Phoenix’s Fire (The Ruins Of Men #2)

Chapter 54

Fifty-Four

Callah

T obias couldn't walk with me every day. We'd lost so many hunters that changes had been made. The men were now training daily, learning new tactics. The teams were being reassigned due to all the losses, and the groups who hadn't gone out were mixed together to make one giant force.

So when someone rapped at my door, I jumped up excitedly, only to find a trio of women standing on the other side. One was Mrs. Hinton, who I'd first met in the washroom. The other was a rather healed-up Mrs. Porter. In front of them was Ms. Lawton, the matron for this hall.

"Can I help you?" I asked, looking between them all.

"Callah," Ms. Lawton said, "Mrs. Porter and Mrs. Hinton would like to invite you to the wives' laundry area. Since you're to be wed soon, we want to make sure you get the chance to learn where you'll be expected to handle your chores."

"As our way of saying thank you," Mrs. Porter said, giving me a shy smile. "So grab your laundry, because Deenah and I would love to help you."

I looked back at Ms. Lawton in confusion. No one had come to show Meri where the wives did things. Already, I was using some of the adult facilities, simply because there were too many girls in the ones closer to my rooms. It was allowed - and I'd been trying to see Meri initially. So why were they here?

Was it because I'd been caught at something? Was I in trouble? There were so many things I could be accused of that I almost wanted to refuse, worried this was some test I'd likely fail. Yet the smiles on these women's faces convinced me I was merely being paranoid. I'd helped Helah Porter when her husband had abused her, so this had to be because of that.

"Thank you. One moment," I said before turning back to collect my hamper.

There wasn't much. I only had a few dresses, and most of them were already used. Just because I could, I tossed in a few of my underthings, then came back to the door. The three women were still smiling at me kindly.

"I'm ready," I told them.

"Let me get your door," Deenah Hinton said, reaching around me for the knob.

"We've got her now, Ms. Lawton. This way, Callah." Helah gestured ahead of us.

"I'll catch up with the ladies when I'm done here," Ms. Lawton assured her. "Callah, this is a privilege, so be respectful."

"Yes, ma'am," I said, following Helah as Ms. Lawton headed the other way.

But before we made it more than a few steps, Helah leaned in and lowered her voice. "We told Ms. Lawton how you helped me. She agreed it would be permissible to introduce you to a few of the other wives, since you're to be wed in only a few weeks."

"Less than that," I grumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Helah asked, glancing at the doors around us. "I thought you turned in November?"

I hadn't meant to say anything. The words had just slipped out! "Sorry. Anxiety," I assured her.

"No need for that, dear," she promised. "We just want to make sure you're not on your own once you're married. That is the hardest time for a woman, you know."

"I'd feared so," I mumbled, not sure what else to say.

She gently patted my arm in assurance and led me on. Soon enough, Helah guided me into the washroom, with Deenah following behind us. Surprisingly, there were more than a dozen women lined up at the wash basins. I hadn't expected so many at once, and while the hum of conversation was soft, it also felt jubilant. I even heard someone laugh!

"Ladies!" Deenah said, clapping her hands twice to get their attention. "I would like to introduce all of you to the Atwood girl, Callah. We've invited her to do her laundry with us today."

"A girl?" someone asked skeptically from the side of the room.

"My friend," Helah replied. "Miss Atwood helped with my head when Mr. Porter punished me. Ms. Lawton hadn't heard a thing, which means Callah knows how to keep from spreading vile gossip."

"And," Deenah added, smiling at me proudly, "she's a rather accomplished healer."

But a brusque woman sneered, "Aren't you one of them? "

My eyes were wide, and my head was whipping around as I tried to follow everything that was going on. I knew this was a rare privilege, and one my friends hadn't gotten. Still, I didn't understand the question.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, my voice much too high.

The woman glared at me as if trying to see into my soul. "The heathens who were banished. Aren't you the girl who shared a room with them? "

"Yes, ma'am," I breathed, dropping my eyes to the ground and bracing to be thrown out.

There was no point in denying it. Everyone knew both of my childhood roommates had been banished for breaking God's commandments. If I tried to explain it away, that would only make me look guilty of doing something wrong too - which I was.

"Do you know how they did it?" she demanded.

My eyes jumped back up to find everyone in the room had turned towards me, staring openly. I could feel my pulse begin to pick up, and I honestly had no clue how to answer that question. Lying would be easy, but Deenah and Helah had previously made it sound like they'd help me get out if I needed it.

