Dragon Mirror- Ties Between the Veil

Riding Supi turned out to be ten times more interesting than translating the children’s books that told the history of Szrathia. For one thing, the animal had a snarky personality. For another, Raina had never ridden any animal in her life. And Supi seemed to know it.

The creature had a horse-like stride, but would occasionally enter a bounding frolic that would eat the distance and jar her teeth if she wasn’t paying attention, which happened to be when Supi decided a good leap was called for.

Raina had found out that Supi was a stallion that was quite opinionated about who rode on his back.

Jrash rode Tralna- who’s drakunmate had taken the time to shift her body to a more leggy equine version that could endure the long trek. After months of being there, it had been a startling revelation that Palliza could reshape her Aya’Chyn. Tralna had seemed to be as solid as Supi.

“Tralna is the extension of my Will, so why should I not be able to shape her?” Palliza smiled sardonically. “Although it has been years since I have done so- she prefers her original shape, and after a few days or weeks, she may start reverting.”

She was jarred out of her thoughts as Supi gave a sideways frisk, and Raina swore loudly as she clicked her teeth together, clinging to the saddle that thankfully molded to her with a high back.

“ASShole!” She jerked the reins, and Supi made a warbling sound deep in his chest as he turned to cast a reproachful eye at her.

She turned her head as she heard Jrash laugh. “Did you want to trade seats?” He shook his head ruefully as Tralna arched her neck and snapped at the air by Supi’s hocks, causing the buck to make a small hopping kick. She couldn’t tell if they were playing or if they were trying to kill her.

“Supi can’t stand me. He doesn’t like men. He likes you though.” Raina stared at him. If Supi liked her, she could only fucking imagine how he would act with Jrash in the saddle.

They had only been riding for half a day, and already Raina wanted a handful of ibuprofen. She had heard of being saddle sore but was damn sure Supi was making it ten times worse.

After they had set out, Ramoth had seemed to recover her energy and had begun chattering on and off. Sporadically she would start asking questions about Iyzdra’s “slavery” and what she would have to expect being “bound” to a “baser animal”.

She refused to ride with Jrash as long as he rode Tralna, so Raina had to deal with the tiny black chatterbox scurrying from leg to shoulder to arm. She never seemed to notice Supi leaping or jostling Raina about.

Jrash, for all his scowls at being referred to as a “baser animal”, seemed to be truly infatuated with his bondmate. His eyes followed Ramoth whenever she was visible.

When do we stop? It’s like we’ve been on this thing forever. I’m hungry. Ramoth skittered across the saddle and up Supi’s neck, causing the suket to throw its head violently. She clung, squeaking.

Jrash raised his voice since Tralna had lagged behind to avoid Supi’s antics. “We have about an hour before we reach the outskirts of Auscilla. The town knows my grandmother and Tralna, so we will be able to take our rest at an inn called Feather’s Flight.”

Tralna made a light grunting noise of satisfaction, lifting her lengthened legs into a showy prance, her mane of feathers flaring off of her arched neck. Goodmother Camilla always gives me the choicest cuts of meat.

Raina smiled wanly.

She had to admit that she was rather anxious to be meeting more people from this world. Earlier this morning, they had crossed someone going through a crossroads. The person had been riding what had looked like a horse, but on closer inspection, the horse had had a striped rear and front legs, and yellow eyes.

Jrash had raised his hand to the person, who had been dressed in some type of black and yellow livery, and they had given a start and heeled their strange horse into a purposeful trot. Away from their party.

“Do we have fucking scabies?”

Jrash had turned his head toward her with a confused look as he lowered his hand. Raina sighed. “Never mind.”

“They looked like they were from Silkvetr- a news courier for the rural areas. Otherwise they would have been in an air sled.” Jrash shrugged. “Technology tends to stay in the big cities because of the Charbitians.”

Raina nodded. Some of the histories she had translated explained that humanoid habitation only expanded if there was a safe enough niche in the Wilds. The Wilds were full of dangerous flora and fauna, and none were as dangerous as the only humanoids to live in the Wilds- The Charbitian Empire.

Charbitians had a close relationship with the elemental sprites, whatever those were, and often refused to allow the wanton destruction of forest and field for the construction of large cities. No one not of Charbitian ancestry seemed to know how they lived, but all were in agreement that the Empire was powerful.

The small settlements in the Wilds that existed were allowed to exist- at the cost of not being allowed to expand or hold damaging technology. Raina discovered that some pretty advanced tech existed in the cities, like cars and hovercraft (the aforementioned air sled), but only in the immediate area of those major population hubs.

