Page 166 of Phoenix's Fire

Kanik flashed her a smile. "So we make Zasen teach them. Means you and Ayla could both get an evening off."

Saveah sucked in a breath, looking over at me with a smile. "Oh, and we could let Kanik take care of the baby."

"I'm up for it," he assured us.

"And?" I asked, clearly having missed something.

"And you can hang out with your sister," Kanik told me. "You two can get dinner, you can spend time shopping, or go see Meri, or anything else you want to do."

"Okay," I agreed, looking at Saveah. "That would be something selfish, right?"

"Oh, very selfish," she agreed. "So, check with the guys. Let's see which day of the week works best for this, and then we'll make plans - and those plans can be sitting at home, reading a book. Maybe even one that teaches you nothing at all." And she flashed me a smirk.

"Or a nap," Kanik pointed out, flicking a finger at Saveah. "I'm sure you need a few of those."

"Ugh, I really do," she groaned.

"And maybe we can bring Meri too?" I asked. "She's scared of my dog."

"Why?" Kanik asked.

I sighed. "Because she believed what we were taught. See, Meri tried so hard to be a good girl, and to become the perfect wife. She picked the ideal man, always tried to do what the elders wanted, and all those things. It never crossed her mind to question what they were telling her."

"So how did she end up here?" Saveah asked.

"The baby," I mumbled. "Callah saw she was pregnant right around when she saw one of my arrows in a hunter. She knew that meant I was alive - "

"And from the sounds of it," Kanik added, "Callah is working with another guy who confirmed it. At least, that's how Zasen tells the story."

I nodded. "But Callah and I talked a lot about pregnancy killing women. That's how almost all women die. Ms. Lawton's a widow who couldn't have children, so no one else will marry her. There's another woman like that. She's old. Like, at least sixty!"

"That's not old," Saveah assured me.

"It is for a woman," I pointed out. "Down there, women rarely live past thirty-five."

"Because they're all malnourished, constantly pregnant, and have no access tomedication," Kanik clarified. "Just look at Meri! She's so thin and fragile. They aren't allowed to simply walk, and that makes it even harder."

"All we're supposed to do is sit to sew, clean, or cook," I said.

But Tamin huffed. "Mama!"

Saveah lifted a finger at him. "Are you sure you're okay with him using the dog?"

"I think he needs to," Kanik said.

I nodded. "Yeah, because if anything happens to me, I'd want him to have her. I want him to know how."

"Aww," Saveah said. "Nothing's going to happen, but that's still sweet, Ayla." Then she looked over at her son. "Okay, Tamin. We're all going to sit down, and you're going to show us every command you know for that dog. Ayla will start teaching you the rest, okay? If you want to keep playing with her, then you have to prove to us that you can do it without hurting people."

"Holly, come!" Tamin ordered.

My dog glanced at me, but when I didn't try to stop her, she immediately rushed to Tamin's side, spinning around him so she could sit down facing the same way. I saw that even as we returned to the table. Kanik reached over to steal Taris from Saveah, then began rocking the baby gently in his arms.

"Do I need to make a list of the ones he uses?" I asked.

Saveah waved that off. "No, I'm just making him think instead of react. He'll have to learn all the commands, but this way he's having fun and being a good boy."

"He's so much like his father," Kanik muttered.