Chapter 57
Fifty-Seven
Ayla
T he next morning, Zasen said he had a surprise for me. I was confused. More when he told me it would involve shoes and leaving the house. I tried to explain that I had to work on the calendar, but he was having none of it.
"This is important for you, Ayla, and you're allowed to have important things," he explained.
So I found the nicest dress I had and braided my hair back. When I was done, I asked him if I would be proper for this surprise. A smile touched the corner of his mouth as he looked me over, but it wasn't like he was judging me. There was something softer in his eyes.
"Kanik, think she's proper enough?" he called out.
"Always," Kanik agreed from the kitchen. Then he made his way to the line between rooms. Like Zasen, he looked me over. "I like that dress. It's very pretty. But Zasen? She doesn't have shoes."
"A step ahead of you," Zasen assured him. "Jeera is handling that."
"Uh huh..." Kanik said. "You sent her to Lessa's?"
"Safer that way," Zasen said just as a fist pounded on the door. "And there she is now."
He got up and opened the door to reveal the curvaceous grey dragon on the other side. Proudly, Jeera held up a pair of leather sandals even as she made her way in.
"These are for you, Ayla," she explained, setting them on the coffee table before me.
"Do I get to know where we're going?" I asked.
"No," Jeera said, "See, today is a girls' day out. I have a few things planned for us. You're going to actually get to see the town - not just the bit you can make out from here - and I was thinking we might get lunch. Who knows, maybe we'll even stay out too late. What do you think?"
My eyes immediately jumped over to Zasen. "Is that okay?"
"You do not need to ask me. Ayla, this is a day for you, so of course it's okay," he said before glancing back to his sister. "Try not to shock her too much?"
"We're actually going to be good," Jeera promised.
"Good," Zasen said before shoving a hand into his pocket. "Here."
He then pressed a handful of folded paper into Jeera's palm. She tried to push it back, but he simply wrapped her fingers around it. The woman's tail thrashed once, then stilled.
"I've got this," she insisted.
"And I'd hate for your trip to end because you run out of money," Zasen countered. "All three of us chipped in, because Ayla deserves to enjoy her first time out of the house."
Jeera just chuckled. "Okay, you talked me into it," she relented.
So he leaned in and hugged her. The woman wrapped her arms around his back and returned the gesture in the least demure way I'd ever seen. She crushed her much larger brother against her, hanging onto him for a moment before they both separated.
"I'll keep her safe too," Jeera promised before bending around Zasen to see Kanik. "And we're having lunch out, but not dinner."
"Noted," Kanik said.
So Jeera turned to me, looking down to make sure I had the new shoes on the right way. "Ready?"
"I think so," I admitted, "but I don't know what I'm doing."
"It's okay. You don't have to." Then she placed her hand on my back, guiding me forward. "Bye, Zasen."
"Bye, Zasen," I repeated.
"Have fun, ladies," he called after us.
Outside, the daylight was bright, but I'd nearly gotten used to it. I could see, at least. My eyes wanted to squint a little, but it was no longer painful. But, with her hand on my shoulder, the tailed woman steered me up the street, walking calmly at my side.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to be out like this?" I asked. "The last time, a man got angry."
"And this time I'm with you to make sure no one else will try the same," she assured me.
So we kept walking. When we reached the end of the street, she pointed in the next direction we should go. I turned that way, trying hard not to gawk too much as I took in all the new and strange things around me.
Large structures were everywhere. Over there was the area with the brightly-colored canopies. Trees lined the street in various sizes and shapes. There weren't too many people out, but still some. The problem was how all of them kept turning their heads to stare at me.
"I shouldn't be out here," I breathed.
"They'll get used to you," she promised.
"But how do they know I have permission?" I turned to see her face. "Jeera, what if they think I've disobeyed Zasen?"
For a moment, I thought I'd said something wrong, but when she decided to talk again, it seemed she had plenty to say. "That is nothing but manure!" she huffed. "The Moles really treat their women like that? As if you're nothing but a thing to be bought and ordered around?"
"And used up," I told her. "Our place is to care for a husband from marriage until death. To be seen and not heard. Meek. Demure. Subservient. But that's because most women don't live long. We die in childbirth."
