“This is a little more attention than I expected,” My‑re said to herself. Riding on a wagon, she sat on little more than an old board, hard with rough edges, so splinters were a concern. However, the smell of their team of oxen's irritable bowels proved more problematic. What were people feeding these beasts?
A dozen heavily armed members of the Shagornan Elven crew from the Unsinkable III accompanied them on foot with the mere dragon, Koma, in a large, iron-barred cage behind her on the cart. It frequently turned, scattering the fresh straw, showing its agitation, and didn’t like the confinement. The other two mere dragons, Kata and Kuki, stayed on the ship. They were even less inclined to enter the cage.
Twenty mounted Rirorni scouts, ten on each side, flanked them with spears. As the Rirorni capital of Rithakhar came into sight, they appeared almost out of nowhere. Their ponies were so fast.
On foot, Vomarian approached the wagon and said, “My‑re, with me.”
Checking her armor and the battle axe’s reach on her back, she gave her headdress covering and silk veil a once over and disembarked from the wagon. The two approached the Rirorni, and a solo rider met them.
“Hail, sons of the horse!” My‑re called out in Rathiri, the Rirorni native language.
Like the Delarquans she had met on the Isle of the Eye, the Rirorni had dark skin and hair, rounder faces, and almond-shaped, dark eyes.
“You elven lot are not bringing that dangerous beast into Rithakhar,” the Rirorni snorted.
“As you can see good horse master, he’s caged and heavily guarded. It poses no danger to the citizens of the Empire,” My‑re replied in Rathiri.
“No danger? Slaughter the dragon out here, and then you can enter and sell its parts,” the Rirorni answered.
“It’s not for slaughter. The mere dragon is to be sold as-is,” My‑re replied.
“Then elf, you’ve come this way just to turn around,” The Rirorni said, then began to back up his pony.
Vomarian asked quietly, “What were you saying? Are they letting us in?”
“No.”
“Do something fast,” Vomarian snapped.
“Our buyer will not be pleased,” My‑re stammered in Rathiri.
The Rirorni stopped and asked, “Who’s your buyer?”
“They prefer to remain anonymous. However, it’s safe to say if they are paying the gold to purchase a mere dragon, they are rich and have substantial influence,” My‑re said and then continued. “They would be most disappointed if we did not show and learned we were stopped outside Rithakhar.”
“The buyer is who then?”
Silence followed between them. Snorting at the non-response, the Rirorni began to back up and leave.
“Araminth, her name is Araminth,” My‑re called out.
He stopped at the name and sneered. The Rirorni then seemed to stare at her a little harder. “Wait. There’s something wrong. Remove your headdress.”
My‑re hesitated.
“What’s he saying?” Vomarian asked.
“He wants me to remove my headdress,” My‑re translated.
“That’s not a good idea.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Remove your headdress,” commanded the Rirorni in Rathiri.
Hearing the exact words in the Rirorni native language, Vomarian shook his head and said, “Make something up. Inform him you’re my wife, and its custom for women-”
At Vomarian’s visual display of disagreement, the Rirorni slapped his spear tip on the Shagornan Elf’s shoulder, interrupting him. He then said calmly and forcefully, “Remove your headdress.”
Looking at Vomarian, he nodded at her to do it. My‑re removed the silk veil, revealing her face, and lifted her headdress. She felt static electricity in the cold winter air. Her short, dark hair stood on end like a crazy person.
The surrounding Rirorni chuckled at her.
The lead Rirorni approached closer on his pony and studied her face.
The Shagornan Elves tensed and sized up the distance of the mounted Rirorni. My‑re noticed Vomarian test the reach of his weapon.
“I knew there was something wrong,” the Rirorni stated.
My‑re started to plan the best way to dispatch-
Interrupting her train of thought, the Rirorni said, “You’re not a Shagornan Elf. Your ears aren’t pointed.”
Realizing he didn’t recognize her, My‑re began to think. She huffed and snapped, “I’m one-thirty second Shagornan Elf. That’s racist, and I am highly offended. I can trace my lineage all the way back to the elves of Alfhame. Just because my ears aren’t traditionally sharp doesn’t make me less elven.”
The Rirorni backed up at her curt words.
“Now, you will escort us into Rithakhar. We will sell our mere dragon to our buyer, collect our bounty, and return to our ancestral home,” My‑re commanded. She then rubbed her belly for effect, looked at Vomarian, and continued, “So, my husband and I can give birth to our first child.”
The lead Rirorni nodded in understanding. He motioned for his men to fall in line to escort them.
“One more thing. Since I’m with child, I assume there won’t be a problem keeping my headdress and veil on in Rithakhar. It is a Shagornan Elf custom for expecting mothers and a sacred time for a woman carrying a new, fragile life. It is important to remain hidden from evil spirits and curses, so I won’t remove it whenever a stranger asks,” My‑re snapped.
Nodding in understanding, the Rirorni formed up and rode in front of them slowly. My‑re boarded the wagon. Vomarian approached her and asked, “What did you say?”
“I shamed him, making him more susceptible to my suggestions,” My‑re replied.
“Ah, nice. What about your headdress and the possibility of someone recognizing you?”
“Easy, the Rirorni are highly superstitious. I just told him I was in the family way and that it’s customary to have your face and head covered to hide from evil,” My‑re answered.
“That’s brilliant. Wait, what? With child? By who?”
My‑re cocked her head, looked at Vomarian, and sighed, “My dear husband, I imagine he assumed by you, of course.”