Page 257 of Phoenix's Fire

"Name it."

"If you don't die, you ask her to help me find a girl to marry?"

My head twitched at that. "You don't want to find your own?"

"Everyone's so worried about pretty," he said, "and I just want a girl like yours. One who'll talk to me. Someone I'm not always fighting with. Andyeah, it'd be okay to have some sons and all, but I dunno. The whole marriage thing just seems like it'd be weird having someone in my space all the time."

"Like back when we were boys," I said. "I mean, I figure that's what it will be like, but they won't fart as much."

"There's that!" Sylis said around a laugh. "But seriously. I think Callah knows the girls better than I do. So yeah, maybe see if she'll help me?"

I nodded. "I can promise that. She has some friends. I mean, how would you feel about a widow? Or do you want a girl?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't really matter either way. I want nice."

I nodded again, and for a bit, silence fell between us. The sound of us chewing the hard grain kept it from being weird. Around us, other men struggled to get their shelter set up properly, but most of this crew were all new hunters. Nearly two-thirds, they'd said.

Not that I'd know. I hadn't been a hunter long enough to get to know anyone alive. Gideon and Sylis were pretty much it. The rest had been decimated by the dragons. Even thinking about that had me sighing again.

"Worried about this?" he asked.

"Yup," I admitted. "I mean, grenades?"

"Yeah," he breathed. "Last night, I kept having nightmares that I dropped one and it exploded at my feet."

"I don't even know what an explosion would look like," I admitted.

"I don't either," he said. "It was just a loud bang, then I woke up with a jerk. Took me forever to slow my heart and fall asleep again." Then he hummed. "Tobias, why do you think they're using grenades?"

"Because so many died last time." That was a simple answer. One he wouldn't question.

But he gave me a sideways look. "And why do you really think they're doing it?" he asked - then grunted. Shifting closer, he lowered his voice. "Look, we both know you aren't an idiot, okay? That's why I asked for you on my team."

"You asked?" Okay, I hadn't known that.

He nodded. "You helped me out last time. And sure, you say simple things when people push you, but then you turn around and point out how women don't want to be hit. Maybe you're not the smartest man in the compound, but you're not as dumb as you pretend. I get it, though. As big as you are, it's hard not to be noticed unless you're too simple for anyone to care about."

My heart was now beating just a bit too fast. My fingers wanted to clench. I had the urge to leave this discussion, but I knew it wouldn't help. No, what I really needed to do was shift the blame a bit.

"I've been told I'm stupid my whole life." I shrugged, trying to play it off. "I never had anyone say otherwise. Well, except Callah."

"Well, I'll say it," Sylis assured me. "You're not an idiot, Tobias. You're just a nice man, and nice men get walked on. You also fought off a beast with your bare hands, so I'd prefer to have you on my side." Then he flicked his finger towards where the fletching hung from my belt. "You somehow survivedthose."

"Yeah..." I breathed.

"I just want to know how Ayla Ross learned to fight," he said, shaking his head as if that was the silliest thing he could imagine.

I glanced back, checking to make sure no one was in the tent beside us. "Saying her name is a good way to get shot out here, Sylis."

"And there's the smart guy again," he countered. "But the guy behind you went to boil his breakfast. Same for the next tree over. I checked that before I asked."

So I nodded. "Well, since I saw herspeakingto the Wyvern, that might be how she learned."

"By the gates of Hell..." he breathed.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"No!" he hissed. "Don't you see? If she can talk to him, then maybe she can stop him."