Phoenix’s Fire (The Ruins Of Men #2)

Chapter 50

Fifty

Ayla

T he day after the battle, I went to check on Meri. Holly went with me. Sadly, that was why I didn't stay long, because it seemed my friend was scared of her. Granted, that made sense. It wasn't like we'd seen any animals growing up. Worse, we'd been taught the beasts of the world would kill us. Still, I made sure Meri knew the important things: Callah was safe and Tobias was helping her.

But while Meri was scared of my dog, Tamin adored her. Evidently, he was now old enough to start school, which was why he hadn't been over as much, but Saveah warned me that he kept asking to come see her. She told me I could say no, and I was allowed to set something called "boundaries" with him. I didn't really understand what she meant, but I assured her it was okay.

Because the truth was, I loved my dog. I wanted to brag about her and show her off to everyone. Holly was absolutely amazing, and somehow so completely adorable at the same time. Yes, I knew she was a weapon, but Kanik explained she was so much more than that. She was allowed to be a friend, a confidant, an assistant, and a weapon.

In other words, dogs were often used as an extension of people. That was why the trained ones were so expensive, but having a dog also meant taking care of her. Everyone acted like that would be hard, but it really wasn't. Mostly, I just had to make sure she had food, play time, and was let outside to "potty," as the guys called it. When I'd lived in the compound, I'd had to do all of that for the men, and they didn't appreciate it nearly as much as Holly did.

And since Meri needed meat without venom, I had to hunt anyway. Zasen started taking me out into the woods every evening, saying that because the venom-coated arrows had worked so well, I needed more practice with the bow. Then he showed me why Reapers were known for their dogs. Apparently Holly could help with hunting as well, because dogs could track game by scent. She could catch smaller things like rabbits and squirrels, which meant I could use that as a way to work with her on the list of commands I'd been given.

Then there was the best part: curling up with her every night. Yes, Holly slept in bed with me. She also really liked to be hugged, and she was wonderfully warm. She may have hogged a lot of space on the mattress, but the truth was I didn't mind.

By the first weekend after the battle, I was starting to settle into my new routine when Holly's ears perked forward and she began to rumble deep in her throat. That was a warning noise! Confused, I followed her gaze to the front door just as someone rapped at it.

"Ayla, get that!" Rymar bellowed from upstairs.

"Stay," I told my dog even as I headed to the door, unsure what would be on the other side.

Cracking it open, I found Tamin holding up a very frayed-looking stuffed monster-doll. Behind him was Saveah with Taris on her hip. Yet the moment the door opened, the growling stopped.

"I have a present!" Tamin announced before pushing the door wider and marching right into the house.

"Tamin!" Saveah snapped. "You have to be invited in first."

"But it's Aunt Ayla's house," Tamin pouted. Then he mumbled, "And I wanna see the puppy."

I just pulled the door wider and invited my sister inside too. "It's okay. Come in?"

"Tamin wanted to give your dog a toy," she explained as she followed her son into the house. "He said it's so he can play with her."

"A... toy?" I asked right as someone tromped down the stairs.

"Tamin!" Kanik said before he even rounded the corner. "Okay, Holly. Good girl."

Immediately, the dog was up and wagging her tail. Her eyes were locked on the toy Tamin was holding. It was the same look she got when chasing a stick, so I made a quick decision and waved towards the kitchen.

"How about we go to the backyard so you can play with her, huh?" I asked.

"I got it," Kanik promised. "You worry about Saveah." Then he patted his leg and called my dog. "C'mon, Tamin. Ayla said we can play with Holly!"

Saveah giggled, shifting closer to me so she could lower her voice. "I don't know if either one of those boys realizes that's supposed to be your dog."

I just shrugged. "I don't mind sharing. Besides, Holly likes the attention and she's supposed to use her commands as often as possible." I tipped my head at the chairs. "Did you want to sit?"

"I want to see the dog too," she admitted, passing me her daughter. "Let's go watch the kids play. Tamin picked out one of his used toys for Holly, and he's hoping she'll like it. "

So I led her outside. Kanik and Tamin were already over by the cliff, and Tamin was squealing gleefully. Saveah and I moved to the table just as Tamin threw his toy as hard as he could - which didn't make it go very far at all. Not that Holly cared. She still chased after it.

"Fetch!" Tamin squealed.

"She's going to tear that up," I warned.

Saveah waved me down. "He knows, and it's already filthy. I was trying to get him to throw it away, but he said Holly needed it - and here we are." She tilted her head, looking me over. "So how are you doing with all of this?"

"This?" I asked.

"Meri, the dog, the big fight..." She gestured around us. "The guys? All of it, Ayla."

"I like it," I promised.

But she huffed like that wasn't the right answer. "Ayla..."

"What?"

"You have been through so much in such a short time. Now your friend is here, and you've been doing twice as much. So, I'm not asking to be polite. I'm honestly trying to check up on my little sister."

And those words made me smile stupidly. My eyes jumped to the ground, and I couldn't make my cheeks stop. "We didn't do that, you know. Being related was only important when it came to marriage. Otherwise, it didn't matter at all. I barely even know my brothers and sister."

"That's sad," Saveah told me. "I guess it was the same for Meri?"

"Mostly," I admitted. "She was older when she moved into the girls' hall, so she knew her siblings a little more, but they separate us from our parents by the time we turn ten."

Which made my sister blow out a heavy breath. "It's hard to imagine."

I nodded in agreement. "I feel the same way about how things are up here."

Then Kanik yelled, "Run, Tamin. She's gonna get you!"

