Chapter 96: Twenty Questions (I)
The hot springs were where Yorel had indicated.
Behind the blacksmith’s workshop. A small stone complex with a central wall dividing two areas. The men’s section on the left side. The women’s section on the right side. The water came from natural underground currents with a considerably warm temperature that produced visible steam above the surface.
Nathan and Liaraen separated at the entrance.
Nathan entered the men’s section.
He changed behind a small wooden screen. Left his clothes on a bench. Got into the water.
The heat hit him with the specific intensity he hadn’t felt in months. His muscles relaxed considerably. The accumulated tension of the past few weeks began to release in his shoulders and lower back.
Nathan closed his eyes for a moment.
*Good.*
*At some point in life.*
*This was what I needed.*
From the other side of the wall, he heard the sound of water moving. Liaraen was getting into the water too.
Nathan opened his eyes.
"Sprout."
From the other side, after a second:
"Yes."
"How’s the water?"
"Considerably warm. In a good way."
"Same here."
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"I’m thinking."
"Go ahead."
"The settlement is strange. Considerably strange. And although Yorel said the residents don’t want to be near the meat tree because of the creatures it attracts, their reaction when you returned with the meat doesn’t match that."
"How doesn’t it match?"
"If the problem were just fear of the creatures, the residents would react with concern. With specific questions about whether you’ve brought scent that could attract more creatures to the settlement. With possible requests that you store the meat outside the settlement."
"Understood."
"That’s not what they did."
"That’s not what they did, but it’s not that big a deal—after all, they themselves said the creatures had mysteriously disappeared."
"They were upset. Specifically upset that you cut from the tree. As if the tree had value to them that doesn’t match the official explanation of ’it’s dangerous.’"
"Understood."
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"Meat trees are primary cycle organisms. They grow in areas where the forest’s natural magic combined with ancient divine presence over centuries. They can be considered sacred by communities that venerate unofficial presences."
Nathan processed that.
*Ah.*
*This settlement venerates something.*
*The meat tree is central to that veneration.*
*When I cut the meat, I technically violated something important to them.*
*They didn’t say it openly because they preferred to handle the matter internally.*
*The "feast tonight" likely has a different function than Yorel described.*
Nathan spoke with a calibrated voice.
"Sprout."
"Yes."
"That feast could be considerably more problematic than it seems."
"Considerably yes."
"We’re going to eat with caution."
"Considerably yes as well."
"We’re going to be prepared to leave the settlement quickly if the situation deteriorates."
"Acceptable."
"Acceptable."
Silence for a moment.
The hot water continued flowing. The steam continued rising. And on the stone walls around them, the afternoon light began to fade considerably as the sun descended behind the western trees.
Then Liaraen spoke, with a different voice.
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"Change of subject."
"Go ahead."
"We’ve spent considerable time together over the past few months."
"Correct."
"I know considerable information about you."
"Correct."
"And you know sensitive information about me."
"Correct as well."
"But there’s information neither of us has shared with the other."
"Correct, and that’s how it should stay."
"Nathan!"
"Yes?"
"Let’s play twenty questions."
Nathan sat processing that for a moment.
"Twenty questions?"
"Yes."
"Explain the rules."
"Simple. Each of us asks the other questions. Ten questions each. The questions can be about any topic. The only rule is that the other has to answer honestly. No aristocratic evasions. No evasive cynicism."
"Sprout."
"Yes."
"You’re proposing to eliminate my usual defense mechanisms."
"Yes."
"You’re going to exploit my strategic vulnerability under the cover of a game."
"Yes as well."
"That’s cunning."
Nathan pretended to cry.
"They grow up so fast."
"I appreciate the assessment."
"Fine, Sprout. I’ll play."
"Alright."
"Agreed from the start. Five each, alternating—you first. Then five more if we want to continue."
"Acceptable."
"You start."
"Acceptable."
Nathan thought for a moment.
*I’m going to ask questions I consider important, but I’ll start with something light.*
And then he spoke.
"Sprout. Question one. What was your favorite food when you were little?"
From the other side of the wall, brief silence.
Then:
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"That’s a calm question considering the occasion."
"Yes. I decided to start with something light to verify your sincerity in committing to the game."
