Brightly Burning

'And you've none older?' he persisted, grinning hopefully. 'No chance there might be two sisters coming instead of one?'

'He doesn't, but I do,' Tuck spoke up. 'Two older sisters, very pretty, or so I'm told, and very friendly. And I might see my way clear to introducing them if you'd look the other way when I come in late some night—'

The Guard laughed and shook his head reprovingly at Tuck. 'No use asking me to do that,' he chuckled. 'The ones they pick for night-watch are all older fellows, with daughters of their own, probably daughters the same age as your sisters! They don't take kindly to lads who want to sneak out to town for a bit of fun and overstay their curfew.'

Tuck sighed gustily. 'Just my luck!' he complained aloud. 'I think I've finally got a use for the girls and it turns out they still don't do me any good!'

Lan interrupted any further complaints. 'There she is now!' he exclaimed, waving, as he recognized Macy in her brown wool cloak edged with fox fur, driving up the road in a hired pony cart painted red. She handled the reins quite neatly, but then back at Alderscroft she had done a great deal of the marketing in her own little two-wheeled cart when their mother was too busy or too deep in a project to go.

She waved back, but didn't urge the pony to go any faster. Then again, she might already have discovered that it was difficult to get a hired beast out of a fast walk. Both pony and cart were plain and reliable, and exactly the sort of conveyance that Lan would have expected her to pick for herself.

'You didn't tell me she was pretty!' Tuck exclaimed, his green eyes as round as gooseberries, just before she got within earshot. Lan didn't bother with the obvious answer that it hadn't occurred to him; it also hadn't occurred to him that Tuck might be smitten with his sister. He certainly hadn't had that reaction with any of Tuck's siblings! What a thought—Tuck taking a fancy to Macy! I wonder if she's likely to fancy him back? Wouldn't that be one in Mother's eye. I reckon she's got her mind set on wedding Macy off to some Guildmaster's son or even a highborn.

Smitten or not, Tuck had recovered completely by the time Macy brought the cart to a halt in front of the gate and got out to let the Guard inspect her cart and its contents. Tuck introduced himself, jaunty as ever, without waiting for Lan to do the honors.

'Oh, you're the Trainee he was visiting!' Macy said in recognition, tucking her dark auburn curls under her hood. 'That was awfully nice of you. I wish I had someone to go stay with over the holidays. It got quite horrible at times with all the children getting into fights over toys, Granny complaining and passing judgment on everything and everybody, and Mother wanting me to run errands for everybody, and never mind what I was already doing.' She sighed. 'I want a holiday like we used to have, without cramming more relations into the house than it can hold.'

'Sounds right miserable,' Tuck sympathized.

Instead of getting back in the cart when the Guard finished his inspection and waved her inside the Palace walls, she led the pony forward. 'Mother had another Guild meeting at the house, and Cook baked an indecent number of honey cakes for it,' she said to both boys, as Tuck and Lan walked on either side of her. 'There were piles of leftovers, so I thought you and your friends might as well get the benefit of Mother trying to impress the other Guild members.'

Lan caught the not-so-faint hint of exasperation in Macy's voice with surprise; evidently his sister was getting tired of their mother's obvious attempts at social climbing.

'I wish she'd go back to designing and stitching, and spend less time—or should I say, waste less time—toadying to anyone with any influence,' Macy concluded. 'I'm tired of having to dress up and interrupt my work to help hand around trays. I'm tired of interrupting my work to go run errands.'

'I can understand that,' Lan said soothingly. 'Maybe what you ought to do is spend more time at the Guild Hall with the other apprentices instead. If you aren't there at hand in the house, if you're actually in a lesson with another Guild member, she can't drag you into helping when you should be learning. It would be dreadfully bad manners to take you away from a lesson with someone that might be her peer or superior, and if there's one thing Mother won't do, it's display bad manners.'

'That's a good idea,' Macy mused, brushing aside her hair with one hand as she led the placid pony with the other. 'I mean, when we were back at Alderscroft, there wasn't anyone else to learn from but her, and nowhere else to work but at home, but that's not the case here.'

Lan smiled. 'You might even learn something she can't teach you. She doesn't know every technique, after all. I've never seen her knit a great deal, for instance.'

Macy laughed and changed the subject. 'She doesn't know fancy braiding. I learned that all by myself—which reminds me; here—'

Macy reached into a pocket of her coat, and pulled out a shining white, seamless band. 'Here, this is for you,' she said. 'I made it from Kalira's hair, that's what I wanted it for.'

Lan took it; the intricate braiding amazed him, and he literally could not see where the ends of each horsehair were. It looked to be about the size for a bracelet and he slipped it on over his wrist, smiling to feel Kalira's hair lying smoothly against his skin.

'See? Mother doesn't know how to do that.' Macy was quite pleased with herself. 'I made a set for myself, and everyone who sees it wants one.'

Lan laughed. 'Don't think you can make a business out of this!' he warned. 'We can't have you denuding our Companions of hair just so silly women can wear jewelry made from it!'

Macy laughed, too. 'I don't intend to make it from Companion hair; I'm going to see if I can't braid it from horsehair and silk yarn. I don't think everyone should have Companion hair, it's too special for that.'

'Maybe fine silver wire,' Tuck suggested speculatively. 'Wire that fine would cost you, though.'

'True, but it's a good suggestion.' Macy beamed on him, and Tuck basked in her approval. 'I could practice on copper at first; the maids would probably appreciate my practice pieces.'

'How much of the Collegium do you want to see?' Lan asked, as they neared the stables for the ordinary horses. 'We can leave the pony and cart here and come get them when you're ready to go home.'