Chapter 46
Forty-Six
Rymar
A yla and Kanik left, so I hurried to find Ermial's family. Not surprisingly, Zasen had already informed them about his death. I still offered my condolences and made sure they knew the city would take care of them. They were too upset to care about any of this today, so I promised to meet with them the day after tomorrow to make all the arrangements.
His wife thanked me for that. His mother simply sobbed. Sadly, that was all I could do. But once I was done, I made a beeline for my next task. I'd asked Lansin to wait. He and Irrik would be leaving in the next day or so, and I had to talk to him before they headed back.
"Hey, Rymar?" a woman asked, grabbing my arm to get my attention.
"Hi," I said, unable to remember her name. "Have you seen the two Reaper men?"
"Um..." She pointed. "I think they're over there with the medics."
"Thank you," I said. "Sorry, I need to speak with them." And I left before she could delay me any longer.
Luckily, she was right. Tayle and some of the city's first responders were crowded around Irrik and Lansin. As I got closer, I realized Jeera was in the middle of that mess as well, hanging against her boyfriend's side.
"Lansin?" I called, making the man look up.
"Yeah?" he replied, heading towards me. Like shadows, his two dogs followed silently. "Hey, whatcha need?"
"At the cookout, you said the dog was for sale?" I asked.
The look he gave me made me want to assure him I hadn't been drinking. "Yeah? Is someone interested? She's not cheap."
"I don't care what she costs," I said. "That dog saved Ayla and Zasen, right? She killed the Mole who was about to shoot them? "
"Zasen probably would've handled it," Lansin assured me, "but I was headed that way, so I sent her. Shadow was already on someone else."
I nodded, glancing at the lighter of the two dogs. "I'll pay whatever you're asking."
He still looked confused. " You want a dog?"
"Ayla does," I corrected. "I don't think she even knows she can have one, and Zasen told her they were expensive. She doesn't really understand money, so she'd never think of it, but Kanik said the dog saved both of them, and..." I sighed heavily. "Look. Right now, I don't give a shit how much the thing costs."
Without looking, Lansin reached down to rub the top of the black dog's head. The brindle leaned in, almost like she was hoping for some affection as well. After a few rubs, Lansin shifted his hand to her, and I watched as the dog closed her eyes contentedly.
"Your friends are fine," Lansin assured me, but he rocked his head from side to side while he petted. "And Ayla is a natural with the dogs. I sent Holly to attack that guy, then Ayla just took over. She sent her after another, held him, and by the time I got there, Ayla was saying she'd order the dog to rip his throat out."
"See!" I said, thrusting both hands at him as if he'd proven my point. "The girl doesn't understand things like 'out of the box,' but she can do this."
"She can do dogs?" Lansin asked.
Which made me pause. I hadn't really thought of it that way. When Kanik had said the dog saved their lives, I'd only cared about whether it could save them again in the future. Still, Lansin had a good point. Ayla didn't have a job. She said she wanted to hunt like Zasen, but I wasn't convinced she truly liked that part as much as just being able to walk around the woods safely.
Or the town.
Or our house.
Having a dog would mean she was never without a weapon. She also wouldn't be alone. No matter what, if someone bigger or stronger than her tried to push her around, she'd have backup. This dog could be more to her than simply a pet or something to protect her when the Moles came.
It could be the start of her future. Ayla could make her own way of life if she wanted. Now, I wasn't sure if she'd be interested in that, but I had seen how much she liked Holly. The way she smiled each time she touched the animal made it very, very clear.
"Is she actually good with them, or are you just securing your sale?" I asked. "I'm buying the dog regardless."
"No, she's good with them," he assured me. "I mean, most Reapers are used to them, and I'd say ninety percent of us actually like dogs. The other people are just weird. But Ayla? The way they think makes sense to her. Show, repeat, and praise. She's gentle with them, but not a pushover. She's not scared of them at all, and she isn't horrified at the idea of actually using them - which they love. Most importantly, Rymar, she's quiet. Ayla says what she wants, gives praise, but it's always clear and concise, not mixed up in a jumble of silly human stuff. "
I was nodding as he made his points. "So she could do this? Raise, or train, or work with dogs?"
"Shit," Lansin said around a laugh. "I mean, yeah. She'd need a kennel if she's going to have a few, but that's really the only limitation. Well, I guess for you Dragons, it'd just be an extra room. You know, if she ever had puppies."
"She could breed dogs?" I asked, realizing this gift might be even better than I'd originally thought.
Being here in town while they'd left had been hard. Before, when the Moles attacked, I'd been busy making sure medics were able to get to people. I'd been responsible for organizing the doctors and directing people both to and from the attack. First responders, family, and everyone else who'd been worried had all come to me, and that hadn't left any time to worry about whether or not my closest friends were alive or dead.
But this?
It would give Ayla options. She could make her own decisions about how deep she wanted to get into the hobby - or job. And as far as I cared, if she wanted to make this her own thing, I would completely support that, but I'd decided to buy the dog simply because it had saved their lives once, and I hoped it would do so again and again.
"Ayla could not only breed but also raise, and train, then sell." Lansin nodded. "We don't have enough to supply the demand here in Lorsa, so we double the prices when we offer them here. I mean, I've had four people say they wanted to talk to me before we leave. I think two are serious."
"I'll - "
He lifted a hand before I could double down. "And if you're serious, she's yours. Well, Ayla's. Holly isn't an easy dog. She will chew on things. She will need to run - probably a lot. Living with a hunter and fighting Moles?" He nodded. "It'll help her burn off energy. She also likes Ayla."
"Just let me know what I owe you," I told him, "and I'll run it over to Naomi's tonight."
