"At fifteen, we must learn how to help the hunt -" I sucked in a breath. "The Moles. Sometimes, the men are not careful with their guns. They accidentally fire them or shoot with a person on the other side. They aren't common, but I've sewn a few. So if we have the things, I can help Tamin."

"I'll get the things," he promised.

Then Zasen spoke quickly to Saveah and the boy before simply heading for the door. Still soothing her son with her hands, Saveah looked up at me. There were tears filling her eyes.

"I thought he was dead."

"I wouldn't let that happen," I swore.

She nodded quickly. "I see that, but you don't understand. He was outside after sunset. I heard the gunshots and hid to protect Taris, but..."

I smiled down at the plump little human-looking baby. "She's okay, though. You made sure of it. Now I'm going to make Tamin okay, if Zasen can get the things I need."

Saveah just stood and held out her arms for her daughter. "I'll hold her. You use the sink to wash up."

Because I was covered in a mess. Dirt, pieces of plant and splatters of red spots that must be blood were on my arms. When Saveah pointed towards the kitchen and explained where the soap was, I headed that way. Like the one in our place, the lever turned on the water, so I began to scrub.

Outside, I could hear people calling for help, and others were wailing in grief. I barely even had my arms rinsed before Zasen was back, dragging the doctor woman with him. A bag was hung over her shoulder, and she looked like a woman on a mission.

"Good, you've already washed." Then she began digging in her bag. "My name is Naomi. I'm a doctor, and Zasen's mother. He said you can do this, so here. Suture. Clamp. Needles. Numbing." As she listed each item, she passed them into my hands. "There are a lot of hurt people outside right now, and I need to take care of them. Are you sure you can do this? Because if you can't, I will."

"I can do this," I swore. "It's one thing I know how to do."

Her head twitched slightly at what I could only guess was my accent, but she nodded. "When you're done, if you can help anyone else, that would be nice, but take care of Tamin first. We've already found Kanik and Rymar and they're going to help us move people." Then she turned to Zasen. "Stay with her. We're moving the critical ones to the hospital, but we're going to need medics in the street."

"And she looks like a Mole," Zasen said.

"So stay with her," Naomi said again, this time making it sound like a command.

I felt like everything around us was out of order and confusing, but it was the very nature of an emergency. Now that I had what I needed, I hurried back to the table where Tamin was lying with Saveah watching over him.

Naomi left. Saveah was still holding Taris, which meant I was going to need Zasen's help with this. Before I could even ask, he moved to the boy's side and began murmuring to Tamin. When the boy nodded, Zasen opened a small bottle and started dripping liquid across the wound. That gave me the chance to lay out my tools the way I needed.

I should be hurrying, but I also needed to make sure I got this right. I was so blessed to have found these people, so I wanted to make sure I didn't do anything wrong when I was trying to help them. More than that, I now understood why my blonde hair and untanned skin caused so much distress, and I'd tolerate it. If the situation was reversed, I'd feel the same way they did. I had been the enemy. If they hated me, I clearly deserved it, but that still wouldn't stop me from helping.

"Zasen, I've never used anything for numbing before," I admitted.

"Already done," he assured me. "It's hard to use too much and works quickly. He will feel pressure but not the sharp pain, just like when my mother treated your feet."

"Good," I whispered, mostly to myself, because I knew this would hurt. "Ready?"

Zasen said a handful of gentle words, then grabbed the boy's tail, holding it up by Tamin's chest. Zasen's hands were careful, but his grip was secure. I was sure he wouldn't let go. I just hoped the numbing agent would work well enough.

"I'm sorry, Tamin," I told the kid. "Let me know if it hurts, and I'll try to be gentle."

The boy nodded, so I bent to his leg. First, I poked gently. When he didn't react, I began to probe. The bullet hadn't gone far. The shot had been rushed and aimed poorly, but it was enough to hurt. Looking up at the boy's face, I pressed upward on the outside of his leg and shoved the tip of the clamp into the hole. It wasn't easy. The bullet was slick and warped. At one point, Tamin yelped, but then I managed to get a grip on the thing, pulling the chunk of metal out.

