Chapter 1
One
Ayla
I'd read over Callah's letter a dozen times now.
At this rate, I was pretty sure I had it memorized - which was a good thing, because I still had to tell Meri about it.
So, as I walked into the large building the Dragons called a hospital, I thought over all of it again while I simultaneously tried to decide who I should see first: Kanik or Meri.
I chose Kanik. Mostly, that was because I could always leave Holly with him while I talked to Meri, so it just made sense. My dog had become my constant companion. More of a shadow in some ways, but one that had become like an extension of myself.
"Hey," I whispered down to her. "We're going to see Kanik, Holly. Yeah? You want to see Kanik?"
She danced at my side, clearly recognizing his name. Her mouth hung open, showing an impressive set of teeth, and her tongue fell out at the side. Those partially floppy ears of hers were up and bouncing with her movement, making her look like she was as thrilled about this visit as I was.
Today, I was doing this on my own. Zasen was out hunting. Rymar had headed to City Hall to let Jerlis know everything we'd learned from Tobias yesterday. No, the day before. Just because I hadn't slept didn't mean the days had stopped churning.
And what a long day it had been. We'd started with a battle, ended with mourning, and then I'd headed back to the forest to make sure the Moles didn't take my friend's body. Finding him alive hadn't been something I'd expected, but God had blessed me. He was alive. Wounded, but very much alive.
That put a smile on my face as I turned into his room. A nurse was there, checking him over, but Kanik saw me. He leaned his head to see around the man, and the tip of his tail flicked down by his feet.
"Holly?" he asked.
She moved, intending to run to him, but I stopped her with a hissed sound. "Wait," I ordered.
That was enough to make my dog whine. She still obeyed, but this was her version of protest, and she deserved to have it. But once the nurse finished poking at my friend, the man stepped back.
"Okay, she can see him," he told me.
"Holly, find Kanik," I said, releasing her.
She didn't even take a step. Holly simply jumped, launching her massive brindle body from my side onto the foot of the bed so she could carefully creep closer. The smile that put on Kanik's face? The way he reached out to encourage her?
"How's he doing?" I asked the nurse. "Does he have an infection?"
Because where I was from, infections killed.
They were the one thing that always took a life.
Considering the amount of dirt and debris that had been in Kanik's wound, I knew avoiding one was unlikely, but Dragons had medicine.
They also acted like this was nothing to be worried about, and the nurse's response proved it.
"His temperature is fine. There's some inflammation around his incision, but he's on enough antibiotics that we're not worried about it. Pus or excessive draining is what we're watching for."
"Redness?" I asked, moving closer so I could see.
But Kanik laughed. "Ayla, my skin's brown and purple there. You wouldn't see anything red."
"Can I show her?" the nurse asked him.
"Of course," Kanik said, patting his other side to move Holly out of the way.
The nurse lowered the blanket, showing the wound.
"With the tailed," he explained, pointing to where the cut crossed from Kanik's brown side to his lavender belly, "we look for separation of the sutures like this.
When closed, the edges should meet. This puckering means there's swelling.
The raised edges of his scales around it will show you how far it extends.
Unlike the tailless, his skin doesn't flush, but it gives signs in its own way. "
"Will it need to be drained?"
The man smiled at me and shook his head. "Shouldn't. He's on pain killers and enough antibiotics that even if a piece of dirt was missed, he will be fine, Phoenix."
"But?" I asked.
The man gave me a confused look, and Kanik chuckled again. "No buts. Ayla, I survived. Everything from here on out will be easy."
"You took a piece of metal in the gut!" I huffed. "That is not 'easy!'"
"It's recovery," the nurse said. "But he's going to be fine now. The Python is pleased with how he's doing." Then he stepped back. "And I'll get out of here and leave you two alone. Kanik, let me know when it starts to hurt again?"
"Promise," Kanik assured him, still rubbing Holly by his hip.
I moved to take the nurse's place on his open side. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"I really am," he said, moving his hand to hook my fingers with his. "Thank you, Ayla."
"Holly did it," I mumbled.
He made a face and shook his head. "She helped you. You're the one who came back for me, and trust me, I will never forget that. You saved my life because you didn't give up on me."
"Zasen and Rymar thought you were dead."
"Yeah," he breathed. "Me too." Then he tugged my hand slightly. "I just have one question."
"Hm?"
"Maybe we can talk about that kiss once I'm home?"
A dozen stupid expressions took over my face at the same time. My eyes went wide, my mouth tried to smile, and my cheeks turned incredibly hot. And even while all of that happened, I somehow managed to nod.
"We can. It's just that you were okay, and I thought - "
"Correctly," he interrupted. "Ayla, I don't mind at all that you kissed me. I'm more worried about if it will ever happen again."
"I think so." The words came out too soft.
He made a small sound, almost like he was pleased. "I promise if I ever get another chance, I won't have a mouth filled with mud and blood, okay?"
"Okay."
Then he ran his thumb over my knuckles. "And the guys told me all about the fight. The grenades..." He paused to swallow, proving he remembered exactly what had happened to him. "And Rymar said you have a new informant?"
"Sylis Underhill," I told him. "Tobias called him a friend, and I think he will help."
"With?"
"I don't really know," I admitted. "We didn't get the code, Kanik. Only the most trusted hunters know it, and Tobias spent his life convincing the Righteous he's stupid."
"Is he?"
I quickly shook my head. "No. He knew things weren't right, but he hid his disagreement with stupidity, giving him an excuse for when he made a mistake. Callah told me all about it in her letter."
