John Ringo - There Will Be Dragons

“It’s not much more than my cost,” Nick said defensively. “There’s not much wine to be had. Nor the good meat that I serve. I have to buy it from McGibbon out of what he doesn’t sell to the town. Prime wild boar isn’t cheap.”

“I know, Nick,” she said with a shrug. “I’m just telling them the truth.”

“Well, Nick, we’ll pass for now,” Herzer said. “We’re not making much as apprentices.” He handed over one of his chits then watched, fascinated, as the bath manager made change. The money he gave back was a mixture of small coins made of various types of metal and a few out of wood.

“This is a tenth piece,” Nick said, holding up a small piece of what looked like steel. “The cost is a tenth and so I owe you nine tenths. But this is a half,” he continued, holding up a small bit of the reddish metal. “It’s made of copper like the chits but it’s smaller and it’s got a half inscribed on it. Another way of thinking of it is fifty hundredths. And this,” he said, holding one of the pieces of wood, “is a hundredth. They’re going to start making them of something else, but for now it’s wood. The wood’s no good, though, cause it cracks and you get in a fight and you end up with a pocket full of useless splinters. So that’s nine tenths. I’d pay that rascal outside in the wood if I were you. Please pee before getting in the bath, not after.”

Herzer took his clothes outside and dubiously handed them over to Darius then went back in and followed Nick’s directions up the steps and into the first room. The walls were wood logs and the floor was made of sanded wood, logs that had been spit with their flat sides up. There were openings between the logs, apparently to let water through, and the surface was covered with a thin pattern of sand. On the left were pegs to hang their bath sheets and on the right there was a trough set well above head height. There were holes cut in the bottom of the trough, and steady streams of water flowed out of them. Under one of the streams June Lasker was already turning in place and rubbing a piece of the yellow soap between her hands.

“Don’t rub the soap on your body,” she said, stepping out from under the stream. “It will strip your skin right off.”

Herzer noted in passing that her skin hadn’t started to get the dry look that many older women’s skin had and that she was pretty well set up. The thought triggered a memory of Bast bathing and he quickly turned away and willed himself to think about something, anything, else.

“This is one of the reasons that it’s almost more embarrassing for men to take these communal showers than women,” June noted with a chuckle. “That’s what’s called an involuntary vascular reaction.”

“Well, Herzer’s got nothing to be embarrassed about,” Courtney said with a chuckle.

“Neither does Mike,” June replied.

“Hey!” Mike growled.

“Mine,” Courtney said, giving him a pat on the rump and getting under the water. “Yow! This is cold !”

“I can tell,” Herzer replied, maliciously. Like Bast, Courtney had pink nipples but they were about twice the size. Or at least it appeared they normally would be; they currently were drawn up tight.

“Mine,” Mike chuckled, but there was an edge to it.

“I’m putting my eyes back in my head,” Herzer said. He stepped across the room and under one of the streams of water and gasped. It was as cold as any of the streams he and Bast had bathed in and after the warm afternoon it felt even more frigid.

“Well that took care of his involuntary vascular reaction.” Courtney chuckled, picked up the soap and rubbed it in her hands. “Ow!”

“Rough, isn’t it?” June sighed. She had soaped all over and now stepped back under the water to rinse off. “It’s lye soap. Be careful in your private parts.”

“What did you do when the… you know, the curse was hitting?” Courtney asked.

“Stayed home and washed as well as I could with a bucket,” June admitted as she rinsed off.

Herzer soaped and rinsed without comment, hoping that the women would keep that line of conversation to a minimum.

“It was bad out in the woods but at least you could get some privacy to wash,” was all the further comment Courtney made.

The far end of the shower room had a doorway covered with a leather flap. Stepping through it Herzer stopped and shook his head.

There was a catwalk down the middle, made of logs again, and on either side of it were six vats, three on the left and three on the right. Each of them was about two meters across and looked to be a meter and a half deep. And each was filled with steaming water.

“Down below there’s an arrangement that lets hot air run through them in pipes,” June said, lowering herself gingerly into the third tub along. “And they are very hot.”

“Oh, this is wonderful,” Courtney said, lowering herself into the tub next to the older woman. “Oh.”

Herzer had to agree. The hot water immediately caused muscles he hadn’t even noticed start to loosen. It also made him need to pee, badly.

“Uhmm…” Courtney said, before he could open his mouth.

“Far end, dear, left for the ladies, right for the gentlemen,” June said, leaning back in the seat.

All three of the apprentices got out of the bath almost simultaneously, which caused a chuckle from Mike.

The latrine turned out to be a rather clean four seater and Herzer quickly dumped his bladder, heading back to the bath. He noticed as he did that the room was not particularly steamy, then saw that there were openings in the wall at the top and bottom.

“Whose idea was this? Nick’s?”

“No,” June said. “And he doesn’t own it, although sometimes he acts like it. It was Edmund’s idea and the town built it and maintains it. The construction up the hill is where we’re building a larger one, more ornate. We need to get rid of the logs and get some tile in; people keep slipping on the wood.”

“It’s very nice,” Courtney said, easing into the water as Mike walked back. “Whose idea did you say it was?”

“Mine,” Edmund said, pushing aside the flap. “Hello, June, mind if I join you?”

“Not at all, Edmund, plenty of room.”

All three of the apprentices were wide-eyed as the mayor lowered himself into the water. They were amazed to see the already semilegendary leader simply joining people in the bath.

Herzer was covert in his study but he had heard so much about Edmund Talbot that he knew he had a case of hero worship going. The smith’s body was unusually hirsute; most people inhibited hair growth to a much greater degree. It also was immensely muscular, not like a bodybuilder but like a person who used a wide variety of his muscles every day for hard physical labor. He also had a full beard and mustache, which was unusual. Herzer had had all the hair on his face and most of his body inhibited except for a straggling mustache and he knew very few people who even had one of those.

“I’m surprised to see you,” June said.

“Think I’m too good to hang out in the bath?” Edmund chuckled.

“Not that. I just thought you’d be too busy,” June replied.

“I’ve got a couple of hours between meetings and for a wonder nothing was coming apart. So I thought I’d catch a quick bath. I can’t stay long though.”

“Sir, can I ask a question?” Herzer said.

“Ask away, I won’t promise to answer,” Edmund said, sliding down in the water and closing his eyes. “We haven’t met by the way.”

“I’m Herzer Herrick and this is Mike Boehlke and Courtney Deadwiler, sir.”

“Herrick?” Talbot said, opening his eyes back up and peering at the boy. Herzer felt as if his brain was being probed but he just nodded.