Read Online A Simple Darkness (The Young Ancients: Tiera) by P. S. Power - Free Book Online Page A

to speak, so at least there was that. It meant she wasn't making anyone else mad at her at least, even if she wasn't the center of attention. That actually seemed to be Sara for now, since it seemed that her tour was almost done in the military. She'd signed up a few years before, but only for two years, which was standard.
    The woman seemed happy about it, if a little lost.
    "So I don't have a lot to do. Next week I'm out, and need to find some work. I guess I'll go into the family business. Maybe see about setting up some new contracts with other lands? You can get me in touch with the right people, can't you Timon?" She went still then, as if expecting him to lash out at her, but he just nodded and seemed to be thinking.
    "Austra and Soam I think. I'm not welcome in Afrak anymore. We could possibly see if some of the other lands have things to trade as well. We have to barter for the most part, but if it's done cleverly there are things that can be done. No currency exchanges are available yet. Denno Brown in Austra is trying for one, but so far that's not going very quickly."
    She blushed a little and looked down at the floor.
    "Really? You'd do that?"
    Timon seemed a little flat for a bit but spoke calmly, his voice sounding a bit bored by the whole thing already.
    "Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"
    That was something that Tiera had picked up from other places already, so she understood what it really meant to him, and that Sara likely didn't have a clue. By their rules, the ones the Baker family had grown up with, being friends was a sacred duty. It meant giving everything you had to another person, if the need arose. The Capital didn't have that as far as she knew. Timon had to help her, but, to her it was him going a lot further than even a boy that was interested in her ever would.
    It probably seemed like he was trying to get her into bed then. Or maybe even do something more than that.
    Everyone else seemed to think that was the case it seemed, but Tiera nodded at them both, showing her support. Someone had to after all.
    "Let me know when it's needed and I'll help fly goods around on my off days. You two can pay me. I have to buy my own food after all."
    That got the tale of why that was to be told, by Kolb, since he'd been there. When he said the words it made her sound like an overblown hothead instead of someone that had been truly wronged, until he got to the last words at least.
    "If the boy had spit in my food he probably wouldn't have knees by tomorrow, so he seems to be getting off with more gentleness than I would have allowed for. Still, once one does it, someone else is far more likely to follow along. Best to seek preventative measures, as Tiera is doing."
    He didn't mention why the kitchen boy had done it, or that he was likely a student there, on his kitchen rotation. They each had to take turns at it. Hers just hadn't come around yet. They didn't cook the food, they just served it and washed the platters used. After this she doubted that anyone would want to eat when her turn came, even though she'd die before ruining food like that. Food had to be clean and wholesome and making it less than that was a crime that deserved at least a solid beating. Probably several.
    She didn't mention it, but Sir Kolbrin did.
    "I don't have that particular student in my section however. We'll have to see what the Headmaster has in store for him. I can't imagine it will be fun. If one student has to fear such things, then many others will no doubt pick up on the idea. I don't doubt that most won't be eating there in the next few days." He didn't seem to think it was funny, and no one else laughed either, even though it was clearly a minor enough thing.
    Listening to adults speak about it kind of showed that pretty clearly. Not that it wasn't gross, just that the whole thing, her making mistakes and then having to fix them, it wasn't all that important, was it? No, to these people it was just idle discussion, to