"You might be good at teaching," she explained, "but this? I know how to clean. It's all women are good for, you know, so I'm going to clean them all away. Then maybe you men will realize I'm not useless!"

"It's not all women are good for."

She paused, her face snapping back to mine. "What?"

"Cleaning is not all women are good for," I reminded her. "Maybe that's what the Moles say, but they're liars, right? That means it's a lie. In Lorsa, Ayla, women are good for a lot of things. They're doctors and hunters and seamstresses. They're teachers and cooks and fletchers who put the feathers on arrows. In Lorsa, women are good for a whole lot more than cleaning."

"But I'm only good at cleaning," she mumbled.

"And sewing," I reminded her.

She nodded. "I can mend clothes!"

"I actually meant sewing little boys," I teased. "Sewing wounds. You also killed men very well with a weapon that wasn't made for it. Tamin's bow was designed to only shoot cloth targets, but you killed two men with it."

"I killed more with the gun," she admitted.

"And I don't have any clue how to use one," I told her. "So that's another thing you're good at. I'm pretty sure it's also nothing like cleaning."

"And not something a woman should ever do," she said softly. "I just want a way to show you I'm worth the effort. That I can help. Kanik, I don't want to be a burden."

"Ayla, you're not a burden."

"But I don't do anything for you!"

"You just listed off a ton of things you do. I also think you should keep doing those things," I said. "Sewing wounds, protecting kids, and using guns. Those are all things you did last night, Ayla. Plus, I think you should kill as many Moles as you want, because it keeps me safe and I like that. I like having my friend protect me as much as I want to protect her."

And her lips curled into a little smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," I agreed.

She nodded her head once and pushed herself to her feet. "Good, because I really want to become a Dragon so I can stop the Moles. I'll show you I'm worth helping. And even if you won't let me be a Dragon, I still won't let the Moles ruin this place!"

And she headed back up the hall to continue. All I could do was shake my head. I was sure she had some reason for being so adamant, but damned if it made sense to me.

But if that woman wanted to be a Dragon, I would do everything in my power to help her. I had a feeling Zasen and Rymar would too.

Forty-SevenRymar

It was still dark outside when Zasen and I left. After every attack, Lorsa held a town meeting at daybreak. The time was chosen so those who'd been up all night disposing of bodies would be available, and those who had gotten some sleep would only need to wake up a bit earlier. As the Deputy Mayor, I was expected to be there even earlier.

"I need to say something about Ayla," Zasen mumbled as we headed towards the center of town.

I murmured at that. "I say leave her out of it for now."

"But she knows when they'll be back," he countered. "That's hope. We need something to hope for right now."

"And when will they be back?" I asked.

"Well, she didn't say," he admitted. "Our calendars are different."

I just nodded. "Which means she doesn't know."

"She does," he insisted.

"Zasen," I begged. "She doesn't know our date. If you try to tell the mob this morning that your Mole girl knows, didn't say, and can't tell you? That will get her hurt - or killed."

"So I'm supposed to just ignore what she did?" he snapped.

I ducked my head to rub at my sleep-crusted eyes. "No. You tell them all how she helped Tamin. You make it clear she killed Moles to protect a Dragon child and then tried to heal as many people as she could. Talk her up, but leave the calendar out of it."

"But we all but know when they'll be back," he grumbled again.

Letting out a sigh, I reached over to rub his shoulder. The guy was as sleep-deprived as I was. He just wanted to help Ayla prove herself. I could understand that. I really could, but I also knew how disastrous that would end up.

Because today, people would not be happy. They didn't want stories of hope. They would be looking for vengeance. Too many had lost loved ones last night, and Ayla was little more than a symbol of our enemy. Putting her in the spotlight had to be done carefully.

Thankfully, when the crowd finally showed and the meeting started, the losses were better than I'd feared. Seventeen Dragons had been killed last night. Twelve of those bodies were missing, which meant the Moles had taken them. However, fourteen dead Moles had been left behind.

Then Zasen gave his report. Our defense militia had reacted quickly. The city bells had started ringing before the Moles had even entered town. Those of us tasked with fighting them off had been there to push them back, killing as many as we could, and that included Ayla.

"Who?" someone asked when Zasen used her name.

"That's his Mole bitch!" someone else snapped.

"My informant," Zasen said calmly. "The young woman escaped from the Mole base and has been working hard to master our language. In the process, I've learned that Moles speak English. Yes, the dead language. Ayla does as well, yet she's already near fluent in Vestrian - and she's been more than willing to help me understand exactly how her former captors work."

Okay, now that was a good spin. Calling the men Ayla's captors? Complete brilliance. Looking across the crowd, I could see a few faces looking sympathetic. Not all of them, but it was better than nothing.

"And," Zasen went on, "the attack happened when my neighbor's son was visiting. Out of desperation, we gave Ayla a child's practice crossbow and told her to protect the child."

"She killed him!" someone screamed.

Grunting in annoyance, Zasen turned to the voice. "She killed two Moles in my home. She killed another in the forest while hiding the child. She then killed at least one more by using their guns, and I suspect it was more than that."

"Wait." This time, I recognized the voice. It was Drozel, the tan, green, and black Dragon who'd make the trek with us when we'd found the girl. "So you're saying that helpless little wisp of a girl killed more of the enemy than any of the rest of us?"

"It appears that way," Zasen admitted. "Then again, were they chasing her? Was she fighting to stay free of them? I haven't had the chance to ask, since she was wounded when helping the medics last night."

"Wounded how?" Omden asked, moving beside Drozel.

"A kitchen knife," Zasen explained. "One wielded by a Dragon in mourning."

Jerlis stepped forward on the small stage he used and lifted his hands. "We all act out in grief. That the Mole girl helped shows my willingness to let Zasen convert her is working." Then he turned his eyes on Zasen. "Let us hope you can get more valuable information from her quickly, hm?"

"That's the plan," Zasen agreed.

"Good!" Jerlis said. "Then it appears our latest defense plan is having some success. Fletchers, expect an influx of orders soon. I also suggest everyone should have their weapons checked and repaired. While we've kept the attacks limited to the south side of town, we still do not know when they will be back next."