In The Lair of the Draca (Book 2)

In the Lair of the Draca (Book 2) Chapter 86: Acrimony

Michek sipped at her elderweed tea, but she did not taste it.

"Drink, my daughter!" Mother admonished. "Today is the seventh! Are you not excited about reuniting with your long-suffering sister?" Sprightly once again now that her adopted daughter had blessed the village with her presence, Mother flitted here and there in the dwelling,  tending to various chores like a dutiful dragon-fly.

The morning was still crisp and fresh; Michek had risen early and tucked back the curtains, allowing soothing light from the Twin Moons to illuminate the family's cozy home. There was rumor that today, Ziuta would emerge from her cabin of repose and address the Looks Thrice inhabitants in the center square. The entire hamlet was abuzz: surging crowds assembled near the palisade, hungry for a glimpse of the three Draca sisters stationed outside the barred double-doors. The magnificent animals sat serenely on their haunches, as still as statues. Beneath the Moons and starlight, the Draca's scales sparkled like ensorcelled gems.

Michek wanted nothing to do with any of it. Tense, and with a sense of pellucid jealousy bubbling in her stomach, Michek sipped at the tea in silence. Either unaware of or indifferent to her twin sister's apathy, Bichek sat on a cushion beside her and added a lump of sweet sugar-rock to her own tea.

"Michek? You haven't answered, child. Do you not agree that this day will be a magical one for all of us?" Mother prodded gently.

Michek merely shrugged.

Bichek poked at her discreetly. "Perk up and finish your tea!" she whispered. "Mother hasn't been this excited since before our sister left. Don't spoil the mood!"

"She isn't my sister," said Michek tersely, regretting the words almost as soon as they left her mouth. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it was true. She couldn't pretend to be happy about the situation any longer.

Bichek drew back and resorted to stirring her own tea.

If Mother had heard the sisters' bickering, she did not let on. Like a flower-wasp, she hummed incessantly, dusting here, re-arranging cookery there, and every so often poking at the charcoals underneath the tea-kettle.

Michek grew more and more heated by the moment. How could anyone be celebrating this as an exuberant occasion?

She'll ruin everything. She's already ruined our family, and now she's coming back to ruin me!

Michek's vibrant, ivory hair was swept into a demure bun. Two soft tendrils framed her face on either side, a look she knew that Luka loved. Earlier she'd picked some elderweed petals out of the tea-kettle and crushed them, using their pink stain to brighten her lips and add to her already reticent countenance. Michek had even adorned herself in Mother's favorite azure frock. Its neckline, sleeves, and hem were dotted with shining pearls of granite. The material was sleek and glossy, accentuating the color in Michek's troubled eyes. The skirt itself was transparent, but with just the right amount of fabric to conceal any intimate areas. It was absolutely lovely, and the only lavish gown in Gormaq's family's possession. Rightfully, it belonged in Mother's dressing basket, but Michek was resolute. For this one single day, she needed to be the most beautiful, coveted maiden in Looks Thrice. The eyes of men would naturally turn her way, but it wasn't them she needed to allure.

It was Luka.

Her chores complete, Mother stood up and massaged her lower back. "It must be nearly high noon," she declared. "Girls, Amek seems to be occupied at the well. She hasn't brought the washing water back, and I won't be going to the town center without a pure wash. Do your ailing mother a favor and check on her, won't you?"