"And the best gift I've ever been given." I reached up to touch the gold around my neck. "Just slightly better than this."
"Which says a lot more than you know," he told me.
But I meant the torc, not the relationship. Because comparing those? I couldn't pick which I liked more. The truth was I liked having it all. I was scared I'd end up losing someone - a man or my dog - although I didn't want to think about that. I just wanted to have one moment of joy, and as we neared a pen with older, wigglier puppies in it, I allowed myself to stop worrying about where I should be.
These were puppies. I deserved to petallof them.
Forty-One
Rymar
Iwoke up for the attack. I hadn't slept yet, but there would be plenty of time for that later. Eriska needed help, and we Dragons were used to handling the fallout after an attack. The first step had been sending the seriously injured back to Lorsa to be cared for.
The next had been counting the dead and missing. Surprisingly, that number wasmuchlower than we'd expected. There was one person dead. Just one. Plenty had been hurt, but no one had listed a loved one as missing.
I hoped that was because we'd sent the non-combatants to the Reapers' winter camp. I couldn't be sure, though. For all I knew, it could've simply been because we'd been ready this time. Setting guards worked for the Reapers. Their dogs could detect Moles long before any of us could even see them. Last night, it had saved lives.
But Eriska hadn't done this a million times before. She was a bit overwhelmed, and kept trying to chase her tail - figuratively, of course. So, once everything else had been handled, I told her to call a meeting. She tried to tell me the Reapers didn't do that, but I told her they needed to this time.
It was early afternoon when someone began building up a bonfire in the middle of the camp. Not a big one, but places to sit followed once the fire started burning. Chairs, logs, and even some blankets were carried out, and the people began to gather - Reapers and Dragons alike.
"Now what?" she asked.
"We tell them the numbers," I explained. "Eriska, this is their home. They deserve to know how badly it was damaged - and how well they fought back. More than all of that, we need to make plans for the next time, because therewillbe a next time."
"You want to handle this?" she asked.
Which surprised me. The chief of this band of Reapers was not a weak woman. She had no problem handling both the easy and the hard things, but I knew she'd lost someone in the first raid. I knew she was grieving. I'd also come here because Ihaddone this before.
"If you're sure," I told her. "I am not here to undermine your authority. I came here to assist."
So she gestured toward the gathering crowd. "Then assist, Rymar. Show me how this part is done, because I have no fucking clue what to tell them to make this better. I have a feeling you do."
Clasping her shoulder, I towed her forward with me. Then, once we were beside the fire, I turned around and let out a piercing whistle. The kind no one could miss. A few stragglers looked over. The people already here all fell silent, and far too many eyes were watching me.
"Last night, the Moles attacked this camp the same way they have done Lorsa so many times."
"We know that!" someone snapped.
I lifted a hand, begging for a chance. "And I'm here to help. Eriska has asked how we've managed to handle this, so I'll tell you. The first thing? You all deserve to know the numbers. Lastnight, seven Moles were killed - based on the bodies we found. According to our informant, they could've taken some of their dead. Also, it's likely more will die later due to their lack of medicine, but atleastseven of them died for daring to attack us!"
That set off a wave of whispers. People looked to the person beside them and nearly everyone here had something to say. The few who didn't? I recognized most of their faces. Over there was Zasen, Kanik, and Ayla. I spotted Xav and Tayle, more militia members. But the Reapers were getting louder, and angrier.
"However!" I called out, stopping them before this got out of hand. "We lost one. Yes, that is one life too many, and yes, it was a Reaper. Still, that one person died protecting their home, their friends, and their family. No, that does not make it better, but it means their death wasn'tpointless!"
"We should go to their home and show them how it feels!" a man called out.
And there were far too many agreeing with him. The rage was right there, ready to break free. Somehow, I had to focus these people again and remind them we were the defenders here.
But Zasen stood up. "You can't," he said. "Trust me, I would love to break in there and kill every last one of them, but - "
"But you're fucking one!" a Reaper snapped, standing up to glare across the fire at Zasen. "We heard her last night. That woman beside you is a Mole!"
"She's a Dragon," I said.
"Slapping some paint on it doesn't make her something else," the man insisted. "She is from down there, so she's a Mole!"
"But!" Lansin jumped to his feet. "Ayla escaped. She broke free. She also killed men last night to help us! So be pissed about it. Rant. Rave. Rage! I don't care, but that woman has proven herself, and she's already offered to help us again. She's willingto show us Reapers how to use our dogs against them more effectively."
