Charlie's warm hand came to my back and he gave me a quiet encouraging smile. I took the support and followed him up to the stage, coming to stand between him and Phoenix.
Questions broke out immediately from the crowd and it was impossible to follow who was saying what. Phoenix raised one hand and the room stopped. A man near the front cleared his throat and Phoenix nodded at him.
His brown eyes moved across the three of us and lingered on me for longer than was comfortable. Phoenix grumbled once and the man dipped his head automatically.
"I apologise," he said. "But how do we actually know this is their plan?"
I licked my dry lips and looked out at the sea of uncertain faces. I kept my voice measured and deliberate, not allowing the stutter room to creep in.
"I listened to them talking one night. They believe women are a weakness and they intend to use that. They plan to take as many of us as possible and cause as much damage as they can."
