Wyvern’s Gold (The Ruins Of Men Book 1)

Chapter 62

Sixty-Two

Kanik

W e'd been out in the fields behind the library, working on group tactics when the cold front hit. When hail had come on the heels of that, the entire militia had rushed inside to hide from the pelting precipitation, but it meant our practice was over. So, once the storm lightened enough to be safe to walk in, Zasen and I headed back home.

"Kanik, you know she's never seen a storm before," Zasen pointed out.

That made me stretch my legs a little more. "Shit, she's probably scared to death."

"Hopefully Rymar will explain it," he mumbled.

Yeah, but Rymar probably wouldn't even notice. He'd find the pattering of hail and rain relaxing. He loved thunderstorms. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy crawled back into bed and took an afternoon nap. Then again, he'd definitely check on Ayla first.

But when we reached our street, I did not expect the sight before me. Drenched from head to toe, covered in mud and who knew what else, Ayla was spinning in the middle of a puddle, stomping her feet hard to make the water splash even more.

And beside her? Rymar and Tamin. The boy was carrying a little toy boat, trying to make it float in rivulets that were much too shallow for it, so Rymar was digging them deeper with his toes. That made me laugh, but it wasn't any of the "kids" in the street who noticed.

"Oh, come to play too?" Saveah yelled from her porch. "You're soaked enough!"

Laughing, I jogged over, aware Zasen was still heading for Ayla, Rymar, and Tamin. "We were working on the defense," I explained, holding out my arms for the baby she was holding.

"You're going to soak her blanket," she chided just as Zasen roared out a laugh.

"And you know you want to go play with the kids too," I taunted.

She all but thrust her daughter at me, smiling playfully. "Just remember you offered!"

And then she was off. Chuckling, I eased myself back to where she had a pair of chairs. How many times had she and Tasult sat here, calling out baby names across the street at us? Now, the babies were both born, and Tasult wasn't here to enjoy it. I figured that meant Saveah should get the chance to have fun when she could.

"Your momma needs more time to laugh," I cooed at Taris. "Yes, she does. And you're a good baby, aren't you?"

The little girl stuck her tongue out, making adorable faces at me. Inside her lightweight blanket, she kicked, then Taris cooed some more. Saveah was so worried about her getting sunburned, so she kept her wrapped up outside.

"I think you're gonna grow up and look like your daddy, hm?" I teased. "Make your big brother chase off all the boys and girls who want to flirt with you?" Letting her grip my finger, I wiggled her entire arm. "And we'll make sure all the Moles are gone by then so you can be safe. Yeah, we're gonna take good care of you and your brother, baby girl."

She made that face again, then farted loudly. Laughing, I lifted her up, letting her pretend to stand on my thigh for a bit while I watched my friends acting like children out in the street. Zasen had taken over Tamin, lifting the boy up to "fly" him through the air like a bird. Rymar was trying to catch them, doing his best to splash in puddles to get both Tamin and Zasen wet.

Then there were the women. Side by side, Saveah and Ayla were wiggling their un-clawed toes in the mud and laughing when it squished through them. Seeing them so close, I realized how similar they were. Ayla's hair was golden blonde. Saveah's was honey blonde, only slightly darker. The same was true for their skin.

Ayla had changed a lot in the short time she'd been here. She'd adapted. She'd gotten tan - or tanner. Looking at her next to Saveah, I realized she was no longer truly orin-colored. Sure, she was still pale, but now I thought it would be more true to call Ayla a blonde.

But that wasn't where the similarities ended. Saveah was no more than an inch taller. Their frames were similar. Like this, playing in the rain with the three "boys" out there? Ayla fit in perfectly. She didn't look foreign or strange. She looked like one of us.

Then Taris farted again, and this time there was a stench with it that proved she'd just filled her diaper.

"Saveah?" I called. "Where are your diapers?"

"Oh, no!" Saveah groaned, turning like she was going to come handle that herself.

"I got it," Zasen promised, passing Tamin over to Rymar and then jogging over.

He blew right past me, entering Saveah's house as if he lived here. After only a few seconds, he was back. Scooping Taris out of my arms, he set her on the table between the chairs, and began changing her.

"I could've done that, you know," I grumbled.

"I know where she puts the dirty ones too," he explained. "Just easier, Kanik." Then he looked over and smiled. "You know, you can go play with her if you want."

Which was his real reason for coming over. Okay, that was cool of him, but not necessary, so I shook my head.

"I think I make her nervous."

"I think you make you nervous," he countered. "But yes, Rymar said she was terrified. She thought the Devil was rising up. The dark sky had to be billowing out of Hell, and whatever other mumbo jumbo they brainwashed her with."

"Of course she did," I grumbled.

Zasen finished, hefted Taris to his hip, and vanished inside the house again. When he came back, he still didn't pass her over, but he did claim the second chair.

"Do you think she's right about the next attack?" he asked softly.

"I think she'll be close. Maybe off by a day, depending on how long it takes for them to travel."

He made a noise for the baby even as he nodded. "Yeah, me too. That's why I got her a bow."

"A real one or a child's bow?"

"A real one," he admitted. "The draw is light, so she should be able to handle it, but I got something meant to kill Moles."

"Yeah..." I breathed. "I hate to say it, but that's a good call."

"And I made arrows for her." He chuckled. "Some for you too, but I couldn't find purple feathers. You got black."

"Broadheads?" Because those tips made a big difference.

"Mhm." Then he smiled. "But Ayla's are all fletched in yellow. I figure she's Dragon's gold, right?"

"Thought she was the Wyvern's gold," I teased.

He shrugged. "I mean, I'll take it."

"Make her your shadow," I suggested. "You can keep them from killing her and make sure she's not going to get herself killed."

