"Ayla!" he called again, smiling as he shuffled towards me. A younger man with a tail followed him protectively.

"Grampa," the Dragon chided, "you're going to get knocked over."

Boris just flapped a hand at him. "Hush, Cyril." Then he reached me, clasping my arm with a wide smile. "Young lady, I finished it." And he held up one of those metal hourglass shapes on a leather cord. "Let me put it on you?"

"Thank you," I breathed, ducking my head to make it easy.

Boris draped the leather over my head and hair, letting it go when it rested on my shoulders. Around my neck, the weight of the pendant was heavy, but it felt good. This was my sign die!

"You can use it to stamp things," Cyril explained. "Right now, the edges are going to be sharp, so just be aware of that."

Boris grunted at him. "She's not an idiot, boy."

Cyril just sighed wearily. "And one day I'll be doing this, so let me, Grampa."

I looked from the tailed man to the ancient tailless one. "You're related?"

Boris just slapped Cyril's arm proudly. "My grandson. He's got the eye for Dragons, you see. Cyril's my apprentice."

"I helped a bit with the Phoenix," Cyril admitted. "Well, with casting the main die. Grampa sculpted the sign."

"Because," Boris said, raising his voice a bit, "I wanted to make sure our newest Dragon had a sign that suited her escape from her old life."

All those people who'd moved out of Boris's way were still hovering around. So many were watching us, and probably listening too. I could almost feel their eyes on me, and I wasn't used to being the center of attention. All my life, I'd been expected to be meek, dutiful, and invisible.

"Thank you, Boris," I said solemnly.

"Now go home and test that," he said. "If it's not like you want, let me know. I think it fits you, though. I think you're ready to become the Phoenix."

"I think she's already there," Kanik bragged for me.

"And thank you for helping stop the Moles," Cyril said. "It's more than many people in Lorsa have done."

Boris patted his arm again. "You are good at this, boy. Very good. Now take me home. My back's tired. Not used to standing up this long."

"Okay, Grampa," Cyril said, wrapping an arm around Boris's back to lead him away.

"And that," Zasen said, leaning over to whisper in my ear, "was him making sure the entire town knows you have his whole family's approval. The opinion of the scribes is important, Ayla, and it seems you've made a good one."

"I just hope I'm really helping," I admitted. "I'm even more scared now that I could be wrong."

"And if you are, we'll deal with it," Kanik assured me. "What matters most is that you're trying. You aren't ignoring the problem. You're trying to do something about it."

Seventy-TwoAyla

When we got home, the first thing I wanted to do was test out my sign. Zasen headed for the weapon closet and pulled out my bow. It was unstrung, but the wood was wide and thick enough for the thumbprint-sized design to fit on the side.

"It's yours," he told me. "So mark it. Let's see what your phoenix looks like."

They had to teach me how, but it seemed these things were meant to be used as a stamp. Pressing the surface against the wood wasn't enough. I needed something heavy - a mallet in this case - to tap the top. That was why it was shaped like this.

The thin part in the middle was where my fingers could grip. The flat part at the bottom had the design. The flat space at the top was meant to be tapped to make an indention. And when I lifted the die, I saw a rising phoenix drawn in the most intricate detail left on the wood below.

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

"Perfect for you," Rymar agreed.

"And if it ever gets dull, Boris or Cyril can fix that," Kanik assured me. "So don't be afraid to use it. This is your official signature now. For paperwork, for business deals, or anything else. Once you put your sign on something, it is the same as putting your name on it."

"But prettier," I joked.

That night, when I prepared for bed, I was still nervous. The Moles were coming. Right now, they were out in the woods somewhere, and headed our way. I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to look over the calendar again to make sure I'd gotten it right. I wanted to string my bow, put my quiver of yellow-fletched arrows over my shoulder, and wait. I wanted to do anything but rest and relax.

I also knew I would need sleep. But on impulse, I slipped off my mother's ring and put it on the leather cord with my sign die. It was starting to get a little tight on my pinky. Then again, my first dresses were not as loose as they'd once been.

However, I wouldn't leave my mother's ring behind. I refused to hide it in a drawer or set it on a shelf. I wanted it with me, always. The same was true for my sign. This was my proof that I was a Dragon. The ring was a reminder of where I'd come from. Together, they said something about me. I simply hoped it was a good thing.

I did have to tie the leather cord shorter, though. Once I was lying in bed, it flopped all over, with just enough weight to almost strangle me. Using knots I'd learned from Ms. Lawton, I made it so the thing would slip tighter or looser. Like this, it would rest comfortably against my chest, not between my breasts.

Silver against gold, the two pieces of myself looked nothing alike. They clanked softly, making a little jingling noise I liked. Thinking about what these two things meant to me, I rolled onto my side, clasped my hand around them both, and finally found sleep.

The next day was long. For most of it, Zasen and Kanik were gone. Preparing the defenses, Rymar assured me before suggesting I read. I couldn't. Somewhere out in the forest, the Moles were camping, hiding away from the blinding daylight I was now mostly used to.

But when the men didn't return, Rymar allowed me to help him cook. That distracted my brain from the constant spiraling. We made a big dinner for all of us out of a pheasant. I learned about how to baste the bird, which spices went with this meat, and more.

We'd just finished when the guys finally returned, and they looked exhausted. "Tomorrow," Zasen said as he dropped down into a chair at the table. "Ayla, you're going over to Saveah's."

"But I can help!" I insisted.

He nodded. "Yes, which is why you're going to Saveah's. I want to make sure she and the kids are safe. Take your bow and all the arrows."

Kanik headed for the stone cabinet that kept the drinks cool. "We're worried Tamin might try to run into the street," he explained as he pulled out two beers. "Saveah has a safe area similar to the closet under the stairs. Hers is in her hallway, behind a sliding bookshelf."

"Tea?" Rymar asked me. "Since they're clearly needing to wind down."

"Yes, please."

He smiled, pouring a glass for himself and me. I was handed both and told to go sit. Rymar then carried over the dishes we'd prepared while Zasen and Kanik were working. It smelled amazing. Enough that my stomach grumbled.

Lately, I'd been eating more. The guys always encouraged me to take seconds. So while they described their preparations for the upcoming battle, I listened while shoveling the meal into my face.

"We don't have enough venom," Kanik said. "Not enough people are convinced this is really happening, so only the militia donated. We do have enough to dip militia arrows, though."

"So tailed and tailless can have poisoned arrows?" Rymar asked around a bite.

"Both," Zasen agreed. "Hopefully, everyone else will stay inside, but I have a bad feeling."

"Yeah, after what Jerlis was saying, I do too," Rymar agreed.