And then she was standing in front of the door to her family’s building.

Nuliyaa stared up at the wooden sides. She didn’t remember the walk home at all. She’d been too busy seething over Maltangku and Tsus’s words.

Especially Tsus’s. The way they expected her to meekly go to the next shop. Where she would likely receive the same treatment.

No. She straightened. This was better. She would control her own life, not another.

Miyt sat cross-legged on a cushion when Nuliyaa walked into their apartment, her current embroidery project spread across her lap.

“Hello, Miyt.” Nuliyaa went to the basin and tipped in a bit of water to wash her hands and face.

“Miyt Tuumaats mentioned something curious when I was out picking,” Miyt said, not looking up from the stitches on the littiichangs she was embroidering.

“Oh?” That woman was such a gossip. And the stories she could spin…

“Yes. She mentioned that Cheeyt had a wagon delivered earlier. I could hardly believe Cheeyt would make such a large purchase, so I went down and looked. It is certainly there.” Miyt didn’t look up at all.

Several thoughts took off in Nuliyaa’s mind and collided.

Miyt knew.

Of course they needed a wagon.

But how were they going to haul it?

Miyt knew, and they hadn’t been the ones to tell her.

All Nuliyaa could do was gap at the wall.

“It was so odd for you and Cheeyt to leave early and together.” Now Miyt looked up, eyebrows raised.

Cheeyt pushed through the door. Nuliyaa had never been so happy to see her sister.

“Miyt would like to know why you bought a wagon,” she said. Her voice sounded too loud in her ears.

Cheeyt froze. Miyt carefully buried her needle into the littiichangs, laid down her embroidery, and looked up at her daughters.

“There is something you need to tell me,” she said. “Should your sister be here?”

“Yes,” Nuliyaa and Cheeyt mumbled together.

“Fetch her please, Nuliyaa.”

Nuliyaa walked to the back window and called Tseetsaa away from the knot of women gossiping as they stirred the stew pots. “What is it?” Tseetsaa asked. Nuliyaa just shook her head and motioned her to come in.

Cheeyt was settled on a cushion, pulling off her boots. Tseetsaa took the cushion next to her. Nuliyaa couldn’t sit. She just started making tea.

“We—. I—.” Cheeyt stopped and shook her head. “I decided to start my own company. The Guild wouldn’t approve my application without a business manager, so Nuliyaa agreed to become my partner.” She stopped speaking as suddenly as she started.

“And why did you hide this?” Miyt’s tone was mild. Oh, she was so angry.

“It didn’t happen until this morning,” Nuliyaa said.

“Oh? You made this decision, put in the application, and had it approved all this morning? The Guild is very accommodating.”

“I had already applied for the company, weeks ago,” Cheeyt clarified. “Nuliyaa joined me this morning.”

“I see.” Miyt’s expression said they would discuss this later. Tseetsaa stared wide-eyed at them all. “What does this mean for the family?”

“I had thought we would still have Nuliyaa’s money coming in,” Cheeyt said. She closed her eyes. “I have money saved to pay for what the company needs. But we have no jobs yet. Unless—?” She looked at Nuliyaa hopefully.

“I passed the word to a few people today, but no one has anything for us yet.” She took a deep breath. “If we use the money we set aside for if Cheeyt was unable to work, we have enough to pay for the house and food for at least a year. We can work out a plan for the company to repay the funds to the family.” She looked at Miyt. “Unless you object?”

“The money is yours,” Miyt said. “You both contributed most of what is there. Your father—.” She pressed her lips together.

Laa’s work as a scribe had not paid as well as other skilled jobs, and he had too much loyalty to seek another position. Nor had he ever pushed for more money, even as his skills improved.

Stolen story; please report.

Miyt’s work sold well, but the embroidery took so long to do, especially when they had been children. They had always had enough for the house, food, and clothing, enough that they rarely felt a pinch. And there had been money for Cheeyt’s training and initiation into the Guild. But their parents hadn’t been able to save until both Cheeyt and Nuliyaa had started earning. Miyt sold more now that Tseetsaa took care of most of the housework.

Though she had been slowing down. Miyt had started complaining her eyes were not as strong as they used to be. Which, for her to be complaining meant she was struggling a great deal more than she was admitting.

“What if I object?” Tseetsaa burst out. “Are you saying we will have no money? I wanted a new tunic for the Sea Festival—.”

Nuliyaa gritted her teeth. “We have money to pay for the house and food for at least a year. We don’t know how long it will be before we have steady work, so no tunics, jewelry, paper, anything, unless what you have is worn out. Or you can pay for it yourself.”

“No paper?” Tseetsaa scowled. “Then how am I to make my own money?”

“If you sold your sketches enough to contribute to food, I would give you money for paper.” Tseetsaa had been the only one with the talent to follow their father’s career. She had chosen not to, always saying she wanted to marry and raise children, not take a job.

Perhaps this would be the push to get her employed.

Tseetsaa’s face reddened. She moved as if to stand, but Miyt touched her knee. “It will be temporary,” she said. “Your sisters would not do this if they were not confident they will make money with this.” She met Nuliyaa’s eyes, then Cheeyt’s. “You are confident, yes? This is not why you chose to hide your decisions?”