While I talked, his eyes started to droop. I could see it. He was fighting the urge to doze off, and between petting my dog and the relief of surviving that mess, his body demanded more rest.
"I can tell you about it later," I said softly. "I still need to see Meri. You need to sleep, but is it okay if Holly stays here for a minute?"
"Yeah..." he mumbled, proving the drowsiness was taking him fast. "I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute. She can keep guard."
"Okay." I knew this was my chance to turn and leave. There was one more thing I wanted to do, though. "Get better quickly, Kanik." And I stepped in to give him a gentle kiss on the brow.
The smile that put on his lips? The way it felt to be able to do it? I didn't have the right words for any of this, but it was nice. Better than nice. Safe, too. I was sure Dragons would have a way to describe the feeling, but the closest I could come was "warm."
"Holly, watch," I told her. "Stay."
Then I backed out. In the hall, I found a desk with a group of nurses behind it. Some were men; others were women. Some had tails and others were like me, tailless. One of them looked up, smiling when she saw me, but no one tried to stop me or tell me I shouldn't be here.
This was a hospital. This was how Dragons handled medicine and healing.
This was so much better than what we'd done in the compound, and seeing it firsthand proved it.
Not only was the wounded one cared for, but also their friends and family.
Guests were expected - as was something else, and as I moved into Meri's room, I had to pause to take it in.
Flowers.
At least two dozen vases and containers of blooms were placed around the room.
Every open surface - and a few spots on the floor - had one.
They came in every color I could imagine, from the most vivid shades to soft pastels.
Each one had different leaves, and the shapes of the petals varied as well.
"There are many kinds of flowers," Meri said from her spot in her bed, proving she was awake.
"Hey!" I said in English, ignoring the plants to give her my full attention. "How are you doing?"
"They keep bringing more," she said in the same language, gesturing to a space near the window that had been empty yesterday. "Lessa says they're from my friends. Naomi said some are from nurses to show their appreciation of my help."
"You know," I said, moving to touch a purple flower I recognized, "I used to think these were for courting."
"Moles use flowers to brag. Dragons use them to share all different feelings," she told me, reaching out a hand. "Ayla, I can't sit up so you have to come closer."
"Do you need help?" I asked.
"A little."
I quickly leaned in to secure her shoulders, helping her shift higher. Shoving a pillow behind her back allowed her to recline the same way Kanik had been. Once she was good, I found a chair in the corner and pulled it closer.
"How are you doing, Meri?"
Her eyes lost focus, and for a moment, her face went slack. "I'm not pregnant anymore."
"You're not," I agreed. "Naomi said Jeera and Brielle are taking care of the baby. It's gone, Meri. You no longer have to worry about it, okay?"
She jiggled her head in something meant to be a nod. "Okay."
"And you'll heal fast," I assured her. "Kanik will too, because of you."
"I just found the right doctor," she mumbled.
"And helped me save him." I caught her hand. "You are such a good healer, Meri, and you can do that now if you want."
"I know."
"But do you know what you want?" I pressed. "Have you even thought about it?"
Slowly, her royal blue eyes crept up until they found mine. "Ayla, I thought I had to be a mother, and I didn't get the chance to think about anything else. Lessa showed me how to sew, and I speak Vestrian well enough to not get lost, but that's all I know."
"The words will come," I promised.
"No, of anything!" she insisted. "And I heard a nurse. She said I would've died down there. The baby would've killed me, Ayla."
"Which is why you had to come here."
"But I don't know what to do now!" she hissed, struggling to keep her voice down. "Ayla, I'm so lost and confused. I..."
"Shh..." I soothed. "Meri, it's going to be okay. All you have to do is rest. You have a cut on your belly. It has stitches. That's how the baby came out."
"I know."
"And it's going to need time to heal," I reminded her. "That means you have time to think and ask questions now."
"But the baby..." she tried.
"Jeera and Brielle can handle it."
She pressed her lips together. "Him. I know it's a boy."
"Him," I agreed. "I didn't know how much you wanted to know about him."
"Does he have Gideon's eyes?" she asked.
I could tell she was braced. The right answer was obvious, but I couldn't give it to her. "Meri, I don't know. I haven't seen him."
And she let her eyes close as she leaned back. "I don't want him, Ayla. I don't want Gideon's child."
"Then you will never have to have him," I swore.
"Naomi said that's okay. Jeera thinks you should wait to see if you're going to change your mind, but I know you won't." Then I reached over, claiming both of her hands to cradle between mine.
"Meri, Jeera and Brielle said they'll adopt him.
All you have to do is tell one of the nurses that's what you want, and then you'll never have to see him at all. "
"Yeah?"
I nodded. "It's that easy. See? We're going to be okay up here. You can become a real nurse if you want to - or even a doctor!"
"You should be the doctor."
I shook my head. "I'm going to be a hunter, Meri. Not like the Moles either. I'm going to use my dog and bring back deer, and pigs, and birds. I'm going to finally get to see the world."
"And kill Moles," she reminded me.
I nodded at that. "Yeah. We're going to kill a lot of Moles, and Callah knows about it. She sent me a letter."
"And?"
I paused, knowing this was the hard part. "Meri, she's going to wed Tobias. She says it's as a friend, and it's all so they can fight back. He'll protect her, and she knows the girls, the wives, and us. She says she's the only person who can make this happen."
"What's 'this?'"
"Helping the women down there, and destroying the Righteous from the inside out."
Finally, Meri smiled. "Good. And when Gideon dies, will you tell me?"
"I swear, Meri. When I know that man is dead, I won't just tell you, I will plan a celebration for it."
"Good," she breathed.