Dragon Mirror- Ties Between the Veil
29: The King, Some Politics, and Subversion

The king stared down blankly, chewing on one fingernail as he contemplated the current snarl of the political turmoil lain across his desk.

The crone Clow’Lara had just exited his office chambers, leaving him a steaming pile of okapi dung to sift through. The hag was almost as much of a thorn in his side as was the emissary from Temp’Allah, and they had been on the other side of his desk a scant hour before.

The kagami had been positively vibrating in their sconces. Blight. Uncontrolled. And the monsters in the Wilds creeping out of their holes to prey upon those affected.

Fanatical reports of the higher Deidades being sighted, flying horses in the sky, burning wolves prowling the night, angelical wraiths eating the souls of human settlements. Reports of Charbitian troops abducting people.

He spat a nail from his teeth and rubbed at his eyes. The last report was likely the Protectora actually doing their jobs. But he couldn’t even process what was happening outside of his direct domain.

His Seer had oh so eloquently suggested to gain control of the DrakunMagi and use their power for Silkvetr’s benefit. Yet now the Charbitian empire demanded this DrakunMagi turned over to them, as if they were a criminal already in his possession.

His palm slammed down on the reports and missives, his conditioning as a ruler barely keeping him from crumpling them up in agitation.

Clow’Lara was one among several in the court that constantly chaffed at the restrictions of the Charbitian Empire. At times he felt as if he were surrounded by venomous troodons, nipping at him no matter what direction he turned.

The emissary had made it almost offensive by making it clear that to do anything but what they wanted would result in consequences.

He stared blankly for a moment, thinking, then he burst into sardonic laughter. He would send a messenger to Verrel to intercept Ian on his way back from his reconnaissance. With his instructions in spite of Clow’Lara and the Charbitian Protectora.

Raina swayed in her saddle, Supi for once had settled into a long legged lope. They had been alternating riding hard and walking their mounts to make up time to Silkvetr.

She fiddled with her Aya’Duel absently. She had compressed the carbon dust from in the compartment unlocked by the Arbol de la Vida. Her fingers fiddled with an oblong diamond in her hand that she had yet to use to open the next compartment. She had formed it into the approximate shape of the key depression in the center compartment.

She contemplated the ramifications of what it meant to be able to just compress dust into diamonds with her Will. And then considered the sensation of resistance when making vs unmaking. It was as if she had to harmonize with the Will of whatever she was shaping. As if she required some form of consent. Or a violation of…

Shaking herself, she immediately cast her eyes upward, looking for Iyzdra. Her anxiety built up inside of her until she saw the shimmer of golden wings and the telltale blue body glide down to land on her shoulder.

“Oof.” Her breath whooshed out as the weight of Iyzdra dropped onto her. Supi siddled and kicked out a hind leg, then slewed his head around to blow messily at them.

“You are getting hefty.”

Did you just call me fat?

She laughed heartily, feeling her anxiety drain away with her closeness to her Will. Iyzdra gently snaked her head and neck around her chin and made a rumbling purr.

“My Luna is a giant kitten.” She cooed while scratching under the ridges of delicate horns. One of the guards named Euland smiled at them.

“She does seem to be quite affectionate.” Raina nodded at his observation.

“Back home she was a Maine Coon.” At his questioning look she clarified. “It’s a type of large cat. She was my pet.” Iyzdra butted her head against her and she laughed.

“Now she is definitely more.”

“I don’t think I exactly understand-” He cut off as someone cried out from the front of the line.

“It doesn't sound like anything serious.” Raina stood up in her stirrups, Iyzdra extending her wings to keep balance. She could see Ian at the head of the group dismounting to accept a letter from a man she didn't recognize.

Her skin prickled when Ian’s posture went rigid as he read, and his head lifted and turned toward her. He stared in her direction briefly, then turned away abruptly to lead the man over to his sister.

Raina took a steady breath and decided to replace out what was happening. With a thought, she sent Iyzdra back up into the trees.. She dismounted and asked Euland to hold Supi’s reins. Slowly she approached the group.

“…and I have to insist you take half of my contingent back to Silkvetr to report. The Deidades are restless and what has happened to Verrel must reach the King.” Ian was animated as he spoke, and Kasey was scowling blackley astride her loupp’a.

“We need to go to the Protectora!” She stated through gritted teeth. Her mount softly growled as her mood translated to the animal.

Ian’s hand cut through the air in a gesture of negation. “I will not-” He broke off when he realized Raina was standing just outside the small ring of people.

“What is happening?”

The man she supposed was a messenger turned to regard her with an appraising eye. He did not speak, so she shifted her attention back to Ian.

“Half of the contingent to Silkvetr? Where is the other half going?”

Kasey made a rude noise in the back of her throat, which her brother ignored. Dismissing the messenger they watched as he strode back to the main group with a brief nod. Ian turned his back on his sister to take Raina’s hands.

