The guard lifted a brow. "I doubt the Sitorians whisper our shaman's name with awe. Hissing and spitting venom is more likely."
I chuckled. "They might hate him, but they fear him. After all, he chooses the riders."
The guard snorted. "Elu chooses the riders. The shaman is only a conduit for Elu's divine will."
"Of course," I said. "I pray that my cousin and I are chosen."
The guard grunted and shook his head. "Don't pray too hard, Elurian. Every pilgrimage we let a few of your kind join becausewe need riders, but do you know how many of you were chosen over the last forty years?"
"How many?" Codric asked even though we knew the answer to that.
"Zero." The guard made a circle with his thumb and finger. "The last time an Elurian became a rider was forty-two years ago." He leaned closer, his blue eyes full of cruel amusement. "He lasted less than a year before a Sitorian projectile knocked him off his dragon, splattering him on the rocks below."
I stifled an involuntary shiver. "You mean a Shedun's projectile."
The Sitorians considered Elucians and Elurians blasphemers for refusing to accept their corrupted version of Elusitor, but only the Shedun, the most extreme sect of Sitorian fanatics, instigated the never-ending slaughter attacks, mostly against Elucians, but sometimes also against Elurians. Our federation had suffered its share of death and destruction at the hands of these lunatics.
Still, my father and brothers dismissed the threat, regarding it as an occasional nuisance that they were willing to tolerate to avoid a large-scale conflict with the Sitorian Union.
The guard gave me a haughty look. "Learn your history, Elurian. Forty-one years ago, the two western territories of Sitoria, the Quarak and the Danak, attacked Elucia, hoping to conquer it once more and eradicate us and our dragons. We've barely managed to push them back into their swamps."
"I know history." I straightened my shoulders. "It was a coalition of two different sections of Shedun who attacked Elucia."
"Read a different history book, Elurian. Blessed are the seekers of truth, for they shall find Elu's radiant light within."
"Truth." I put three fingers to my lips in the Elucian form of affirmation.
The guard grunted his approval and motioned at our bags. "Take everything out and put it on the table."
We complied, and as I watched him rifle through our belongings, I wondered whether the history I had been taught and the news articles I had been consuming had been skewed because Eluria wanted to stay neutral and avoid conflict with Sitoria.
Contemporary Elurians were focused on material wealth and hedonistic pursuits. Most had forgotten their own savage past, the bloody wars that dotted it, and the empires that had risen and fallen before the rise of the current major powers, the Elurian Federation and the Sitorian Union. Two superpowers with the tiny enclave of Elucia wedged between them like a bothersome thorn.
It was an uncomplimentary analogy, but it was apt.
Since Elurians wanted to stay out of the conflict between Elucians and Sitorians, it was very likely that the Elurian powers-that-be had knowingly and methodically painted Sitoria in a more positive light, blaming all of its follies on the deadly Shedun sect and propagating the manufactured narrative over decades through academia, books, and mass media.
After what felt like an eternity, the guard motioned for us to put everything back in our bags and returned our paperwork. "Good luck, lads."
I let out a breath even though there had been nothing in our belongings that could have given us away. We'd made sure of that.
Still, it was another hurdle cleared.
Codric and I gathered our bags and made our way to the next checkpoint. This one was operated by a tall woman with auburn hair that was pulled back in a severe bun. Despite her stern appearance, her expression was kind, and there was a hint of warmth in her brown eyes as she greeted us.
"Welcome to Elucia," she said. "I'm Irru, and I'll be conducting your final screening before you can board the transport."
Codric stepped forward, turning on the charm that had gotten us out of more than a few tight spots in the past. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Irru," he said, his voice smooth as honey. "I must say, your lovely visage is a welcome sight after such a long journey."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Trust Codric to start flirting with a security guard. He was more likely to get us in trouble than to help us get through the checkpoint.
To my surprise, Irru's lips quirked up in a smile. "Flattery will get you nowhere, young man," she said, but there was no bite to her words. "Now, let's go over your documents one more time."
We handed her the papers, and as she began to review them, I studied her more closely. The efficiency of her movements and the sharpness of her gaze spoke of years of experience. Her easy charm was meant to put us at ease and make us less guarded, but she was not to be underestimated.
"So, Alar Tekum," Irru said, looking up from the documents, "tell me why you've chosen to undertake the pilgrimage. It's a hardship our youth must face, but why would outsiders volunteer for it?"
I cleared my throat, preparing to deliver the story we'd repeated countless times by now. "My cousin and I believe that we may have the gift. Our great-great-grandmother was Elucian."
