skin of my chest. I turned to face Adam, then, realizing from the startled look in his eyes that my lack of inhibition was something that men in Erias were not used to, I smiled and cocked a mischievous brow.

Adam stood pointlessly holding up a length of drying cloth to shield my nudity as if I were a maiden. I was certainly no blushing virgin, and so I placed my hands on my hips boldly displaying my nakedness with relaxed ease. Adam sucked in a breath and dropped the cloth. The way he stared at me sent a bolt of longing and arousal straight to my prick, and it began to fill and thicken. Adam’s eyes dropped, marveling at my growing tumescence. He unconsciously licked his lips and let out a strangled awkward breath. I grinned and arched a brow in invitation, then turned so he could observe my small pert buttocks as I climbed the two steps beside the raised tub and gingerly clambered in. I squealed as the hot water seared my cold toes.

“Um…“ Adam found his voice, “If it’s too hot just say, I’ve got some cold river water in jugs te cool it if needs be,” he suggested.

“I think I’ll be okay. At the bathhouses in Thorn, we start with heat to help the skin release the dirt, and then move on to cooler baths,” I explained. “I’m like a block of ice, so a minute is all I need to thaw my toes.”

As my feet adjusted to the temperature, I lowered myself into the hot water and let the heat envelop me.

“Ohhhh, Gods!” I sighed. “You have no idea how good this feels.” The pleasured moaning sounds I made surprised even me. It felt wonderful to submerge myself and scrub the filth from the past two weeks out of my hair. I remained under the water and scrubbed at my hair until my lungs burned, then I breached the surface, gasped in a breath, and saw Adam standing in the same place, looking at me, his face locked in an expression of reverence.