CHAPTER TWELVE Almost ReadyAwamutu entered my chamber late in the afternoon. He carried a platter of bread and stone fruit in one hand and balanced a fresh jug of water under his arm. Closing the door with a sigh, he leaned back against the wood. The children piled off the bed at the first sound of the key in the lock, shifting into bee form beyond the drawn curtains of the canopy. Their discarded sheet coverings hissed as they sank to the floor and I pushed my head against the pillow and tried to look rested. Awamutu raised an eyebrow and dumped my meal on a nearby cabinet. “You were silent this afternoon, Melanis.” His lips twitched. “Did you wear yourself out with all the squeaking?”
I forced my face into a blank expression and waited a heartbeat before replying. I’d spent the hours ly
