Kanik ducked his head to hide his smile. "Ayla already offered. I said you should deal with it."

"Then sit," Zasen said. "Rymar should be back soon, since there weren't as many injured as we feared. I'll get you a beer. You convince Ayla to put on something so I can see her hip."

"A dress," I said, heading for the bedroom I'd been using.

When I came back out, the men were laughing at something, but I was told to lie on the couch. Zasen then guided my dress up, helping me to tuck the fabric between my legs to hide anything he shouldn't see, and then he cleaned the wound. When that was done, Rymar arrived home just in time to watch Zasen apply a bandage that stuck to my skin.

Then he turned his focus on Kanik's arm. I tried to watch. I wanted to see if his technique was different from mine, but my lack of sleep the day before and all of the excitement tonight left me drained. Somewhere in there, I blinked for a little too long.

I woke the next morning with my head on a pillow and a blanket over my body. There was an annoying noise coming from the chair beside me, like someone's nose was stopped up. Forcing my eyes open, I looked to see Rymar draped sideways in the chair, and the sound was him softly snoring.

"Ry," Zasen said from the kitchen.

It didn't sound like the first time, and that was probably what had woken me up. Pulling in a breath, I sat up. In the darkness before the dawn, I could see the silhouette of Zasen in the kitchen, headed this way.

"Sorry," he said as he set a pair of cups on the table before us. "I was trying to wake him."

So I reached out and grabbed Rymar's tail. "Hey," I whispered.

The snoring stopped. His tail tensed, and then wrapped around my arm. Eventually, the man's eyes opened, scanning the area around him before looking down at where he held me trapped. Quickly, he unwound his tail.

"Shit, it's morning?" he asked, pushing himself back to a normal sitting position.

"Kanik's up," Zasen said. "Ayla is too, now. Tea's on the table and I'm about to light the lamps."

"Caffeine," Rymar mumbled lovingly as he reached for a cup. "Take the other, Ayla. It will help your mind work at this ungodly hour."

"Why do we need to be awake?" I asked as I reached for the second cup.

"Town meeting," Zasen said. "There's always one at dawn after an attack."

"Jerlis will have been up all night figuring out our losses," Rymar explained. "He'll assign survivor benefits to the ones who had someone die, pushing off their bills and responsibilities for a few months. The rest of town will want to know if we defeated the Moles. Basically, it's an update."

Which was when Kanik stumbled down the stairs, his steps uneven and tired sounding. "I need some of Ayla's pills," he said. "The numbing wore off and my arm hurts like a bitch."

"Isn't that a female dog?" I asked.

Rymar just laughed. "Oh, Ayla. I'm going to teach you to cuss beautifully one day. It's going to be so much fun."

"Okay," I agreed.

"And Zasen kissed her," Kanik said, dropping that out there. "She decided it didn't hurt."

"You didn't tell me that part," Zasen said.

"Nope," Kanik agreed, heading into the kitchen to get his own tea.

This version wasn't iced, though. It was hot, which made me want to cradle my cup. Curling my legs under myself, I had a million questions to ask. All of them were about different things, but one was more important than the others.

"So..." I said, blinking as the lamp caught and began to get brighter. "Do we tell them about my mother?"

"What about her?" Rymar asked, having missed that part.

"Yes," Zasen answered, claiming his own chair. Then he looked at Rymar. "I think Ayla should talk today."

"On the stage," Kanik added. "Take her up there with you."

"Jerlis will not like that," Rymar pointed out.

Zasen just leaned over his knees and looked at Rymar seriously. "And you can handle him, or so you keep saying. She needs to talk, Rymar. They need to hear her speak Vestrian. They need to see she's no longer orin."

"She's just gold," Kanik agreed. "A very common shade of gold, too."

"Like Lessa," Zasen said. "Like Saveah. Like all the blondes in Lorsa. She's not a Mole, and you need to give her the chance to prove it to all of them, because what Ayla has to say?"

"Which is?" Rymar asked.

"They lied," I told him. "Over and over, they lied, and we have to do something about it."

Zasen just lifted a hand. "Drink your tea, because we need to be on our way, and I think there's no harm in all of us getting this information at the same time, Ayla. Kanik and I may know part, but I have a feeling that's not even the half of it."

"No," I admitted. "It's not." I licked at my lips. "Because I've figured out how to defeat them. How to truly defeat them."

"Then say it loudly," Kanik told me. "Say it like a Dragon, Ayla, and make sure none of us can ignore it."

Seventy-SevenAyla

When we left the house, the bodies of the dead Moles were gone. The streets were clear, but I could still see the dark patches where blood had been spilled on the ground. This time, however, there weren't people joining us. It felt like we'd left earlier than most.

So when we got to the stage, Rymar pressed his hand against my back and guided me up. There was a bench built along the back where we both sat to wait while the sun rose slowly over the forest. In small groups and large, clusters of people began to arrive. Some looked tired. Others seemed rested. They all packed in close to the stage.

Then the Mayor arrived. I'd only seen this man from a distance, but when he saw me sitting beside Rymar, he stormed forward. The man's skin was black with an irregular red pattern. It made him look just like a demon. His feet were easily twice the size of mine, and the rest of him was even bigger. I couldn't help myself. I pulled back, intimidated by his size, but Rymar stood and put himself between us.

"Don't be a dick," he warned.

"Why is she up here?" Jerlis asked.

Rymar smiled. "What are the numbers?"

"Seven and twenty," Jerlis grumbled.

"And that's why," Rymar said. "She was right, Jerlis, so we're going to let her tell us everything else we need to know. We're going to make everyone listen to her, because this woman? She's the key to stopping them."

Rymar's head barely reached the Mayor's shoulder, but watching them, it was clear which was one stronger - and it wasn't Jerlis. Maybe Rymar had to look up to see the Mayor's face. Maybe the color of his skin looked happier and more inviting. And yet somehow, Rymar also managed to make it clear he was the one who was really calling the shots.

Jerlis finally nodded and moved to the side, giving me space. Like that, we waited a little longer, until the stream of bodies arriving had slowed to a mere trickle. Then Jerlis stepped forward, toward the edge of the stage. Raising his arms, the man let out a piercing whistle.

The crowd began to still. The voices fell silent. All eyes turned to the Mayor, who looked back at Rymar one last time, and then began speaking.