Niki and Bergan were arguing again. Jemmy sighed. It didn’t seem to matter to them where they argued, be it in the library or the tavern, hiding in the woods or on a crowded street. Those two butted heads so frequently it was a wonder they hadn’t knocked each other’s brains out. Jemmy noted that Bergan wore his “exasperated” expression, usually reserved for those times when she purposefully over-played the obnoxious younger sister for the sheer delight of watching his eyes roll in frustration and his cheeks puff out in indignation. She couldn’t help but be impressed at how quickly Niki had managed to get a rise out of him.

“Relax, professor.” Niki drawled, examining a fruit with the tip of her knife. “You can go enjoy the marketplace on your own, you know. Jemmy and I will be fine. I promise I won’t run away on you.”

“I know that.” Bergan retorted, angrily clenching and unclenching his fists. “I made sure of that. What I object to is you running around with my sister. As if Hewei wasn’t enough bad influence on her, I don’t need you ruining her life either!”

Niki cocked an eyebrow at him and placed her hand on her hip, looking him from top to bottom. “Funny how you give the impression of being sane, until you open your mouth.” Jemmy suppressed a giggle. Niki pursed her lips at the fruit still in her hand, and noting the damage she had caused with her knife tossed it back at the startled merchant whose stall they had been arguing in front of. Catching Jemmy’s eye over his shoulder, she sauntered away. With a smirk at her brother that contained a silent I told you so, Jemmy scurried after the Draki woman.
Bergan watched her swaying through the stalls, gnawing the insides of his cheeks to keep his frustration in check. He was about to race after the women when the merchant tugged on his arm.

“My lord?” the merchant held out a sheet of paper with one hand, still holding Niki’s damaged fruit in the other. With a sigh of vexation, Bergan snatched the paper and pressed his ring to it. The merchant held out the fruit.

“Keep it.” Bergan growled over his shoulder as he hurried into the thrall of the marketplace. With his tall frame and noble robes it was easy for him to push his way quickly through the bustling streets. Unfortunately, it was equally easy for the two women to be lost in the crowds, for while Niki was striking with her shining auburn curls and warrior apparel and Jem was eye-catching with her colorful fashions and perky personality, in the crowds of the capital such individuality quickly became commonplace.

He found them again at one of the many jewelry stalls dispersed through the market. Jemmy was admiring her reflection in the glass nailed to the side of the stall, commenting idly how the amber brought out the gold in her eyes. The vendor was admiring Niki without shame, and Niki was picking her nails with her knife. Bergan lengthened his stride.

“Jem.” He laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go.” She looked up at him. Noting the serious worry on his face, she pursed her lips in irritation.

“Don’t even try, Bergan.” She stated firmly, pushing away from his contact. “Niki and I are shopping.”

“I can’t keep an eye on her if you leave my sight!” Bergan protested. “I will not have you learning something that dangerous, especially not from an amateur.”

“Amateur?” Niki drawled. “I seem to recall putting up a good fight against you.”

“You don’t know the basic principles, it’s a miracle you didn’t kill yourself in the process.” Bergan responded lowly through clenched teeth.

“Well if you’d stop being so stubborn about teaching me something, I wouldn’t have to turn to Niki anyway.” Jemmy argued. “I want to learn, and Niki’s willing to teach me. I’m tired of you hovering over me and keeping me from anything interesting! This big-brother complex you have going is getting real old, Bergan.”

There was a challenging moment of silence as the siblings glared at one another. With a sigh, Bergan looked over at Niki, who had stopped picking her nails to watch the siblings with a satisfied smirk. How he loathed that look.

“Niki—”

“You hear the woman, professor.” She shrugged.

“I think everyone heard her.” Bergan scowled at his sister. “Still, I refuse to let you teach her anything.”

Jemmy’s mouth dropped in astonished outrage. Niki rolled her eyes at him.

“You don’t—”

“I do.” He challenged, taking a step between the two women to confront the Draki. “I have that authority, whether Jemmy wants to acknowledge it or not. If you want to take risks yourself, that’s fine. I can’t stop you. But I can stop you from letting my sister take those risks as well.”

He turned to Jemmy, a plea for understanding in his eyes. “Jem, you have to understand! It took me 10 years to master the techniques to a point where they would be safe to practice. Niki made the claim herself that she learned what she knows from a caravan group over the course of a season. The risk is too great.”

“You use shortcuts in your incantations too, Bergan.” Jemmy snapped. “I don’t see why it’s such a big difference for her from when you do it.”

Bergan turned completely to Niki and looked seriously at her. She couldn’t help but stare into his bluegreen eyes, their intensity drew her full attention to what he was saying.

“Niki, I’m afraid you don’t understand the consequences of what you’ve offered my sister. So I will make this compromise.” His face had grown pale, as if the words to follow were painful and burned his throat. “If Jem wants to learn, I will teach her. Not you. I refuse to take that risk. She will learn from the beginning, the basics.”

“What good will that do me?” Jemmy protested. “You’ll be moving mountains and I’ll just be able to turn flowers into birds? I won’t be of any help that way!”

“You will learn the basics.” Bergan replied firmly. “And when you’ve mastered those, I’ll try to teach you some other things. But you will not use my shortcuts, nor Niki’s, until I am satisfied that you have a concrete understanding of the risks you take.”

Jemmy bit her lip and gave a begrudged nod. Bergan turned once more to the Draki woman.

“If you wish to learn as well, and learn properly, I will teach you. But you must start contributing to the group; pulling your weight. We are in no position to argue these matters,” he held up a hand to restrain the verbal lash Niki had opened her mouth to administer. “Don’t you think I know the gravity of our situation? I do. Do you know the gravity of our situation?”

Niki frowned, puzzled by the question. “You’re not making sense, professor.”

“Do you really think Jem and I were a regular hit-and-run case? The army doesn’t tell you much, do they. Regardless, you will learn. And you will realize that I am right.” Bergan let out a sigh from deep within his chest, that spoke of a greater burden. “I’m the one who has to take care of details. It’s what I do. It’s what I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember. So that’s what I’m doing now, I’m taking care of these details.”

The steely determination in his voice was impossible to miss as he stared hard at the two defiant women in front of him. “I’m going to teach Jem, and you will not. You will sit back and remain silent unless you are called upon for assistance. Do you understand me? You both agree to these terms or so help me, I will end this right here and now in such a way this entire debate will be irrepairable.”

Niki, for once in her life, found no words to say. She looked at the grim determination on Bergan’s face and the fierce protection in his eyes. The strength of it made her swallow hard. With a tight laugh, she turned to Jemmy.

“You’ve got one hell of a brother, kid.”