Land of Dragon

11

The Cousin

The dress outfit that Marziel had packed for Treylen wasn’t as

repulsive as he’d worried it would be. It was Iveran in cut, without all the pleats and ruffles. But with just enough color and plumage to be distinctly foreign.

It cut a stark contrast to Marziel’s. When Treylen arrived on the central terrace and caught sight of his mentor’s outrageous, flopping patchwork of a suitcoat, it was clear that Marziel had worn it as a favor.

Dinner was underway when they arrived. It was an outdoor event in the style of a picnic. A long wooden table had been set on the middle terrace between the lodges. Apart from Ibex milk cheeses, it was the same overcomplicated, under-seasoned fare that he'd come to expect from fine dinners when he traveled with his parents. Treylen longed for the dark- crusted bread and rich stew of Coops Abbey.

Marziel sat with Count Tsoro at the opposite end of the table, though from what Treylen could see, he spent most of the time talking to the count’s aide,