Page 106 of Phoenix's Fire

"I canreadthe words," Lessa said. "They just say it wrong."

"They say it right," Lansin pointed out. "I mean, they've been using it this whole time, right? So we're probably the ones who messed it up."

"Still!" Lessa tossed up her hands.

Saveah patted her arm. "I'm having trouble with it too. Tamin's picking it up easily, but me?" She shook her head.

"And it's too far to walk Meri to your house, Kanik, so should we meet at the school?" Brielle asked. "I want Meri to walk more so she builds some muscles, but I also don't want to overdo it."

"The library," Rymar said softly.

"What?" I asked.

He gestured at the women, then over to the men. "Militia training is beside the library. There are rooms available there. Kanik knows what he's doing. It's close to Brielle's place. So, have the women do their lessons at the library. Kanik can help them. Ayla will be close enough to do a training session and still catch some of thelesson. Since Kanik knows what to do, and you're going to have him with the Reapers, it won't hurt if he misses a session."

"That's actually a good idea," Kanik said.

"But..." Ayla looked at Meri, then over to me. "I told her..."

I lifted a hand. "You can do both." Then I switched to English. "Meri, would you be upset if Ayla is late to some of your English lessons? She may have another obligation which overlaps a bit."

"No, that's understandable," Meri said just as obediently as I'd expected.

So I lifted a brow at Ayla and changed back to Vestrian. "See? Not a problem. It also allows her to make other friends and find her own independence - which she needs."

A little smile flickered over Ayla's lips as she dropped her eyes, but then she glanced back up at me through those gold lashes of hers. "I don't know how to help with that part."

"So give her space to make mistakes," I said. "Let her see she won't be hurt when it happens." I glanced at Lessa, making sure she was paying attention. "And slowly but surely, we will prove to her she's truly welcome here, right?"

"I can do that," Lessa said.

Which was when Tamin spoke up. "I wanna do English too!"

"Baby, you get to learn that in school," Saveah told him.

"But I wanna learn English with Aunt Ayla!"

"It'll be after school," Kanik said. "No reason he can't come. I'm also not opposed to making him enjoy learning."

"Me either," Saveah admitted. So she looked at her son. "Okay, but you have to do your chores - or no English."

"Mama!"

Which made Meri giggle, even if she didn't understand the entire conversation. The childish whine was clearly a universal thing. I glanced at the girl, struggling not to smile - and she noticed. Meri had her lips pressed together in an attempt not to laugh at the boy, yet the moment my eyes landed on her, the smile faded.

So I made a production of pressing my mouth together even tighter, showing I was doing the same thing. One corner of her lip curled, fell, then curled again, almost like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to laugh at that.

Lansin had already moved on to something else, and the conversation at the table was warm, friendly, and casual, but for a moment, it was just Meri and me. I tilted my head at Tamin and rolled my eyes. Meri's smile grew a little more. Then, the smallest little giggle slipped out.

"Kids are all the same, huh?" I asked in English.

Andfinallythe girl smiled at me. "I guess they are," she said softly. "I didn't know that."

"Were you like that?" I asked. "I mean, since I've never seen a Mole child."

Her teeth clamped down on her lower lip, and for a moment, I thought she was going to shut down again. But after just a little too long, she nodded.

"I was a horrible child."

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