Page 215 of Phoenix's Fire

"Rebekka Waters seems to think you're an appealing prospect."

He sighed. "I remember her."

"If you want to change your mind," I said, ready to pull my hand back.

But he caught it, pressing his hand firmly where mine rested on his arm. "I don't."

"I know she wasn't supposed to turn until next year, so if the new rules..." My words trailed off, because what if he did want to marry her? I'd started this as a way of teasing him, and my own words were now making me worried.

"Callah," he said, leaning in, "I am not interested in the basket girl. She thinks I'm a fool, likes the idea of pushing me around, and brags about how good she'll be as a wife. None of that appeals to me."

I nodded, feeling a little of my worry vanish, but not all of it. Yet I couldn't talk about that out here. So I said nothing as we continued into the dining hall. Tobias led me to the far corner, then handed me down into a seat, promising he'd be right back.

I leaned back against the wall, scanning the handful of people in here. Twowere older men sitting under the tail. They laughed softly, clearly telling stories to each other like a pair of friends. In the opposite corner, over by the kitchen, Emalee was talking with a boy from sermon. I was pretty sure he was our age, so he'd be eligible to marry soon if he wanted.

Men didn'thaveto marry, though. Tobias said they weren't pressured to find a wife until they were twenty-five, and even then, it was little more than random reminders. Thirty was when the Council of Elders began to pressure a man to produce children. Until that age, he could enjoy the privileges of adulthood without the responsibilities of a family if he chose.

"You okay?" Tobias asked as he set down a large bowl of vegetable mash, then claimed the chair beside me.

I quickly scooped up a bite and swallowed it down. "Ms. Lawton took us to the wives' facilities today and talked to us about our marriages," I said, pausing for another bite. "Then Rebekka got angry because we were encouraged to share what we knew about our options. You know, like who's cruel and who's kind."

"It's a good idea," Tobias said. "Why was Rebekka angry?"

"Because she wants you," I breathed.

He huffed out a laugh. "Callah, I don't want her. In truth, I don't want to marry you, but I will. I mean, at least we're friends, and I'm hoping - "

"It won't work!" I blurted out, the words coming out louder than I expected.

He quickly looked around, then leaned forward, positioning himself as if we were having a serious discussion. In a way we were, but a few eyes had turned our way, which meant I'd been too loud.

"Sorry," I breathed.

He nodded. "You're just upset because you wanted our own marriage, not a shared one," he assured me. "Now tell me why it won't work?"

"Because if ten to twenty women all attack our husbands - "

"Why would they do that?" he asked.

I huffed at him in annoyance. "Because it worked for Ayla. Because she and Meri were banished, and that fate seems better than these rushed marriages. Because the girls are all talking about it - and some of the widows. Oh, Tobias, you have no idea how worried most women are right now."

"Okay," he said, sounding like he was taking that in. "So what do we do, Callah? I proposed so you could stab me and get out. We know Ayla's up there, and you told me those women offered to say something for you. To call for banishment."

"Well, yeah..." I pushed the bowl away as my anxiety slammed into me.

He pushed it back. "You need to eat. I've seen the pittance they give you, and I've been watching as your shoulders turn pointy." He poked the bone over my arm to make his point. "Callah, you have to eat. I don't care if you're trying to be appealing or something."

"I'm so damned scared that my guts feel like they want to empty," I whispered.

He nodded. "So we sit here longer, saying we were planning our marriage suite. You eat when you can, and someone complains, I'll say I wouldn't let you go."

I pulled the bowl closer and took a little taste. "See, that's part of my problem. I can't go. I used to think it was just us. That Meri, Ayla, and I were the only ones who weren't happy here. That because we'd listened to Ayla's stories, we'd been corrupted, and everyone else was happy - but I was wrong."

"So why does that mean you can't go?" he asked.

Using my spoon, I pressed at the mash, filling in the spot where I'd taken my previous bites. "I know the girls. I've met some of the wives, and a few of the widows. I'm a healer, and you said you'll let me keep doing that." Then I dropped the spoon and turned to meet his pretty eyes. "And I know Ayla's alive. I know there's another option. They don't."

"Right about now," he told me, "I'm feeling just as stupid as they say I am. Callah, what does any of that have to do with getting you out?"

---