CHAPTER TWENTY CrossbowNo one visited my chamber and the children caught up on their sleep. I extracted myself from their huddle and washed my extremities in warm water from the pump. The myriad fasteners of the bodice resisted my urge to escape its clutches and forced me to sponge exposed parts of myself without bathing. I wondered where Awamutu and the maids had gone.
The snowstorm halted around midmorning and left grey skies still holding on to their load. The Wasp guards resumed their practice in the courtyard and I cleared the fog from the glass panes and peered through to watch. They used the same sword techniques Limah taught me and I recognised many of the twists and turns. They became humanised before my scrutiny, losing the demonic illusion of slant eyed monsters possessed by ha
