"She is a Dragon," Kanik reminded us. "It's all official now."

"And I'll deal with Jerlis," Rymar promised. "Then again, he might not even recognize her."

"We should take Saveah and the kids, too," Kanik suggested. "She'll need at least one extra set of hands."

So that was what we did. When the time came, all four of us headed over to Saveah's house first. She had Taris in her arms, bundled up in her blanket again. Naturally, Rymar stole the child away. Tamin quickly claimed my hand, telling me how he had to hold it so I wouldn't get lost.

"Oh, you do, huh?" I asked the kid.

Saveah caught my eye and shrugged. "He's a good little helper, Ayla."

Which meant she was counting on me to keep an eye on him. I could understand that. I also didn't mind at all.

"Well, then don't let go, Tamin," I warned the boy. "If I got lost, I'd get scared!"

"Promise, Ayla!" he agreed with the biggest grin.

Together, the group of us headed up the street. We weren't alone. Ahead of us was a couple walking the same way. More came from the side streets. Soon enough, the road grew crowded and we all had to move slower, but up ahead was our destination.

"I have to head up there," Rymar said, passing Taris over to Kanik. "Want to make sure Jerlis doesn't mess this up." Then he pushed his way forward. "Excuse me. Pardon me."

"Why does he have to be up there?" I asked my friends.

"Because," Saveah said, "Rymar is the second in charge of this town. He's an important man, Ayla."

"I thought he owned a bar," I explained.

"He does," she agreed. "And he also helps the Mayor. He's basically the backup mayor, but people tend to like him more."

"Oh." I nodded to show I was keeping up.

More people came. The crowd pressed in closer. Our bodies were packed together, and I tried to keep Tamin safe in front of me, but he couldn't see anything but the backs before him, so Zasen picked the kid up, lifting him onto his shoulders.

Then there was a piercing whistle that cut through the sound of so many people talking. "Listen up!" a man bellowed.

On the stage in front of us, I could see a giant red-and-black-skinned man. His tail was thick, but so was the rest of him. Holding up his hands, he made that whistling sound again, and the people all began to fall silent.

"We have reason to believe the Moles will return!" the man said.

"That's the Mayor," Kanik whispered to me. "Jerlis."

I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away from the sheer size of him, but someone in the crowd yelled back, "Moles always come!"

"The refugee girl says it will be the day after tomorrow," Jerlis said. "Now, you can take this as you will, but I feel it's my responsibility to make sure everyone in town knows this. The information comes from a Mole. She says she wants to help us. In two days, according to her, they will invade again, so take the precautions you feel comfortable with."

"No!" Rymar snapped, storming up the steps and onto the stage. "If you live north of the river, sure. Take your chances. The Moles have never made it that far." He turned scanning the crowd. "For those of us on the south side, we need to be inside and hidden before sundown."

"You cannot make people lock themselves in their houses," Jerlis snapped.

Rymar just looked at the crowd. "It's one, maybe two nights. Does anyone want to take the risk of their child being carried away? Of your partner or parent being shot? Do you want to look at the drag marks and wonder which one belongs to your loved one?"

"No!" people yelled back.

So Rymar gave the Mayor a hard look. "This time, we are going to be ready when the Moles attack. This time, we will have the militia already in place. For those of you in central and northern Lorsa, if you'd like to help, then meet at the medical center. I will be there to organize volunteers, because even with advance warning, there will still be casualties!"

"Then what good is locking people in their house?" someone demanded.

This time, Jerlis was the one giving Rymar the smug look. "Well?" he asked. "And on the word of a Mole?"

"A Dragon!" a woman called out.

I looked that way but couldn't identify the speaker. Zasen, however, recognized the voice.

"That's my mother," he whispered.

I nodded, but I still hated that they still thought I was a Mole. I'd never wanted to be a Mole. Still, I could understand fear. How many times had I been afraid of the guys, only for them to prove to me I had no reason to be? They'd been patient. They'd been kind. I would try my hardest to do the same.

"The woman who brought this information," Rymar said, his voice louder and carrying easier than the Mayor's, "tricked a Mole into giving it to her. He was stung. She told him she had the antidote - water - and forced him to tell her when they were coming back. She speaks their language so she could do this - and Zasen, the head of our defensive efforts, heard the whole thing."

A swell of murmuring rose up in the crowd at that.

"Then!" Rymar went on, "She realized we don't even use the same calendars. The Moles hunt before their holidays. Holidays we have never heard of. Holidays they founded after the fall of men, while they were locked away in their underground bunker. We could not understand them because they still use English. They use the old calendar from America. But Ayla the Phoenix can! She has given us this warning, so be inside before sunset. Lock your doors. Protect your families! Even if she's wrong, all you've done is stayed safe." He held up his hands as the crowd began murmuring again. "And if she's right, she may have saved your lives."

That was more than the crowd could take. Voices lifted. People began to call things out, but there were so many, and all at the same time, that I couldn't make sense of it. I could, however, see Rymar and Jerlis trading words.

The tails of both men swayed behind them. They looked angry. I wasn't sure what was going on, but it was clear the Mayor did not want to believe me.

"Should I talk to the Mayor?" I asked Kanik, who was close enough to hear me through the voices around us.

He shook his head. "Some people hate Moles, Ayla. They lost a loved one, and they don't care that you didn't do it. You were a Mole. You lived down there. They're going to blame you just for that."

"But I'm a Dragon now!" I reminded him.

"They won't care," he said. "Just like how the men didn't care that you could do more than sew and cook. Some people are assholes, even up here."

"Oh..."

It hurt to think of my new people hating me, but I would change their mind. I would show them. Just like the woman whose daughter had died after the last attack. She looked at me and saw the hunters. She needed to blame someone, so this was probably no different. I could - and would - take it. But I would also show them I wasn't like that.

Then Rymar called out again. "The day after tomorrow!" he yelled. "Moles will come at sundown, so be locked away before that. Do not wait until the last minute. Do not tempt fate, because Moles will not care. They are here to hunt us. They want to kill us!" He glanced at Jerlis, smiled, and then added, "And if you have any questions, contact the defense militia. Zasen and Drozel will be happy to help. That is all. Thank you!"

Clearly, that was some kind of dismissal. All around us, people began leaving. Bodies shifted. Groups angled away. Some went upwards, others downwards, and more peeled off at the sides. They'd mentioned north and south, but I didn't know which ways those were yet. I'd seen them on maps, but that was all. To me, I simply followed the paths I knew.

Then someone called out my name. "Ayla!"

I turned, but so did Zasen, Kanik, and Saveah.

In that direction, people were moving out of the way. Most smiled. Some nodded at the person coming towards us, but I couldn't see the man. He was shorter than the tall tailed people near us. But when he got close enough, I recognized Boris, the sign maker.