The shorter man laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "You defending us? A couple of dandies who have never fought for anything other than attention? Go back to your cushy lives in Eluria and leave the real work to those who can handle it."
I felt something inside me snap at that. Slowly, I set my glass down. Both men tensed, clearly expecting a fight. But I simply crossed my arms over my chest and gave them a condescending look that I knew would infuriate them. "You are just showing your ignorance and lack of manners by making accusations without knowing the first thing about us." I kept my voice low and let loose my aristocratic accent. "We are not going away, so you'd better get used to our presence and try to be civil." I smiled. "You don't want us sending a message home to Eluria and telling all of our friends and relatives how rude and unwelcoming Elucians are." I uncrossed my arms. "It would be a shame if the Elurian Federation started to rethink its support of Elucia."
It was an empty threat since Eluria needed Elucia as much as Elucia needed Eluria, but these men didn't necessarily know that.
The tall guy's face turned red, and as he took a step forward, he clenched his hands into fists. "We don't need your bleeding support. You can take it and shove it up your?—"
"That's enough." A booming voice cut through the tension.
All four of us turned to see a man making his way toward our table. He had a commanding presence about him, and he moved with the fluid grace of a fighter, but it was the insignia on his jacket, a stylized dragon, that marked him as a rider.
As the two Elucians stepped back, I had no doubt that they hoped the floor would crack open and swallow them.
"What are your names?" the rider asked them.
"Gareth, sir," the tall one said.
"Lorn, sir." His friend kept his eyes on his boots.
"Harassing fellow pilgrims is unbecoming and unacceptable behavior. Apologize to these gentlemen at once."
As the two mumbled their apologies, shooting us one last glare before melting back into the crowd, both Codric and I dipped our heads in respect to the rider.
"I'm sorry about that," he said. "Perhaps by the end of the pilgrimage, these two will realize that they do not command fate and that Elu is her ultimate arbiter."
I wondered what he meant by that, but this was not the time or place to question him. We were already the center of attention, and I wanted this fiasco to end as soon as possible.
Codric flashed a smile and offered the rider his hand. "No harm done, sir. We understand the sentiment, even if we don't agree with the method."
"Well said." The rider clasped Codric's hand. "I'm Theron, commander of the Sixth Squadron in the Fury Wing."
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The Fury Wing was legendary, and only the best of the best were tapped for it.
"It's a great honor to meet you, Commander. I'm Alar." I extended my hand, and he shook it.
After the introductions were over, Commander Theron pulled up a chair, settling in as if he'd known us for years.
"So," he said, his keen eyes studying us, "what prompts two affluent Elurians to join the pilgrimage?"
I exchanged a glance with Codric, silently communicating my suspicion that Theron, commander of the Sixth Squadron, hadn't just happened to be in the bar. He was one more layer of security, ensuring that we weren't saboteurs or spies.
A commander in the Fury Wing had to be the top layer of scrutiny, probably the last one before we got to face the shaman who would determine our fate.
I wasn't angry. I understood and respected the level of security Elucians employed to screen foreigners.
As disgraceful as I found it, some Elurians sided with the Sitorians even though our ethnoreligions were opposite of each other. Our society had its share of mentally deficient people and those who fell prey to powerful propaganda or sold their souls to the devil for some of the illegal drugs the Sitorians manufactured and smuggled into Eluria.
Theron could suspect us of being Sitorians or even Shedun sympathizers who had been brainwashed, coerced or bribed to spy, sabotage, or worse.
We could even be Sitorians in disguise.
It wasn’t difficult for a Sitorian to assume Elurian or even Elucian ethnicity. We were essentially the same people, and the physical variations between us weren’t significant.
The disparity in appearance was mostly extrinsic.
The more profound differences were intrinsic and not so easily distinguishable. Some Elucians could form mental bondswith dragons and some Sitorians could control giant worms. Elurians could do nothing of the kind, but despite that, we were the most prosperous of the three nations.
"My cousin and I have always dreamt of becoming dragon riders," I said. "But we have only recently discovered that we have distant Elucian ancestry. We took it as a sign that we should try to fulfill our childhood dreams."
