This is my first fanfic, so be kind! Hope you like.

Disclaimer: none of these characters belong to me, they are all property of Tamora Pierce

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Briar stared glumly out of the window, looking at the pouring rain. There was no way he'd be able to go outside in the gardens today.

'Tris,' he complained.

'What?' she asked, not even raising her eyes from the heavy book she was reading.

'Can't you do something about the weather?' Briar asked impatiently.

'Sure,' Tris replied, surprising Briar. Niko had instilled a great reluctance to mess too heavily with the weather into Tris. Tris glanced out of the window, while Briar waited for her to move the rain. Five minutes later he was still waiting.

'Well…' he asked.

'Well what?' Tris asked irritably, not particularly happy about being interrupted every five minutes, while Briar moped around inside, looking longingly at the outside world.

'Aren't you going to do anything?'

'I have,' Tris snapped, 'will you let me read now?'

'You haven't done anything!' Briar complained, frustrated.

'I have so,' Tris replied angrily.

'What?!'

'I looked at it.'

'You looked at it,' he repeated.

'You didn't tell me what to do to the weather,' Tris fairly pointed out.

'You know what I meant'

'That's irrelevant. You should learn never to assume things. Anyway, you know Niko said I wasn't allowed to use my magic for selfish things.'

'It wouldn't be a selfish thing, you'd be doing it for me.'

Tris merely raised her eyebrows at the dark skinned boy sitting by the window. Briar started to reply when Lady Sandrilene walked in. 'Would you two please stop this infernal wrangling. It is extraordinarily annoying and I, unlike some others, am trying to work,' Sandry stormed out of the room. Briar watched Sandry leave the room with amusement, then he realised that she was in the middle of trying a new experiment with Lark; it took a lot to make Sandry cross. Now Tris, that was easy.

'Any academic mage would have known what I was talking about.' Tris scowled at Briar's comment but would not allow herself to react. When he realised that Tris wasn't going to respond Briar poked his tongue out at her, admittedly it was slightly immature for a fifteen-year-old but you get that. Trisana didn't notice, as she was once again totally engrossed in her book. Briar sighed with boredom.

'Boy,' a voice he knew well called out. 'If you have nothing to do you can clean my workroom. And stop annoying your housemates.' Briar smiled wryly. Yes, he wanted something to do, but tidying a room that just got messed up the next day was not high on his to do list.

About an hour later Briar was finally into the rhythm of cleaning, Rosethorn was tending her inside herbs, Tris was still curled up in her favourite chair, reading her book, Lark and Sandry were busy weaving magic, and Briar presumed that Daja was with Frostpine doing something with metal. Suddenly hurried horse hooves broke the peace of the household. Tris looked up to see whom it was.

:Coppercurls, who is it?: Briar mindspoke to Tris.

:Hang on, I can't see,: Tris peered into the rain. : It's Niko!: she exclaimed and rushed to open the front door. She had not seen her mentor for three months, and had a lot she wished to talk to him about. Niko stood in the door way, tall and imposing as always.

'Niko,' Tris cried out happily, but the silver haired man brushed past her.

'Lark,' he called out.

Briar was still in Tris' mind, and felt her hurt as Niko ignored her. Briar realised that Tris was still sensitive about the fact that her family had given her away, she viewed the household of discipline as her family now, and Briar could tell how scared she was that they too would reject her.

:Come on, lets see why he's here,: Briar mindspoke, without any of his usual sarcasm. Briar came out of Rosethorn's workroom, and with Tris headed towards Lark's room, which Niko had disappeared into.

Niko was talking softly to Lark and Sandry. 'I don't remember asking you two to join us,' he scolded. Briar but his hand on Tris' shoulder as she drew back, and he scowled at Niko.

'Sandry would just tell us when you left, anyway,' Briar pointed out.

'Fine,' Niko didn't try to argue. He knew the close mind link the four children had. 'I've got some bad news for you Sandry. This morning your uncle, Duke Vedris, was attacked,' Sandry gasped and the colour flowed out of her face.

'Is he okay?' she asked quickly.

'He's alive, but is unconscious. He is coming here to be nursed. I assume I can trust you to help look after him?' Niko didn't wait for an answer. 'Tris you will be coming with me. We need to find out who did this as soon as possible."

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