Serena watched in horror as Livia gave a sharp tug, and the hem of her skirt snagged further on the low-hanging branch until it tore with an audible rip. Livia did not so much as flinch. She simply turned, her icy eyes pinning Serena with a silent warning.
Do not comment.
Serena wisely kept her mouth shut and offered only a meek nod as they continued their descent through the pine-fringed path. Where they were headed remained a mystery to her, as always. Livia had only told her to dress simply, keep her questions at bay, and follow.
The path curved, the earth soft beneath their boots, the silence between them only filled with the occasional birdcall. The trees thinned eventually, revealing a glade encircled by tall stone walls and flowering bushes. The steam that rose into the crisp air was unmistakable. Serena blinked.
A hot spring?
