merriment, one cupped hand holding a combination of sphere fragments and coppers, the other a beaten tin belt cup half full of frothy beer. He wore three or four colored necklaces around his neck, and as he neared a woman standing next to the lieutenant, the man paused, smiled broadly, and attempted to pull one of the strands free, presumably to give to her. Unfortunately, he went for the necklace with the belt cup still in his hand and wound up tipping beer out onto the cobblestones. He stopped and stared forlornly down at the widening puddle as the lady laughed, then leaned in a gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before trotting off, disappearing into the crowds. The drunk man watched her vanish, then turned and gave Vambran a wink and a smile before staggering on his way.
Vambran laughed, deciding that, for the moment at least, he was happy to be home. He hadn't remembered it was Spheres until they were only a day out of Arrabar, but it was a good if unintentional welcome-back celebration, he decided, and he was glad for it. He turned to see if he could find a way through the crowds since the parade had passed and thought he heard someone calling his name. He stopped and peered around, uncertain if he'd imagined it.
'Vambran!' the call came again, and that time, the lieutenant heard it clearly.
He turned in the direction of the sound and was nearly knocked to the ground as a woman in a brightly colored dress launched herself at him and wrapped him in a bear hug. He nearly dropped the remaining chunk of thaek bun to the street in surprise. It took him another heartbeat to recognize the shoulder-length tresses of windblown black hair, slightly damp from the sultry air.
'Em!' Vambran cried, returning the hug and laughing. 'I didn't recognize you!' he said, pulling back at last to get a better look at his sister. 'By Waukeen, but you must have grown a foot since I last saw you.'
Emriana rolled her dark eyes at him.
'It's only been two months,' she chided, but her beaming face told Vambran that his comment delighted her.
In truth, the girl only came up to Vambran's chin, but she still seemed to have matured considerably. He raised an eyebrow at her rather snug dress.
'Been teasing Denrick again?' he asked, gesturing at her figure, which he realized was no longer that of a little girl's.
His sister was rapidly becoming a woman, and a startlingly pretty one, at that.
Emriana smirked, rolling her eyes again.
'Please,' she said with more than a hint of disdain. 'Don't ruin the evening by mentioning him.' The girl cocked her head to one side, staring Vambran squarely in the face. 'Three?' she asked, obviously puzzled.
The lieutenant started to shake his head quizzically, then he realized she was referring to the three painted dots upon his forehead.
'Ah, yes,' he said, nodding and smiling. 'That's my new surprise. I've been working with one of the other Crescents, and I've managed to learn a few simple tricks.'
Emriana's eyes widened, first in surprise, then in delight.
'Really? You have to show me! That's wonderfu-' The girl froze as something occurred to her. 'Wait,' she said, turning her head sideways, looking at her brother askance. 'Is that how you sent me your message?' she asked, growing excited again. 'That was wonderful! You must teach me.'
Vambran shook his head and held his hands up, trying to calm his sister down a bit.
'No, no,' he said, laughing at her exuberance. 'That was something else entirely. I'm not that good with the magic, yet.'
Emriana glared at her brother.
'You know what Uncle Dregaul will say, once he sees that on you,' she scolded. 'Sometimes I think he's convinced that every wizard in town is secretly preparing to bring back the magic plague.'
Vambran started to tell his sister that he had no intention of letting his uncle see the third mark and risk his wrath unnecessarily, but he never got the chance. Emriana lunged at Vambran again, hugging him tightly once more.
'Oh, it's good to see you home,' she said, her voice muffled in his shoulder. 'When I got your strange message that you'd be home tonight, I knew I had to come down and meet you. Sorry I'm late. I'm glad I didn't miss you.'
Vambran pulled free of her embrace and stepped back.
'Only you?' he asked, his mouth beginning to curve in a barely concealed smirk. 'Sneaking out again?' he added, his tone teasing.
'No, not just me. Prandles has the carriage on the other side of the road,' she said, pointing toward the black vehicle with its attendant horses. 'But Uncle Dregaul wasn't going to let me come. I'm going to turn sixteen in three days, and he still treats me like I'm five.'
'So how did you change his mind?'
Emriana smiled and said, 'I didn't.' At her brother's bemused smile and mildly shaking head, the girl pretended to grow indignant. 'Stop it! I missed you!' She gestured toward the remains of the thaek bun in her brother's hand, and at the celebration going on around them. 'And I knew it would take you forever to get home with all this going on, and I couldn't stand waiting.'
'So you snuck out.' Vambran said, still smirking. 'Again.'
'Yes,' Emriana replied, stamping her foot in frustration. 'Why does everyone keep bringing that up?' Vambran laughed.
'Well, it's no skin off my nose, but don't be hiding behind me if you get caught,' he said, pretending to sound stern. 'I may command an entire company of professional soldiers, but Uncle Dregaul is still the man to answer to in House Matrell.' He chuckled and added, 'At least this way, if you sneak back in, you have to pretend you haven't seen me yet and I get a whole new set of hugs.'
In response to his teasing, Emriana stuck her tongue out at him playfully. Then she took his free hand and they turned toward the carriage together. As the pair of them approached, Prandles hopped down, bowing repeatedly at Vambran.
'Evening, Master Vambran,' the driver said, his voice somewhat rough and gravelly and his accent common. 'Good to have you home again. Do you have other things for me to fetch?'
Vambran shook his head and replied, 'We can send a wagon to get them off the ship tomorrow, Prandles. Let's just go home.'
'Very good, sir,' the driver said.
He climbed up onto the bench once Vambran and Emriana were seated and the door was properly shut.
Soon, the carriage was on its way, making reasonable progress through the crowds, which were thinning somewhat because the parade was long past.
'So,' the girl said as they rolled out of the port district, climbing the gentle hills upon which Arrabar had grown. 'What did you bring me from Sembia?'
They were moving into the trade district by then, where the buildings were spaced more widely apart and loomed behind formidable walls. Imposing estates of white stone with highlights of burgundy, deep green, azure, or any of a dozen other rich colors sprouted numerous golden-spired domes and towers. Those were the palatial homes of the city's wealthiest merchant-nobles, and among them rested the Matrell estate.
Vambran snorted and said, 'What makes you think I brought you anything?'
Emriana laughed and playfully punched her brother in the arm.
'Because it's almost my birthday, Meazel-face!'
Vambran feigned shock and dismay.
'It is?' he teased. 'Oh, that's right… Em's birthday.'
He tapped his chin, pretending to contemplate that news.
Emriana glared at her brother again and said, 'And I know you're smarter than to show yourself around here without bringing me a birthday present.'
Vambran mimed horror at the suggestion, then grinned again.
'You're not sixteen yet. You'll just have to wait until your party to see what it is.'
Emriana growled in exasperation, but her delight wouldn't allow her to hold the scowl.
'Grandmother Hetta is planning something amazing, so I hear from Jaleene,' she gushed. 'But no one will tell
