The Tale of Five Heirs

Chapter Nine, in which we leave Noremont

"Lora!" sobbed Tamara's mother when Tamara and Lora emerged from the ruins of the staircase. She didn't spare a glance for her elder daughter.

"You're welcome," Tamara muttered. "I killed it!" she announced to the room at large, and threw the spare blankets she had found to the woman with the three babies. She collared her surly Dragon Rider prisoner and booted him in Skeena's general direction.

"It's a miracle you both lived!" warbled Tamara's father, grasping Tamara's shoulder and shuddering. "Let's all go to the family quarters. Lora, you've had a great shock and you need some privacy—"

"Yes, let's," said Tamara. "Let's have a family moment."

Tamara's mother looked back at her. "Tamara, we are, uh, grateful to you for saving Lora," she said, "but it's been so long, and, well..."

"Nope, Mom, we're talking," said Tamara. "By all means, we can do it out here where everyone can hear and see your shameful pyromancer daughter, or we can do it in the family quarters. The choice is yours."

"She saved my life, Mom," said Lora. "Twice."

Tamara's mother shot a look both ways before turning and scuttling into the family quarters. Everyone else followed her.

Tamara slammed the door behind her and leaned against it. Lora stood by the hearth, and Tamara's parents sat in chairs. Tamara stared at her parents for a minute.

"Do you have any idea what you did?" she finally said. "You threw a nine year old girl out of your house. You threw me out after I pulled your other daughter out of a burning stable, which makes even less sense."

"Lord Noremont said Nom was punishing us with the dragon raids for letting pyromancers remain in our midst," said Tamara's mother, reaching a hand out. "If you'd just listen—"

"A slave trader captured me the first night I slept in the open, outside the gates of Noremont. I walked south for weeks, chained up with thirty other children until Aranthian troops found us, decapitated the slave trader and brought us to the workhouse."

Tamara's father was crying. "The dragon attacks were so much more frequent back then," said Tamara's mother. "You were little, you didn't understand how much fear there was in the city. And then you walked out of that stable with your clothes on fire, but you weren't burned, and Lora was."

Tamara shook her head. "I don't understand you at all. What did you think would happen to me?"

"We had to make a terrible choice," said Tamara's father. "We—we chose wrong."

"Will you come back, Tamara?" said her mother. "I want to make amends."

"I have missed you," said Lora.

"You want to make amends?" Tamara snorted. "It's too late."

"Is there anything we can do?" said Tamara's father.

"Yes," said Tamara, and paused. "Tell everyone you know that next time a little pyromancer finds herself homeless, she should come here, and you will take care of her." She turned and left the room. Kelvin and Skeena would be wondering where she was.

Skeena, Kelvin, Ronnith, Yago, and the Dragon Rider were just emerging from the basement when Tamara returned to the common room. They all made their way to a table in the corner.

Tamara knew her face probably looked flat and stony. Kelvin shot her a questioning look, but Skeena was occupied in towing the Dragon Rider along behind her. The Dragon Rider was busy waving and giving a winning smile to the bewildered people clustered in the common room. Tamara blinked. Surely the Dragon Rider hadn't been quite so muscular before.