Page 15 of Phoenix's Fire

"She is. Tailless. That's what I meant when I said Dragons are people. The Wyvern's mother is shaped like you and me. She's also different-colored, but some are colored like us, or in completely different ways. Humans aren't only blondes with pale skin, Meri."

"So your name is Meri?" Naomi asked.

Meri nodded, pushing a smile to her lips before glancing at me again. That meant she was worried about making a mistake. In the compound, being impolite could be a reason for punishment, so she was hoping I'd help her out.

"Her full name is Merienne, but we call her Meri," I clarified. "We shared a room with one other girl as we grew up. She and Callah are my friends."

"Her only ones," Zasen called from the kitchen.

That made Meri flinch and twist to see where the sound had come from. In the kitchen, Rymar was chopping vegetables. Kanik was mixing something on the stove. Unlike them, Zasen stood in the archway with a towel in his hands.

"They're making food for you," I assured my friend. "Proper food, not something horrible."

"It's pheasant," Zasen told me. "Sweet potatoes and green beans to go with it."

I smiled because that was almost exactly the meal they'd fed me when I'd first arrived. Simple food, they called it, but delicious. It would be similar enough to what Meri was used to.

"And it's probably been days since you had a good meal," Naomi said. "Meri, may I look at you? I want to make sure you're healthy and don't need any medication."

"What?" Again, she looked to me for an explanation.

"Dragons have medicine," I explained again. Considering how much information I'd dropped on her, it wasn't surprising Meri was having trouble remembering it all. Repetition would help. "They use pills and liquids and ointments to make things better. Not just prayers, Meri. It's okay. She is kind and gentle. She will not hurt you."

"Okay," Meri almost whimpered. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Just lean back," Naomi said gently. "I'm going to check how fast your heart beats. Just relax and let's see how you're doing."

Meri nodded, so Naomi rested a pair of fingers against her wrist. For a moment, neither moved, then Naomi smiled.

"Good," she said. "Now, how far along are you? Do you know, Meri?"

"I haven't had a bleeding since January," Meri whispered, glancing back in the direction of the men.

"They can't hear," I promised, knowing the guys would pretend they couldn't, even if they could. "It's okay to tell Naomi such things. She knows all about marriages too."

Meri nodded again, the movement small and jerky from nerves. "I was married in January, and I didn't have another flowering. Gideon - my husband - said it was proof of his virility."

"When's January?" Jeera asked from her chair.

"The first month," I explained. "Thirty-one days. Meri was married almost three of your weeks after the new year."

"Mrs. Worthington said the baby should come at the end of October," Meri went on. "Maybe as late as November."

"About twelve more of your weeks," I told the Dragon women, doing math in my head to convert our calendar - and longer weeks - to theirs.

But Naomi was quiet. Her eyes were locked on Meri's body as she scanned the girl from head to toe. What she didn't do was touch her, though.

"Ayla?" Jeera asked. "Is this her first child?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Jeera got up and moved closer, taking the cushion beside me. "Meri?"

"Yes, ma'am?" Meri squeaked.

Jeera gave her a kind smile. "I'm Jeera. Just Jeera. We don't use proper titles here like you did in the ground."

"Compound," I said, giving her the proper word.