"As often as you want," I promised. "But if you can help us figure out when the Moles are coming back..."
"It's going to be a bit," she told me. "The next holiday isn't until the end of August, but I have to work out the days to know how long that is in your time."
"Sooner is better than later," I pointed out. "And the sooner we can stop the Moles, the sooner we might be able to figure out how to help your friends."
Her hand stilled and the girl froze before me. She didn't even lift her eyes. "Meri and Callah?" she finally asked. "And they could stay here with me?"
"Not here," I said gently.
"But we wouldn't be a problem," she assured me. "I could teach them Vestrian so Kanik doesn't have to, and we know how to cook and clean and care for clothes. We'd wash and make sure none of you ever had to do anything!"
"Ayla..."
"We could even get married if you want. I mean, if that's what it takes to help them. I've been trying to figure out how, but I can't do it on my own, Zasen. I have to learn how to be a Dragon first, and then I have to stop the men! I have to make it so they can't hurt people here, and then I can bring my friends here and keep them safe like I did with Tamin!"
"Ayla," I said, stronger this time. "We don't have enough room here, and none of us want to get married. That doesn't mean we won't take care of them. No different than how we took care of you, okay? My mother speaks English, and Jeera, and even Brielle. We will find a place for them to stay, but we have to stop the Moles first."
"I'll figure it out," she swore. "I'll work out the whole calendar and then mark the holidays on your time. I'll tell you everything if you'll help me!"
"I'm going to help you anyway," I assured her. "We all are. This just makes it easier to stop the Moles."
She nodded. "And putting poison on the arrows will as well. I can learn how to shoot those too, right?"
"Once you actually learn how to shoot," I agreed.
"And if no one is outside when they show up, maybe they'll just leave?"
"Not usually," I said. "They break into the houses and go looking."
She sighed, nodding to show she'd heard. "Zasen, what we need are guns."
"Huh?"
"Guns," she told me. "They hurt more than arrows. They're also running out. That's why they take your dead and the guns. They don't have enough to lose. Bullets are easy to make, but the guns aren't. When one breaks, they have to take parts from another."
"But they all have guns," I pointed out.
She nodded. "Hundreds. Maybe thousands. But they always pick them up. They leave their dead but take the guns, Zasen. That means we need to stop letting them!"
"What we need to do," I reminded her, "is keep them from killing people."
"That too," she agreed. "We need to keep the Dragons safe, kill the Moles, and keep their guns."
I couldn't help but chuckle. "And you, little orin, are ruthless. I think I like it."
For the first time since I'd known her, Ayla actually beamed with pride.
Fifty-SevenAyla
The next morning, Zasen said he had a surprise for me. I was confused. More when he told me it would involve shoes and leaving the house. I tried to explain that I had to work on the calendar, but he was having none of it.
"This is important for you, Ayla, and you're allowed to have important things," he explained.
So I found the nicest dress I had and braided my hair back. When I was done, I asked him if I would be proper for this surprise. A smile touched the corner of his mouth as he looked me over, but it wasn't like he was judging me. There was something softer in his eyes.
"Kanik, think she's proper enough?" he called out.
"Always," Kanik agreed from the kitchen. Then he made his way to the line between rooms. Like Zasen, he looked me over. "I like that dress. It's very pretty. But Zasen? She doesn't have shoes."
"A step ahead of you," Zasen assured him. "Jeera is handling that."
"Uh huh..." Kanik said. "You sent her to Lessa's?"
"Safer that way," Zasen said just as a fist pounded on the door. "And there she is now."
He got up and opened the door to reveal the curvaceous grey dragon on the other side. Proudly, Jeera held up a pair of leather sandals even as she made her way in.
"These are for you, Ayla," she explained, setting them on the coffee table before me.
"Do I get to know where we're going?" I asked.
"No," Jeera said, "See, today is a girls' day out. I have a few things planned for us. You're going to actually get to see the town - not just the bit you can make out from here - and I was thinking we might get lunch. Who knows, maybe we'll even stay out too late. What do you think?"
My eyes immediately jumped over to Zasen. "Is that okay?"
"You do not need to ask me. Ayla, this is a day for you, so of course it's okay," he said before glancing back to his sister. "Try not to shock her too much?"
"We're actually going to be good," Jeera promised.