Raina privately agreed, being from a world that was sickened from the pollution of human habitation. But it would have been nice to drive this distance instead of being jerked around by an animal that showed affection like a mean prepubescent boy.

In the present, Supi mounted the crest of a low hill, and Raina could see houses on the sides of the road that seemed to be paved with hexagons.

Jrash had told her that Auscilla kept most of the forest within their mile diameter allotment intact, and had only built up a fourth of that area. The view of the village area showed hexagonal patterns.

And like a beehive, there were numerous people clustered in a central square, and a dull roar reached her ears. Jrash sat forward in his saddle, and Tralna lowered her head, arching her back upward so he could get a higher view.

“I think it might be the Twelve Day Festival!” He sounded boyish and excited. “I forgot with all of the excitement!” Ramoth perched up from the top of Supi’s head, who seemed to have accepted his tiny hat. She was peering forward between Supi’s ears, and Raina saw the Aya’Daroul tremble.

“Ramoth, would you like to ride under my hair? Or hide in my pack?” Raina asked hesitantly. The small face turned to her, the red eyes sparkling in the twilight in an unnerving manner.

I think I will join my bondmate. The voice was timid and flat. Raina couldn’t decide if it was fear overcoming the creatures' distaste of Tralna, or something else. Ramoth leapt the full six feet to the ground and was up Tralna’s side and snuggled under Jrash’s coat in a flash.

Jrash hesitantly patted the lump with a bemused expression.

It was starting to get much darker as they rode into Auscilla, and the town was lit with the glass lamps along the road and town square, hexagon?, that they entered. From the maps Palliza had shown her, this was the Southern Meeting Place, or “Place of Silks”.

There were five other meeting places, with an inner ring of inns and places of business. One larger hexagon in the center of the village was called Auscilla Central.

The sides of the Place of Silks had long halls lining the sides with arches in the middle of each side. It reminded her of the slave market in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, when her highschool history class had made a trip to learn about the Civil War in the U.S.A.

People were thronged throughout a covered bazaar lit with colored glass globes and waving twelve spoked pinwheels that spun with sparklers.

Children ran around with painted masks with long colored streamers. Raina goggled. It really didn’t look much different than home during Halloween or the Fourth of July.

Until she looked a little closer at what some were wearing. The fashion in this reclusive rural spot reflected the hot weather, and Raina could not stop thinking these people were wearing rompers that had tube tops.

The bottoms were like wide and long patterned capri shorts, that were continuous to cropped tops that snugged up under arms and were secured with embroidered bands that also loosely looped bare arms.

She closed her eyes, fighting a wave of hysteria as the juxtaposition of what she was seeing and her homesickness collided. Iyzdra shifted under her shirt.

Are you well, my mate?

I am, my Luna. Things are just hitting me wrong today.

She got a sense of reassurance and comfort from the Aya’Chyn. And then in her mind bloomed the distinct image of Raina wearing a bright red and white patterned romper like the ones some of the women were wearing.

She blurted a laugh before she could stop herself, and Supi flicked an ear at her. Jrash had slowed and dismounted as some of the crowd had turned to stare at Tralna. A diminutive woman in a blue flower pattern romper with a shawl wrapped around her bare shoulders shouted in glee and hustled up to hug Jrash exuberantly.

“Jra’Shanolar! I have not seen you in months, my child! Come- I left Corael in charge of the inn, we will get you and Tralna settled so you can come out and enjoy the festival!” The woman had long dark hair and dark eyes, with a mocha complexion. She had an accent that was strangely familiar to Raina.

“Camilla!” Jrash returned the hug, shifting to avoid crushing Ramoth. “I am traveling with my cousin, Raina.” He gestured to her, and Camilla turned to eye her up and down. She smiled warmly when she saw her riding Supi.

“Anyone that can ride Supi so confidently deserves a warm meal and sound stables at my inn.” Raina grimaced. She wouldn’t call clinging to the saddle “confident”.

“Let us get Tralna out of the eyes of the spectators, Festival draws many foreigners.” Indeed, several crowds had turned to stare at the Aya’Chyn who glittered blue and green in the lights of the funfair. Her crest of feathers raised and cast iridescence on the hexagon flagstones.

I too enjoy staring at the strange and unique. Tralna’s mind voice was dry. Several of the people watching jumped, indicating that they had heard her. Camilla laughed and slapped her flank, turning to a side street, taking Jrash’s arm.

Raina dismounted, pushing away Supi’s inquisitive nips, and sighed to her drakunmate. I guess we just follow? Iyzdra sent a feeling of affirmation but did not stir from her hiding spot in the saddle pack.