"That's so wrong," she grumbled. "No wonder you stabbed your supposed husband. No, Ayla, if anyone tries to treat you like that here - even my brother - I expect you to tell me so I can sting them!"
I sucked in a breath. "But wouldn't you get in trouble?"
"Not here," she assured me. "You see, Dragon men and women are considered equal. That means anything a man can do, a woman can as well. It doesn't matter if that's a job, a hobby, sleeping around, or anything else. Well, boys can pee standing up without making a mess, and girls can have babies, but the rest of it is equal."
I giggled at how she'd added in the part about peeing. "So it's okay that Zasen is going to teach me how to fight Moles?"
"Yeah..." she huffed. "And he's a good one to do it too. Our father taught both of us how to hunt when we were little. So you know, I learned everything Zasen did. Our mother taught us both medicine, or as much as she could. That's why I went into nursing." She made a face. "Although, I'm curious. If you didn't know about medicine before you got here, well, what do Moles do when someone gets sick?"
"Pray," I assured her.
"And?" she asked.
I shook my head, not sure what she was asking. "Um, it depends on what kind of sickness they have. If they're like the women in quarantine - "
"Okay, so you know about quarantine procedures?" she broke in.
"I know that when the Devil corrupts a woman, she's locked in quarantine until she can fight off the evil ideas he gives her. My mother never managed, though. She died before she could find her way to God, but she gave my father four healthy children, so the priest said she would be forgiven for being weak."
Jeera's response was not made from words I knew, and it lasted for a lot longer than I expected. I picked up a few of the strange words the men used, and "assholes" was definitely one.
Finally, she asked, "Because your mother was mentally ill, she was locked away?"
"I don't know what that means," I admitted, "but my mother was locked in quarantine because she refused to submit to her husband."
"Wow," Jeera breathed. "Okay. What about when people break an arm, or cut themselves badly?"
"Like the hunters?" I asked. "When they came back from getting food, most of them would be injured. We women - the older girls and wives - would treat their injuries. Most of that was removing the arrows from the Dragons and sewing up the cuts."
"And if someone gets sick?" she pressed. "Like vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and that sort of sickness?"
"Pray," I mumbled, sure it was the wrong answer.
Jeera just nodded her head slowly. "Okay, well, it's not like that here," she assured me as we turned onto yet another street. "If someone is sick, they are given a pill, or a liquid, or something to make them better. If their body has a problem, we do a thing called surgery, where we can put them to sleep and fix what's inside without them feeling it."
"Really?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yep. And I trained to be a nurse, but I didn't like it as much as I thought. My mother is a doctor, as you know. She makes people better, so I wanted to grow up and help her, but I didn't know it was more about the boring parts than the exciting stuff. So, while I'm trained as a nurse, I only do that for emergencies, like when the Moles attack. Mostly, I gather herbs and supplies from the forest like my father taught me."
"Like Zasen?" I asked.
"He finds meat," she explained, "and I find everything else. Mostly plants, sometimes funguses or flowers. Occasionally, it's insects. I can hunt too, but I'm nowhere near as good of a shot with a hunting bow as my brother. I am better with a longbow, though." And she winked at me.
"I just want to learn how to be good," I told her.
Jeera flashed me a smile, and then gestured to a very large building at the side. "I'm sure you will be, but we made it."
"We did?"
"Mhm," she assured me. "Ayla, this is the church. Zasen said you still believe in God, right?"
"Yes, very much," I assured her.
So she guided me towards the beautiful, white building. "Would you be willing to see what a priest is like in Lorsa?"
"Okay..."
But what if he accused me of breaking the rules? What if he knew about what I'd done to Reynold Saunders? What if he wanted to send me back? With each step, my feet moved a little slower and my muscles clenched in fear. I knew I should go in. I wanted to believe this would be okay, but what if God was really angry with me for coming here?
"It's okay," Jeera assured me. "If you don't like what the priest has to say, we can leave. I promise."
"But - "
"No," she said, cutting me off. "No buts. If you want to leave, we will leave. I just want you to give our priest a chance, because I don't think God is as cruel as the Moles say He is."
"Oh," I breathed, relaxing just enough to take the handful of steps down towards the door.
