Mirror Walker

Chapter 19

            "Did you say Lord Naeleth?" Elrand fumbled from surprise, the saddle flap escaping from him and clapping down. He corrected himself, lifting it up and finishing tightening the girth on his ebony draft horse, a big stallion with no markings and fur as dark as night.

"Yes... well that's what the goblin said anyway," Konner adjusted his own tack on Diego while the steed happily nickered to his old pal. The draft gave a pleased snort in response and faced his ears to him.

The elf's countenance visibly darkened, pulling a stirrup down and brushing away a piece of hay that had stuck to his mount's shimmering fur.

Konner noted this, glancing at him and stopping Diego by grabbing the rein when he tried to sneak over to the raven horse, "You alright?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, yeah... just planning the route."

"Do you know him per chance?"

"Know who?"

"Lord Naeleth?"

Elrand faltered, a stern look overtaking him while he moved onto his steed's head and adjusted the straps on his bridle. Then he gave an ambiguous reply, "I've heard of him."

The strange behaviour made Konner knit his brows together and open his mouth to ask more, but the elf quickly changed the topic.

"Is Charlie up?"

"Um..." the question left him disorganised, keeping his stare on him a little longer, then relenting as he fiddled with Diego's mane, "well I woke her, if that's what you mean."

"And where is she now?"

"I bought some things off Ansel; I told her to bring them once they'd been prepared."

Elrand slowly nodded, dropping his hands from the equine's cheek, and uncertainly inquiring, "Are you sure it's wise to leave her alone... given her... condition?"

"She's well enough for that, don't fret," he sniggered. "When she wants to be, she's perfectly sound."

"And what about when she doesn't want to be?"

"That's when it gets fun."

His brow raised doubtfully at him, sucking in a breath, and faltering till he chose to cautiously approach the subject, "You do realise that... that she might not be quite as conscious as you think."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that she may not be in control of her actions."

"She seems to control them just fine to me."

"She went into a wyvern's den..."

He wavered, his hold loosening as the two stallions stepped up to each other and touched noses. They playfully prodded while he unconvincingly shrugged, "Well, besides that."

"All I'm saying Kon..." Elrand tried to word it delicately, coming to stand beside Konner while they spectated the horses move closer into an embrace and groom each other's withers. "I just want to be sure that you're aware that she could be having... episodes... phases... when her rationality fails her and it's not necessarily her fault."

"Mm. Well, her rationality tends to fail her when it's terribly convenient... convenient for her anyway."

"She's an acquaintance that you've known for barely forty-eight hours... it's nothing wrong to practice a bit of caution."