Dragon Mirror- Ties Between the Veil
Fourteen: The Suket, A Chat, And the Blight

After a day of traveling the road to Silkvetr, Raina came to the conclusion that Supi was absolutely smitten with Ian’s mare.

Unfortunately this meant that the meat head suket continuously tried to nip at the mare, who reciprocated in a dramatically violent manner.

The continuous antagonism between the mounts lead to Raina riding in back with Kasey on her Loupp’a, whose name was Sedah, meaning ‘Silk’. Ian did not seem pleased with this outcome, but Kasey had jokingly teased that they could release both suket to do battle to establish dominance.

Ian had scowled fiercely, and led Aylla to the front of the group with one of his men and Tralna. He conversed with Tralna while Jrash pretended he did not see the man. Later, Kasey had explained that suket could take days of intermittent skirmishes to settle herd dominance, especially with such well formed animals. Often one or both could end up so severely injured that they would die.

Supi continuously craned his head upward to see Aylla over the backs of the group and hiss at her. The mare would paw the earth, stretching out her neck to emit a low groaning bellow. Ian would glance over his shoulder to stare at Raina, then quickly turn his attention back to Tralna. Raina noticed with annoyance that Aylla wasn’t jostling her rider around.

Raina enjoyed the woman’s company, several of the other men riding in the back with them kept to themselves, leaving them free to converse. She found herself speaking a mix of Charbitian (Spanish) and Daka. It was stimulating after months of dry translations.

“So you are Charbitian?” Raina asked hesitantly. Looking down at Kasey, marveling at how comfortable the seat on the Loupp’a seemed to be.

Kasey grinned up at her, bringing up one hand to tug on her long pointed ear. “Si, this is my proof.” She flicked her hair. “Although there are groups of humans that supposedly crop their ears, we tend to be smaller and live much longer.” She looked out into the dense forest on either side of the wide road.

“We also live in the Wilding.” She said it so softly that Raina wasn’t sure if she was supposed to have heard the words. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it as Iyzdra rose up from the trees and glided down to hover around them.

Two of the guardsmen turned in their saddles to watch and whisper to themselves. She thought she detected a hint of fear on their faces.

But Kasey’s face split into another grin and she held up her hand for the Aya’Chyn to alight upon. Izdra hesitated, then landed, her tail wrapping around Kasey’s wrist. Raina felt a glow of appreciation for the warm and magnetic woman’s personality.

“I always wondered what an Aya’Chyn would be like.” Kasey turned her hand, and Iyzdra’s transparent wings cast multifaceted rainbows. Her head swiveled on its delicate neck to maintain line of sight on Kasey.

“My brother and I were born well after the breaking of the world. The time of chaos left behind thousands of crazed magi and warped Aya’Chyn. Yet most of them had been either sealed in Crya’Shel or destroyed by the time of our birth.”

Raina was interested in hearing more, since the timeline of the Tilt still confused her, since she knew that it coincided with her grandmother's exit from this world to Earth. She suddenly had a thought as she saw Ian turned in his saddle to look at her again.

She hesitantly asked, “Are you and your brother, ah-”

Kasey looked up, a knowing smile crossing her face as Iyzdra launched from her wrist to land on the back of Supi’s saddle. Supi let out a long drawn out warbling growl and gave a small bouncing kick. Raina gritted her teeth and snapped the reins.

“We are in our second decade.” She laughed. “Were you perhaps worried that Ian was far older than, perhaps, yourself?” She made a mue with her lips, nodding towards her brother, who quickly turned back around, and Raina flushed.

“I have a boyfriend.” She blurted before thinking what the English word would sound like in the pidgin Spanish Daka.

Kasey’s mouth dropped open slightly, mouthing “boyfriend”. But in the next instant surprised Raina by glancing forward to Jrash. She apparently knew how to speak ‘Darkuni’ well enough to catch the meaning.

“No! Not him… he’s…” She trailed off. “My cousin.” She finished weakly, and looked down at the reins, gripping them tightly. She took a steadying breath.

I will never fucking see him again. I need to just let go. Iyzdra fluttered, resting her tiny claws on her shoulder. She would never leave her Aya’Chyn.

“I guess I am unattached.”

Kasey looked like she wanted to make a smart remark, but instead asked. “I am guessing you have experienced a broken heart? Recently lost a love, perhaps?”

“Yea, I’m not from here.” She gestured vaguely. “And Zhao, my, ah, love, was left behind.” Kasey nodded.

“I am engaged to marry for my family's standing, but wish to replace my own love. I thought to get to know him before becoming his wife- but I am out here on this fine adventure with you.”

Raina raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t sure about her gay-dar, but it sounded like the woman was being flirty. Kasey wiggled her fingers at her and laughed.

“I will marry the man, as my duty lies heavily across my shoulders. I had just hoped to enjoy it, as well.”

“That sounds awful.”

She was about to reply when Tralna came trotting back down the road, skirting the middle group of guardsmen. Jrash looked agitated.

The Aya’Daroul is missing again, and Jrash is feeling particularly upset about it.

Jrash’s face darkened further into a horrific scowl. He glanced at Kasey, then apparently decided he didn’t care.

“Ramoth is missing and I’m worried. She’s so small and could be hurt.”

Kasey frowned as she looked up at him, and Raina quickly intervened. “Jrash has a... pet named Ramoth, and it sounds like she ran off.”

Raina didn't mention that Ramoth was similar to Iyzdra, she didn’t know how they’d react to the bonding of a daroul. She knew that daroul were seen as tricksters in this world, similar to a fox demon in Japanese folklore.

