clothes dirty, their faces unshaven, as if they’d ridden the whole way without stopping. Both turned their heads when the door opened, and rose the moment they saw Thomas.
“Where is she?” demanded Lionel, his voice hoarse with worry and anger. “Her clothes are here. Where is she?”
“On the other side of the door,” said Thomas, stepping into the room.
“The other side of the…” Lionel spoke through clenched teeth, his face growing redder with every word. “And why is she not coming in?”
“She’s frightened,” said Thomas, feeling fairly scared himself.
“Frightened?” George roared, making Thomas jump. “She can ask her mother what it is to be frightened! Twelve days with no word! Twelve days wondering if she’s alive or dead!”
“She knows—” began Thomas.
“She does not!” George was raging, now. “I knew she’d come here! She’s stubborn and stupid and…” He turned to the door and shouted, “What in the name of the Banished were you thinking?!”
“I don’t know,” said Eileen from the doorway. She held onto the frame with one hand and the handle of her rapier with the other, gripping it as if it were a talisman rather than a weapon. For the first time, she looked awkward in her boys’ clothes.
“Oh, thank the Four,” breathed Lionel. He collapsed to the table and put his head in his hands. “Oh, Gods…”
George took one look at his father’s shaking shoulders, then turned on Eileen. Thomas could see the force of will it took George not to grab his sister and shake her senseless.
“You…” George let out an explosive stream of invective loud enough to be heard at the Academy gates, and long enough that Thomas found himself admiring George’s creativity.
Eileen didn’t move or offer a single word of argument. Her eyes were on her father, still sitting at the table with his head in his hands. George, finally running out of words, shook his head in disgust and snapped, “Go to Da,” before shoving himself past Thomas and Eileen and out to the balcony.
Eileen went to her father, each step hesitant, and knelt slowly at his feet, her rapier touching the ground behind her. For a long time, neither one moved.
Eileen convulsed forward, arms wrapping around her father’s boots, face buried against his leg. “Oh, Da,” the word was sobbed out. “Please stop crying, Da. I’m all right. I’m sorry. Please, stop crying.”
Thomas felt his own eyes burning. He swiped at them with a sleeve, then turned away and went out to the balcony to face her brother.
6
George was leaning against the balcony rail and shaking with anger. Thomas found his own place on the rail further down. It was a long time before George straightened up, longer still before he turned around. There was still no noise from inside the apartment, and Thomas guessed that neither father nor daughter had moved.
“What in the name of the Four was she thinking?” said George at last. “And what were you thinking taking her in?”
“What else could I do?” asked Thomas.
“Send her back! On the first boat heading up the river!”
“She only arrived two evenings ago,” said Thomas.
“And stayed here, did she?” snarled George. “You must have enjoyed that!”
Thomas straightened, willing down his own anger. “She stayed in Benjamin’s old room,” he said, keeping his voice even. “You know me better than that.”
“Do I?” demanded George. “You’re the reason she came here!”
“I am not!” snapped Thomas. “She came here because she wanted to go to the Academy!”
“Well, she can’t!”
“And that’s the problem!” Thomas forced himself to take a deep breath and lower his voice. “She wants to learn, George. And she can’t do it in Elmvale. So she came here.”
“Well, that was stupid of her!”
“Aye, it was! But it wasn’t my idea, so stop shouting at me!”
George growled at that but didn’t say anything else. He gripped the rail, staring down into the
“Where is she?” demanded Lionel, his voice hoarse with worry and anger. “Her clothes are here. Where is she?”
“On the other side of the door,” said Thomas, stepping into the room.
“The other side of the…” Lionel spoke through clenched teeth, his face growing redder with every word. “And why is she not coming in?”
“She’s frightened,” said Thomas, feeling fairly scared himself.
“Frightened?” George roared, making Thomas jump. “She can ask her mother what it is to be frightened! Twelve days with no word! Twelve days wondering if she’s alive or dead!”
“She knows—” began Thomas.
“She does not!” George was raging, now. “I knew she’d come here! She’s stubborn and stupid and…” He turned to the door and shouted, “What in the name of the Banished were you thinking?!”
“I don’t know,” said Eileen from the doorway. She held onto the frame with one hand and the handle of her rapier with the other, gripping it as if it were a talisman rather than a weapon. For the first time, she looked awkward in her boys’ clothes.
“Oh, thank the Four,” breathed Lionel. He collapsed to the table and put his head in his hands. “Oh, Gods…”
George took one look at his father’s shaking shoulders, then turned on Eileen. Thomas could see the force of will it took George not to grab his sister and shake her senseless.
“You…” George let out an explosive stream of invective loud enough to be heard at the Academy gates, and long enough that Thomas found himself admiring George’s creativity.
Eileen didn’t move or offer a single word of argument. Her eyes were on her father, still sitting at the table with his head in his hands. George, finally running out of words, shook his head in disgust and snapped, “Go to Da,” before shoving himself past Thomas and Eileen and out to the balcony.
Eileen went to her father, each step hesitant, and knelt slowly at his feet, her rapier touching the ground behind her. For a long time, neither one moved.
Eileen convulsed forward, arms wrapping around her father’s boots, face buried against his leg. “Oh, Da,” the word was sobbed out. “Please stop crying, Da. I’m all right. I’m sorry. Please, stop crying.”
Thomas felt his own eyes burning. He swiped at them with a sleeve, then turned away and went out to the balcony to face her brother.
6
George was leaning against the balcony rail and shaking with anger. Thomas found his own place on the rail further down. It was a long time before George straightened up, longer still before he turned around. There was still no noise from inside the apartment, and Thomas guessed that neither father nor daughter had moved.
“What in the name of the Four was she thinking?” said George at last. “And what were you thinking taking her in?”
“What else could I do?” asked Thomas.
“Send her back! On the first boat heading up the river!”
“She only arrived two evenings ago,” said Thomas.
“And stayed here, did she?” snarled George. “You must have enjoyed that!”
Thomas straightened, willing down his own anger. “She stayed in Benjamin’s old room,” he said, keeping his voice even. “You know me better than that.”
“Do I?” demanded George. “You’re the reason she came here!”
“I am not!” snapped Thomas. “She came here because she wanted to go to the Academy!”
“Well, she can’t!”
“And that’s the problem!” Thomas forced himself to take a deep breath and lower his voice. “She wants to learn, George. And she can’t do it in Elmvale. So she came here.”
“Well, that was stupid of her!”
“Aye, it was! But it wasn’t my idea, so stop shouting at me!”
George growled at that but didn’t say anything else. He gripped the rail, staring down into the
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