But I didn't know anything about that. "What Mole?"
"Sylis," Ayla explained. "He's Tobias's friend, has been helping, and a Reaper stabbed him in the gut."
I murmured, realizing the complications that could cause, but then Zasen decided to make it even worse. "He can't go back or he'd die from an infection. We can't keep him here because the Reapers would rather kill him. Tobias listed descriptions for the seven women they took."
"I thought more than that were missing," I said, looking at Rymar.
"And that's the problem," Rymar agreed. "Fuck. So what are we going to do with him?"
"But Tobias said something else," Ayla told us. "He didn't know he was coming until last night. Well, his night, but it's easier that way than trying to remember when their times are." She waved that off. "But he was told with only enough time to prepare to leave in what would be their version of 'before dawn.'" And she looked between the three of us. "That means they don't have a set plan!"
"And?" Zasen asked.
"They could go to Lorsa next," she said, sounding as if that should be obvious. "In those books I read, there were plenty that talked about battle tactics and strategy. One of the most common is to lure the enemy away, then hit their weak side."
"Same reason I was watching the fields tonight," I told Zasen.
Rymar murmured, weighing that. "But would Moles know about those books, Ayla?"
"Men have plenty of books," she said. "Women are only supposed to read the Bible, but that doesn't mean there aren't more books in the compound. Most men - like my father - have a few on their shelves. I'm sure some of them are about battles."
"So we can't rule it out," Zasen admitted. "On the upside, Lansin gave Tobias a dog whistle. Reapers all train their dogs to them so they can keep them from flushing game, dragging a bear back, or anything else. Works for hiding too. Even if the dog isn't close, they can be commanded from a distance."
"Oh..." Ayla said. "That does make sense. I think I want one."
"I'll get you one," Rymar quickly promised.
I had to struggle not to chuckle, but Ayla didn't even slow down. "So Tobias can warn us if they're coming here, but what if they're going to Lorsa and we can't catch them? Isn't most of the militia here?"
"Too much of it," Zasen agreed.
"So," I said, "we need to send some back."
"You?" Rymar asked me.
"No."
"But he's right," Zasen said. "Look, I'd like to send Drozel back, since he's just as capable of running defense as I am. He can take half the militia members here with him."
"And Sylis," Ayla said. "Then he'll be away..." Her words trailed off as her eyes lost focus.
"What?" I asked.
She sucked in a little breath, realizing she'd fallen silent. "Meri knows Sylis. She speaks English as well as I do. That means she can help him learn Vestrian, right?"
"She can," Rymar agreed, "but will she want to? Ayla, he's a man."
"A man who wants to kissmen," Ayla told us. "Tobias said Sylis tried to kiss him. Or did kiss him? I'm not sure and it was a little hectic. But it sounds like Sylis isn't interested in marriage either. If Meri knows that, I bet she'd be okay with it." Then she wobbled her head from side to side as if debating that. "She might be okay either way. I mean, Sylis is only a few years older than us, and I remember him from sermon - barely. He wasn'tone of the impressive boys. He was small, and shy. Maybe she won't be worried about him?"
"If Drozel's there, she won't need to," I assured her.
"And Lessa," Zasen added. "She's learned English well enough to count as fluent."
"Just make sure she doesn't stab him," I teased.
But Rymar made a noise that proved my joke might be a little too accurate. "It's Lessa," he reminded me.
Ayla patted the air, making us focus again. "Sylis was given something that made his mind wander. I told Tobias it was for the pain, but Naomi did something similar to me when I arrived."
