a lead mare & a high seer far from home“Yes,” El Halin replies with a smile, pleased that the other mare has remembered her name. “I trust your shift in moods has been manageable, or at least tolerable,” she adds.
Iftikhar utters a low snort and turns away from the pair, bored by the inanity of their exchange. The fleabitten gray shoots a glance at her arrogant counterpart and offers Fatale an apologetic grimace. “Please excuse her. Iftikhar has been homesick today, and I believe it has made her impatient. I, however, am glad we have run into one another again.” El Halin means this. Fatale has information, and as a native to the Isles or at least as a horse who has spent a significant amount of time living here, the wild bay can answer questions about the populace and the environment that others cannot. The fact that Fatale is also an Arabian is one more reason why El Halin is pleased to be conversing with her again. There is a dearth of Purebreds on these Isles and the mare with the bloody shoulders has no interest in engaging anyone of lesser blood unless it is absolutely necessary.
“I’ve been off the Crossing since we last spoke, but I fear I am still very new to these lands.” She casts her eyes to the ground between their front feet and admits in a quieter voice, “I am a foreigner. It is difficult for me to assimilate in a place that is so different —in so many ways— from my home. I was wondering if you knew others like us, or somewhere that we desert-born might gather so that I might find myself more at home.” The High Seer lifts her eyes back to Fatale’s face and waits for an answer as she tries to gauge how sympathetic the other mare is to her plight.
It is a contrived situation: El Halin is not lonely or frightened or concerned about fitting in. Her goals are very specific and she does not have time for idle socialization. What she wants is to obtain the trust and camaraderie of the mare before her, something Iftikhar’s cold shouldering might actually assist with, and to perhaps find other Arabians as the two mares from the desert search the Isles for the Blind Seer. The High Seer desires the company of other Purebreds, and she intends to collect the loyalty of those she meets so that when the time comes they are a strong collective and not a rag-tag group scattered about the Isles.
Uniting those of untainted blood will also, ultimately, increase the purity of the bloodlines of those who live on the Isles. Perhaps in time these lands, too, will be inhabited only by the worthy. It is an ambitious goal. El Halin tucks the thought away for later reflection and offers the wild bay mare a benign smile.
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IFTIKHAR & EL HALIN
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