"You haven't lost anyone," he finally said.
"They killed my best friend," I countered. "They took his body and ate him. We've been taking care of his widow and children. Don't you dare tell me I haven't lost anyone. Maybe not as many as some, but we've all felt the pain."
Finally, Jerlis nodded. "But Ione was tailless," he said softly. "We thought she'd be safe because they only take the bodies of the tailed, but they took her anyway! They killed her, Rymar, for no reason at all."
"Just like they've killed so many of us in the streets," I agreed. "I know, Jerlis. I do. It hurts, and it sucks, and they need to fucking pay. But here's the thing you can't get your thick head around. Ayla feels the same. She was trapped down there with them. They tortured her, beat her, lied to her, and the only way she could escape was to come to us."
"What if it's a lie?" he asked.
"Then she's a damned good liar," I admitted. "She flinches from things we think are common. She's scared to make a mistake. She believes men are allowed to beat her without her even fighting back. The girl just curls up into a ball and takes it because that makes it end faster!"
"But we can't trust her," he insisted.
"So why would she tell us about their calendar? Why would she tell us about their language, then help Zasen and Kanik understand how the vowels are pronounced? They can understand Moles talking now! She has helped, and she keeps helping, because she wants to stop them from destroying this place."
"And?" he asked. "Why does she care about Lorsa, Rymar? She just got here. This place doesn't matter to her like it does to us."
"This place," I said, "is hope to her. She has friends down there. Friends who are being hurt every day. Friends she wants to get out, or protect, or help in some way. The only option they have for a safe place?" I pointed at the ground. "Right here. Ayla says that if she's a Dragon, then she can prove it's the men - only the men - and that her two friends deserve the same chance she got."
Slowly, he began to nod. "I don't like it."
"Doesn't matter," I reminded him. "It's done. Boris took this into his own hands."
"And if she screws us over, I will hang her for treason."
"Which is fair," I agreed.
So he sighed. "Fine. I'll update the census. You have the forms. Fill them out and mail them back. Just know that if her information ends up getting people killed, it's going to be all on her - and I will prosecute."
"People die every time the Moles come," I reminded him, not wanting that to suddenly end up as murder charges for Ayla.
"And we should be ready!"
"That doesn't mean people won't die," I countered. "Zasen could. Kanik could. Any of the men on the defense militia could be cut down as they try to push the Moles back. They have guns, Jerlis! We're working with bows! Even if we know they're coming, this is still war, and war is fucking bloody."
He slammed his fist down on his desk. "And I'm tired of it!"
"Aren't we all," I agreed. "So stop threatening her, and start listening to her. That girl? Boris picked the perfect sign for her. She's burning down her past, rising from those ashes, and coming out hot. She is a Dragon, and she might just be the answer we've been hoping for, so don't you dare push her away before she has the chance to figure herself out."
"She gets one chance," he told me.
I just smiled. He'd said that before. He would probably say it again. With Jerlis, it was always "one chance," because he knew he intimidated people. Well, too bad for him, I wasn't scared. Not of him, at any rate.
No, what made my blood run cold was the idea of my friends dying in the next raid. Of it being Ayla, or Tamin, or even Saveah! For me, an oversized Dragon with a bad attitude was nothing at all to worry about.
The Moles were a different story, and they were coming soon.
Seventy-OneAyla
Every day, we got closer to the date I'd circled in red. The day the Moles would come back to Lorsa. And yet, life continued on. I knew the men were doing things to prepare, but I wasn't invited to help. Zasen had told me to worry about mastering my bow first. Until I could put an arrow where I wanted every time, I couldn't do more.
And every morning, I drank venom. Two days after Boris had me sign the book to become a Dragon, however, my morning drink did nothing. I was sure they'd forgotten to add the drops, or something. I didn't feel any shortness of breath. My skin didn't even tingle, let alone get warm. When I told Zasen, he smiled.
"How brave are you?" he asked.
I lifted my chin, knowing I was now the Phoenix. "Very."
"Rymar!" he yelled.
A moment later, Rymar's steps came down the stairs, and the man stomped into the living room. "Look, you're only going to get one table upstairs. Not both. Otherwise, Kanik and I can't both sit at our desks at the same time."
"Then put the little one out back," Zasen said. "But first, would you put four drops of venom in a glass for Ayla?"
Rymar's tail went limp. "Four?"
"Four," Zasen said again. "She just reminded me that she's the Phoenix, so she's brave."
"Kanik!" Rymar bellowed. "Downstairs. Now!"
"What?!" Kanik yelled back, but I heard him moving.
Rymar just headed into the kitchen. He came back right as Kanik marched into the room. In Rymar's hand was a small glass filled full of water. Without explaining anything to Kanik, Rymar lifted his tail and expelled drop after drop into the top where we all could see.
One...two...three...four.
"Oh..." Kanik breathed.
Then Rymar passed me the glass. Zasen was standing at the side with his arms crossed over his chest, looking a little smug. Kanik's eyes were wide in an expression that was almost worried. Rymar simply made sure I had the glass, then leaned closer.