"I'm hoping to keep her inside," he admitted.

I scoffed at that. "Right."

"I said hoped."

I turned and lifted a brow. "Zasen, you know as well as I do that Ayla wants to help. Now, if you want to send her over here to protect Tamin and Saveah? I think that's a great idea. If you think she's going to simply stay inside?"

"I know."

"Because she hates them as much as we do," I went on. "So make sure she can aim with a damned bow. I'll help Drozel with the tactics and training if he needs it. But hell, man. Sending her out into the streets in the middle of that alone? She stands out almost as much as Rymar."

"No," he assured me, "she doesn't. Kanik, she's fucking invisible. That girl? She knows how to not be noticed. It's what kept her alive this long."

"Least there's that," I said.

"Yeah," he breathed. "But there's one problem with all of this."

"Hm?"

"If we push the Moles out, preventing them from getting any bodies to take back, then what happens to her friends? Not only will they be hungry, but the men will be pissed. They'll take it out on the women, because that's what assholes like them do."

"And we can't do anything about that," I reminded him.

"But that's what's driving her to help," he reminded me. "Kanik, she wants to save her friends. She wants to make the men pay, get revenge, and all of that, but she also wants to get her friends out and send them here - and I have no idea how to do that."

"And we're about to make their lives more dangerous," I breathed. "Well, fuck."

"Yeah."

"Do we tell her?" I asked.

"Not yet." He bounced Taris in his lap. "Let's see how this next attack goes, because right now, everything is built around the hope that she's right."

"But she'll be right."

"I know that and you know that," he agreed, "but Jerlis isn't as sure and Drozel doesn't want her to be."

"Yeah, I don't get that," I grumbled. "He'd rather keep fighting blind than have the upper hand?"

"Than have a Mole solve what he couldn't," Zasen corrected.

"Mm." Because I didn't really have much to say to that. So, I decided to change the subject. "When are you giving her the new bow?"

Zasen glanced across the street, his eyes landed on Ayla, and he smiled softly. "Tonight, I think. Make sure she has a weapon of her own that fits her. Might help her feel better if the Devil comes knocking for some other reason."

"Here's hoping," I agreed. "Because that poor girl has been scared for far too long."

W hen the rain picked up again - and this time it was cold - we all headed inside. There was a little shuffling as everyone got changed and cleaned up. Naturally, Ayla got the first bath, and thankfully the fire that heated the water didn't get washed out before the last of us was done.

Over dinner, however, Ayla explained to all of us how she'd been so sure the Elders were right and the Devil was winning. She talked about the sounds, the flashes of lighting, and all of it. To her sheltered view of the world, it had made so much sense, but now she was laughing about it.

She also ate. When she cleared her plate, her eyes jumped back to the main dish, so I gave her a second helping. She finished that off too. Looking at her, I was pretty sure she'd put on weight. Mostly because her dresses were starting to fit. They also showed off her curves.

But when dinner was over, Zasen asked if Rymar and I could clean up. He headed upstairs. Without asking, Ayla jumped in to wash all the pans and dishes that had been used, and it was nice. Our kitchen wasn't large, but somehow three of us managed to move around each other without crashing into each other.

Then Zasen came back downstairs. "Ayla?" he asked as he headed into the living room.

"Almost done!" she replied without lifting her voice.

"Go," I said, having a pretty good idea what he'd been doing.

She passed Rymar the plate she'd been washing, then wiped her hands and headed into the living room. I nudged Rymar's ribs with my elbow and cocked my head that way. A smile took over his face and he put the plate back in the sink and followed Ayla. I was right behind him.

"So," Zasen said, holding up a large box wrapped in brightly-colored paper. Pinks, greens, and even yellows were splattered across it randomly. "For helping with the calendar, I got you a thank you present."

"I wanted to help," she insisted, but her hands still accepted the box.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to a chair. "Open it."

"The paper is meant to be torn away," Rymar told her. "That's half the fun."

A little smile touched Ayla's lips, and then she ripped away the top layer. Beneath was a cardboard box, which made her look confused, but I leaned over her shoulder to show her how to get into that. She unfolded the flaps, paused for a little too long, and then looked up.

"It's a bow," she breathed.

"It's your bow," Zasen corrected. "A real hunting bow, Ayla. That's also not all that's in there."

"Arrows," she said, reaching in to lift one up.

It was easily as long as her arm, and the tip on it was bright silver. The edges had been filed to sharp points, and yes, there were four of them. But to me, the most impressive part was the bright yellow fletching.

"I hope you like yellow," Zasen said. "I once joked that the things you know are worth their weight in gold, and yellow is as close as I can get."

"It's perfect," she whispered, her eyes locked on the tip. "These are war arrows. When hunters are hit with them, they're as good as dead."

"And those are yours," he said. "I only managed to make you twenty so far, but I'll work on more."

"Because they don't usually come back," I explained. "When we hunt, we can retrieve our arrows. With Moles?"

"We throw them away," she said, nodding to show she understood. "And these are really mine?"

"All yours," Zasen said. "You helped me, so this is me helping you. I figure if you killed two men with Tamin's little bow, you can probably do more with one that's meant for you."

Gently, Ayla set the box down on the coffee table, careful not to push the flower vase off in the process. Then she stood and made her way around to stand before Zasen. Before any of us knew what she was doing, the woman leaned in, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged the man hard.

"Thank you, Wyvern," she said softly. "Thank you for saving me. Thank you for not killing me. Thank you for helping me kill them."

Carefully - gently - Zasen wrapped his arms around her back and returned the hug. "Thank you for being a friend, Ayla. Thank you for trusting me. For trusting all of us."

And this time, I wasn't even jealous. Instead, I was smiling, because that hug? It may have been the bravest thing she'd done yet.