Ian gently pulled her to the side to speak to her privately. His hands were surprisingly cool and she struggled to not blush as he drew her aside. “You cannot go to Silkvetr.”

“What? But I need to get an Aya’Duel for-” He cut her off.

“Your life and your freedom are at stake.” Spoken so bluntly, she felt her stomach constrict in anxiety.

What is happening? Are you in danger? Iyzdra’s mind voice was hushed and reflected her anxiety back at her.

It’s fine- stay in the trees, love.

“You mean if I go to Silkvetr? What kind of danger?” Her mind spiraled as she remembered the teachings she received from Palliza. And Kasey’s exclamation about the Protectora.

“They think I brought the Blight back.” She whispered.

Ian closed his eyes briefly.

“That’s not entir-”

“They want to fucking kill me.”

“Raina, it’s not-”

“Don’t you fucking dare try and minimize this!”

He sucked in a breath, and looked down at her trembling hands as they gripped his in desperation. She stared at his face, so similar to Zhao’s, but so different. The months of strangeness and the displacement built up inside of her until she felt tears well in her eyes.

“I want to go home.” She whispered, feeling a few tears fall down her cheeks. The wind picked up, blowing from behind her, catching stray strands of hair from her braid.

Ian let go of one of her hands, and gently cupped her face, wiping away her tears. “I will not let them take you.” His soft words gave her a comfort she had not felt since bonding with her Aya’Chyn.

“And if she is the cause of the Blight? Will you still protect her?” Kasey stood very close to them. She had dismounted Sedah and stood rigidly, her fists clenched at her sides.

Ian whipped his body around to stand in front of Raina protectively.

I anticipate that our trajectory will be shifted.

Raina looked over to see Tralna stepping up next to her with Euland leading Supi. The suket warbled and nudged Tralna’s flank, almost trampling the man.

“Piss off you jerk.”

Raina dropped Ian’s hands and stepped towards them. She pushed at one of Supi’s horns as the animal tried to nip at the Aya’Chyn.

Euland maintained a bland expression as Aylla trumpeted from the other group and Supi let out a loud hiss directly into his ear.

“Why do you think that?” She asked her draconic companion.

Tralna shifted her chest and withers away and bared her teeth at Supi. Generally Ianor keeps his mind closed to intrusion, but whatever that messenger conveyed to him startled him enough to blurt a mental broadcast.

She made an eerie groan and hooted softly, making the hairs on the back of Raina’s neck stand up. They know you exist, and the political factions have already begun to fight. Silkvetr is no longer safe from the Protectora.

Kasey opened her mouth angrily but Tralna slowly turned her head to regard her with one large eye focused on her. The woman seemed to deflate and stayed silent.

Queen Cassiridara, it is time to stop avoiding your duty to this realm and marry the King Silkvetr and start the process of refueling the Protectora spell form that suppresses the blight.

The diminutive woman’s eyes went round in shock, her coffee complexion flushing then going pasty. She bared her teeth at the elder Aya’Chyn, bowed, and turned on her heel and strode away with a strangled, “Elohima.” Her loupp’a padded after her master obediantly.

Ian gazed at the Elohima in appraisal.

“She has been avoiding this for years, and I think you’ve only rubbed her face in her hypocrisy over her devotion to the Protectora.”

The child wants to sacrifice my drakunmate’s progeny to the Protectora without considering her own duty to those she is supposedly loyal. The horned head shook violently, the tremor traveling down her serpentine neck to the tip of her spiked tail.

Enough of this, Chib’Raina must return to my drakunmate, with or without an Aya’Duel for Jra’Shanolar. I should have returned with the first sighting of Blight.

“I do not think this is wise.” Euland spoke up quietly. Ian inclined his head for his guardsman to continue. Tralna turned her attention to the man and he shifted uncomfortably.

“Both Silkvetr and Temp’Allah will seek her out at Elohima Palliza’s home, regardless of the treaties. The Blight has decimated an entire new settlement. I can only imagine how far it has spread for a messenger to intercept us.”

Tralna dropped her muzzle low, seemingly in contemplation. This required deliberation. She looked up at Ian. We should camp for the night while the other contingent prepares to go on to Silkvetr.

The man nodded absently, scrubbing at his platinum hair with one hand, while staring off into the Wilds. Raina leaned on Supi as she took his reins from Euland.

She turned her face into the animal's warm side, hiding her tears. Her Aya’Chyn winged out from the trees and landed on the saddle, wings cupped protectively around her.

I wish I could take you home.

Raina reached up to wrap her fingers under Iyzdra’s chin and rub the soft smooth scales. Her sense of spiraling out of control abated.

She clung to her Aya’Chyn for a moment. Then she softly whispered.

“Me too.”