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Something about coming back to Discipline for the first time in months eased the ache out of Tris's bones for the first time since they had left Namorn. After all the hubbub and worry and fighting to escape Berenene's grasp, it was a relief to know that the little cottage was just as they had left it, peaceful and warm and buzzing with the sounds of breakfast time.
As Tris and Briar approached the front door, they were met by enthusiastic barks of greeting. As soon as Lark opened the door, Little Bear bounded out to greet them.
“Bear, down!” Tris told him sternly, as Briar dropped to his knees to scratch Bear's ears. A moment later, there was a gasp from inside, followed by familiar rushing footsteps, and Glaki burst through the doorway.
“Mama!” she cried, throwing her arms around Tris. Tris hugged her back tightly, too overwhelmed to say anything. She hadn't realised until this moment how much she'd missed her young student and foster-daughter, and now she could hardly believe she'd ever left.
“It's so good to see you both!” Lark said, pressing a kiss to first Briar's cheek, then Tris's. “We weren't expecting you for another couple of months – I thought you were going to stay in Namorn until the autumn?”
“There was a change of plans,” Briar said. “We got back to Emelan yesterday evening. Sandry has gone to the palace to check in with the Duke, and Daja wanted to spend some time in her forge, but we all wanted to have you over for dinner tonight to catch up. Of course I could've told you that on my own, but Coppercurls here refused to stay in bed and rest like she ought to –”
Tris scowled at him over Glaki's head, as the girl released her and turned to Briar in confusion.
“Why? Is she sick?”
“I'm fine!” Tris insisted, grumpily. “I took a tumble down some stairs at Sandry's estate and needed a healer. But she saw to me very well, and it was weeks ago! I'm feeling much better now, Briar is just fussing.”
“I do not fuss! Gods save me from stubborn women.” Briar frowned, looking around. “Come to think of it, where is Rosethorn? And Evvy? I was all ready to be quizzed about every pebble between here and Dancruan as soon as I walked in the door.”
There was just a moment's pause, before Lark turned to Glaki with a smile.
“Why don't you take Tris upstairs and show her your project?” she asked, a little too brightly.
Glaki beamed, and tugged Tris inside by the hand. As they climbed the stairs, she heard Briar say: “Lark? You sure know how to strain a lad's nerves, I'll tell you that…”
“Rosethorn was sent on a trip by the temple council, and Evvy has gone with her.”
There was a moment's pause.
“The council? Those bleat-brained, lily-livered –”
Tris quickly stilled the air in the corridor, muffling the ongoing stream of invective before Glaki could expand her vocabulary too much. For a second she considered turning back, but Lark was more than capable of letting Briar talk himself out – and then treating him with such kind care that he'd end up apologising in shame for ever speaking to her so harshly.
Tris would talk to him about it later, once he'd calmed down and might be willing to admit that his fury was driven mostly by fear. She could sympathise; she knew she wouldn't have been exactly calm if she'd come home to find Glaki gone.
“So, what have you been working on?” Tris asked, turning her attention back to her own student.
“Well, we've been learning in class about sigils, and how to combine the runes you taught me to do different things. So Mimi Lark –” Tris wondered briefly what Lark thought about having been christened with the Tharian for “grandmother” – “gave me permission to practise a long-term working. Look!”
She gestured to the top drawer of her chest, which shone brightly in Tris's magical vision. As Glaki cupped her hands around it and whispered something, the light flared for a moment before fading, and the drawer slid open smoothly in Glaki's hands. Inside, Tris could see that she had painted the locking sigil carefully onto the inside surface of the drawer. The line was a little shaky, and any experienced mage could probably have used those imperfections to unravel it with a little effort – but there was a surprisingly solid kick of power behind it, and it would certainly keep out any non-mage snoops.
“That's very good work,” Tris told her. “I can see you put a lot of effort into it.”
“Thank you!” Glaki beamed. “Lark said that in the winter I can use it to practise retracing the sigil to keep the spell fresh. If I get good at it then she might let me help reinforce some of the spells around the house!”
“That's a lot of responsibility.” Tris smiled at her. “I'm so proud of you.”
Tris could hardly believe that this was the same little girl she'd first encountered in Tharios. She had grown so fast, becoming clever and kind and sure of herself. She was now almost the same age that Tris herself had been when she first came to Discipline – had Lark and Rosethorn ever been blindsided, by just how small they had seemed? By how grown up they could be?
“So, what else have you been learning since I went away?”
“Dedicate Snowberry has been teaching us about the history of Emelan. I'm a little bit behind because I didn't know any before I came here, but I like the lessons!”
Tris smiled. “The Duke has some excellent history books in his library. He might lend you some, if you ask nicely.”
“The Duke?”
