165 - Smack Me Stupid

They were paused in the shadow of the rocks, just before the road turned onto the salt plain leading straight to the gates of Lainz.

“Elemfias, how on earth did you carry that through everything, perfectly intact like that?” Ilax looked up at the Milari banner floating overhead.  The silk was light enough to show the Milari sigil, the white and red almond flower on a spiked mining wheel, centred over a jaggedly split field of red tsingy and white sky.  The zon settled the pole into the saddle socket next her boot and smiled down at Ilax.

“I have my secrets.”  The bird she rode had been rushed from the city and was an enormous old white and red male that had somehow not gotten too vicious to ride yet. They had the remnants of their fancy bird caravan as well, and Werfas and young Kyrus were over with the Amir, the two boys fussing with the Lainz banner, a slash of solid gold with two long tails.

The Emir-al had his war-bird perfectly turned out, with every feather carefully groomed, at the head of the kuluri who had met them with water, remounts and re-supply in general.  The Rasheem troup’s gold trim flashed in the sun, and the thousands of tiny mirrors along every edge glittered savagely in the harsh sun, making it hard to look at their polished ranks.

The zon’s silks were a wild rainbow in a loose cluster in front of the Rasheem, each had their own banner.  One or two that had the silky feathered birds had somehow arranged to have them stand out like moving puffballs.

“Ilax, I suggest you and your husband call up some glitter for your armour.”

“Glitter,” Kyrus growled, making the arm-long gold feathers woven into one side of his head quiver.  “I hate glitter.”

“It’s a parade inamor.”

His sarband was pulled back, even in the harsh sun, to let everyone see him, his veil was edged with gold medallions and his armour was black false-chain banded in gold.  “This isn’t my armour.  You don’t WEAR armour on a bird...”

“It’s a parade, da,” Kyrus said, coming up behind.  “I feel weird dressed in cloth of silver.”  He was dressed in black trousers with a silver shirt and an open long vest striped purple and silver. His sarband was silver as well and his veil was silver with silver bells as weights.  “If a Basin rat can ride in pretending to be a siwion then you can face them.” His da flashed a smile at him that showed even through the translucent veil.  It went away as he went on.  “I’m more scared of what ma is going to think of all this.”

“She’ll probably be thrilled,” Elemfias said from above them. “We should go before we all perish of heat.”

“She’ll probably smack me stupid,” da muttered under his breath as he caught up his own bird’s reins.

“Smack you stupid?” Ilax asked disengenously. “You mean more stupid.”

He sighed as he settled into his saddle.  “More stupid.”

Kyrus backed off from the look that Ilax threw his father, went over to Hara dressed from head to foot in white, with her sword hilt in silver, looking like somekind of avenging spirit.  “Do I look all right?”

“You look fine.  Take a breath and if you feel like you’re going to pass out look straight ahead.”

“Look straight ahead,” he said and swung up on his own bird, sneezing at the puff of dust.  “Right.”