Chapter 6

As Uriel looked around, he decided the room was identical to the previous one, including the weird floating symbols. The only difference being the bath adjacent to the back wall.

Ghemella instructed Uriel to undress. Although embarrassed, he did so, turning his back to the Guardians. Uriel undressed slowly. Though he had worked most of the soreness from his body, some muscles still ached. He was shocked when he removed his undergarments. Upon his chest, over his heart, he had the brand of an encircled five-pointed upright star. He touched it. The brand was made of gold.

"Turn around," Ghemella commanded him.

Uriel wanted to hide his nakedness but felt compelled to conceal the brand. He folded his arms across his chest, then turned.

Ghemella gestured to the elf. "Make sure our wizard is not hiding anything." The trace of a smile pulled at her lips. The two dwarf witches similar to Ghemella protested. The one in the white robe made a sound of disgust and turned away.

The elf witch proceeded to explore Uriel's body, then allowed her hands to fondle him. He felt his face flush, his blood beginning to rise. He did not move, did not lower his arms from his chest. Instead, he stared straight ahead at the leering face of Ghemella. As they stared at each other, Uriel could see the room begin to shimmer and her face begin to change.

Ghemella abruptly turned away. "Enough," she said. The elf witch reluctantly left Uriel with a lingering touch. "There will be enough time for that, Qenthyeffe, at the MidSummer celebration." One of the others approached Uriel with soap, a brush and what appeared to be a razor. He took them with his left hand, keeping the right hand over his chest. He gingerly stepped into the tub and laid down so that the water reached his neck. Uriel closed his eyes and let out a low sigh as the heat of the water washed over him. The one who gave him the soap attached a mirror to the side of the tub for him.