Page 145 of Phoenix's Fire

"How?" Omden asked.

"I don't know yet," I admitted.

"But it's something," Zasen said. "Right now, we need to get back. I don't trust the Moles, and the night is their time." He turned to the rest of the group. "We lost three who'll need to be carried back."

"Lansin and I can help with that," Irrik said.

"The dogs can scout ahead," Lansin added.

But some guy at the back called out, "What about the guns?"

I turned to the sound of his voice and found a large pile of weapons. There had to be at least thirty! I was sure there wouldn't be many bullets, but that was a lot of weapons.

"We need to make them safe," I said, "and then carry them back. We don't want the Moles to get them."

"Rymar's storing them in the records room," Kanik added.

"Fix them," Zasen told me. "I don't know how."

So I hurried over to check the guns. Lifting the first, I wasn't surprised to find the safety was not set. I quickly flipped the tiny lever, then moved to the next.

"That's it?" asked the man who'd spoken up about them.

I nodded. "It's called the 'safety,' and it prevents the weapon from firing. We need to turn all of those so the bottom points at the trigger." I demonstrated on a second gun. "Then we can each take a few. Like this, they'll hang safely from that strap."

"Guys," the man told his friends. "Flip this switch, and put them in another pile. When they're all safe, we can pass them out."

"Thank you," I told him.

He looked up and nodded. "It's just nice to finally be winning, Phoenix."

That was enough to make me smile. We were winning. But right on the heels ofthat, I remembered the dead Dragons. Four people who wouldn't make it home tonight. Four families that would be changed forever.

Four more reasons to make sure we stopped the Moles for good.

Yet as I made my way back to Zasen, I overheard snippets from the people around me. They were saying things like how the Moles hadn't stood a chance. Some were bragging about taking out five or more. In my head, I tried to add that up, but I couldn't. I didn't know enough.

So I headed to Kanik and asked, "How many did we kill?"

"A lot," he assured me.

"But they killed four Dragons, Kanik. How many did we let go?"

He reached out to clasp my arms. "Less than ten, Ayla. They brought a lot, and only a handful will return. If they're smart, they won't come again."

"They aren't smart," I grumbled.

So he rubbed my arms in reassurance. "And we'll kill them again." Gently, he eased me closer. "It's okay. You're helping. This made a difference. Instead of twenty people dying, we only lost four, and each one chose to risk their lives. They weren't children. They weren't taken by surprise."

"But they're still dead," I countered, shifting a little closer.

And Kanik wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me up against his chest in a gentle hug. "Yeah," he breathed. "They sacrificed themselves to save the ones they love. They're heroes, Ayla - and you gave them that chance. Believe it or not, that makes it better. Not good, but better."

I pressed my head in against his chest. "The hugging helps."

So he squeezed me a little tighter, then tilted his head so his cheek pressed against my hair. "It helps me too," he promised.

Forty-Five

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