Around half an hour later, Tesyb slipped away toward the market square to et with his sister. Once the guards and the wagon drivers had started hauling out coal to the warehouse, he had told Trevalo that he needed an hour for a task from Lord Kivamus. That wasn't exactly a lie; the baron had told him to give his offer to Isuha whenever he ca to Cinran. The rchant had been curious but he didn't mind, so Tesyb was already on his way to her.
Soon, the cobblestone area of the main square opened in front of him—a wide crowded space under the early evening light. He had been here in the past, but it still felt huge compared to Tiranat's own muddy market square. Bakers shouted about fresh loaves still warm from their ovens. A blacksmith displayed horseshoes and small tools on a blanket. A butcher carved at while flies gathered around his stall. Hawkers moved between the crowd, waving tools, clay pots, or cheap fishhooks, trying to pull in anyone who passed. The whole marketplace felt... alive. The sll of smoke and cooked at drifted together above the noise, making him wish he could afford to buy things from here.
However, he didn't even have the coins to buy anything nice for his sister, so he had borrowed a few coppers from Trevalo. The rchant hadn't minded; the amount was tiny for him, and he'd be trading with Tiranat regularly now. Whenever Trevalo wanted those coppers back, he'd have more than enough chances.
Tesyb turned left into the narrow street he rembered from the last ti he had visited the seamstress' workshop, although even this was a cobblestone road. Cinran was a big and rich town, after all. He passed a few shops, before he reached the area specializing in clothing. The first sewing shop was owned by a grubby looking man, but the next shop—its faded sign half tilted—was the seamstress' place where his sister worked. He even managed to read the na this ti! Walking to the door, he knocked twice and stepped inside.
The shop's insides were dim. The sunlight was low enough but only a single candle lit the counter. The old woman who owned the place sat behind it. When she saw him, she leaned forward and squinted at him. "I think I know you, young lad…"
Tesyb smiled. "I'm Isuha's younger brother. I ca here before winter."
Her face brightened. "Ah! That's where I rember you from." She turned towards the stairs and yelled loudly, "Isuha! Co down. Your brother's here." She looked at him again. "What's your na again?"
"Tesyb. I live in Tiranat—the coal-mining village south of here."
He heard fast footsteps thundering down the stairs before the woman could reply, and grinned. Soon, Isuha rounded the last turn and ran down the stairs as fast as she could.
"Slow down!" he called out in worry.
She didn't. She jumped at him, wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders. He patted her back, steadying her. When she stepped away after a few monts, she looked him over from head to foot.
"You look… bigger," she said. "Like you're more muscular or sothing." She snorted, "I didn't think it was even possible. Even though you're three years younger, you were always bigger than , but now the difference between us is just stupid!"
"I told you—I'm the big brother." Tesyb said with a laugh and ruffled her hair until she smacked his hand away with a glare. "Last ti I ca here, I told you that I've been working as a guard. That's why I look fitter now."
"Yeah, I rember that, but I still don't get it," Isuha frowned. "Isn't working as a coal miner supposed to be much harder work? Don't guards just sit lazily on benches near the gates?"
Tesyb barked a laugh. "I wish! Our captain runs us near to death every morning. Then he trains us for a few hours every evening, then mock fights with other guards, then so group battles for training."
Isuha looked confused. "A battle?"
"It's sothing our baron thought of. The captain divides the guards into teams and we have to fight each other with wooden swords like one of 'em is a group of bandits attacking the village, and the other is defending against them. Trust , being a Tiranati guard is not easy at all." He looked at her more closely. She was as beautiful as always, with her black hair having grown to her shoulders now, but she looked a little gaunt. "You look thinner than last ti. Are you getting enough to eat?"
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Isuha hesitated. "Of course," she said after a mont. "Co on, let's go outside." She glanced at the old woman. "Can I take a break?"
"It's been a break most of the day anyway," the woman muttered as she shooed her away. "Just go."
