Then Ren invited her to the backside of the house.
The small, hidden clearing behind the hut was sheltered from the rest of the forest by the shimmering violet barrier that rose silently around the garden. A natural hot spring bubbled gently in the center — a circular pool of warm, clear water fed by a hidden underground spring, its surface rippling softly under the morning sun. Black stones formed a natural rim around the pool, and the air around it carried the faint, sweet scent of the blooming flowers that had never died.
Ren stepped into the clearing first, then turned to Thistle. "Come. Let the water relax us both."
