Page 197 of Phoenix's Fire

"Mhm," she murmured. "And there's a battle between God and the Devil."

I nodded. "But it's so pretty. All the trees and sky and just everything. How can the hunters think it's burning?"

"Meri, I have no idea," she admitted. "They also think I'm just an animal, but I promise I dress too good to be a beast."

I giggled at that. "You really do."

"And soon you will too," she promised. "One day, I'll even get you into a pair of pants."

"But the baby..." I reminded her.

She shrugged. "Pregnant women can wear pants, Meri. Or shorts." She pointed at someone to show what she meant. "Or anything you feel comfortable in."

I nodded, taking that in. It also made me look closer at the people we passed. Tailed women were never pregnant. They'd explained that to me, but there were a lot of tailless people in town as well. About a third of the population, I'd been told, yet they seemed to be around every corner - and plenty of those women had a rounded belly.

Some were fat. Brielle had explained it to me on my last doctor's visit. Naomihad told me not to worry about becoming that way, so I'd asked Brielle as we'd walked home. Now, when I saw people with extra weight, I couldn't help but smile. Just the thought of being able to have that much food? And the way it made their bodies curvy and soft?

Things were so different up here, and for the first time, I was starting to realize I could have a second chance. I could become someone - I just didn't know who. I had no clue what I liked, or hated, or anything else. I'd always worked so hard to be right and proper that I'd pushed all my own opinions so far down, they felt like they belonged to a stranger.

"And here we are," Lessa said, reaching out to wrap an arm around my back as we headed up a set of stairs. "This is City Hall, and it's where Rymar works."

"The yellow man with Ayla?" I asked.

She nodded. "But we're not going to see him today, or the mayor."

"Which one is he?"

"Big, black and red.Verybig."

"The man from my first day," I realized.

Lessa nodded. "I wasn't there, but yes. The same man who gives the announcements from the stage. His name is Jerlis, and while he's large and grumpy, the man is also a wimp." And she grinned in a way that was surprisingly reassuring.

The building was massive, though. Inside, it reminded me a bit of the compound, but brighter. There were windows to see outside, and all the ceilings were taller. Still, a dozen doors were visible on the long hall, and more halls branched off up ahead.

Lessa led me down one to the right, then turned into a decent-sized room. Without letting go of me, she guided me forward to a window like in Naomi's clinic where an older woman waited on the other side. Her hair was pale, her scales were a muted green, and yet somehow her skin was wrinkled.

"Can I help you?" she asked when we were close enough.

"My friend here needs to file paperwork for the dissolution of her marriage," Lessa explained, passing over the document she'd shown off at the house.

"Okay, and we're going to need to..." The woman's words trailed off as she scanned the page. "Oh." Then her eyes jumped over to me. "You're a refugee from the Moles?"

"Um, yes?" I managed, aware my words came out nervously high-pitched.

She offered me a gentle smile. "The Phoenix's friend, I heard."

"Ayla," Lessa clarified.

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Then the woman hummed as if she was thinking. "Okay, so it says here that your husband is out of reach and considers you dead?"

I nodded quickly. Nervously. "Yes, ma'am. I was banished, so they think the beasts above got me. They also think the world is burning and a lot of other bad things, so he's probably courting another girl, and she'll marry him, and - "

"Shhh...." Lessa soothed. "It's okay, Meri."

But the older woman grumbled. "Monsters, all of them." Then she sucked in a breath and looked at me. "The men," she clarified quickly.

---