Chapter 63
Sixty-Three
Ayla
W e stayed at the library until they closed. When we got home, Tamin had fallen asleep on the couch and Kanik was sitting in a chair reading softly to Taris. It was an adult book, but she still cooed and kicked at his sweet, soft tone. Saveah and I took the chance to get something to eat while the guys handled the kids, and then Zasen scooped up Tamin and helped carry Saveah's children home.
Rymar was still out by the time I went to bed. Holly beat me there, curling up on the mattress after her long day of playing hard. At least that was how I hoped she saw it. But the next day, we had a militia meeting, and I wanted to show off what she could do.
That afternoon, I headed to the field beside the library, dressed as if ready for combat. I had my bow, my krael, and most importantly, my dog. Zasen and Kanik walked with me, carrying not only their own weapons, but also the empty gun we'd been using. Holly meandered between the three of us, but she always came back to my side to check in, never going further than a few feet away.
But when we reached the practice area, something barked. No, it wasn't Holly, so my eyes began to scan the area, trying to find the other dog. Immediately, Zasen reached down to grab Holly's collar.
"Not all dogs like each other," he warned.
"Oh." I pulled out her leash and attached it to her. "So what do I do if that happens?"
"Keep her beside you and working," he said. "Dog fights can get scary, and they might accidentally bite their person if you reach in to pull them apart."
I hadn't expected that, but a few minutes later, I spotted the man with the dog. His was colored almost like a coyote, but the dark areas were different. It had a black face and ears, but the rest of the dog was a blonde shade. There was no grey on its back or tail.
"Ayla!" Drozel called, waving me towards him. "Xav!"
"Holly, heel," I ordered, seeing the other dog owner was also moving.
"So, do you two know each other yet?" Drozel asked when we were close enough.
I shook my head. "No, sir."
So the other man - who was tailless - offered me his hand. "Xav. This is Demon."
"She's Holly," I said.
But he chuckled. "Oh, I know. I was actually trying to buy her. That's a nice dog you have. Lansin doesn't usually sell outside the Reapers. I got mine from a different breeder. He's five, and not able to breed."
"Really?" I asked, confused how that worked.
"They cut off their balls," Drozel told me.
"Like..." I sucked in a breath. "Testicles?"
Which made Xav laugh. "Yep. It's how to keep breeding better and better dogs, and the boys like Demon here are still useful as protection and assistance dogs." Then he tipped his head at Holly. "Mind if we introduce them?"
"I don't know how," I admitted.
"Just tell her to stay," he said, so I did.
Then he moved Demon closer. Holly leaned in to sniff. The other dog did the same, and the pair shifted, both trying to smell all over the other. Then Holly bounced. Demon immediately bowed down, wagging his tail excitedly.
"And they're friends," he said. "I also heard Lansin took out a few Moles with his last time."
"He did," I agreed. "Holly helped save me."
"Well," Drozel said, moving closer now that our dogs were clearly getting along. "Zasen said you have a new trick, Ayla?"
"I taught her how to disarm a man," I explained.
"Okay?" Drozel asked.
"Ayla!" Zasen called. "I have the gun when you're ready."
"I'm ready," I told him. "Don't point it at anyone."
"It's empty," he called back.
"Still don't!" I said.
So Zasen lifted the gun and pointed it off to the distance and began wandering around.
I grinned at Drozel and Xav as I removed the leash. "Okay, watch this. Holly, disarm!"
She immediately went on alert, checking everyone around us. I pointed in Zasen's direction, helping her out, and she took off. Beside Xav, Demon wanted to follow, but Xav was holding him back. Weaving through the mass of people gathered around for practice, Holly made a sweeping arc, checking people as she passed until she spotted Zasen holding the gun .
Immediately, she changed directions to get around behind him. Then, like she had in our backyard, she jumped, slamming her feet into his ribs, grabbing the weapon in her mouth, and wrenching it away. Zasen twisted sideways, falling to the ground and Holly ran back just as fast as she could.
"Good girl!" I praised, bending to retrieve the gun when she finally dropped it at my feet.
"Yep, I need to teach Demon how to do that," Xav agreed.
"I just taught her what a gun was," I explained, "then how to fetch it, and how to take it from their hands. When she had that, I would stop her if she went at him head-on, and praise her if she came from the side or back. Now, she's doing it consistently."
"In a few days?" Drozel asked.
I shrugged. "I play with her a lot."
"Train," Kanik corrected as he came to join us. "And give me that rifle, Ayla. I'll put it with our stuff."
"Okay." I passed it over. "Both Kanik and Zasen have been helping," I told the men. "See, a Mole without a gun is going to be easy to kill. He might run away, or get distracted trying to find one on the ground. Either way, it takes him out of the fight. I mean, I said this was an arms race, but they don't seem to be running out of guns to bring, so maybe if we take the ones they have up here before they can shoot us?"
"I like it," Drozel said. "Xav, think you can teach Demon that?"
"I'm willing to try," Xav agreed.
"Okay," he said. "Then you go work on hitting consistently with the bow and getting your dog used to that." Drozel looked at me next. "And you? Is your guy going to be there? The Mole?"
"Maybe?" I asked. "The hunters used to alternate who went out. That was so the injured men had time to heal between their duty. Now? I don't know. We've killed so many."
"Yeah, we have," Drozel said proudly. "But I want to make sure everyone knows about him. Zasen said we're not supposed to kill him."
"Please don't. He's the only way I can get a message to Callah so we can get her out."
