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her across his lap, and pushed her head closer to the ground. His fingers probed the copious juices flowing from her body and slipped inside her. A smile broadened his face as her virgin muscles clutched hungrily to his thick digit, and he pressed deeper within her. Daynel lifted her bottom higher to allow his hand access to female treasures, and mewed as the tip of a finger began to circle lazily upon the tiny head of her swollen nub.
    An audible groan caused the stranger to turn to her, shaking her arm and jarring her to wakefulness. “What are you seeing? Tell me!” he demanded, concern written across his face.
    “It’s nothing! I slumbered atop my horse, that is all!” Daynel snapped. “I am tired and hungry, and wish only a full stomach and good sleep. See that I get that and all will be well.”
    “I am with you to protect you, not serve you, my lady,” the man growled. “I call you princess for courtesy only, but my loyalty is to my priestess. She alone commands me.”
    Daynel’s body shook as she gripped Firestar’s sides with her knees, trying to clear her head of the smoldering image of an unknown man ravaging her body. She finally turned to her escort.
    “What does Ilesbet call you?”
    “She is my priestess, mother of my faith. She calls me son,” the man said, the twinkle in his eye obvious as he knew his response would annoy the young woman.
    “Son? Of course she does. What does Günter call you? He is not a priest and therefore has no claim to the title of Father,” Daynel snorted impatiently.
    “Baldric. I am also known as Eagle, for I have the ability to see all at any distance.”
    “If the crown prince felt you were one who should be called by your given name, then I will do so as well. How does Ilesbet give you instructions, Baldric?”
    “She sends them through dreams. She is very powerful, child. More than most realize. Her magic is…”
    “I do not believe in magic,” Daynel interrupted. “How much further do we have to go before we reach this bath you spoke of?”
    “It awaits you as we speak,” Baldric said, parting some vines from before him and stepping his horse aside so that she might enter. Daynel slid from Firestar’s back, glancing up at the man before she walked into a small trove laden with ferns and flowers. She grinned as she observed the steam rising from a small crevice in the mossy ground.
    “This looks delightful,” Daynel said as her horse began to graze on the new grasses beside a gurgling creek. Baldric dismounted and held the reins as he offered a small bow.
    “I give you a ladies’ bath designed by the gods themselves. I will be here guarding as you enjoy, Princess. Come, horse, allow me remove your tack.”
    Daynel watched, astonished, as Firestar silently followed the man from the bathing area, leaving her alone with only the beauty of the gods’ creations and her own thoughts. Daynel could barely wait for the heavy vines to drop behind her before peeling off her worn leathers and soiled underclothes. Carefully, she eased into the tiny, deep pool, sinking to her neck in its delicious, hot embrace. The pressure of the moving water below her caused a tiny whirlpool of bubbling liquid that gently massaged and soothed her aching muscles. After dipping her hair beneath the surface, she grabbed a handful of pink soapwort root and willow leaves, and crushed them against her scalp. The lather was soft, removing the tension from her, as well as the grime. She washed out her clothing well, and crushed lavender flowers into the cloth. She inhaled the scent of the fragrant flowers deeply, finally allowing herself to simply float and relax.
    Relaxation did not come quickly as the mental image of her escort plagued her. How it irked her that she had not yet seen the face that he was hiding behind the rough beard and long, unkempt hair. There was only one certainty in this puzzle, and that was the man she had been given vision of—the one whom she felt touch her