Page 65 of Twist of Fate

He returned to Connal’s chamber without announcing himself. Luke would speak with Gomez soon enough. For the moment, his friend was safe, comfortable, and surrounded by creatures determined to satisfy his every whim.

Connal sat on the edge of the bed where Luke had left him.

“Satisfied?” he asked.

“For now.”

Luke closed the door and leaned against it. With the urgency gone, he became acutely aware that he still wore yesterday’s clothes. Smoke, concrete dust, and dried blood clung to him despite the healer’s work.

Connal’s clothing was equally rumpled. The open collar Luke had noticed upon waking had slipped farther to one side, exposing the hard line of his shoulder.

Luke’s gaze lingered.

Connal noticed.

The air between them changed.

Luke cleared his throat. “I need to get cleaned up.”

Connal’s attention remained fixed on him. “There is a bathing chamber through that door.”

Luke followed his gesture toward an arched doorway he hadn’t noticed the night before.

Then he looked back at Connal.

“Show me.”

Connal rose more carefully this time and crossed to the arched doorway. It opened at his approach, revealing a chamber lined with dark stone and thick vines. Steam drifted through the air, carrying the clean scent of rain.

Luke followed him inside.

A broad circle had been carved into the floor, shallow at the edges before deepening toward the center. Above it, water fell from the stone ceiling in a warm, steady curtain even though there were no pipes or fixtures anywhere in sight. The water disappeared through narrow channels around the basin and returned without flooding the room.

Luke stared upward. “You have a shower.”

Connal looked at the falling water. “It is a bathing chamber.”

“It’s water falling from above. That’s a shower.”

“If you say so.”

Luke stepped closer and held his hand beneath the stream. The temperature adjusted immediately, warming against his skin. “Did it just do that by itself?”

“The chamber responds to whoever enters.”

“Magic has made your people incredibly lazy.” Luke glanced over his shoulder and grinned.

Connal smirked. “You travel between floors inside metal boxes. And don’t get me started on the moving staircases.”

“Fair point.”

Connal moved toward a low stone shelf where towels and glass containers waited. He indicated several of them in turn. “These will clean the blood from your clothing. Those are for your skin and hair. The blue vessel contains⁠—”

“Connal.”

He stopped.

“Where are you going?”