Her distant cousin seemed to be jittering in the saddle and Tralna’s crest raised and lowered in agitation. The Aya’Chyn of Elohima Palliza seemed to be just as aggravated.

The ability to separate from your bondmate is usually built over decades of bonding. I am… perturbed by this daroul- Aya’Daroul’s ability to just disappear without Jrash sensing her location or direction. It is unnatural. She stomped her clawed foot in a dainty manner to emphasize her distress.

All of this did not seem to phase Kasey, and she leaned back in her seat, causing the loupp’a to crouch. She dismounted by tapping Sedah’s shoulder, who lowered her head, and vaulting over the animal's bowed head.

“Siesta!” She shouted, turning to unload a pack from her loupp’a as the group ahead of them stopped. Raina was thankful, since they had been traveling for most of the day and her nether parts ached like she’d been hit by a bus.

Ian rode up on Aylla, clearly annoyed. His suket immediately trumpeted and hissed, making Supi dance dangerously as Raina was trying to dismount.

“Why are we stopping for a rest? There are still several hours of daylight left!” Ian expertly calmed his aggravated suket.

Raina finally disentangled herself by flopping onto the hard packed road onto her tender backside. “For fuckssake, Supi!” She threw a handful of dirt at the animal's legs. “I’ll arrange you a sudden death with her if you’d just stop being a shitbird for five fucking seconds!”

She was mollified as Supi stopped his posturing to lower his muzzle and whuffle her hair in concern. Everyone else was staring at her after her outburst. Even Aylla had her ears pricked forward.

She was given a reprieve from her embarrassment as Kasey walked to her brother and grabbed his stirrup. She spoke quickly in their language, gesturing to Jrash. Ian responded tersely, then Kasey laughed, and when she responded, Ian looked at Raina.

Why the fuck did him looking at her make her feel all types of highschool drama? She busied herself with removing Supi’s saddle, although she stalled at the bridle, thinking she might need to tie him up to keep him from harassing Aylla.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand reached over hers to take the reins. Turning to look Ian in the face was a struggle while her insides were scrunched up into a ball of rabid butterflies.

He smiled at her, and glanced up at Supi who had raised his head in an attempt to remove the reins from the interloper’s grasp. The suket was hissing like a tea kettle, but the moment he paused to draw another breath, he lowered his muzzle to intently whuffle at Ian’s sleeve.

“I took Aylla across to the other side of the road, and if you would allow, I will cast a binding on this side for your fine stallion. We will set up camp with him, and leave the rest of our mounts with Aylla.”

She frowned slightly. “You want to leave the hors- ah, the animals unattended?”

He laughed. It was a rich sound, his voice deeper pitched than Zhao’s had been. She noted that he was slightly taller than what she remembered Zhao having been, but still as slender.

“Sedah and Aylla will protect the okapi. And they are Aylla’s herd, so it will make a quieter rest if we keep her with them.” He tilted his head up at the suket. “And if we camp with Supi, it will alleviate the tension between the two by mixing scents. Likely make their future battle less… violent.” He smirked as the animal blew out his breath noisily, spattering his coat.

Raina shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t know what to say, and being near the man was equal parts embarrassing and alarming.

She was yet again saved from herself when Kasey came over to hold out an empty basket. Raina took it and gazed in confusion at the woman.

“I figured we could forage while looking for the missing… pet?” Her hesitance over the word told Raina that she suspected something was not quite right.

Ian’s mouth turned down, but before he said anything, Kasey cut him off.

“Tralna has agreed to escort us. Nothing will harm me in the Wilds, and surely nothing would harm the Drakunmate of Elohima Palliza.” Raina raised her eyebrows, thinking that Tralna might take exception to being relegated as her Drakunmates lesser. The Wilds would respect Tralna because she was “The Mother of Bonds”.

“Lo qe sea- Do as you wish, I will set up a hearth for when you return.” He flipped his hand in the air in agitation, turning away to join his men. He ran his hands through his hair, muttering to himself as he walked away.

Kasey was softly chuckling when Tralna quietly trotted up to them. Jrash was jogging beside her, an impatient expression across his face.

Foraging was something that Raina had never done in her life. So Kasey walked beside her, chatting amiably about her life at castle Silkvetr.

She stopped for a moment to crouch low, fingering a large heart shaped leaf with darker green veins. She was frowning as she pinched the edge, which seemed to be blackened.

“Blight.” Her voice sounded flat and angry, and she took out a smooth piece of wood that had been flattened and sharpened into the shape of a narrow spade.

Raina stood awkwardly with the basket, watching. Iyzdra curled on her shoulder, also watching intently. Should we move the dirt with our Will?

She internally laughed. I don’t think she would appreciate that. She imagined Kasey quailing before an explosion of dirt into her face. Iyzdra reacted with mirth.

The woman exhaled a sad sigh, and held up a long rhizome that had black spots across its surface. “We are too close to a settlement for there to be Blight.” She suddenly froze, and her eyes had locked onto something behind Raina.

What the fuck? When she turned around, Raina jumped back, seeing the lower half of an animal under a bush.

Kasey moved quickly to grab the exposed hind legs and dragged a medium sized hog with horns into view. The woman knelt and removed a knife from her hip. She glanced up at Raina who stood in shock.

“The pig is still warm, but I have a suspicion. Are you squeamish?” Raina shook her head, and Kasey cut deeply under the animal's jawline.

Kasey’s lips thinned as she compressed her mouth into a grimace. She then waved Raina back and slit the belly.

Raina was not prepared for the sight of intestines spilling out of the belly of an animal. They were blackened spots and tears where the spots had burst. She backed up further and focused on watching Kasey. She looked grim.

“No blood. And Blight.”