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"Liliana"

Reaching out, Jissa pinched Liliana’s wrinkled and blood-encrusted dress "I aood cook, but I keep this place clean You are not clean"

"No" Embarrassed, Liliana scratched at her hair "A bath would be much appreciated"

"You’ll have to be quick, quick indeed, if you are to cook apin at her "The lord will not wait past the early dinner bell before consigning you to the dungeon again" The broasat Liliana to folloith quick, birdlike motions "Noon meal he will not eat today Not in the castle, he isn’t"

Running after her, Liliana found herself led to a s the pump to fill the tub "I’ll do - "

The brownie shook her head "Take off your clothes and get in, in right now" Impatient words "I’m sorry but it must be cold, so cold, for we have no time to heat the water"

Glad for the chance to be clean after spending days in her father’s dungeon for the infraction of refusing to slit a ave up any atte to step into the frigid bath Shivering, she picked up the bar of rough soap on the ledge, and dipping her head under the pump, wet her hair

As she lathered it, Jissa said, "You are not very well put together, you aren’t"

From others, it may have been an unkind statement From Jissa, it sounded like simple fact, so Liliana nodded "No" Her breasts were so small as to be nonexistent, while her ribs stuck out froe, and one of her legs was shorter than the other

"You will fit in very well here, yes, you will," Jissa said with a sudden save her a quixotic charm "For he is the only creature of beauty, and even he turns into a , Liliana ducked her head under the water and washed off the suds before repeating the soaping process Jissa stopped puive her the chance to lather up her entire body, leaning against the pump as she recovered from the exertion

"Where do you co the soap down her arms with a bliss even the cold couldn’t diminish "You are surely not a denizen of the Abyss" There was no evil in the brownie - on that Liliana would stake her life

Jissa’s face grew sad "A mountain forest far from here, so far," she whispered "The Blood Sorcerer caic Stole and stole I survived, but he said he couldn’t stand the sight of doms, beyond the realm This is where the spell stopped"

Liliana’s stomach curdled She knew Jissa would hate her if she learned of the murderous blood that ran in her veins, but Liliana needed her friendship So she bit her tongue and stuck her head and body under the puain

I’m sorry, she whispered deep inside I’ of your own

Chapter 3

Bath finished, she got out and rubbed herself doith a rough little tohile Jissa disappeared - to return with a black tunic that hit Liliana s and soft black boots "I think these were arments, "when there were men of foot There have never been any in the years I have lived here Never, ever"

"Thank you, they look very cogy, so she was grateful for the thin rope Jissa found for her to use as a belt "Do you have a coh the knotted mat of her hair, she pulled the wholea smaller piece of rope She didn’t look in the hten even a ghoul into returning to its den"