Page 101 of Phoenix's Fire

But eventually, people began wandering off. First, it was Ayla, which didn't really surprise me. Saveah followed her only moments later. Next, it was Naomi, who went to check on the meal. Lessa left, came back, then left again. Eventually, Jeera and Brielle excused themselves for a moment.

That was when I found myself all alone. Pushing out a breath, I relaxed a bit. Ayla was right, all of this was a lot. It was also nice, but I wasn't sure what I should be doing - or could be. Hoping someone would come tell me, I picked up the samples of fabric Lessa wanted me to pick from, and dared to run my fingers over the amazing colors and patterns.

"Meri?" The sound of a man's voice made me tense.

"Yes, sir?" I asked, doing my best to stand up respectfully.

He waved me back down and hurried over. "Sorry, sorry," he said in very accented English. Then he came over and held out his hand. "Halp?"

"What?" I asked, looking from his hand to his face.

The man groaned as if he'd made a mistake, then pressed his hand to his chest. "Me, Irrik. You, Meri. Me halp you go thar." And he pointed in the direction everyone else had gone. "Tamin..." He gestured downward as if indicating something small. "He ha' oww!" Then he pointed to his knee. "Brielle and Jeera make good. Me make you see way."

"Jeera and Brielle are helping the child because he got hurt?" I asked.

"Yes!" the man breathed, sounding relieved.

"And you want to..." I paused, hoping I guessed this right. "Show me where they are?"

"Yes!" he said again, and offered his hand.

So I accepted it, a little surprised when he helped to pull me up and onto my feet. Then Irrik turned and offered his arm like a true gentleman. Nervously, I took it, unsure if this was proper or not, but the man simply gestured where we were going with his other hand, then guided me through the expansive house.

Soon enough, we reached a pair of glass doors. Irrik opened one, then assisted me down the stairs. There, Lessa saw me and hurried over. She rambled off something to Irrik in those words they used, which were almost starting to sound like English, once I adjusted for their accent. Then she looked at me.

"Came sit?" she offered.

"Come?" I asked, making sure I was keeping up.

She nodded. "Baby havy." She patted her own belly, then pointed to mine. "Chir good."

"Chair," I said, realizing what she was trying to tell me. "Thank you."

"Valkome," she replied.

Okay, so I was figuring out this language thing. That, or they were trying hard to use mine. Not that I could quite be sure I understood them yet, but I was getting there. Thankfully, Lessa showed me to a large table with plates, drinks, and more on it. Then she gestured for me to pick a chair.

"Sit anywhere!" Jeera called from the side.

I looked and found her, Brielle, Saveah, and Naomi hovering around a child - but he wasn't like any child I'd seen before. This one was blue! Well, almost green. Halfway in the middle? He had black markings on him and a tail, proving he was a Dragon.

"Tamin," Lessa said when she saw where I was looking. Then she pointed to the animal that had made the loud noises on our way here. "Dog."

I nodded to show I understood, then picked a chair near the end closest to us. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," Lessa agreed, claiming the one beside me. "Ayla!"

"Coming," Ayla called, heading over from the middle of a group of men. When she saw me, she broke into a jog. "Sorry, Meri. Tamin tried to play pull with the dogs, and they're stronger. He skinned his knee."

"The little Dragon?" I asked.

Ayla nodded. "That's my nephew."

I paused, thinking about that. "Saveah's child?"

"The oldest. Tamin is six. Taris is almost four months."

"But he's a Dragon," I hissed.

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