CHAPTER 160

　　‘We should bathe before we have the meeting,’ I say to Reaper.

　　Queen Maia laughs and points to a little hut, ‘That’s the bathhouse. Go freshen up.’ She looks me up and down and frowns at my grubby, torn dress, ‘And I’ll have the villagers organise you something to wear,’ she smiles.

　　‘Thanks, Maia,’ I smile back and retreat to the bathhouse.

　　The door creaks as I push it open. The wooden tub takes up half the room in the hut. I repetitively push down on the lever to pump the tub full of water. Reaper perches on the edge of the bath as I strip my dress off and step in. I scrub the slobber from my arms and face and then scoop my hands with water to let it trickle over Reaper. His wings expand and shakes. Water flies from his feathers onto the ground. He uses his beak to reach and clean the rest of himself.

　　As I step out, I hear a faint knock and open the door a tad. There’s a plump middle-aged woman holding a dress with a towel folded on top.