Chapter 41

On the eighth day of traveling, Ayla and Rhobart found a traveling merchant. His wagon was full of all kinds of goods. From sweets to weapons, from furs to clothes.

Rhobart made a sign to the merchant to stop the wagon.

Ayla hasn't seen a traveling merchant since she was little. She remembered hot days of summer and all kinds of traveling merchants coming to the castle. Her mother and grandmother would always buy things. And she would receive sweets made from marzipan and chocolate.

"Let's see if we find a new cloak for you," Rhobart said before walking over to the merchant.

While the traveling merchant showed Rhobart the cloaks, Ayla looked at the clothes. Although the clothes she was wearing were made from the best material, Ayla had no more clean ones to change into. But she had no money, and she didn't want to be a burden to the King. So she said nothing.

The King haggled for a few minutes before giving the merchant a bag full of coins. To Ayla's amazement, the merchant packed not only the cloak but also the clothes she was looking at earlier.

"Do you need anything else?" Rhobart asked her.

Ayla needed, no, she craved a bath. A hot, warm bath where she could relax for hours. That and seeing Rhobart training without his tunic on.

Her cheeks turned scarlet. Lately, it was all she could think about. Addanos! What was wrong with her?

Rhobart arched an eyebrow, "Do I want to know what you are thinking of?"

"A bath," Ayla said quickly. "I want to take a bath."

Rhobart scratched his beard for a few moments and looked at the horizon. He smiled, "I know just the place. Get on the horse."

They left the main road behind, riding towards the mountains.

Ayla was curious to know where they were headed to. She looked around, but except for some lonely trees and rocks, there was nothing to indicate if they were getting closer to a Clan.

After some time, they finally reached the base of a small mountain. Rocks were placed around multiple pools. The air around the pools smelled like rotten eggs.

Travelers or hunters occupied some pools, and they were bathing or relaxing.

Ayla looked at the men with big, round eyes, then at Rhobart.

"You mean for me to bathe here?" she asked and looked at the men – men that were probably entirely naked. Thank Addanos that they weren't close enough and she couldn't see anything.

She turned her head to look at Rhobart and said in a scandalous voice, "But there are other men here. Naked men!"

He looked into her eyes and said in a serious tone, "If anyone looks at you while you are bathing, I will feed his eyes to the crows!"

"I don't think I can bathe here. And not to mention it smells like rotten eggs!"

Rhobart chuckled, "It's because of the hot springs here. But this is not the place I had in mind."

"No?"

Rhobart shook his head, "I will take you to a place that only those from my family can enter."

"If only those of your family can enter that place, how will I enter?" Ayla asked.

"Because I will invite you in."

She followed Rhobart's horse around the mountain until they stood in front of a big old oak tree.

Rhobart dismounted Runner and went to the tree.

To Ayla's shock, Rhobart talked to the tree.

"X'irz i'xperot! L'retxi h'xret r'aitxu mahe duut!"

To Ayla's shock, the wall left to the tree moved, revealing a passage.

Rhobart grabbed Runner by the reins and led him inside the mountain. Ayla hurried after them.

"What did you say to make the wall move?" she asked.

"Tree spirit, I want to enter the secret garden!" Rhobart said.

"There's a tree spirit living here? But how? They are all gone!"

Rhobart chuckled, "Just because Dark Mages tried to destroy all of them doesn't mean that all the tree spirits are all gone."

"Can I meet him?" Ayla asked.

In Myrthana, it was common knowledge that all the tree spirits died about a thousand years ago, during the Second War with the Orcs. Dark Mages tracked and destroyed all trees that had spirits because they aided the humans during the war. But now Rhobart said that a tree spirit was in this place, and Ayla wanted to meet him.