Page 276 of Phoenix's Fire

"She's nice," I finally answered. "She's also scared of what will happen when she's married."

"Me too," Sylis admitted. "I don't...." He pulled in a breath. "I know how to make children, but I don't want to."

"Me either," I agreed. "I want to hold her hand and talk to her. I don't find the idea of hurting her appealing."

"I don't want to hold their hands," he said.

I just nodded. "Have you ever had a friend?"

"You."

"I mean others," I clarified.

He laughed. "No. I joked with the boys in my room as a child, but that changed when we got older. They wanted to be stronger, or smarter, or better than the rest of us, and by the time we graduated from sermon, we were definitelynot friends."

"The guys in my room would beat me up."

"To keep you from thinking you could beat them," he guessed. "I think you're as big as the Wyvern."

"Nope." I hummed at the memory of standing face to face before him. "He's taller and broader. He also listens to her."

"Ayla?"

"Shh!" I hissed. "That name will get noticed. 'Her' works."

"Good point."

So I continued, "But I think that's why she's helping. Women are smart, Sylis. Smarter than we've been told. Smarter than most of us. They think about things, and act in ways to convince us it's our idea. They understand the consequences of everything. So for the Wyvern to respect her like that? I think he unlocked something, and I have a feeling Callah has it too."

"What about the other one?" he asked. "Merienne. Is she dead?"

"No, she's pregnant and being cared for. They have medicine, and their women do not die from giving birth."

He murmured at that. "So why do they need the code?"

"To get in."

"Sounds to me like that's not what they need." He shifted a little closer and lowered his voice even more. "What we need is to figure out how to get out. Them, us, and everyone who deserves it. Because if the rest are locked in..."

His words made me feel like I'd just been punched in the gut. "But how?"

"I know where the town is," he said. "I've been there, and it's the same way we keep going. We need to get out and walk, then keep walking."

"They will chase us," I reminded him.

He grunted at that. "Probably, but what would happen if we went another way? Backed up, then waited a bit. There's water. There's food. He said so."

"And I don't know how to find it," I pointed out.

Sylis merely looked over. "Would Callah?"

Sadly, I knew the answer to that. "No."

"Damn it," he cursed. "Okay, so we get the code to prove ourselves, but we'll need a plan. If they come in, they'll kill us all. We'll need to know when it's happening."

I nodded. "I'll talk to Callah about it. She'll think of something."

"Like yellow favors?" Sylis asked. "You don't think people are going to start to wonder about that color?"

---