Page 212 of Phoenix's Fire

Callah

Two days after he proposed, I told Tobias I would accept his offer. Again, he assured me our arrangement was one of friends. Nothing more. That helped, but when I saw my name marked off the list of available women, the anxiety returned all over again. Worse, he'd been late to dinner twice now, coming into the dining hall just as I was finishing my meal.

I knew things with the hunters were getting more intense. Supposedly, they no longer had a single partner. Tobias had been assigned to a five-man team with someone named Sylis. I recognized the man's name from sermon a few years back, but that was all I knew of him. Sylis had been a quiet sort of boy, so I was hoping he'd be a generous leader - or at least one who wouldn't get my intended killed.

But one week after the elder's announcement, Ms. Lawton walked into Mr. Cassidy's sermon. The man seemed surprised to see her, but she passed him a small note. For a moment, the room was silent while he read.

Then Mr. Cassidy handed the paper back to Ms. Lawton. "I would like all girls eighteen years old or older to please go with Ms. Lawton." He paused, looking us over. "Emalee, you go too, since you turn eighteen in two days."

"I will have a class with the seventeen-year-olds tomorrow," Ms. Lawton told the rest. "Now, if you older girls will follow me?"

There was a little confusion and a lot of worried looks exchanged as we composed ourselves and followed her out of the room. Without a word, Ms. Lawton calmly marched us back to the hall where our rooms were located.

"Girls, today we are going to learn about the women's facilities. Each of you should grab your laundry, for as you're about to learn, our washing time is one of the rare moments when women can enjoy our own community. With your marriages coming much sooner than you expected, I believe this might be the most important lesson I can give you."

"But we know how to do laundry," one of the younger girls in the group pointed out.

"I'm well aware of that, Magdalynn. Now, hurry up. It's rude to make others wait on you." She clapped her hands twice as a sign to get us moving.

My things were still mostly clean from my last trip to the women's laundry, but I did have a few smocks I could wash. Gathering those up, I returned with my hamper on my hip. Except for Ms. Lawton, the hall was still empty, so when she moved closer, I wasn't surprised.

"I didn't know they were lowering the age," she said softly. "I would've tried to warn you girls if I had."

I nodded, all too aware of what she'd heard me say in the laundry with the wives only a few days ago. "I know. I wouldn't have had a clue except Tobias was so excited."

"And you told the ones you could," she pointed out. "That was a brave thing to do, Callah."

I paused, biting my lips together to hold in my thoughts, but gave up. "The Lord says we should help each other. My intended's loose tongue meant I was in a position to do that, so would it not be a sin for me to say nothing?"

She canted her head as if weighing that. "I suppose that's one way to look at it. One I approve of, so you know, but not everyone will."

"Yes, but - "

"And," she went on, cutting me off, "the elders know about you, Callah. They're aware thatbothof your roommates were banished. They've wondered if the Devil has access to your room. It's possible, they think, that all of you are corrupted."

"Because Ayla and Meri would've talked to me?" I asked.

"Exactly, and when women aren't alone, we aren't as powerless. Why else do you think friendships are discouraged? Why are we isolated with our husbands? Why are our children taken from us so soon?" She smiled at me gently. "It's all so we will have no reason to fight, Callah. Because if we have nothing, then we have nothing to fight for."

"Or nothing left to lose," I countered. "But don't you see? I'm the one person who seems to have any insight into what the men are planning, or doing! I know many of these girls. Not well, but I do know them. The same is true for the wives. Right now, I'm in the rare position of having ties to most of our community in the compound." I looked up at her and lowered my voice. "I also know what's above."

"Which is?" she asked.

"A tree," I said. "That's where Meri was chained when she was banished. A Phoenix and a Wyvern. I may not know everything, but I do know enough to be sure the Phoenix is a woman with a very familiar name. Jamison told me that."

"When?" she whispered.

"When I was treating his shoulder," I explained. "He said her name. My friend is alive and thriving, Ms. Lawton. Before she refused Mr. Morgan, she told me she just wanted to grow plants and live long enough to become old. Now, they sayshe's with the Wyvern. I know Ayla, and I know she would not be easily corrupted from what she set her mind to. That makes me think there's alotthe men are keeping from us."

Okay, so I was leaving off the things Tobias had told me, but only because I didn't want to get him in trouble. Plus, everything I'd just said was the fault of the men I'd healed. Men who'd been in pain. Not one thing I'd said was problematic on its own, but together, Ms. Lawton couldn't miss my meaning.

She nodded, looking behind me as a pair of girls hurried over with their things. More came after that, until everyone had gathered their laundry and were ready to go. With a gesture to follow her, Ms. Lawton led us all up the hall and into the women's laundry area.

"Girls," she said, gesturing around us. "You will notice the basins are set up in such a way so you can work and talk with the other wives. This makes it easier to share tricks or ask for advice. That could be anything, from darning a particularly troublesome area of your husband's clothing, to managing the symptoms of pregnancy. It will also keep you from bothering your future husbands while you work, because men prefer to relax in their homes, not listen to women rattling around."

"But we don't even know who we want to marry!" one of the girls pointed out.

"And you have a few weeks to figure it out," Ms. Lawton reminded her. "I suggest you all share some information while you work, because I do expect your laundry to be clean when we're done here."

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