It felt like ice washed over my skin. "What?" I breathed.

Those hazel eyes of his were not dull. They sparkled with intelligence. "Yeah. A big dumb guy like me. I say stupid things all the time. You know, like maybe how the outside is a lot like what my mom used to describe. It's not burning, you know. It's the kind of place a Phoenix might actually survive."

"They'll put you in quarantine for saying such things," I warned him.

"I don't remember saying that," he assured me. "I was just confused by Jamison's rambling."

The whole time, his eyes held mine. His words were what was expected. They made it plausible for him to be an idiot, but he wasn't? Did he fake it the same way I did?

"I'm sure it's very confusing, but Jamison probably has a fever because his wounds are infected," I pointed out. Then I licked my lips, got back to sewing, and added softly, "But she said she'd send something yellow as a message."

"Bright yellow," he agreed. "How long until your birthday?"

"A few more months."

"Starting to think I should propose," he mumbled. "I mean, since it would give me a good excuse for talking to you a little more. Dumb guy like me? Might be nice to have a smart girl around to help me out."

"I have no interest in marrying you," I snapped. "You're not even on my list!"

"No, but that can be fixed. And when you reject me, I'll make sure there are forks close to you at your wedding." His words were little more than a breath, much too soft to carry over the screaming of the wounded around us. "And I'll offer to chain you so I can make sure you get free. She's alive, Callah, and I know she was your friend."

"We were assigned the rooms, Tobias. We didn't pick them."

"I didn't have any friends," he told me. "They beat me up when I said women could be strong too, because that's what my mother taught me."

I was having trouble focusing on my stitches. They weren't the best, and if Ms. Lawton asked, I'd say he was moving. Hopefully she'd believe it.

"That's sinful," I mumbled, looking for some proper way to respond that wouldn't get me in more trouble as I tied off the last knot in Jamison's skin.

Tobias reached out and caught my arm, preventing me from moving on to the next. "You are a good healer and a proper woman, Callah. I didn't hear you say anything but orders to help this man as much as possible."

"I haven't!" I insisted. "I'm here to do the Lord's work and care for our brave hunters."

Then he reached over, snapped the feathers off the end of one of the arrows, and pressed them into my hand. "Shame that one broke on the trip back. You should put it in your pocket. Might help you learn how to do things better, or something. I mean, since I don't know what it is you women do."

He pressed the yellow-fletched end into my palm, then curled my fingers around it.

"Tobias..."

"It's real," he told me. "It's also your only chance of escape. If she's the Phoenix, then maybe you can be one too. Maybe there's still hope for us, Callah, but I wouldn't know because no one worries about what an idiot says."

I put the feathers into the pocket of my dress and nodded. "Well, I appreciate you holding him down, Tobias. I have more men to save."

"Not that many," he reminded me. "The Phoenix killed most."

I had to struggle not to smile as I turned away. If he was right… If they were all telling the truth, then Ayla was alive. Not only that, but she was thriving! Maybe we could actually escape this Hell and live aboveground, raising plants.

Maybe we still had a chance. Now I just had to figure out what to do with it.

Continue Reading…

Phoenix's Fire: The Ruins of Men: Book 2

Prologue

Tobias

I was an idiot of a man.

I had to remind myself of that every day, because if I made one mistake, the repercussions would be fatal.  For years now, I'd been trying to understand the difference between what I saw with my own eyes, what my mother had told me as a boy, and the things we'd been taught in the compound as children.  I was pretty sure I finally understood.

But the rapping of a gavel on the wooden table made my head snap up.  I was an idiot of a man.  A big, stupid - but useful - fool.  Strong enough to be picked for any chore I desired, dumb enough to never be given responsibility over others.  In other words, free to do my own thing most days.

Sadly, not today.  As the Council of Elders called the monthly men's meeting to order, I dared to glance around.  Every able bodied man in the compound was required to be here.  The room always started off cold, but quickly warmed with the press of so many bodies.  At the front, the group of Elders sat proudly, nothing but old men with too much privilege.

To the side were the two Elders not serving on the council.  Mr. Ross and Mr. Danburn had long since lost their wits to the ravages of time.  They were still respected among the Righteous, though.  They had served the people well, and now, they deserved to enjoy their retirement.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Mr. Saunders said as he looked across the room.  "I would like to bring this meeting to order.  First off, as it is the end of the month, we have three young women turning twenty in September.  Mr. Morgan has already spoken for Bronna Chambers.  Darla Harrows and Selah Dixon are both still awaiting a suitor."

That made the men around me begin to murmur.  Darla Harrows was not an attractive girl, but she was quiet and gentle.  Selah Dixon, on the other hand, was shapely, even if her ears were a little larger than expected.  The Lord said we should not be too picky, though.  All men were expected to be married by the time we reached thirty.  Ideally, we should have a child within two years of that, and once our first wife passed, then we could worry about a woman's beauty.

The chatter in the crowd finally began to die down, which made Mr. Saunders lift his hand.  "I would like to ask about the status of the hunters?  We've had two unsuccessful hunts, and the storage rooms are getting low."

"Sir," Mr. Baird said, pushing to his feet.  "I have been sending out additional gatherers to collect the tributes of vegetables."

"Which is helping," Mr. Saunders relented, "but that is not the same as meat!  We have growing boys to feed!"

"And many dead because of it," Mr. Myers countered.  "Reynold, we've lost almost an entire team of hunters."

"The people still need meat!" Mr. Saunders snapped, slapping his palm down on the table.  "Do not tell me our fittest young men are incapable of feeding the compound.  Do we need more?  Do we need to retire the incompetent?  I hear the fungus farms on the lower level need attention."

My eyes jumped across the room to where Jamison sat with his head hanging.  Harvesting fungus would likely be his next duty to the compound.  The damage to his shoulder was permanent.  The man would never be able to lift a gun again - or a rod.

It had been little more than a week since we returned from the last excursion.  My crew had been considered successful.  I'd carried back four of the heavy bags left on the hillside myself.  The hunters, on the other hand, couldn't say the same.

The men were still whispering about the Phoenix.  Once, the Wyvern had been the monster they feared in the forest.  Now it was a little slip of a girl.  One who had once been ours.  One who'd figured out how to free herself, and from the name she'd chosen, I had a feeling she was doing just fine above ground.

"We're going to need to start training the boys younger," Mr. Morgan said, making everyone look over in surprise.

"Excuse me?" Mr. White asked.  "Which boys?"

"The ones still in sermon," Mr. Morgan explained.  "Mr. Cassidy, I'm sure the older boys know their subjects well enough?"

"They do..." Mr. Cassidy replied from his seat in the front row.

That made a few of the Elders nod approvingly.  Mr. Morgan just kept going.  "So why don't we start including a training session for them with the hunters?  Get them prepared and ready for when they turn twenty and are no longer in lessons?"

"Or..." Mr. Saunders said.  "Maybe we should start sending them to hunt?"