Saveah and I looked over to see Tamin holding the soft toy and running as hard as he could. Holly was chasing him, but not catching. I knew she could've. The dog was fast , but she was merely staying by his side.

Then Tamin dropped the toy. "Deliver!" he ordered.

Holly snapped up the stuffed thing and immediately raced towards me. "To Kanik!" I told her, aware I was holding the baby.

Holly skidded in her tracks to change direction. Beside me, Saveah chuckled.

"That is definitely your dog," she said. "You know, Tasult wanted one too. He and Kanik used to talk about all the things they could do with them." She glanced over at me slyly. "They always talked about making the lot beside you into a kennel."

"Lot?" I asked, not knowing what she meant by that word.

"The empty land," she explained, pointing to the gap between our house and the next, where the boys were playing with my dog. "Zasen bought it a while back. He said it was for something to do with Moles. A better way to kill them." And she rolled her eyes.

"He really hates Moles, huh?"

She nodded slowly. "Zasen was studying to be a trauma doctor. He thought he'd be able to help with the people who got hurt in the attacks, but then he changed his mind."

"Because of his dad?"

She made a noise and rocked her head from side to side. "Yes and no. The type of doctor was because of his dad, and that's the excuse he uses. But his father died many years before he started the militia. I think it was when Lessa's father was killed."

"What happened to her mom?" I asked, worried she may have been taken.

"Shot when she was a kid," Saveah explained. "So, dead. Lessa's actually how I met Tasult. She and I were friends when we were younger, and she introduced us. Tasult was all but attached at the hip to these guys, so I basically inherited them too, and now I wouldn't trade them for the world."

I nodded, but all of this made me remember something else. "I met Rymar's mother. She said I have a grandfather?"

Saveah lifted her hands, silently asking for the baby back. "We do. Well, maybe not the way you think of one."

"I don't understand."

She shifted her daughter around to face me, then leaned back. "Ayla, most Dragons don't end up married. Being a couple isn't the expected relationship. I mean, it's fine, and no one thinks it's strange, but most people end up in a family."

"Like you and Tasult?" I guessed.

She made a face. "More like Jeera, Brielle, and Irrik. More than two, and it doesn't matter the makeup. Usually, there's only one tailless woman, but not always. I mean, there's no rule on it, but that's just how it often ends up. Then that woman has children with all of her partners."

"Which is why Rymar has a father, a dad, and a papa?"

She nodded. "Exactly. Sometimes it's easy to tell who is biologically responsible for - "

"What do you mean?" I broke in.

Which made her grin at me the way she often did with Tamin. "The man whose sperm fertilized the egg."

"Seed?" I guessed.

"Close enough. See, no matter how many men have sex with a woman, only one sperm will fertilize the egg. That means one man created the child with the woman. That does not mean she only had sex with one man. Sometimes it's one after the other. Other times it's all at once."

My mouth flopped open. "How?"

She giggled and flicked a finger towards where Tamin and Kanik were still playing. "You should ask him when Tamin's not around to hear things he shouldn't know yet. But our pawpaw was Grammy's partner, not Mom's biological father. He still raised her, though."

I nodded. "So how do you keep track?"

"Of?"

"Bloodlines, to make sure you're not related!"

Saveah laughed again. "Ayla, we don't have a problem with that. We just know our brothers, sisters, and cousins. Just like you know Tamin's related to you. And Taris!"

Who had fallen asleep. But all of this talk about families and relatives made me think of my own. "My father had many children with many wives," I said. "He married them until they died, so it wasn't the same, but I don't know all of his children. I only know Mom's children. Well, I mostly know of them. Down there, the Moles keep records of our relations so there won't be inbreeding. That's how Meri got out, actually. She lied and said her brother was the father of her child - but he wasn't! Callah just told her to say that because the child would be an abomination, so they wouldn't try to keep it."

"Yeah, we just grow up together," Saveah said.

I heard her, but I was still thinking about that. About my mother being in quarantine, and how children from quarantine couldn't marry, but Tobias was courting Callah. I'd always thought that wasn't allowed, but it seemed there were exceptions for everything a man wanted. But as my mind spun around it, I suddenly realized why it wasn't allowed.

"They don't know if we're related," I breathed, making Saveah's head twitch.

"What? Who?" she asked.

I waved her off, realizing half of that had been in my head. "The women they take," I explained. "They don't know if they're related, so they don't let the children of quarantined mothers marry each other. We could be cousins! They always said it was because our mothers were possessed, but..."

"Shit," Saveah breathed. "Yeah, and that means they're intentionally hiding it."

"And Tobias is Jerlis's nephew!" I hissed.

"Who?"

"The man helping us," I clarified. "His mother was Jerlis's little sister. Ione. I don't know Callah's mother's name. We didn't talk about the women in quarantine. It was considered shameful. I mean, Callah and I talked about our moms, but not by name. What if..."

"Ask," Saveah told me. "The next time you see that man, you ask for her name and we'll figure it out."

"But if they're letting Tobias court another child from quarantine, what about the others?" I pressed. "We don't even know how many are down there. Callah's and my mother are both dead. I think Tobias's is as well, but the last time they attacked Lorsa, a hunter was trying to convince a woman he was saving her. They're still taking women, Saveah!"

She nodded slowly. "I know. When you said Mom was down there, I realized she wouldn't be the only one. "

"But..."

"And we can't do anything about it," she went on. "Stopping them is what matters most. Those women have already been mourned. What we need to focus on is making sure no more are taken."

"Or both," I realized.

"Yeah, or both," she agreed.