Frayed Ties (Ties, Book 1) | ✓

Chapter 12

Danya kept his mouth shut and his eyes cast downwards. What could he say? He wished Simon felt the same way about owning him.

"He's no revolutionary," Simon continued. "He's an oddity for the military, but when you get down to it he's just a rich guy with a pet he loves. Where it really matters I trust him, but damn do I hate him sometimes."

"Cailan doesn't seem unhappy," Danya offered, hoping he wasn't crossing a line.

"Oh, no, I don't dispute that. If it was only them, I wouldn't be so bothered about how they choose to conduct themselves. But it isn't. They're acting as a model for you, demonstrating the least ambitious possible version of happiness."

"I don't know, it seems quite ambitious for us," Danya said, then immediately grimaced at his boldness. He had forgotten himself for a moment. "Sorry. That was inappropriate."

Simon laughed. "No, that was perfect. That was honest."

Danya couldn't help a little smile in return. "I'm glad you like it. My heart is still beating so hard."

The smile faded from Simon's face. "It really is that hard for you to just say what you really think?"

Danya shrugged. Of course it was.

Simon's expression sombered further. "I haven't helped. I know that. I get angry too easily and I can't expect you to just shrug that off like Hamish does. Not when I have so much power over you."

"You're not so bad. I've led a fairly gently life, but not so much that nobody has ever been cross with me before. In fact, I'd say I'm rather a bit better at making people cross with me than I ought to be."

"That's not the point. I—" Simon abruptly fell silent, his brow creasing as he stared intently at something behind Danya.

Danya turned and followed his gaze to three women who stood clustered together in front of one of the houses down the street. They were staring back at them.

"Nobody should be out here," Simon said as he started towards them. "I'd better go find out what's going on."

Maybe it was Simon's tone or some deep alarm in Danya's own instincts. Maybe it was the way the women were looking at them. Something... something felt off.

Everything happened at once.

One step closer and the very edge of their energy brushed Danya's mind, and he knew. He reached out for Simon's sleeve to tug him back, to urge caution, and then there was fire in one of the women's hands, fire flying towards them.

Danya stepped in front of Simon, raised his shield, and before he could process what was happening or what he was doing the force of the impact knocked the breath out of him as he slammed back against Simon's chest.

He stepped forward again, squared his shoulders, and summoned fire to his own hand. "Don't."

For a moment, everything stopped.

Two of the women were tall and broad shouldered, clearly Soldiers now that Danya realised they were mages at all. One of them had pushed the third, far more petite woman, back behind her.

One of the Soldiers stepped forward and raised her hands in pacification. Her short, honey coloured hair looked recently cut, and the fashionable style was an odd look on a Soldier. Combined with their casual clothing, it had been easy to mistake them for humans from a distance. "We don't want to hurt you. Let us take care of him and you can come with us."

Danya frowned. What was going on? "No. You don't touch him."

Simon's hand came down on Danya's shoulder as he stepped up beside him. "We don't want any trouble. Let's just go our separate ways and we'll all forget about whatever happened here."