Frayed Ties (Ties, Book 1) | ✓

Chapter 14

Several of the Soldiers had gathered together outside, along with Atticus and half a dozen younger centaurs. It was difficult to gauge how old the centaurs were because their features were broad and square and the human portions of them were quite large. It might not have been obvious that they weren't adults if they hadn't been substantially smaller than Atticus.

Noni looked out at the gathered crowd, her eyebrows drawing up. "You brought children, Atticus?"

"Remember when we first met?" Atticus asked. "I brought twenty grown centaurs out to ask what you were doing in our territory. Your people were so alarmed that a fight nearly broke out before we could talk."

Noni made a face. "Mm. Probably wise. The slaves we rescue will be scared enough as it is."

One of the young centaurs reached out his bow and jabbed Simon in the shoulder with the end of it. "Is that the human?"

"Yes," Atticus said without turning from Noni. "You've decided to let him live?"

Noni sighed and gave a tiny shrug of her shoulders. "For now. We've given him a role in this plan so that he can prove himself."

The young centaur jabbed Simon again. "You should just eat him."

Atticus pushed the boy's bow down. "Why would they eat him?"

The young centaur shrugged. "Might as well not waste meat. Hey, can we go hunting tomorrow?"

"Your mother will take you. We must get extra so that we may bring some for the mages as well."

"Mm." The young centaur lifted his bow again and gave Simon another jab. "The human can't have any, though."

Simon took a step away. "If you do that again, I'm taking that from you."

"Ha! You're not allowed to."

The young centaur reached out the bow again, but Simon was having none of it this time. He grabbed hold of it and with a quick twist he yanked it out of the boy's hand.

Some of the other young centaurs startled back and reached for their bows, but Atticus was laughing.

Simon held the bow out to the centaur he'd taken it from. "Looks like I was allowed to take it. You let me."

Atticus clapped the young centaur on the back with one of his huge hands. "Thank the man, Ath. He just taught you a free lesson."

Ath's expression was pinched and sullen as he snatched his bow back.

"We need to get going," Noni said. "Atticus, I'll update you on our new plans on the way."

The walk was not as long as Danya had been expecting. The distance they had travelled to get to the cabins in the woods had made it seem like the mages had set up their camp well outside of human territory, but that wasn't the case at all. When they had come out of Lainton they had walked long-ways through Atticus' territory, but cutting a direct path down it to the small human town closest to the border showed just how narrow the band of patrolled territory was.

The others stayed hidden in the woods and only Noni led Simon and Danya out and pointed them towards where they would be going.

"I'll wait here and make sure you get in safely," she told them in a tone that made it quite clear that she was actually making sure they didn't try to run.

"How thoughtful of you." Simon took a deep breath in and let it out, and then stood up straight and squared his shoulders. "Okay. Let's go."

The slave holding building was squat and long and buried deep enough in the woods that its presence would not disturb any neighbours. From the outside it looked almost pretty, almost peaceful.