"Good."
"Go ahead."
Liaraen thought for a moment.
Then she spoke with a calm voice.
"Sweet tree root puree with southern berry sauce. My mother made it once every two weeks when I was little. It was my favorite food because it was the food she made for me. It was the only dish she prepared with her own hands."
Nathan processed that.
*Good.*
*Good answer.*
*Sincere.*
"I appreciate it."
"Now me. Question one. What was the food you hated most when you were little?"
Nathan laughed.
From the other side of the wall.
"Turnip stew with mutton. My mother made it when there was no money for good meat. The turnips we had at the Crossing were considerably bitter. And the mutton we could afford was tough. Combining the two in a stew produced a dish specifically considered unpleasant by the standards of a seven-year-old."
Liaraen laughed.
"I appreciate the answer."
"Now me. Question two. What sound calms you the most?"
Brief silence.
Then:
"The rain on the large leaves of the central forest’s trees in Aelthoren. The sound has a specific quality when it falls on broad leaves. During my childhood, whenever it rained, I found an excuse to go out to the mansion’s main balcony to listen. My tutor Elreth would scold me when she found me wet upon returning, but she never forbade the ritual."
"Nice."
"Now me. Question two. What sound calms you the most?"
Nathan thought for a moment.
"The sound of someone else breathing while sleeping in the same room. When Aren was alive, we shared a room throughout our childhood. The sound of him breathing at night was the guarantee that I wasn’t alone. After he died, I slept considerably worse for many years. The past few months during the journey with you, I’ve slept better because the sound of your breathing nearby reactivated that old pattern."
Silence from the other side of the wall.
Approximately five seconds.
Then:
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"That was an honest answer... though you sounded like a pervert."
"Yeah, maybe a little."
"I appreciate it."
"I also appreciate that you know how to appreciate."
Silence again.
Nathan closed his eyes.
With the hot water surrounding him.
With the steam rising.
With Liaraen on the other side of the wall doing the same.
And with the calm feeling, deep down, that this was the most peaceful moment he’d had throughout all the past weeks.
*Twenty questions is a good game.*
*Let’s continue.*
Nathan thought for a moment after the second answer.
"Sprout. Question three."
"Go ahead."
"When was the first time you thought you liked someone romantically?"
From the other side of the wall, abrupt silence.
Approximately five full seconds.
Then:
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"That’s a very personal question."
"Register change. You’re going to answer."
"Nathan."
"Sprout. The game’s rule was sincerity. You accepted it."
"Understood."
Silence again.
Then, with a carefully controlled voice from the other side of the wall:
"At age eleven. His name was Nerel. He was the son of House Vaelinor. Approximately two years older than me. He appeared at the court’s quarterly diplomatic dinners. I would talk to him during ceremonial intervals. He didn’t notice I talked to him with more attention than I gave to other people. And approximately two years later, he became formally engaged to a daughter of House Marethiel. I stopped attending the quarterly diplomatic dinners for the following six years."
Nathan processed that.
With a smile.
"Sprout."
"Nathan."
"Apparently you were eleven and already suffering aristocratic heartbreak."
"Remember that elves mature emotionally faster than humans."
"It seems little Sprout was suffering over the son of House Vaelinor."
"Quiet, Nathan."
"Sprout. Nerel."
"Quiet."
"Nerel Vaelinor."
"Quiet."
Nathan laughed.
From the other side of the wall, he heard the sound of water moving with the specific agitation of an aristocratic elf who had internally decided she wasn’t going to be flustered but whose body apparently had decided differently.
Then Liaraen spoke with her recovered voice.
"My turn. Question three."
"Go ahead."
"Nathan. Sella."
Nathan stopped.
"Sella what?"
"When you went for a walk in the cherry tree clearing in Sareth. Approximately twenty minutes. When you returned to the communal house, Sella returned considerably happier than she’d left. With a broad smile. With energy at one million percent."
"Yes."
"What happened during those twenty minutes?"
Nathan froze for a second.
*Oh, shit!! I thought she’d forgotten.*
*Think, Nathan. Think.*
I sigh.
*You’ve really been holding onto that question for weeks.*
*Fine.*
*The rule is honesty.*
*I’m going to be honest.*