Jenny wanted to collapse into a huddle of fear, but she didn't dare do that because of Che. So she pretended to be unconcerned. "Well, at least we have a room to ourselves," she said brightly. She set Sammy down, and he promptly settled by the wall and went into an orange snooze. If he was bothered by any recent developments, he did not deign to show it. "Let's see what's in it." She walked around the room, though she expected to find nothing.

She was surprised. There was an alcove with shiny stone that served as a mirror, and there was a crock full of clear water, a basin, and a sponge. "Why this is a washing chamber!" she exclaimed. "We can get cleaned up and look nice!" She did not bring up the subject of the seeming pointlessness of washing, in an awful covered pit like this.

She poured some water into the basin and dipped the sponge into it. "Would you like to be first, Che?" she asked. "I can sponge you off, if you like. Your hide is pretty dirty."

"Yes, thank you," he said, evidently distracted by her positive attitude. It was hard to believe that anything was really wrong, when a person was doing something as routine as cleaning up.

She sponged him off, and indeed his hide was dirty, through no fault of his own. Their trek through the jungle and that night in the horde village had coated them with layers of grime. She had to rinse out the sponge repeatedly, and the water in the basin turned brown, then black, before she was done. In fact, she had to empty it into the drain trench and fill it again with clean water from the crock.

After she had him pretty well clean, she used the remaining water to sponge herself. Her clothing was a total loss, so she got out of it and dumped it into the basin. She couldn't get it all the way clean, but it would be better than before. She hung it up on snags on the wall, hoping it would dry before she had to put it on again.

There was a sound at the door. Someone was unbarring it. Jenny, having noted that the human and similar folk always were clothed, was alarmed. She didn't want to dive into her wet clothing, but if she didn't, she would be exposed. So she hurried to stand behind Che, so that whoever came in would not see the central part of her body.

The door squeaked open. A woman stood there, outlined by the glow of the torch behind her. She was lovely, her slender body garbed in a perfect dress, her face shrouded by the darkness.

She stepped inside, and the door closed. There was the sound of the plank falling into place; the visitor was locked in with them. Was she another prisoner? Surely she was a princess, for her raiment was elegant.