Lansin ducked his head and chuckled. "Here's the thing. I've been telling everyone here she's worth twelve thousand. I'm willing to take ten for a good home. For you - well, her?" he smiled. "Pay me eight, and I'll write up a list of every command she knows to go with it."
"You might end up changing your mind," I warned.
He gave me a wary look. "Why?"
"Because I'm hoping you'll give her the dog and not mention it was paid for. Say Holly took a liking to her or something. I don't know or care, but I don't want..." I grunted, trying to explain that I didn't want credit for this.
"Ah.." Lansin nodded. "You like the girl, don't want her to think you're trying to buy her affection, so you're being one of those beneficial benefactor types?"
"I'm being a friend," I corrected. "A worried one who just heard this animal saved not only her life, but also my best friend's. So yeah. I'd like to keep the money part between us. "
"Send eight thousand to Naomi's tomorrow," he said. "I know you're good for it." Then he offered his hand.
I pressed my palm against it, and we shook, sealing the deal. "Thank you," I told him.
"No, thank you," he said. Then he yelled at Irrik. "Hey? I'll be right back."
"I'll be here," Irrik promised.
So Lansin jerked his head for me to follow. "Pretty sure I saw Zasen over this way."
"Wait, then I need to - "
"Nope," he said, grabbing my arm before I could head the other way. "You're buying this dog, so you get to hear my bullshit story, see her reaction, and make sure this is what you really want." He grinned. "And you can explain it to those other guys."
"But don't tell her?" I begged.
"Trust me," he said, in the way guys always did before doing something extremely stupid.
That was enough to make me regret all of this, but Lansin just marched off with his two dogs trailing after him. I followed them, but then Lansin did something I didn't expect.
"Holly, find Ayla," he ordered. She barked and moved ahead. "Show!" he told her.
I wasn't sure what that meant, but Holly was trotting her way through the crowd, not running. Lansin acted like he trusted her to know where to go. Shadow followed him, so I followed the black dog. Before I knew it, I heard Ayla make a surprised - but pleased - noise.
"Holly!" she crooned just as I stepped around a few people so I could see her.
"Ah," Lansin said. "So that's what she wanted." He looked at Zasen. "You're an asshole, you know that?"
"What did I do?" Zasen asked.
"You introduced them. Now Holly likes Ayla more than me."
Ayla just giggled. "But you're a good girl, aren't you?" she asked, ruffling the dog's neck as if she'd done it a million times before.
"So..." Lansin said, reaching down to unsnap something from his belt. "I guess I can't stop fate." Then he thrust a loop of narrow leather at Ayla. "Can't sell a dog who's already found her owner. She'd never be happy again, and it seems she's decided she's yours."
"What?" Ayla asked, her head snapping up. "I'm sorry. I didn't - "
"Yours," Lansin said, pushing what had to be a leash at Ayla again. "She likes you, Ayla, and I like her. That means I'm not about to break her heart by trading a living, breathing animal to someone who wouldn't appreciate her as much."
"I have money," Ayla immediately offered even as she accepted the leash. "I don't know how much, but I didn't mean to mess up your dog."
"You didn't mess her up," he said. "You, Phoenix, have done something amazing. You found your soulmate. "
"My what?" She looked at Zasen, then Kanik, and over to me as if hoping for an explanation. I just shook my head, showing I didn't know.
So Lansin crouched down to pet Holly as well. "I don't know what you were taught, but up here there's a myth about two souls that match perfectly. Some say two pieces of a whole. Well, I think you're hers. I mean, if you'll have her?"
"I don't know how to have a dog," Ayla admitted.
"I know a bit," Kanik said. Then he laughed. "Always wanted one as a boy, so I read about them."
"They have books on dogs?" Ayla asked.
"Tons," I assured her. "We'll get you some."
But Zasen was giving me a suspicious look. I shook my head, so he smiled and told Ayla, "You'll have to hunt for her. Lansin, how are they with venom?"
"She's immune," Lansin promised. "If you ever want to breed her, I can tell you how to make the puppies that way too, but Veralon - one of the tailed Reapers - helps us out when we have litters."
"I don't even know what she eats," Ayla said.
Lansin nodded. "Well..." And he began telling her the basic things she'd need to know to care for a dog. Kanik knelt as well, reaching in to pet the dog's hip. Zasen didn't. Instead, he made his way over to me, grabbed my arm, then tugged me back far enough our friends wouldn't be able to overhear.
"You bought that dog, right?" he demanded.
"Do not fucking tell her," I warned.
But Zasen just chuckled. "I was thinking about doing it tomorrow. How'd you get Lansin to say that?"
"I asked," I said a little too innocently.
Zasen nodded. "So, house fund?"
"Definitely the house fund," I agreed, glancing over at Kanik. "And he's been putting some in as well, so he won't feel like he let her down again."
"But you have to walk her too," Zasen said. "That's my rule. Everyone who lives with that dog needs to know how to handle it."
I just slapped him on the shoulder. "I don't know how to break it to you, but I think the thing's cute. I also like that she'll be sleeping in Ayla's bed, so if one of you two does something stupid, expect to get teeth in your balls."
Zasen hummed as if thinking about that. "Okay, you make good points. The dog is an even better idea than I realized."
"And," I added, "Lansin pointed out that Ayla can do dogs. Not just have one, but this? If she wants, it could be the start to her career."
"So we will never, ever tell her you bought that animal," he swore.
" We bought," I corrected, "but yes. Exactly. Holly is something Ayla gets to do all on her own, and I get the impression she's good at this."
"Fucking amazing," Zasen assured me. "And maybe even a bit terrifying, but it looks good on her."