“You cannot be more concerned about that malk than going to find work.”

“I’m not ‘more concerned,’” Nuliyaa said. “It’s been some time since I visited and I want to see how she is. One of us goes to the notice boards every single day and it hasn’t brought us the work we need to fix everything yet.” She tucked the edges of her littiichangs under her tunic before adding, “You don’t have to come with me. If you want to check the boards so much, you could go on your own.” She hadn’t expected Cheeyt to insist on going with her. When she’d told her sister where she was going at breakfast, it hadn’t been a request for her to come along.

“You’re not going into the Nengmekian chancery by yourself.”

“What would happen? The Nengmekians don’t think I have anything to do with the poachers.” She shivered. The harbor authorities had found another place that seemed to have been a poachers’ hideout, according to the news sheets tacked up on their neighborhood board that morning.

“And?”

Nuliyaa rolled her eyes. “They aren’t going to lock me up just for visiting. I doubt they blame all Keeylish for the poachers.”

“And what if they do? Or someone does.”

“You seem to be coming with me, anyway.”

They didn’t wait at the side door as long this time. Nuliyaa told the door guard her name and that she was there to visit Chesfi, the woman passed the message on to someone inside, and then Singmij was there a few minutes later. “She has been asking for you,” the Nengmekian official said as she led the sisters inside.

“She has?” Nuliyaa hadn’t expected that. She thought Chesfi would have mostly forgotten her by now.

“I was going to send for you in the next few days. She’s bored. Malks tend to be an active people and she has only just been allowed to walk in the gardens.” Apparently Nuliyaa was not supposed to consider herself someone Chesfi desired to see. She was just entertainment.

Chesfi rolled to a sitting position then bowed like the housecat she resembled when Singmij opened the curtains and ushered them in. “Pimuy Etskauu,” she said, tail flicking excitedly. “You came to visit!”

“I would have come sooner had I known you wanted me to.” Nuliyaa settled on the seat beside the bed while Cheeyt lurked just inside the curtain.

“How is your company?” Was Nuliyaa imaging it, or did Chesfi give Singmij a smug look?

“I’m surprised you remember. I thought you were mostly asleep when I was talking to you.”

“Your story was very interesting.”

Singmij excused herself. Chesfi asked about their jobs and Nuliyaa told her what she could about the deliveries.

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“I thought you were a guarding company?”

“Yes. We are new. Though Cheeyt has had a few more exciting jobs and, of course, she has years of experience before our company.”

“Oh?”

Cheeyt sighed and started a story about one of the last jobs she’d had with Supyuunch’s company.

“You have a good reputation among your Guild,” Singmij said when Cheeyt finished. Nuliyaa hadn’t even realized she’d returned.

“Thank you,” Cheeyt said slowly, as though she wasn’t sure she was being complimented.

“Yes, and they are available. I think.” Chesfi looked to Nuliyaa.

“We are at this moment, yes.”

“Good.” The malk nodded as though something had been decided. “It is time for me to return home.”

Singmij looked like she wanted to say something, but was keeping it to herself.

Best to be neutral, then. “Oh?”

“We have no one traveling back to Nengmek in the near future. Nor do we have the resources here to divert to sending Chesfi home. However, she has made a strong case for why she cannot wait any longer.”

Cheeyt looked at Nuliyaa as though wondering if she was picking up on what wasn’t being said. “And what is that case?” Nuliyaa asked.

Singmij pulled a charm out of the long belted outer garments that were what all Nengmekians seemed to wear. She pressed it against the curtain and magic thrummed through the room. Nuliyaa rubbed the chill bumps off her arms. Magic workings always felt too strange, like the charge of the air when a storm rolled in from the sea.

“I am the third daughter of Yanguy Pamta of the Posow Pounce.”

Cheeyt sighed. It was a sigh that said, “See, Nuliyaa? You do get in trouble.”

What she said out loud was, “We are honored by your trust, Pimuy Posow, warrior of your pounce.”

“I would like to honor you further.” And the way she said it made it clear they should feel very honored. “Sikoesnu Singmij’s yanguy has agreed to pay you to accompany me home.”

Singmij had reached inside her garment again. “This is our offer.” She handed a paper to Cheeyt and Nuliyaa stood up to read as Cheeyt unfolded the paper. They read it together.

And Nuliyaa felt the hope that had begun to build drain away. It was a substantial amount indeed. Enough to just barely refill their savings after the registration payment.

She so desperately wanted to go to Nengmek. It seemed such a different land from Keeyl.

Yet—Nengmek would be a long time away, unable to take on more work while they were gone. Chesfi was obviously someone of importance, not just because she believed herself to be but because of the deference Cheeyt was showing now that she knew her identity. Would Cheeyt and Kachaark be enough protection? If not, they didn’t have enough people to accept the job.

“You do honor us,” Cheeyt said. “We wish to honor you in return by taking time to consider your offer. We do not want to accept if we cannot provide the type of journey someone of your station expects.”

“We will expect your answer in three days,” Singmij said before Chesfi could answer. Which Nuliyaa appreciated, because she did not think Chesfi wanted to wait that long.

“Then we shall return in three days.” Cheeyt bowed and Nuliyaa quickly followed her example. Then Singmij was showing them out and the door was closing behind them.

“I will need to learn about Nengmekian culture from you,” Nuliyaa said as she walked to the bench and sat. She needed a few moments after that conversation.

“You mean malk culture. There are four major groups who make up Nengmek. The malks are one of them.”

Incredible. Nuliyaa turned her attention back to the job. That was the more important topic at the moment. “Are we going to Nengmek?”

A young Nengmekian man eyed them as stopped at the door. Cheeyt returned his look with a vaguely menacing expression and he jerked his attention back to the door guard. “Let’s go home and discuss it there.”