Page 108 of Phoenix's Fire

I propped my elbow on the table and leaned my cheek onto my fist. "It's not a trick, Meri. In ten days, your hunters are going to come back. I will fight them. I will kill many of them, and the people around this table will help me. We will do it to keep everyone in this town safe - including you. We may be loud. We're probably nothing at all like what you're used to, but I give you my word that I will behonestwith you. I also won't hurt you. Do you believe me?"

Her eyes dropped to scan the table, but she didn't think about it as long as I expected. When she looked up, there was just a bit more confidence in her gaze this time.

"I believe Ayla," she said.

"That's good enough for me," I assured her.

Thirty-Three

Callah

Iclimbed out of the library, careful not to smudge my clothes. Ayla had always come back with dust all over her, but that would get me caught. Instead, I'd cleaned the air shaft so my dresses wouldn't get stained. The dust from the books could be explained away, but once my feet were back on solid ground, I still brushed at my dress, removing as much of it as I could.

Tobias was leaving soon. We needed a way for Ayla to believe him, and there was only one thing I could think of. The scrap of paper was now folded in my pocket, yet it felt heavy. If anyone caught me with it, I'd likely end up in quarantine, but Ayla would believe this. It was the one piece of proof I was sure would work.

I quickly straightened my clothes, then started walking, pulling my hair from the bun I always kept it in. Once the strands were loose, I did my best to knock any dust from that, then began smoothing it back into place. I had the twist finished, but as I attempted to tie the mass up, the cord I used snapped.

"The Devil take you!" I hissed at the pathetic piece of fabric I needed to keep me presentable.

"Excuse me?" a man replied, proving I was closer to the main walkway than I realized. "Is someone there?"

"Pardon me," I said, trying to tie my hair to itself. "I..." The end slipped between the twist just enough to hold it in place, so I stepped forward. "My apologies. I thought I was alone."

That scrap of paper felt heavier as I stepped around the corner. There, Mr. Blevins was standing with a confused look on his face, clearly waiting for me. His eyes jumped over my shoulder up the darkened hall, then back to me. Suspicion began to take over his expression.

"What are you doing in there?" he demanded.

I patted at my barely-secured hair - not at my pocket like I wanted to. "I was headed to the women's facilities when..." I lifted my broken hair tie. "I thought I'd make a quick trip for water, but my hair had other ideas. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

He looked into the darkness again. "Are you alone?"

"Yes, Mr. Blevins. Merely an untimely wardrobe malfunction. Excuse me. I need to make sure I'm presentable."

Turning, I stretched my legs in what I hoped did not look like retreat, but my ears were straining. Mostly, I was listening for the rustling of paper, but thankfully, there was none. Behind me, Mr. Blevins turned into the dark hall but stopped at the edge. Well, let him assume I was having a torrid affair. That was much better than the reality, but just to make sure he didn't come back to ask me anything else, I turned at the next hall and hurried into the women's facilities.

A pair of voices inside halted the moment the door creaked. I quickly smoothed down my skirts again, checking to be sure the paper was still in place, then rounded the corner. A dozen warped mirrors lined one wall. Each had a sink under it. Past those were the toilets. On the other side were the showers for the women and a washing basin for our clothing and necessities.

Subtly, I looked through the area, trying to place the voices, but my feet were headed to the sink. I couldn't see anyone, so I turned on the faucet and dampened my hands. The water slicked my hair just enough for me to tie it up better, even if it wasn't secure. The problem was I hadn't brought my pitcher with me, but I'd said I wanted to refill it. If I left here without it and Mr. Blevins saw?

That would cause problems.

Ayla had made sneaking around look easy. Somehow, she'd never been caught - or even raised suspicion. Now I was caught between the man outside and the women in here, and no good reason to dawdle much longer. Should I go use the facilities? I didn't exactly need to, so that wouldn't work.

But a woman stepped forward to look at me. I flinched, seeing her reflection in the mirror, then spun to face her.

"Oh. You startled me," I admitted.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked.

"My hair tie broke," I said, holding the thing up again - which was when I noticed the cloth in her hand. It had blood on it. "Is someone hurt?"

"You're the Atwood girl?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," I muttered.

She nodded at me once. "Come."

"Uh..." I had to force my mouth closed. "Yes, ma'am."