A shoulder bumps into mine, and I see a flash of red around the arm of the kid before she disappears around a corner of the market. I smile as Jill chatters with Becca, the two finally reconnecting after months a part. Becca’s mom was so happy to see us, throwing around hugs and kisses and asking where we’d been. She glanced oddly at Jill, as if seeing the new person she’d become.

Jill stands a bit taller, speaks a bit louder, and smiles a bit more. She isn’t the beat-down girl she once was… but her journey will take time. I hope she doesn’t notice the times things wilt beneath her fingers or a pumpkin patch suddenly sprouts out of dead leaves… but I have a feeling she does and works hard to control it. My fingers touch a crinkled paper in my pocket, and I jump, drawing my hand out as if a draconsnake had bit me. I glance at Jack, hoping he missed it.

His eyes dart to my pocket, then my face, nose scrunching in thought. I mentally groan. He’s too observant for his own good these days. I used to pull things like this over him.

He puts his lanky arm around my shoulder. “What’s up, sis?”

I smile, but it doesn’t reach you eyes. “Tell you later.”

Worry enters his eyes and his jaw clenches. He nods, glancing around with eyes that catalogue exits and people and ambush areas just as I have taught.

I lay a hand on his arm. “It’s nothing so urgent yet. Enjoy the day, I’ll keep a look out.”

He squeezes my shoulders and barely keeps from rolling his eyes. “Come off it, sis. Relax. We have guards for a reason.”

I peek over my shoulder to see three of my four current guards. Hans keeps pressuring me to get more, but I trust these guys and I don’t want more. Surely four guards and Ran is enough?

I puff out my cheeks, shoving his arm away. “You never know.”

He rolls his eyes. “Sure. If you don’t relax, you’re gonna kill yourself with stress. When was the last time you did something just because it was fun?”

“I stabbed a person.”

“You’re hopeless.”

I roll my eyes, but can’t help the smile tugging at my lips. “Ok, fine. I’ll try to do this mysterious thing called having fun.”

Jack’s grin spreads across his face and some of the worry leaves. “Thanks, sis.”

He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and this time, I don’t shove him off.

But I do wonder… when did my brother get so big?

“What’s happening up there?” Becca drags Jill ahead. Jill glances back, and then they’re swallowed in the crowd. All I can see is the bright bobble of Becca’s red handkerchief.

I glance back at Sir Rowen, his red hair sticking up all directions from a late night of sparring when I couldn’t sleep. But his eyes are sharp, even as he runs a hand through his hair, spiking it up further.

He gestures to Sir Jamen, who speeds up without seeming to speed up and blends with the crowd in moments. Jack glances at me as shouting comes from up ahead. I break into a jog, Jack’s long legs nearly outpacing me, but he slows down so I can keep up.

My breath comes in short gasps when we finally reach the crowd. I push through the people, getting shoved but shoving back harder. My small stature helps somewhat, people are more likely to miss when I duck and shove between little holes while more burly Sir Rowen gets stuck behind us.

I reach the front, and…. there’s a large, burly man and boxum woman with large earings dangling from her ears and wearing a gaudy orange dress.

Wrestling.

And the lady is winning, even as her bosum spills a bit from her dress. Nothing indecent, but still. When Jack comes up beside me, I put my hand over his eyes.

“This is a steal! I bought fish strom from here last year with coin to spare. What makes you think us common folk will let you get away with this?”

“The fish are disapearin’, ma’am! I’ve no choice,” he hisses out through clenched teeth, but some of the other men and women in the crowd are glaring.

“How are we supposed to feed our families?”

“My children are starving.”

“This is criminal!”

The man on the ground winces as the woman pulls his arm behind his back.

“You think ya can pull one over ‘cause I a rat-stricken Guilite, aye?”

“No, madame! This is my cost for all!”

“You saying a pant for a half bushel is the usual? Let’s ask your fine customer’s, aye?”

“It cost me four shoes and a pant!”

“Robery!”

The crowd grows rowdy, and I’ve yet to spot Jill and Becca.

The man starts screaming as the woman pulls harder on his arm and I hear a snap.

“Aren’cha gonna do anything?” Jack whispers, his wide eyes on the people as he pushes back the crowd on either side of us.

I shake my head. “What am I supposed to do? It’s in broad daylight.”

He purses his lips, but can’t dispute it. I can’t risk acting here.

“And what about the porkskin? We should take what we need, for we sure as Fifth ain’t gonna afford it.”

Agreement comes from the crown, and I exchange a glance with Jack.

This is getting bad. Quickly. I didn’t realize—

Men and women break off, shoving their way past the man and woman on the ground and into the little shop.

I gasp when Jill steps between the mob and the shop that has a perky little green flag and writing on the sign that proclaims it a fishery.

The woman gets off the man, dusting off her hands. “Oi! Out of our way, child. This no place for a young’un.”

Jill stands tall, her hands folded regally before her but her face set and blue eyes flashing like glaciers, and I squeak. Who is this person and what did she do with my sis? I shove my way forward, but have to dodge around a pipe-wielding poppycock.

“Do you not see what you’re doing?” Jill asks, voice almost soft but reaching to every ear in the crowd.

The woman holds up a hand when some of the men begin to push past her. The men stop, but leer at Jill as if she were worse than scum.

I am going to kill her after I stab a few people for daring to look at my sis like that.

“What we doin’, lass? Caring for our families?”

“NO!” Jill swipes her hand, and whether she knows it or not, a plant withers at her feet. “This is not caring for your families. This is stealing from those who earn their livings. This man has two toddlers and one babe on the way. Did you realize that when you broke his arm, you took his ability to provide fish for this store and food for the bellies of his family? But no, that didn’t matter to you, did it?”

A few of the women glance back at the man on the ground, his arm cradled and his face clear of tears as he faces the crowd even as he watches his livelihood torn down thread by thread.

“Do you not see? Or do you not care to see?” Jill asks, her voice soft, sweet, and cajoling.

And I decide in that moment I am going to hug her before I kill her.

And I… if I dared, I could really use my Gift right now. But fear curdles my stomach. What if I accidentally kill someone I’m trying to help? It’d be right fine for someone to drop dead in the middle of a riot.

But… I may could take it and… would it be possible to share what this man is feeling with the rest of the crowd? Could I help bring Empathy?

Jill stands on a precipice, the crowd hungry and broken from lack of supplies and seeing their families suffer. I understand. But I also know the pathway forward isn’t with more chaos… but I’m sure as heck not smart enough to figure that out. I’m glad to leave such politics to the nobles.

And the crowd could easily tilt, and if it tilts wrong…

I reach for my Gift.

And Jack barely catches my arm before I collapse, my insides placed through a shredder of lightening before being put back in all the wrong places.

Whelp. No using my Gift. Jill is on her own.

A man steps forward, and I tense, fingering a blade and preparing to jump between him and Jill, even if it unmasks me. But then… he doesn’t reach for a sword, doesn’t glare like the rest. Instead, his eyes are downcast and his shoulders slumped. He turns, standing with Jill and Becca.

“I can’t steal from a neighbor. That’d be stooping to his level.”

Another moves forward to stand beside Jill, and a part of me sags in relief.

The woman looks Jill up and down. “Who’ar ya, girl?”

Guards from the palace shove through the crowd.

Jill spreads her hands, and for one moment in time I hope the guards are going to shut her mouth. But instead, they stop dead in their tracks at her next words.

“I am no one, but my brother is someone.”

Oh, heck.