seduced her, made her love him, married her—and then squirreled her away once her money was firmly in his grip.
She was still tenuously connected to scandal, and an aspiring lower chancellor couldn't have that hurting his chances at a high council seat. She was briefly useful again once she fell ill—firmly Kelian's fault. She'd loved him, and it wasn't hard to hate him as he watched his mother wither away, and to hear all about poor Chancellor Cloud's ill wife .
It had been easy to do in the end, though Ty hadn't thought about it beforehand. The funeral had been blanketed in tulips, a flower his mother had been allergic to, but Cloud had proclaimed them her favorite. He'd been a great actor, lovingly spinning lies about Ty's mother that sounded fantastic but were far from true. The worse part was the love he professed he would always have for her.
Cloud hadn't suspected anything when Ty asked for a private word at the reception. He'd been sickeningly cheerful, overly friendly when Ty had never exchanged more than polite words with him for his mother's sake.
Ty's fingers and toes were tingling, and he glared at Ytha as she approached. Ytha was just as bad as Cloud. She just wanted more power, no matter what the price.
The tingling spread up his arms and legs, and Ytha paused a few steps away. Her fingers loosened around the vial of suppressant and it tumbled from her grasp as she turned away from Reid.
"Careful," she murmured, stepping close and kneeling down next to him. "Don't want to explode when it wears off."
"Yes, I do," Ty told her darkly as she pressed her hands against his chest. He didn't bother to twist away, ignoring Reid watching blankly and Jensen and the other guards backing away discreetly.
Cloud hadn't suspected a thing, not until he'd seen the knife. Then he'd tried to stutter some excuse about Ty's mother not being worth killing him for.
Ty was tingling all over now. It was a strange feeling, but in the wake of the tingling came a warmth that sunk into his bones and Ty felt … whole, almost, and then everything shattered.
*~*~*
"Holy shit," Reid breathed, gasping for air as Ty half-dragged him through the stream. The fire wouldn't cross the stream, hopefully. Ty glanced over his shoulder, nearly tripping when he saw the flames creeping up the trees.
"I didn't actually think I'd explode," Ty said faintly.
Reid laughed breathlessly, shaking his head. "Well, if you had any other type of magic, you probably wouldn't have."
"Type of magic," Ty repeated, frowning. "There are types of magic?"
"Yes," Reid said impatiently, glancing over his shoulder. "Do you mind if we discuss this a little further from the flames and the guardsmen who are going to come after us at any minute?"
"Right," Ty agreed, wishing they'd been able to grab a horse or some supplies. Traveling was going to be difficult without anything to barter with.
"I think they're leaving the fire alone," Reid said, stumbling forward a step with a grimace as his weight landed on the leg Ty had accidentally singed. Oddly, he didn't feel any aches himself, even if it felt like his face was on fire.
"Can you go faster?" Ty asked worriedly, glancing over his shoulder. Three of the guardsmen were splashing through the stream—he recognized Kinsly under the soot, and he thought another might've been the lead guardsman, whose name Ty had never caught.
"I'm trying," Reid muttered. "You may have to leave me."
"No," Ty refused immediately, helping Reid forward another few stumbling steps.
"Well, we're both going to get caught if you don't," Reid said pleasantly. "And I guarantee that Ytha's going to be pissed at you."
"She shouldn't have touched me," Ty muttered and a lick of flame sparked into being in a bush to their left. Reid laughed, and then crumpled with a choked noise. Ty nearly dropped him, going to his knees to keep from falling over himself.
Reid cursed, letting go of him, and Ty stared wide-eyed at the arrow sticking out of
She was still tenuously connected to scandal, and an aspiring lower chancellor couldn't have that hurting his chances at a high council seat. She was briefly useful again once she fell ill—firmly Kelian's fault. She'd loved him, and it wasn't hard to hate him as he watched his mother wither away, and to hear all about poor Chancellor Cloud's ill wife .
It had been easy to do in the end, though Ty hadn't thought about it beforehand. The funeral had been blanketed in tulips, a flower his mother had been allergic to, but Cloud had proclaimed them her favorite. He'd been a great actor, lovingly spinning lies about Ty's mother that sounded fantastic but were far from true. The worse part was the love he professed he would always have for her.
Cloud hadn't suspected anything when Ty asked for a private word at the reception. He'd been sickeningly cheerful, overly friendly when Ty had never exchanged more than polite words with him for his mother's sake.
Ty's fingers and toes were tingling, and he glared at Ytha as she approached. Ytha was just as bad as Cloud. She just wanted more power, no matter what the price.
The tingling spread up his arms and legs, and Ytha paused a few steps away. Her fingers loosened around the vial of suppressant and it tumbled from her grasp as she turned away from Reid.
"Careful," she murmured, stepping close and kneeling down next to him. "Don't want to explode when it wears off."
"Yes, I do," Ty told her darkly as she pressed her hands against his chest. He didn't bother to twist away, ignoring Reid watching blankly and Jensen and the other guards backing away discreetly.
Cloud hadn't suspected a thing, not until he'd seen the knife. Then he'd tried to stutter some excuse about Ty's mother not being worth killing him for.
Ty was tingling all over now. It was a strange feeling, but in the wake of the tingling came a warmth that sunk into his bones and Ty felt … whole, almost, and then everything shattered.
*~*~*
"Holy shit," Reid breathed, gasping for air as Ty half-dragged him through the stream. The fire wouldn't cross the stream, hopefully. Ty glanced over his shoulder, nearly tripping when he saw the flames creeping up the trees.
"I didn't actually think I'd explode," Ty said faintly.
Reid laughed breathlessly, shaking his head. "Well, if you had any other type of magic, you probably wouldn't have."
"Type of magic," Ty repeated, frowning. "There are types of magic?"
"Yes," Reid said impatiently, glancing over his shoulder. "Do you mind if we discuss this a little further from the flames and the guardsmen who are going to come after us at any minute?"
"Right," Ty agreed, wishing they'd been able to grab a horse or some supplies. Traveling was going to be difficult without anything to barter with.
"I think they're leaving the fire alone," Reid said, stumbling forward a step with a grimace as his weight landed on the leg Ty had accidentally singed. Oddly, he didn't feel any aches himself, even if it felt like his face was on fire.
"Can you go faster?" Ty asked worriedly, glancing over his shoulder. Three of the guardsmen were splashing through the stream—he recognized Kinsly under the soot, and he thought another might've been the lead guardsman, whose name Ty had never caught.
"I'm trying," Reid muttered. "You may have to leave me."
"No," Ty refused immediately, helping Reid forward another few stumbling steps.
"Well, we're both going to get caught if you don't," Reid said pleasantly. "And I guarantee that Ytha's going to be pissed at you."
"She shouldn't have touched me," Ty muttered and a lick of flame sparked into being in a bush to their left. Reid laughed, and then crumpled with a choked noise. Ty nearly dropped him, going to his knees to keep from falling over himself.
Reid cursed, letting go of him, and Ty stared wide-eyed at the arrow sticking out of
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