Page 1 of Forging Bonds: Part One

Chapter One

Neith

"What do you mean what they've done to Coen?" Ty asks, and I can hear the caution in his voice.

I remember that the guys said when he first joined the Draconian Team that they got Ty involved, and it was decided that Coen really did want to be on their team and that nothing else was going on.

Van raises his eyebrows at me, checking whether I want to say anything to Ty or not. I shrug. I'm not getting a feeling that I shouldn't this time, and the Voices aren't warning me. They're just murmuring like normal. So, I don't see why not. I nod.

"Neith knows Coen from before and has known him for years. She is one hundred percent certain that something is wrong with him," Van explains.

"You're sure?" Ty asks.

I nod and then reply because he can't see me, "Yes, I am sure. I couldn't be more sure that there is something else going on with Coen."

"Right, okay. While I am inclined to believe you, we asked him when it was first brought up after he graduated from the Magic Academy, and we couldn't find anything that would suggest that he wasn't happy where he was."

"Then you didn't look hard enough," I reply bluntly, making the guys raise their eyebrows.

There's silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before he sighs, "Well, we can figure out a way to help him and get to the bottom of what's happened at some point, but there are other things that we need to focus on for the moment."

I grin, "We have a way, the Choosing."

"Neith, the Choosing is incredibly dangerous," Ty starts.

I interrupt him, "As far as I understand it, I don't have a choice but to compete, do I?"

Ty hesitates, "Well, no. Even if the guys conceded and said that they didn't want you on their team anymore, it wouldn't make any difference. You would still have to compete."

"That's what I thought, so since I have to compete, I may as well use it to my advantage. I'm not going to be able to get close to them like this again," I explain.

"That may be true, but it's dangerous enough as it is. If the Draconian Team has managed to do something to Coen for years, then they are incredibly dangerous, too," Ty points out.

"That's a good point, but as I said, I won't get as good of an opportunity again, so I will be helping Coen and using the Choosing to do it," I reply firmly. I am not going to wriggle on this, Coen is too important to me, and he has already proven himself ineffective in this situation.

There's a knocking sound in the background of his call, and Ty sighs.

"I hear you. I'm sorry, I'm about to go into an important meeting. I'm going to have to call you back later."

"How long do we have until the Choosing starts?" Raiden asks quickly before Ty hangs up.

"Two weeks," Ty replies and then hangs up as the knocking on his door gets more insistent.

"I don't like it," Reed says as soon as he's gone.

"If their team has somehow managed to keep Coen under their control for this many years, then they are even more dangerous than we thought, and I don't want you anywhere near them," Doc points out, agreeing with what Ty said.

"But we don't have a choice," River adds a growl in his voice.

"So, we need to go about this in the best way possible then," Raiden starts, "The good news is that we will be there with Neith. She's not going alone."

"No, but she will be alone with them," Ransom points out.

Raiden nods, "Yes, but she will also be with Coen. You saw how he was with her, and he won't let anything happen to her."

"Unless he somehow gets ordered to allow something to happen to her and doesn't have a choice," Griff points out.

"Fuck!" Evander curses.

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