Saveah quickly passed me a bandage. I pressed it over the wound, staunching the bleeding. "Are you okay, Tamin?" When he nodded, I smiled proudly. "You're such a brave man."

That made him smile in return, but it was weak and his eyes were still glossy with unshed tears. I grabbed the suture next. Checking the wound again, I began to lace him back together. His scaled skin resisted the needle, but the boy barely flinched from the pokes. It was when I tugged the wound closed that he began to squirm. He muttered something to Zasen, whimpered, and then the end of his tail thrashed.

"The numbing is fading," Zasen told me. "The wound is too deep. If you can finish soon, he won't need more."

I grabbed the bottle and added a few drops. "There's no reason for him to hurt any more than he already does." And I returned to sewing.

For most of my life, sewing had been all I was allowed to do. I was good at it, even if I didn't always enjoy it. Keeping my stitches small and clean, I tried hard to align the pattern as I closed the gap. He would most likely have a scar, but he'd live. As I tied the final knot, I wondered how many people hadn't. Then, using a small knife from the kitchen, I cut off the excess thread.

"Okay," I told the child. "A scar to remember when you saved me."

Tamin grinned, then leaned forward to hug me tightly. He kissed my cheek, wiped his eyes, and his voice turned very serious. "You are the bravest Dragon ever, Ayla. I'm glad you're not a Mole anymore. I love you."

Zasen tried not to laugh, but only contorting his mouth stopped it.

I saw, but didn't care. The boy's words slammed into me hard, making my own eyes turn misty, so I simply hugged the child tighter. "I love you too, Tamin. Are you going to be okay?"

He nodded his head. "Mhm. You made it better."

And that was all that really mattered.

Forty-ThreeAyla

Double-checking that everyone was fine, I gathered the medical supplies the doctor had given me. Saveah offered a bag, telling Zasen where to find it. Once everything was packed, Zasen dropped a hand on my shoulder and guided me out of the house.

Behind us, Saveah called out her thanks, then Tamin did the same, but Zasen didn't let me stop. Granted, he was right. We'd already taken too much time, and there were more people who needed help. From the cries in the street, a lot of them.

Still, my head was spinning, and if I stopped for too long, I would probably never start again. The Moles came to hunt here? Why here when there were animals in the forest? And how could they honestly believe Dragons were just lizards?

Worse, I hadn't known.

How many times had Zasen called something by its name? In the compound, it had just been meat. Always pale, disgusting meat. But the meals up here were made from birds and deer. They were called things like venison and pork! It wasn't just meat - which meant the Righteous had been intentionally hiding it.

I didn't want to think about that, and yet I couldn't stop. None of this was right. My pulse was still hammering inside my body, moving much too quickly. I'd been scared - mostly for Tamin - and it had all happened so fast.

Yet as we made our way off Saveah's porch, Zasen clasped my shoulder gently. "You need to know that you're amazing," he said. "I'm so sorry you had to hurt people you knew."

"I'm not." I gestured back towards the door. "They were going to kill that little boy. He's just a kid!" Then I used both hands to shove back my hair. "Never mind all the other horrible things I just found out they've been doing. All of that is awful, but wanting to kill a child?"

"They take the children too." His voice was flat.

Mine wasn't. "Then I will kill every last one of them! I won't even complain about cleaning the floors in your house! They deserved to die! What kind of monster would attack a child? He's just a little boy!"

"A boy who stung a man to death, Ayla. What if it had been you?"

"Why would he sting me?"

"By accident," he clarified. "He still could, and how safe do you feel around that child now, knowing he has the power to take your life?"

Setting my jaw, I looked up into his face. "He's still a child, and if he killed me, then I would've died for a good reason. Zasen, I stabbed my husband so they'd let me die. I didn't expect to live through the day. I came here to die, and instead I found people worth living for. I made friends! No, I am not going to let them keep killing us."