“We didn’t want you to worry,” Nuliyaa said.

“How long were you planning to hide it?”

“I was hoping I would be able to bring you better news,” Cheeyt muttered.

As Miyt’s gaze landed on Nuliyaa, she fought against the urge to squirm. “I wanted to at least have more to tell you. There is so much uncertain right now.”

Tseetsaa scoffed and pushed to her feet. Miyt said, “Tseetsaa, if you leave you will have no say at all in our future.”

“It isn’t as though you will give me a say anyway.” Tseetsaa stormed out the back.

“You will both speak with her.” Miyt’s voice was firm. “Remind her you love her.”

Nuliyaa did love her sister. She also considered her a naive, spoiled brat. “Yes, Miyt.” she and Cheeyt murmured.

“What will this company do?”

Cheeyt’s voice held more confidence now. “We will not offer the same jobs as the company I left. I don’t want to hire large amounts of guards for caravans. We don’t have that kind of money, anyway.”

“But aren’t the caravans safer?”

Cheeyt shrugged. “Yes and no. Some like to target caravans because there is so much to grab and the guards can’t cover everything all the time. Caravans must go overland unless they own a ship or riverboat, or are willing to hire an entire vessel. We have those options, which tend to be safer routes. I thought we could focus on escorting.”

“With only yourself and Nuliyaa?” Miyt’s voice rose higher, sharper.

“I wanted to hire a mage. A mage can provide a lot of protection.” She didn’t add that she hadn’t planned on bringing Nuliyaa originally. “There don’t seem to be any mages available.”

“You have no jobs, no help.” Mity reached across and squeezed their hands. “Oh, girls.”

Their circumstances weren’t that bad. They had their savings. Within a few months, at least a few of the mages would complete their academy contracts and be available for work, or at least be looking for short jobs between contracts. And certainly they would find something to do until then.

“We just started,” she said firmly. “We will find work, Miyt.”

Miyt reached out both hands and squeezed their arms. “Of course,” she said. “My girls are accomplished and anyone would be well-served to hire you.” She gave another squeeze.

As soon as Miyt released them from her interrogation, Nuliyaa and Cheeyt hustled outside to where Cheeyt had parked the wagon. It wasn’t the largest wagon—Cheeyt had probably chosen what she felt was a good size for the company she wanted to run—but it was most definitely not something made for pulling by hand. “How were you planning to move it?” she asked. “And when did you buy this?”

Cheeyt leaned against the side, resting her forehead on the wood. “I thought I would have a mage, remember? A mage can move it with a propulsion spell.” A gusty sigh, then, “A mage would make all of this so much simpler.”

“So you bought this before this morning, then?” She must have, but where had she planned on keeping it? And Cheeyt wondered why Nuliyaa was so certain she needed her.

“Yes.” Cheeyt turned to lean her back against the wagon. “I made the arrangements before I left for the last job. I was ready to quit back then. I just wasn’t planning on it being so sudden.”

Nuliyaa walked over to stand next to her sister. “What happened?” she asked. “Nuttulch made it sound as though you lost your temper.”

Her laugh was hollow. “Yes. I’ve worked long enough to know—and stay sober enough to know, unlike Nuttulch and Saknuu—what our pay should be at the end of each job. For about a year now, I’ve been off by a few bits. It’s been a small enough difference that I thought I was just overestimating. But this time—.” She sighed and shook her head. “It was too much. I couldn’t make that much of a mistake in my adding. I went to Supyuunch about it and he told me his costs had increased for the trip. I asked what costs. He told me to stay out of his affairs. I told him I would, by not working for him any longer.”

“And no one else has noticed this?”

Cheeyt shrugged. “More caravan guards are like Nuttulch and Saknuu than me. They don’t have families. As long as they make enough to visit the taverns and maintain their weapons, they’re happy. Most of them keep to their tents between jobs.”

Nuliyaa shuddered.

Eyeing her, Cheeyt asked, “You have considered that we’ll be sleeping in tents or under this wagon on the road, yes?”

She hadn’t, but she wasn’t going to let Cheeyt know that. “Have you purchased everything else we’ll need?”

“I have my gear. We’ll need to get you fitted for a pack.” Cheeyt pulled a paper out of her pocket that had been folded many times.

As she started to read off her list, Tseetsaa appeared further down the yard. When she saw them, she spun and disappeared among the vegetable garden.

“Do you think she’ll cause trouble for Miyt while we’re gone?” Nuliyaa asked.

Cheeyt rolled her eyes. “Maybe this will force her to find her own work.”

“If she has a job, Miyt will be left with the housework.”

“We won’t be home as often. There can’t be that much to do with just two people. Tseetsaa shouldn’t need to dump it all on Miyt.”

And that reminded Nuliyaa of exactly how little Cheeyt did of the household chores when she was home.

“I’m going back to the Guild office tomorrow to check for available jobs,” Cheeyt said. “I also want to check the notice boards in the trade districts. You should come with me so you know where they are.”

“Excellent.” Nuliyaa should have known to ask about Guild resources earlier. The Jewelers’ Guild had ways to connect their members with commissions—of course the Guarding Guild would have the same.