Chapter 57: The Perfect Way to Unwind

The wooden stairs creaked under my boots as I climbed to the second floor. The hallway was completely dark except for a thin sliver of yellow light bleeding out from under my bedroom door.

I stopped a few feet away when soft voices drifted through the narrow gap.

"We actually planned this on the walk back from the caverns," Damara whispered. "But you’re part of this house now, Elise. We want you to join us."

Fabric rustled quietly. "I don’t know what to do," Elise replied, her voice barely carrying through the wood. "He already does so much for all of us."

"That’s exactly why we’re doing this," Katrina added. "Just follow our lead. Grab that small jar on the dresser. Sarah, get your magic ready for his hands. He complained about the mortar earlier."

I pushed the door open, surprised at the vast difference compared to normal. They had piled every spare blanket and thick pillow we owned right in the center of my mattress.

Damara stood by the nightstand holding a rolled-up towel that was visibly steaming. Katrina sat near the edge of the bed, her tail flicking against the floorboards.

Sarah and Elise stood nervously by the window. Elise rolled a small glass jar between her hands.

They all stopped talking the moment I stepped inside.

"What’s going on in here?" I asked, lingering near the doorframe.

Katrina pointed a clawed finger directly at the pillows. "Shirt off. Lie down. Face first."

I raised an eyebrow at the command. "Is this a trap?"

"It’s an order," Damara corrected. She stepped forward and gestured toward the mattress. "You spent the entire morning swinging a heavy iron pestle to save the village. You hauled Elise down a mountain in a mudslide, and you washed the dishes. Now it’s our turn to take care of you."

Arguing seemed completely pointless, and I was too tired to try.

I pulled my shirt over my head, tossed it onto a nearby wooden chair, and climbed onto the bed. I lay face down against the plush pillows.

The mattress sank slightly as Katrina climbed up right behind me. She straddled my lower legs to anchor herself firmly.

Damara placed the steaming hot towel directly across my upper back. The damp heat immediately sank into my skin. I let out a long groan into the mattress as the tight muscles across my shoulder blades finally stopped twitching.

"Ready?" Katrina asked.

"Ready," I mumbled into the pillow.

Katrina pressed the heavy heels of her hands into my shoulders. She used her brawler strength, leaning her weight forward as she dragged her hands down either side of my spine. My back popped loudly in three different places.

"Told you he was tense," Sarah murmured.

Sarah shifted closer, kneeling beside my right arm. My fingers had cramped from gripping the mortar handle all morning at the clinic, and my knuckles were still stiff. She rested her glowing hands against my sore hand. A faint turquoise light washed over it. The sharp ache in my joints vanished in a matter of seconds, leaving behind a comfortable warmth.

Elise sat quietly near the head of the bed. She unscrewed the metal lid on the glass jar, and the strong scent of lavender and eucalyptus quickly filled the room. She rubbed the slick oil into her palms.

"Lift your head a little bit," Elise whispered.

I turned my head to the side to give her room to work. Elise gently began rubbing the oil into the tight muscles of my neck. Her hands were much softer than Katrina’s rough grip. She used slow circles right at the base of my skull. I didn’t realize how hard I had been clenching my jaw throughout the day. The headache I’d been ignoring finally broke under her touch.

Katrina found a massive knot beneath my left shoulder blade. She pressed her thumb deep into the muscle and held it there. I winced, digging my face deeper into the pillow.

"Breathe through it," Damara instructed. She sat on the edge of the bed next to my waist and began massaging my lower back with firm, even strokes.

"You all really didn’t have to do this," I said. My voice sounded muffled against the bedding.

"Shut up and relax, Sam," Katrina teased. She released the stubborn knot and moved back up to my shoulders. "We used some of the bounty money to buy the oils in town. We wanted to say thank you properly."

"We’re a team," Elise added quietly. She continued running her fingers through my hair. "You take care of us. We take care of you."

I closed my eyes. The combination of the hot towel, the deep pressure on my spine, and the soothing magic on my hands made my arms and legs feel like lead. I stopped fighting the exhaustion.

"We actually had a hard time picking out the right oil," Damara mentioned. Her hands worked in a steady rhythm, kneading the muscles just above my hips. "The apothecary down by the docks tried to sell us some awful concoction made from fermented fish scales. He swore it was the best remedy for muscle fatigue."

Katrina snorted loudly. "I almost punched the guy. It smelled like a dead whale left in the sun. We ended up finding a much nicer shop near the tailor. The woman working there recognized us from the guild board. She gave us a discount on the lavender."

"Good call avoiding the fish scales," I mumbled.

"Sarah picked the scent," Elise chimed in. She dragged her thumbs along my jawline, applying just enough pressure to release the tension I always carried in my jaw. "She said the lavender would help you sleep better tonight."

"I read about it in one of the botany books at the library," Sarah announced proudly. The turquoise glow faded from my right hand. She crawled over to my left side and began applying the same gentle healing magic to my other knuckles. "It physically lowers your heart rate and calms the nervous system."

"Well, it’s definitely working," I admitted. The heavy ache in my bones had been completely replaced by a warm, drifting sensation. "You guys are entirely too good at this. I might start demanding a massage every time we finish a guild quest."

"Don’t push your luck, Sam," Damara warned playfully. She gave my side a light squeeze before pulling her hands away. "This is a one-time special event. Tomorrow, we go right back to making you cook breakfast."

"I can cook breakfast tomorrow," Elise offered quickly. "I don’t know how to make those fluffy pancakes you made yesterday, but I can manage eggs and toast. It would give you a chance to sleep in for once."

"That sounds like a fair trade," I said, my words starting to slur together.

"It’s settled then," Katrina declared. She gave my shoulders one final, deep squeeze before sliding off the mattress. "Elise is on breakfast duty."

"Thank you," I whispered.

The room stayed mostly quiet after that. The only sounds were the soft rustle of the blankets and the steady patter of rain hitting the window glass outside.

I stopped trying to keep my eyes open, letting myself fall asleep before they even finished the jar of oil.