So Drozel lifted his hands and whistled loudly like the mayor did at the city meetings. "Pull in!" he bellowed. "As close as you can."
There was some grumbling and shuffling as everyone made a circle around me and Drozel. I tried to move over by Kanik, but Drozel caught my arm, keeping me beside him. Thankfully, Zasen joined us a moment later, clasping my shoulder reassuringly on the other side just as Drozel began to speak.
"Okay, we know when the Moles will be back because of this woman right here. This is Ayla, the Phoenix. Yes, she has a dog now, which will make her even more terrifying out there. Trust me, do not try to keep up with her. Seems she has a little anger to take out on these men. "
I opened my mouth to explain, but Zasen just rubbed my shoulder. When I looked over at him, he shook his head and mouthed, "It's fine."
"But thanks to this woman," Drozel went on, "we now have an informant in their ranks. Ayla, how do we know this man to keep from killing him?"
All eyes turned to me, and my throat pinched up with anxiety.
"He's tall," Zasen said for me. "The man could easily look me in the eyes, and that makes sense because he is Jerlis's nephew. Probably the biggest Mole you will see. Also, he will be wearing yellow and blue fletching from his belt. Hanging like a trophy, so we can identify him. If you find yourself facing this man, try to get him to us."
"But he only speaks English," I added, finally finding my voice. "His name is Tobias, and he knows my name and Zasen's. We told him to say 'Zasen' as a password."
"Avoid shooting him!" Zasen ordered. "If you can get him out of the fight, three sharp whistles will let us know where you are. We will come to you, but you need to get him away from the fight without his people realizing what is happening. Subdue him. Shit, hit him if you want. I don't care, but do not kill him ."
Around us, almost everyone nodded to show they understood.
"It is our hope," Zasen explained, "that he will help us get inside their compound. When that happens, we will need volunteers to go in with me. It is dark down there. The women will need to be rescued, but may fight back."
"Mostly panic," I corrected. "They don't know how to fight at all."
"But if we want to do that," Zasen said, "we need this man first. Then, I will need volunteers for that, so think about it."
"Which means," Drozel added, "practicing your English is a good idea. Most of us are horrible at it, but we have enough now who can help us say it the way the Moles do. If we understand their words, we can know what their orders are, which way they're going, and when they're retreating!"
"So learn English?" someone asked.
"Sure won't hurt," Drozel told him. "We have two women now who've come from down there." He flicked his tail up, then pointed to the bandage. "They can heal. They want to help. Ayla has done more for our fight against the Moles than any of us ever could, and if we can get into their compound, there will be a lot more refugees who will need help and not know our language."
"Also!" I gasped, realizing something. "I'm trying to get the names of all tailless women who vanished in the Mole attacks. As far back as any of you know. An aunt, sister, grandmother, or anything. If you have a name, please let me know?"
"Why?" Drozel asked.
"What are you doing?" Zasen wanted to know.
I grimaced and looked down, realizing I'd only told Kanik about this. "Well, we know my mother was Tiesha, the Serpent, and she had family here. Tobias's mother was Jerlis's sister. My friend Callah's mother was also in quarantine, which makes me think she was a Dragon too. There are a lot of women in quarantine. Sadly, few live past their early thirties, but I'm sure there are still some locked away. If we can get their names, then maybe we can find the children who are now a part of the community down there."
"Shit," someone said. "How many?"
I could only shake my head. "I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out."
"Okay!" Drozel said. "So write your names down and pass them to Ayla before you leave today. If you come up with more, bring those next time. Most of you already have an assignment. For those who don't, make a group over there." And Drozel pointed at the side. "Let's make sure we're ready for this, people!"
But Zasen squeezed my shoulder gently. "I want you to work with Kanik today."
"Okay?" I asked.
"Hand-to-hand," he clarified. "You need to know how to kill a man if he gets close. When you're ready, I'll make Drozel grapple with you since he's currently handicapped."
"It's not that bad anymore," Drozel told him. "I'll be fine by the next battle."
"Mhm," Zasen teased. "And did Omden have to hold your hand to get you here?"
"No, I can walk," Drozel promised. "Not run, but I'm okay with walking." He grinned at me. "And your friend wrapped my tail for me. She's nice."
"She's scared," I reminded him, "and you're big."
"Don't worry, she's been spending a lot of time with Lessa," he assured me. "If there's anyone who can give her a little confidence, I'm sure Lessa can." Then he made a face. "And she might have a crush on the little sparrow."
"Who?" I asked.
"Lessa."
So I followed up with, "And the sparrow?"
"Meri," he clarified. "She reminds me of those little sparrows that flit everywhere, always ready to rush off if something comes at them."
"Because the world is scary up here," I said. "We were told to expect one thing, and then got this, and we know something is wrong, but it takes a bit to sort it all out."
"I know," he promised. "I also know you killed men without flinching, Ayla. There are two reasons someone can kill that easily: they're insane, or they need revenge. I have a feeling you two aren't crazy."
"It's a lot of revenge," I told him. "And I'll make sure Kanik gets me ready for more."
"Burn them down, Phoenix," Zasen said. "Oh, and if you cheat and use Holly?" He grinned. "All's fair in war, after all."
"I'll remember that," I said. "Holly, heel!"
And I headed to make sure I was just as tough as my dog, because if anyone tried to hurt her out there, I would definitely make them pay. She might be my protection, but I would do everything in my power to protect her too.