"Yes?" I squeaked. It wasn't a question, but the fear made it come out like one.

"See!" a lean woman said. "I told you those girls had figured something out! Come! Over here, child. I'll help you with the scrubbing while you tell us how they managed."

"But..." I looked at Helah, then Deenah, hoping for some hint of what was going on.

Helah chuckled warmly and guided me that way. "It's fine, Callah. These are our friends. That's Mrs. Durham."

"Petra," the lean woman, Mrs. Durham, told me. "Now let's see what all you've got."

"Just a few smocks," I assured her even as I dumped my clothing into the wash basin. "And underthings."

"From the sounds of it, she's going to need a wedding dress soon," Deenah bragged. "Miss Atwood has been walking with Mr. Warren."

"Warren?" someone asked. "Which one is he?"

"Big," another said.

"Simple," added the brusque woman who'd questioned me earlier. "He's now a hunter - the young man is a giant."

"Oh, darling," Petra said. "The large men may seem attractive, but when they lose their temper, you pay for it more than you'd expect."

"Like with my head," Helah clarified.

"I know," I assured them, "but Tobias - that's Mr. Warren's name. Um, he got permission from the council to court me. No one else has even shown an interest." I looked between the women quietly working around me. "As a woman, I can choose my husband, but only from the men who propose, and I don't think anyone else will."

"Oh, you poor thing," said a woman with an obviously pregnant belly. "But at least as a hunter, he may not survive long. It seems most of those men are failing to return."

"As the food shortage shows!" huffed another.

I nodded. "But Tobias has been sharing a snack with me when we walk. He makes sure I get something to eat, proving he can provide."

"Does he have a temper?" Deenah asked. "Many of the hunters do. "

"And the men in unappealing positions," Helah grumbled. "My own husband is so frustrated by the pressure to meet his reloading quotas that he wants me to suffer as well."

"They all do that," another said. "I think they're rewarded for it or something, but it's not like we'd know. The men refuse to speak to us of such things. We're all too simple to understand!"

There was a chorus of guffaws and grumbling at that. Clearly, it wasn't a new concept, but rather an old complaint they all knew much too well. I simply reached for the washing liquid and began to lather up my laundry.

"Tobias sometimes forgets what he's not supposed to say," I mumbled, wondering how much I should tell these women.

"Because he's simple?" Helah asked as she snagged part of my laundry so she could help.

I shrugged. "That, and I think he honestly cares. Tobias is kind and gentle, but so was Gideon before he married Merienne. And Meri warned me about how a husband changes after marriage, when he no longer has to chase, so I'm prepared."

"What will you do?" the woman across from me asked. "The Ross girl attacked her husband, but your intended is large enough to survive it. What if they don't throw you out and he punishes you for it?"

"I told her I'd call for banishment," Helah said. "She healed me when she didn't need to. She could've left, turning her eyes away, but she helped instead, so the least I can do is yell for her to be thrown out."

"But she'll die up there!" someone else said.

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so."

And that had everyone's attention. "What do you mean?" the brusque woman asked.

My guts chose that moment to clench, and hard. My pulse began to speed up, so I kept my eyes down as I answered. "I work in the infirmary. The hunters often say things when they're wounded or fevered. Many of them talk about the Wyvern and his blue arrows, but now there are yellow ones too."

"Another Dragon decimating our men?" a woman gasped.

I had to lick my lips to convince my voice to work. "They call this one the Phoenix. They say she was once ours." My breath hung as I looked up at the faces around me.

Hands had stilled. A few mouths hung agape. In the basins, the water trickled softly, keeping the room from falling completely silent, but it seemed each and every woman in here understood the implications of my words.

"Which one?" Petra asked. "The Ross girl or Mrs. Kobrick?"

"Ayla," I said. "Ayla Ross. Jameson told Tobias while I was working on him. Tobias was holding him. I pretended not to hear, but Tobias didn't realize it was something to hide. You know, because he's simple like that."

"Simple like how?" the brusque woman pressed.

"Simple enough to forget there are things he shouldn't tell women," I admitted. "Simple enough that he was telling me, just a few days ago, how after their hunt..." My chest hurt from how hard my heart was pounding, but this wasn't something I could keep to myself.

These women all seemed to agree with me. They all were saying things that could get us punished. They had as much to lose with these changes as I did, so I had to tell them.

