Chapter 20

Lily crouched low behind a pile of stacked barrels to wash her face, the loose folds of her cloak concealing her hands. The morning light pierced through the cracks in the wooden walls, casting shadows across the yard. She had woken up early and had hoped for a little bit of silence, but instead, voices rose above the murmur few meters away from where she was and they were sharp and angry.

"You expect me to scrub the floors while you carry water? Are you a child, Gregor?" Thomas's voice, cut through the air. He towered over the smaller man, his arms folded across his chest.

Gregor sneered, his fingers gripping the handle of a weathered bucket. "The women are better suited for the floors. Their hands are smaller, more delicate. Let them do what they were made for and we do the work that men should do !"