Jeera opened it and let me in first, but she never left my side. The darkness of the interior was gentle on my eyes. After a few seconds, I could make out the long section of seating on either side of an aisle that ran down the middle. And there, at the far end, was a large cross with a pair of people standing before it. One was a human man wearing a white robe. The other was the dark blue Dragon woman with orange hair and a matching band in the middle of her tail: Brielle.
"Jeera!" the woman called out. "You made it."
One should not yell in the temple, or so I'd been taught. And yet, the man was smiling at me, waving us forward. I wanted to go, but my feet ignored my mind, refusing to work. Thankfully, Jeera caught my wrist and towed me forward, placing herself before me like she was some kind of impenetrable shield.
"Father," she said, lifting her voice so it would carry, "I would like you to know that if you terrorize my friend, I will haul her out of here."
"And I would expect nothing less," he promised, turning his eyes on me. "Ayla, right?"
"Yes, sir," I mumbled just as we finally reached their side.
He held out his hand. "I'm Father Dayne. I'm so happy you came to visit us today."
I nodded, not sure what else to do. The man's brow creased for only a split second, and then he gestured to the closest bench. "Would you like to sit? I'm sure everything in Lorsa has been overwhelming for you."
"I'm trying to learn everything as fast as I can," I assured him.
"Wait, wait, wait," Brielle said, hurrying over. "Dayne, I just realized that you're a tailless man, and she's probably terrified of you."
The priest gave me a disappointed look. "No..." His shoulders slumped. "Ayla, I give you my word under God that you are safe with me. I have a feeling your friends will make sure of it."
"I already explained to him all about you coming here," Brielle assured me.
The priest gestured to the bench again, encouraging me to sit. This time I did, and he claimed the place beside me, leaving a rather large gap. Jeera and Brielle hovered before us, but both women stayed standing. Still, their presence helped make me feel a little more confident. Almost like it would be okay for me to make a mistake, because they were here to help me get out of it if I did.
"Now, Ayla," Father Dayne said, his tone kind and gentle, "I was told that before you left the..." He paused to look at Brielle.
"The compound," Jeera answered instead.
Father Dayne nodded. "Right. Before you left the compound, you were forced to participate in a wedding? One you didn't agree to?"
I licked my lips and looked to Jeera, who nodded in support. I could feel my fingers starting to tremble, so I clasped my hands together to hide it. That put my left hand over my right, and the priest's eyes dropped.
"Is that your wedding ring?" he asked gently. "Do Moles wear it on the pinky finger?"
"No!" I gasped, switching my hands so it was hidden. "My mother gave it to me!"
"Ah..." He nodded sagely. "So, are you married then?"
I was sure I'd just made a horrible mistake. My tone must've offended him! But a comforting look from Zasen's sister reminded me she would get me out of here if I needed her to. Before this man could throw me out, or force me to go back, Jeera would save me, and I truly believed she could.
After swallowing to make sure my throat would work, I explained, "I said I didn't want to marry Peter Morgan, so they made me marry Reynold Saunders. When I told them I would say no, they said they simply wouldn't ask me. When it came to that point, they asked him but not me."
"I see," Father Dayne said softly. "And you have no interest in being married to this man? Not then and not now?"
"I just wanted to be allowed to read a book," I admitted, aware my voice was getting pinched. "Please don't make me go back, Father Dayne? I know stabbing him with a fork was wrong, but I didn't have any other option. If I hadn't, he would've forced me back to his chambers and then consummated the - "
The priest's hand closed over both of mine. "No," he said gently. "No, Ayla, I would never send you back to something like that. It's okay, my dear. We're going to make this better, okay? See, I'm asking because God gives you the right to refuse. It doesn't matter what any person on Earth says, the Bible was not made to create suffering. So if you don't want to be married to this man, I'd like to annul the marriage so you can know in your heart that this Reynold Saunders has no claim on you whatsoever."
The air rushed out of my lungs, and all I could do was nod my head repeatedly.
Father Dayne reached up to smooth my hair down, then patted my shoulder. "Okay. I have a few more questions, but only so I can make sure we do this properly, okay?"
"Thank you," I told him. "Oh, thank you, Father Dayne. And I really don't have to be someone's wife?"
"You do not," he assured me. "You see, Ayla, God loves you no matter what. He loves you enough to make sure you found your way to us, I think."