I forced myself to finish, "I was cleaning his injury, and he said we'll be married sooner than I thought. He said he'll propose properly and everything. I told him he had to wait until I turned, but he said..." My throat pinched so hard the words trailed off. I forced in a breath, making it work again. "They're changing the rules."

"What?!" the woman across from me gasped.

"Changing how?" Helah begged.

"Stop!" the brusque woman snapped. "Give the girl some patience. This has to be hardest on her. Callah, dear, it's okay. Take your time."

I offered her a weak smile and nodded, forcing myself to breathe deeply so I could actually say this out loud. "The age of marriage is going to be reduced to eighteen, and the men have been told to consider if there are any girls they'd prefer to marry. Men will be promoted to hunters at a younger age as well. Not only will we girls all be married earlier, but the mourning period for widows will be reduced to a mere ninety days unless they are pregnant or nursing."

And around me, the room erupted into chaos. Some women wailed. Others screamed. Most were just raging about the arrogance of men, and how we should get a say as well. I couldn't make out all of their words, but no one in the room was screaming for me to be punished.

That was enough to let me finally breathe easier. My hands clenched the edge of the basin and I bent in relief, glad I'd been brave enough to say something. We needed to know. The women were the ones who'd suffered for this, and it wasn't a burden I should carry on my own, but I didn't know what to do! I wanted to trust Tobias, but Gideon had been so charming before he wed Meri. He'd been just as kind as Tobias, and I knew how that had ended.

But from behind me, a woman clapped her hands together smartly in a way I was much too familiar with. Spinning around, I found Ms. Lawton making her way into the laundry with a hamper of her own cradled against her chest so she could clap.

"Enough!" she barked, waiting for the room to quiet, but her eyes were locked on me. "Callah, did Mr. Warren tell you that?"

Oh, I'd messed up! I'd said too much, and now I'd just gotten Tobias in trouble. Somehow, I had to play this off, and for the first time, I was truly grateful that everyone believed he was an idiot.

"Yes, Ms. Lawton, but I'm not sure he realized what he was telling me."

Her intense look shifted to one that felt almost proud. "Good girl," she praised. "I'd hoped that match would be beneficial for you, and it seems I was right."

"Beneficial?" I asked.

She moved to take a spot across from me, pausing only long enough to get there. It made everyone else pull in closer, convincing me the woman who managed the girls' hall still held sway with them all even after marriage.

"Mr. Warren is said to be simple, but also slow to temper. We've all seen the healers snap at him. I do believe your friend, Miss Ross, screamed at him without any reaction at all. My hope, Callah, was that it might mean a safe marriage for you."

"He's very kind, but Gideon - "

"Had a handsome face, and Merienne was susceptible to that. The other girls called him quite the catch, and she always wanted to be the perfect woman. She ignored his temper, Callah. She convinced herself that the privilege of such a match would be worth it. She was wrong."

"I never knew," I mumbled.

"No, nor are we allowed to tell you girls about the realities of marriage. Well, no more than the general courses the elders have approved. I also know Merienne told both you and Ayla. That scene in the dining hall was hard to watch, child."

"I'm sorry," I said, dropping my eyes to the clothes I was washing.

"My concern," Ms. Lawton continued, "is that this is a trap. Callah, both of your roommates have been banished. There's talk you might be corrupted as well."

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything, but wanting to show I'd heard her.

Ms. Lawton simply raised her voice and turned her head to address the entire room. "So we do not share this rumor with anyone else, ladies. If a husband hears it, Callah could be punished severely."

"But what if she's right?" the brusque woman demanded.

"Then we'll finally have an insight into what the men are planning for us," Ms. Lawton said. "Trust me, ladies. Callah is smart enough and conniving enough to learn what we need. Mr. Warren is smitten with her. He went out of his way to gain permission to court her - which means no other man will try. The elders gave her to Tobias as a reward. If we're lucky, she'll use it to help us all."

But Helah leaned closer, clasping my forearm with her own damp hand. "And if you find he's not an acceptable match, I'll still yell for you to be banished. I swear it on my first child's name."

"So will I," Deenah promised.

"I'll lift my voice as well," Petra said from my other side.

Ms. Lawton was watching me, nodding her head in approval. "If you're right, you won't have much time to decide, so choose carefully, Callah - but I will yell as well."

"Thank you, Ms. Lawton," I breathed. "All of you. If Ayla's still out there..."

"Then we have something to hope for," Ms. Lawton said. "And in here, it's just Miriam, my dear. We're all women in this room. Nothing more and nothing less."