Chapter 15
Kagome pulled the reins of her horse, turning away from the stables and practice fields to face the distant mountains. In the distance she thought she saw some of the dragons glinting as they turned and twisted in the air. With a light smile, she tapped the filly's flank with her heel, setting off at a gentle trot. The sprawling meadows of the palace grounds slowly dropped away from view. Her mount kept a steady pace, easy enough for Kagome to steer the horse closer towards the foothills of the mountains. Climbing to the top of the nearest hill, she pulled her horse to a stop, turning to glance at the palace grounds behind her. Her filly stomped the ground impatiently, and Kagome turned back to the mountains.
To her surprise, she caught sight of Sesshomaru cresting the hill. The wind caught his hair, lifting a few stray strands to catch the light. His horse, a tall chestnut stallion, kept an easy pace as the pair crossed the space to reach Kagome. Before long, the demon and his mount pulled up next to her, and Kagome had to look up to meet his gaze.
"Sesshomaru-sama, what are you doing out here?"
"Are you not the guest, Higurashi?" Sesshomaru responded with a quirk of his brow. In the distance a dragon's roar rang out, the cry echoing off the distant mountain cliffs. His stallion pawed at the ground, ears flicking back.
Kagome's mare, though steady and trustworthy, took a few startled steps, and Kagome pulled the reins tight, trying to maintain control of her mount. The sudden sound had left an even more poignant silence between them.
"Higurashi," Sesshomaru said, turning to meet her gaze head on. "What are you doing out here?" His voice was light, but internally he wondered what the young woman was doing so close to the dragon lands. The dragons had long occupied the mountains near the palace, perhaps even before Inukouji established the valley as the capital of the empire. Now, his father valued their thoughts and judgements, especially with issues currently plaguing the land.
"Oh, well, um…" Kagome faltered. This conversation is going great, Kagome thought wryly. "I just like the fresh air, I guess," she said, offering a lighthearted smile to the prince.
"Hnn."
Their horses plodded along, Sesshomaru leading them closer and closer to the foot of the mountains. High above them, a pair of dragons danced in the sky, flitting in and out of the clouds. They had been riding for a while together, most of their time spent in stilted conversation and borderline uncomfortable silence.
"Where are we going, Sesshomaru-sama?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes," Kagome said, then added, "No." She threw her hands up in exasperation, rolling her eyes. Again, the two dragons caught her gaze. One was a brilliant silver, its scales reflecting the pale blue of the sky. The other was an almost indescribable color, pale white and opalescent. Kagome had seen opals once before coming to the palace, when a trader brought them to her village. She had been young at the time and had begged the trader to twist and turn them in the morning light to catch all the layers and flecks of color within the stone. Since coming to the palace, she had seen them more, glinting in the hair of various nobles and hanging around the necks of several courtesans.
Kagome blinked. The dragons were getting closer.