Together, we made our way up and down multiple streets, but we didn't see any Moles. Instead, we ran into Jeera, who I learned was also on the city guard. She was working with another man I didn't know. A tailless one. They traded information with Kanik, the four of us trying to figure out where any Moles might be left.

If there were any, they weren't on this side, and the gunshots had stopped. Jeera suggested we head back to the main command area to see if anything else needed to be cleared. That was up the street, not far from the market.

We didn't use the main road. The Moles liked shooting down it too much to take the risk. Instead, we backtracked, treading through people's yards to find a rather large group of Dragons all converging in the same way. Clearly, this was the command post.

There, we found Zasen and Drozel talking to other Dragons. Zasen was clearly giving orders, pointing off in different directions only to have people head that way. To me, it all looked very official, but I still felt confused, like I was waiting for the next bad thing to happen. But as we got closer, Drozel spotted our group and tapped Zasen's shoulder.

The Wyvern turned, saw me, and it seemed like nothing else mattered. Forgetting about everything else he was doing, Zasen rushed forward, pulled the strap of the gun off my shoulder, then crushed me up against his chest. At the same time, he managed to pass the gun to his sister, and then he was leaning me back so he could check me all over.

"Ayla, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I assured him.

"She got shot," Kanik corrected. "Grazed."

Zasen just chuckled. "Which means she's fine. This one's tough, Kanik. Terrifyingly so."

Then Drozel stepped closer. "Zasen, I'll take over. You worry about getting her checked out."

"Really?" Zasen asked.

Drozel looked over at me, then forced a weak smile. "She saved my life. Yeah. Really. Seems you were right after all. This one is worth keeping around."

That was enough to make me smile. From his tone, I was sure it was a compliment, and right about now, it felt huge. I had no idea how many Moles I had seen killed, and I was terrified to learn how many Dragons had died tonight. But there was one family that was supposed to be my responsibility, and I'd left them alone.

"We need to check on Saveah and the kids," I told the men.

"Moles already ran," Zasen promised, gesturing for me to start walking - or limping. "Although there weren't many of them left to run. I'm not sure they got any bodies this time."

"I saw at least one of ours dead," Kanik admitted. "West side, in the street."

"We'll figure all of that out tonight," Zasen said. "I'm just trying to tell myself this was a win right now."

"It was," Kanik promised.

"And yet it wasn't enough," Zasen said. "I'm starting to think it will never be enough for the Moles."

Seventy-FiveAyla

We had to enter Saveah's house from the back door. The front was still locked tight. I rushed in first, half expecting to see the interior trashed the way Zasen's had been after the first fight. Instead, it looked just like it had when I'd left.

"Saveah?" I called out. "It's us!"

Zasen chuckled at that. "And now she yells in the house."

Ignoring him, I hurried up the hall, trying to jog on my lame leg, and quickly pulled the bookcase aside. In the little closet, a single candle in a jar was burning on the top shelf. It made a soft golden glow that showed Taris sleeping on a pile of pillows. Tamin was coloring in a book, but he looked up. Across from him, Saveah was watching me.

"Kanik?" she asked nervously.

"Fine," I promised. "It wasn't him - and the Moles are gone."

"So it's safe?" she asked.

I nodded. "They left. We ran them out."

"Good."

Saveah leaned forward to take the coloring book from Tamin, then pointed to the door. Obediently, the boy got up, but Zasen and Kanik had followed me up the hall. As soon as Tamin was out of the closet, Zasen swept him up to sit on his hip.

"Hey, kiddo," he told the boy. "Did you stay nice and quiet for your momma?"

"Yes, but I gotta pee!" Tamin whined.

"Then let's go do that," Zasen said as he carried the boy away.

Saveah chuckled, but passed Taris to me. Kanik turned me so he could snag her from my arms.

"I'll put her in her crib, Saveah," he promised.

So I offered Saveah a hand. She'd been sitting there a while, in a somewhat cramped space, so I had a feeling her legs would protest. Accepting the offer, I pulled as she stood, which made her lurch upwards, almost into my chest.

Her eyes dropped.

Her body stilled.

Then she grabbed the leather throng at my neck and pulled. "Where did you get this!" she snarled, pulling again.

"It's my sign die," I explained, trying to grab the leather above her hand.

So she yanked, and hard. The knots slipped, the leather lengthened, and then I felt pain as it snapped behind my neck. Saveah's eyes were on the ring. Pulling it off the cord, she dropped the leather and hurried into the kitchen.

"Did a Mole have this?" she demanded. "How are they getting our signets?"

"No!" I gasped. "That was my mother's ring."

But I was chasing my sign die as it rolled across the floor. That thing meant so much to me. It was proof I was a Dragon. I couldn't lose it. I needed that!

Saveah gasped in a way that sounded more like choking. "Where the fuck did you get this!" she screamed, rage tearing through her voice.

"Saveah!" Zasen said, rushing into the room.

"What's going on?" Kanik asked, emerging from the other side of the house.

So she thrust my ring out. "It's the Serpent! It's a fucking signet. How did the Moles get it?!"

"That's my mother's ring," I insisted, clutching my Phoenix die tightly to my chest. "I wore it here!"

"That's what's been on your finger?" Zasen asked as he moved towards Saveah to see it.