Page 71 of Embrace the Serpent

“Would you?”

He drew in a breath.

My face must have been radiating heat. “Never mind.”

“I dream about it, sometimes, being free of my responsibilities. There’s so much of this world I haven’t seen, so many of its people I’d love to meet. Jewelsmithing fascinates me. It’s not something we have in the kingdom, not anymore. But it used to be part of our history.”

My scarred and callused jewelsmith’s hands.

“What I mean to say,” he said, “is that there is a part of me that would love to work in your jewelsmithery. I could sweep up, if you liked.”

I stole a look at him. “Maybe, if you work hard, one day I’ll promote you to my apprentice.”

His hair fell into his eyes as he smiled. “What an honor that would be.”

My nose got a whiff of fresh rain, which was a welcome change to the green earthiness of damp bark and the sweet rot of leaves decaying underfoot. A mist hung low to the ground, and as ourhorses picked their way through, it eddied in lazy swirls around their legs.

The dappled sunlight painted Rane in gold and shadow. His broad shoulders caught the light, but his back was shadowed. The lock of hair that curled into his collar was gold. His long fingers as he helped Grimney position a seashell, those too were gold.

He glanced back, and I jerked my gaze to the side.

“We’re here.” Rane pulled back a large fern, and beyond, the waterfall shone like a stream of silver.

It sang in a dozen voices. A low moan, a tinkle of droplets, a babbling as the water danced around the smooth rocks jutting out of the pool, and loudest of all, a liquid purr as it streamed from above and plunged into the pool below.

Rane dismounted in one smooth movement, and I held my breath as he gripped my waist and helped me down. My legs were stiff and throbbing, and I felt like I’d be permanently bowlegged.

The air was scented with herbs, bitter and aromatic. I knelt and touched one, its thin gray leaves pebbled with droplets that glimmered like jewels.

“They say the plants here are special,” Rane said. “The waters are blessed. A star fell in love with a light she saw dancing on the surface of the pool. She watched, night after night, and one day, she fell from the sky to meet her beloved. As she fell, the light grew brighter and brighter, and in the moment before she fell into the water and was extinguished, she realized it was her own reflection. They say her spirit is still here, and at night, the stars above are reflected in this pool brighter than anywhere else in the world.”

“Is that true?”

“Perhaps. But it has been a long time since a star has come to earth. I’ve never met one.”

How strange he seemed in that moment. He was still a divine person, no matter how familiar he was becoming.

“I’ll be over there,” Rane said. “Call if you need me.”

His back disappeared into the trees. He whistled an unfamiliar tune that melded with sounds of the waterfall and the singing of the birds and the chattering of tree-dwelling creatures. I waited till his whistling felt like it was within range of a shout, but far enough away that I could bathe in privacy.

Grimney toddled along the riverbank, picking at the smooth stones. “Stand watch,” I said to him. He saluted. I dropped my bag onto a flat boulder beside him.

I undressed, and the wind caressed my skin. I shivered. In the dappled sunlight, my skin glittered faintly, the specks of jeweldust sparse. Maybe it was the influence of Rane’s story, but they made me think of constellations.

The water was cool and clear; the silty riverbed was soft underfoot, and it deepened gradually. A current flowed, a dark ribbon deep in the pool, feeding an underground stream.

My bag now held a collection of soaps, from dried soapberries, to a scrubby aromatic powder made from green gram and orange peels. I used one after the other, scrubbing my hair until it squeaked, and my skin until it smarted.

I stood under the waterfall and let the pressure beat down on me and wash the soap away. Pleasure and pain mingled as it worked the tension from my shoulders.

Under the light, my arm no longer glittered. My heart leapt as I checked every inch of skin and hair.

My focus was so narrow that it took me precious moments to notice that the forest had fallen silent.

Grimney stood still, watching the trees.

I darted to my bag, reaching for the bundle of fresh clothes inside, and dressed quickly, ignoring the way the fabric clung to my skin.