Sullha tied her hair back, kissed Tomek's forehead, and went to find Saphira.
The class did not start for another two hours, but Saphira usually started her preparations for the day early.
Sullha found her in the covered area beside the dining hall, setting out the mats and arranging the small wooden blocks she used for the youngest children's morning lesson on counting. The light was still pale, and Saphira had a lantern hanging from one of the rafters that cast a soft yellow circle over her work area.
"What brings you here this early in the morning?" Saphira asked.
"I need a favor. I need you to watch Tomek today. I have a lot of women to talk to about the teaching positions, and I'll get much more done if I don't have to drag him around with me."
After all the classroom help Sullha was providing, the teacher owed her.
Saphira set down the blocks she was holding and looked at her. "Why the sudden rush?"
She'd expected the question and had prepared a plausible enough answer. "We don't know how much longer this respite from the breeding duties will last, and we should have everything in place before things return to normal. I want to have a meeting with all the candidates at once so you can explain to them what's required. I don't know enough to answer their questions."
Saphira nodded. "That makes sense. When do you want to have the meeting?"
"After dinner at the playground. Six should be good."
"How many women are we talking about?"
"Ten or so. Maybe twelve. Depends how many I'll manage to rope into helping."
Saphira regarded her with a questioning look on her face. The woman was far from stupid, and Sullha's sudden urgency must have seemed suspicious to her despite the reasonable explanation.
"Do you need me to watch Tomek the whole day? Including lunch?"
"Yes, please. Just bring him with you to the meeting."
Saphira let out a breath. "I guess you will need to talk to many women to get ten or twelve to agree to come."
"Thank you." Sullha smiled. "I owe you."
"Nonsense." Saphira waved a dismissive hand. "You are doing this for the kids. I'll tell Tomek that he's my helper for today. He's going to love it."
"I know. He's going to brag about it for days."
They were both pretending that this was nothing out of the ordinary and that it was all about teaching and helping kids, but Saphira knew something was happening and had just decided to play along.
"If he gives you any trouble, come find me."
Saphira chuckled. "Tomek is not going to give me any trouble. He never does." She leaned closer to Sullha. "I'm not supposed to have favorites, so don't tell anyone, but Tomek is definitely my favorite student."
Pride swelled in Sullha's chest, and tears prickled the back of her eyes. "Thank you. That's very sweet of you to say."
Saphira shrugged. "It's the truth."
After breakfast, Sullha delivered Tomek to Saphira's class and kissed him on both cheeks.
"Listen to Saphira and don't give her any trouble."
He still looked a little worried about her being gone all day, but he was trying to be brave about it. "I'll be good. I promise."
"I know you will." She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheeks again. "I'll see you at the playground after dinner."
He pouted. "Why can't you take a break and eat lunch with me? You always eat with me. Why do I need to eat with Saphira today?"
She took his hands in hers. "I told you. I have a lot of ladies to speak to about teaching positions, and I want to be done withthat today so I won't have to do it tomorrow and the day after. Tomorrow we will spend the entire day together. I won't even work in the garden. I'll stay with you during all your classes."