“He'll be at dinner tonight, I hope. And if not tonight – I'm hoping you can come over much more often. I'd like for you to get to know my brother and sisters better, and that means seeing the Duke around fairly often too.”
Glaki still looked nervous, but Tris smiled at her.
“Don't worry,” she said, conspiratorially. “He has a soft spot for people who like to learn things. I think he'll like you very much.”
Glaki straightened herself up, and nodded.
“Mama?” she asked. “Would you braid my hair? Like yours?”
Tris's heart caught in her throat. She had considered, just once when Glaki had first moved to Discipline, telling her not to call her 'Mama' any more. But she hadn't had the heart to say it, not when Glaki had lost two mothers already in her short life. Tris still didn't feel like she knew how to be a mother – she had only ever done what seemed best at the time, and some days that felt like a long way short of what Glaki deserved. But she was honoured beyond words that Glaki still thought she deserved the title.
Iralima and Yali, I hope you would think I have done right by her.
Tris worked quickly, her fingers easily falling back into the old pattern of braids. She had often done Glaki's hair like this when they were travelling, a way of keeping it from getting tangled or dirty during a long day on the road.
“Did you like it in Namorn?”
Tris was a little surprised by the question.
“It was interesting,” she said. “There were some huge storms over the Syth – that's the big lake near the palace. And I could see images right from the far north, where everything is ice and snow.”
Glaki laughed. “Mama! Did you talk to any of the people, or did you just play with the winds?”
“Well, I had to talk to some people. But most of the time the winds were more interesting!” Tris sighed. “I met some nice folks there, who I thought I could be friends with. They wanted me to stay – and Sandry and Briar and Daja too. They offered me all sorts of things to try and tempt me, money and a position at court and my own library.”
Glaki seemed to go stiff. “Why didn't you stay, then?”
“And leave you and Bear behind? I couldn't!” Tris ran her hand over Glaki's shoulders, trying to soothe her. “Besides, when I told them 'no', they turned out to not be so nice after all. They tried to make us stay.”
Glaki gasped.
“Oh, they shouldn't do that!” she murmured. “You hate when people try to bully you.”
Tris fought back a laugh. “I do. But me and the others made it clear that we didn't think much of them trying! So we left, and came back early.”
“That was a good plan. I'm glad you're home.” Glaki wriggled a little. “Evvy got in trouble with some bullies too.”
“She did?” Tris raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah. There were some boys from Emelan who weren't being very nice to um. People who come from from other places.”
Tris's temper flared suddenly at the thought of these boys picking on Glaki. The temple was supposed to be safe for her! She took a couple of slow, counting breaths to try and keep calm.
“They were wrong to do that,” she said firmly. “If it happens again, you should run and tell a teacher. And make sure you tell me or Lark, too, so we can make sure it stops.”
“I will,” Glaki promised. “But it isn't happening any more. Evvy fought the boys with her stick, and she got in trouble for hurting them and had to go away for a while, but they aren't mean to us any more.”
“Well, good.” Tris was still fuming a little. It was only when Glaki's hair began to stand on end that she realised her lightning was beginning to creep out a little.
None of that! She scolded, marshalling it back into its braids. She'll be a mess of frizz if I'm not careful.
Fortunately, Glaki was all too used to Tris's power creeping out in odd ways.
“Did you know that Evvy is a mage with gemstones?” she asked, eagerly. “She has all sorts of them, all different colours and patterns. And she can make them glow! It's ever so pretty.”
Tris smiled to herself, detecting a hint of hero-worship in Glaki's voice.
“Was she friendly to you, before she left?”
Glaki shrugged.
“She was grumpy most of the time. But not mean grumpy, just grumpy like you are. She mostly seemed sad. Like she was too busy with that to be friends.”
“Well,” Tris said, “sometimes people forget how to be good friends to other people. Especially when they're sad, or scared, or hurting. But some people are worth taking the time to wait until they remember how to be a good friend again. Maybe you should try again when she gets back?”
“I'll second that,” Briar said from the doorway. He sauntered over, and bowed in front of Glaki.
“Hello,” he said. “We haven't been properly introduced.”
“You're Briar,” Glaki said. “Mama told me about you – will you teach me how to pick locks?”
“It would be my honour.” Briar grinned, and Tris groaned.
“You're going to be a bad influence on her, aren't you?”
“No worse than I was on you!”
Tris stuck her tongue out at him. Then she patted Glaki on the back.
“All done!” she announced. She glanced at Briar. “We'd better head back into town, but I'll see you tonight.”
“Tris has told us a lot about you too,” Briar added. “We can't wait to get to know you.”
Glaki blushed, and turned to hug Tris again.
“See you later, Mama. I love you!”
Tris smiled to herself as she made her way out of Discipline cottage.
I never could have lived in Namorn, she thought to herself, contentedly. Emelan is right where I belong.