"Callah," I told her. "I only know you as Jemina, so please, just Callah."
She jiggled her head. "I know it's not done, but Ididcare for him. He was kind and charming. He may not have been the most handsome, but he never touched me with a rod, not even when I deserved it. He talked to me like I was a person, not his possession, and all the caring, loving things he did! I will never have another husband like him, and I want him back!"
"I know," I breathed, pulling her closer so she could lean against my shoulder. "My husband is a good man too. Not all of them are bad, you know."
"Mr. Warren?" Jemina asked hopefully.
I nodded. "Tobias. He offers his arm every time we have to walk together. I'm never left following him like a child."
"Luc would pull me close and hold me so tightly," she said. "Just an embrace to show he was glad to see me that day. Sometimes, he'd pull me into his lap and tickle me until we both were laughing too hard to breathe. He made our home a happy place."
"Yeah," I said. "He sounds like a wonderful man. I didn't realize others existed."
"Not anymore!" Jemina wailed. "A Dragon killed him!"
Which meant he'd been a hunter. I knew that much, but before I could think of anything else that might soothe her, Ester spoke up again.
"And Mr. Saunders slapped her this morning for sobbing at breakfast. He thinks she should keep such hysterics in her own room!"
"Of course he does," I grumbled.
Hulda grunted, showing her own opinion. "I think someone needs to remind him that those who mourn are blessed, for they shall be comforted by the Lord - and that what he is doing isnotcomfort."
"He won't listen," Ester told her. "Men never do."
Which made me have an idea. "But what if they didn't have a choice?" I asked. "What if weallreminded them of the words God gave us? Not just about mourning those we care about, but all of it?"
"How?" Jemina asked.
"When they ration food, we remind the men that what they do unto the least of us, they do unto God. When they strike us, we remind them that wrath should be left for God."
"They won't like it," Ester pointed out.
"I don't care," Hulda said. "It's as if the men have forgotten what is supposed to make us Righteous in the first place. Maybe they need some women to remind them!"
She had a very good point, and I was liking this idea more and more. "I think I can get the other wives to help," I said. "But Jemina, it's up to you. You're the one suffering the pain of loss. For me to take that from you and use it for myself seems wrong."
"They killed him," she said. "He didn't want to be a hunter. He wanted to reload, but he wasn't given a choice, so yes. Let us remind the husbands, leaders, and elders that there is still a power above them."
I nodded. "Then I'll talk to the wives." But I chaffed her arm gently. "And if you needanything,find me. My husband does not mind me helping other women. It is my calling, or so it seems."
"And you'd be a fool to go against God, huh?" she asked, but there was an awareness in her eyes when she looked at me again.
"Yeah," I agreed. "That sounds as good as my reason."
"Thank you," she said. "But I think I just need to cry it out."
"Then you two..." I looked at both of her friends. "...make sure she still eats something? We cannot let her waste away, and too many meals have already been stolen from us. If you care for her, I think I can at least help her get some vengeance."
I stood, but Ester stopped me with a hand on my arm. "Callah, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"This isn't a wound you can heal, Callah. To go from a kind man to a cruel one in only three months? That will be the hardest part of this - and you can't just fix it."
"I know," I assured her. "I wish it was different, but every time the men go out, I fear I will be the one mourning next. The least I can give is my sympathy."
"You should've stabbed him," Hulda said. "They would've banished you for sure."
