“Hey.” Slone gave him a warm smile. “Where d’you want this? Here, or over next to Simon’s?”

Danya glanced over at Simon, but he was busy with Hamish and the food. Danya knew what he wanted, but… “I think Simon prefers to have some space to himself.”

“Ah, he’s a bit like that, yeah.” Slone rolled the foam mat out on the ground. “But a good guy. Tries to do the right thing.”

“Yes. I’ve been very fortunate.”

Slone finished sorting out the bedding, then patted the cot. “Here, sit. I’ll go get our food.”

Danya probably should have been the one doing the serving, but Slone was already on the other side of the tent getting two bowls of stew from Hamish. He settled for obedience instead and sat like he’d been told.

Slone handed Danya one of the bowls as he sat back down at his side. This close, Danya could feel the edge of Slone’s energy itching at his mind. It wasn’t objectionable, just… odd. It had a rather distracting sense of motion to it.

“So,” Slone said quietly enough that his voice wouldn’t reach Simon and Hamish on the other side of the tent, “I kinda get the feeling you weren’t just scared of me ‘cause I’m big.”

Danya’s stomach lurched. Slone knew he knew? It was a dangerous secret to have, and that meant it could be just as dangerous to know.

“It’s all right,” Slone said quickly. “Just a matter I think we need to talk about. From the looks of things, I don’t reckon you said anything to Simon yet.”

“I… no. Not yet.” Danya didn’t know what to say. He was doing his best to appear calm, but his heart was thundering in his chest.

“I’d prefer you kept on with that, ‘course, but I ain’t going to threaten you or anything.” Slone poked around in his stew with his spoon until he found a chunk of meat. He chewed it slowly before speaking again. “These guys, they’re good folk, but you always gotta weigh up how much you’re willing to stake on your judgement of people.”

“No, I— Yes. I know.”

“I get it, though,” Slone said, gesturing with his spoon. “You barely know them and you know me even less. You’re fucking scared and you don’t know what’s right.”

“What are you?” Danya asked, his words so quiet they were practically breathed out.

“Mm, well.” Slone gave Danya a little smile. “I ain’t nothing bad, I’ll tell you that much. Nothing that means you or anyone you care about any harm. Or anyone else, really. Just looking for my brother.”

“But Simon said…”

“Simon said he disappeared quietly in the night. I don’t blame him one bit for thinking that means he got took, but believe me when I say that wouldn’t have gone down quietly.”

Danya adjusted his grip on his bowl. The edge of it had started digging into his hand. “So you think he’s still alive?”

Slone made a face. “Well, I don’t really know about that. I shoulda heard from him by now if everything was fine. All I know is what they think happened ain’t what did happen. And I need to know the truth.”

Danya watched Simon and Hamish where they sat on the other side of the tent. They were so deeply embroiled in their own conversation that they weren’t paying Danya and Slone any mind.

“I won’t tell anyone,” Danya said after a long stretch of silence. “I mean, obviously if you give me reason for concern — maybe. But I won’t say anything for no reason at all.”

“I really do appreciate it, and I’m sorry for causing you more stress right now. I know you’ve been through a lot of shit lately.”

“Simon said things ought to be boring here, at least. I think I could do with a little boring.”

“Oh, hey!” Slone put his bowl down and pulled a book out from beneath his jacket. “Got you something.”

“Oh! Um...”

Slone held the book up so that Danya could see the cover, which featured a mage in the foreground and a whole cast of non-human characters milling about in the street behind him. “It’s my favourite, but I reckon I’ve read it enough times now. I want you to have it.”

“Thank you,” Danya said as Slone handed him the book. “But I’m not allowed to, ah… without Simon’s permission. I can’t really own things.”

“Hey Simon!” Slone called out. “I can give your boy a book, right?”

“Yes?” Simon said, giving them both a confused look before returning to his conversation with Hamish.

“He ain’t really one for following dumb rules when he doesn’t have to,” Slone pointed out.

“I know. But that’s his judgement to make, every time.” Danya held the book up to admire the cover again. He was looking forward to reading it. “Thank you, again.”

“I reckon we’re even now. It’s a very good book.”

“On the cover, all these different types of beings…” Danya’s finger brushed over an image of a man with wings sprouting out of his back and arms so thin they looked skeletal. “Are they all real? Or were they, once?”

“Ehh…” Slone gave a noncommittal shrug. He’d returned to poking around in his stew. “Lots of things are real, and who can really say for sure what ain’t? Some things died out in the war, prob’ly the fae made some new things since. Some of them are still around for sure, but I don’t know how much I can really say about all that.”

“I tried to run away,” Danya said. “Did Hamish tell you?”

“Mm, he did mention that.”

“Do you think — I mean, if it wasn’t for the chip — do you think that might have worked?”

“Well…” Slone said around a mouthful of food, then chewed while he considered. “Can’t say it definitely wouldn’ta worked, depending on just where you headed.”

“I won’t try it again. I just… I don’t know.”

“Hey, I ain’t judging. You go somewhere, it’s a smart thing to know where the exits are. Don’t mean you’re anticipating any trouble.”

“I—”

“Damn, Slone,” Hamish said as he broke away from his conversation with Simon and started across the tent. “What is your secret with mages? First you’re best friends with Wyke, and now Danya’s gone from being terrified of you to chatting away intently in like five minutes.”

Slone grinned. “Gave him a book. Secret is being nice, same as anyone.”

“I gave him several mandarins.”

“He saved your life, so I reckon the scales are still a bit tipped there.”

Hamish sat down with them. “My life’s not so bad, I guess, but I’m probably going to die young. How many mandarins is it really worth?”

“And Simon’s life. You gotta factor that in as well.”

“Oh I did, but Simon’s life is shit so it’s worth like negative two mandarins.”

“I heard that,” Simon called out from the other side of the tent.

“But do you dispute it?”

“Maybe my life would suck less if my best friend wasn’t a shit head.”

“You never know! Let me know if you get any other volunteers for the position.”

Simon made a rude gesture in Hamish’s direction.

Hamish made a heart with his fingers in return. “Love you too! Best friends forever!”

Hamish was grinning fondly as he turned back to them. “Okay, guess I’d better go find Roope and Tris and get them caught up before they start hearing weird things through the rumour mill. Because the truth is better and so much weirder.”

“Mm, hold on!” Slone tipped his bowl back against his mouth and slurped down the rest of his stew. “I’ll come with. Gotta get back to Wyke with his dinner soon, anyway.”

“You need anything else, Simon?” Hamish asked.

Simon dismissed him with a shake of his head and a wave of his hand. He was deeply immersed in reading through a stack of papers.

“All right, I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Hamish stood and stretched. “Danya, feel free to hit him on my behalf if he gives you any trouble.”

“I will not do that,” Danya assured him.

“Ah, you’ll come around,” Hamish said as he pushed through the tent flap.

Simon had seemed completely immersed in his work, but he looked up as soon as Hamish and Slone were gone. “I know Slone scared you a bit at first, but he’s a pretty decent guy, isn’t he?”

Danya stared down at the faces of a dozen different magic beings on the faded cover of the book Slone had given him. “Yes. I think he is.”