"Yep," Rymar said. "And if Ayla helps us, I won't be upset at all."
"You know she won't. She'll want to be on the front lines with Zasen."
He laughed once. "I know. It's still worth trying, because nearly losing you was enough. I'd rather not do that again."
"But this means they're doing something," I pointed out. "The big question is what."
"And none of us know," he said, "so let's go with being careful, hm?"
"I can agree with that."
Twenty-Six
Meri
I'd been leaving Lessa's house when Zasen had asked for Omden and Drozel to go with him to City Hall. That had been enough to convince Lessa to come back with me. Together, we made dinner. She showed me how a few things worked, since I was still learning all the Dragon facilities. The sink was easy. Lighting the oven was not.
We were finishing up when the men tromped back in. I sighed, knowing they'd just carried a trail of dirt through the door with them - but they weren't laughing. Lessa seemed to forget all about the meal and headed into the main room. I set down the roast bird first, then followed a moment later.
"Well?" Lessa demanded. "Zasen made this sound like a big deal. What's going on?"
"Sit," Omden told her, gesturing to the sofa. "You too, Meri."
I claimed the closest cushion to where I was. Lessa took the spot right beside me. Drozel claimed one chair, shoving something down beside him, and Omden shifted to lean against the wall.
"What is it?" Lessa demanded.
"We leave in the morning, Less," Drozel told her. "Reapers rode in this afternoon. Sounds like the Moles hit them this time. Ayla's worried about it."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
So Lessa explained, "The Reapers are where your hunters get the plants. They have a camp close to the compound you were in." She glanced at Drozel, then Omden, and back to me. "In my lifetime, I can't remember Moles ever attacking them."
"Me either," Drozel admitted.
"So people are hurt?" This didn't sound good at all.
"Some are coming here," Drozel explained. "Others won't, simply because they don't have enough carts."
"Like the thing that brought you," Omden added.
I nodded to show I was keeping up. "So why are you leaving?"
"Both of us," Omden clarified. "Meri, they need hands to help them recover. Lorsa's bigger than their camp. Reapers move in groups of a few hundred, not a few thousand. They also don't keep permanent homes, and it's almost time for them to move. So with all those people injured, they're going to need help loading and getting out of there safely."
"Okay," I said. "I can help."
Lessa laughed once. "You want to go into a warzone?"
"I..." I looked between her and the men. "What's a warzone?"
"Death and destruction," Drozel told me. "Meri, it's like what happened at the hospital that night, but without the building. Just injured people all over, and nowhere to hide if the Moles come back."
"Oh." I swallowed hard. "But I can help, and it sounds like they need people who can heal."
"So will the ones who come here," Lessa hurried to say.
"Good point," Omden agreed. "It's also a two day walk to get there, Meri. I'm not sure you're up for that yet."
