The morning after the caravan left, Loccy lost a flour fight, then found a secret behind the pantry.
A thin ribbon of warm air curled from behind the last shelf, smelling of wet stone and faraway summer. She shoved the shelf aside, followed the air down some twisting steps, then gasped out loud at the sight.
'A lake. A warm lake, hidden under the house, nobody told me.'
Steam drifted over a pool the size of a barn floor, glowing pale green in the lantern light. Loccy dipped one finger into the water, then squealed so loudly that a bat fell off the ceiling.
"Juna, Vella, everybody, come quick, I found the best thing in the whole world!" she shouted up the stairs.
Juna appeared first with a dagger in each hand, her ears swiveling toward every shadow in the cave. She studied the pool, then Loccy's shining face, then slowly lowered both blades with visible, very grudging reluctance.
"You screamed like somebody was murdered, all I see is a puddle."