Tesyb followed his sister out to the street. Once they were clear of the door he rembered what he'd brought. He pulled a rolled piece of cloth from a small satchel and handed it over. "Here. This is for you."
She unwrapped it carefully and found a freshly baked sweet bun inside. "Oh! I love this!" she said, grinning. "Haven't had one in ages."
"Eat it before it gets cold. I have to return the cloth to the baker after that."
She leaned against the shopfront and bit into it with a small sigh of pleasure. He watched her eat, suddenly sure she wasn't getting three als a day. Maybe not even two.
"Well?" he asked.
She blinked. "Well what?"
"You didn't give an answer. Are you getting enough to eat?"
Isuha shrugged. "It's not like I can afford a feast like nobles every day, but I'm not starving. That's more than what can be said for a lot of people in the town."
Tesyb frowned upon hearing that, but didn't comnt on it yet. "What did she an," he asked, "when she said the whole day is like a break?"
Isuha let out a long breath. "We barely get orders for new clothes anymore. I don't know why she hasn't fired yet... When the tis were good a few years ago, we both were busy from morning to night and still couldn't fill all our orders. Now she sits idle all day, and I just practice sewing fancy patterns on the upper floor which gets more sunlight. Commoners can't afford those things but if we display a new dress or robe with so good embroidery in front of the shop, then so noble usually snaps it up. That's what keeps the shop open these days, I guess. Maybe that's why she hasn't fired yet. Her eyesight isn't what it used to be, and she can't do the fancy patterns anymore."
Tesyb nodded slowly. "Well, that's related to the other reason why I ca."
Her eyebrows rose. "What do you an?" She smirked. "You didn't co just to check on your good old sister?"
"Of course I did," Tesyb said, grinning. "But I have another task." He lowered his voice. "Rember I told you Tiranat has a new baron?"
Isuha nodded. "The duke's son. People keep saying he was exiled by his father. Because why else would anyone ever leave a big city like Ulriga to live in a shithole like Tiranat?"
Tesyb bristled. "Hey! You can't say that about the village! That's my ho. It used to be yours too. The baron's doing a lot for us."
She shrugged. "Truth is truth. You said the baron fed everyone with his own gold, but that won't turn Tiranat into Ulriga."
Tesyb snorted. "Not yet, anyway. It'll take ti."
She frowned. "Huh... What do you an?"
Tesyb watched his sister take a small bite of the bun, crumbs clinging to her fingers, and said quietly, "Would you believe if I told you nobody died in the village last winter? From cold or hunger."
Isuha stared at him. "I'd call you a liar if I didn't know you better. Of course, it's a very good thing that nobody died there… but what about it?"
"That's not the only thing happening in the village." He glanced up the street. A few passersby moved past them. A young man slowed and leered at his sister—who didn't seem to notice it—until Tesyb gave him a hard glare, making the man turn away quickly.
Tesyb lowered his voice. "I can't say much here. Too many ears around. But you wouldn't even recognize Tiranat if you ca there today. And I know that it's only the start."
Isuha took another small bite, savoring the taste, though her attention was on him now. "It's been a while since I last went there, but it's hard to imagine the village changing much..."
"Well, you don't need to imagine it," Tesyb said. "You can co back with and see it for yourself."
Isuha laughed loudly. "I know you and our parents both want back there, but what would I even do all day in that village? You're a guard now, and father works as a foreman, so I don't want to sit idle the whole day. I don't want to wake up every morning just to eat two als a day from what you both earn."
Tesyb shook his head. "No. You wouldn't be sitting idle. If things go well, you won't even get the chance to rest. The thing is—it's not just our family calling you back." He paused. "The baron of Tiranat, Lord Kivamus Ralokaar, wants you there."
Isuha froze. Her jaw stopped moving mid-chew. The bun slipped from her hands, and Tesyb barely caught it before it hit the ground.
She shot to her feet and glared at him. "How dare you say that! Are you even my brother?"
Tesyb blinked, completely baffled. "What—?"
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