i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high
While it’s true he has always been the kind of creature to draw stronger emotions from others, he does have the sense not to say he had been trying to elicit a reaction. He doesn’t imagine she would appreciate knowing just how deliberately he has been baiting her. He also has little desire to deal with the fall-out. It doesn’t take someone with even a fraction of the talent he possesses to know how likely she is to respond with violence.
Luckily for him, Reave has gotten pretty good at riding that fine line between provocation and outright hostility.
Mazikeen doesn’t appear overly concerned about the revelation. Neither had Reave expected her to be. They have quite a few residents in that kingdom, including more of his own relatives, so it is almost to be expected. She even manages to find some small humor in it. Her response causes the bone-armored stallion’s lips to twitch in amusement of his own. Of course, he had already told Bolder’s mother that he hadn’t been harmed before they ever made their way to the kingdom. It was the real reason she had sought him out. After all, his gifts are hardly a secret, and she had simply wanted reassurance.
He’s not so cruel as to withhold something like that from a worried mother. Still, he had extracted the promise of a favor in return from her. He’s not altruistic enough to dismiss such an opportunity. She may have nothing he wants right now, but who knows what she would hold in the future?
When Mazikeen continues, her question is pointed and direct. She is learning. Reave chuckles softly, eyes flashing as the levity settles on his lips. “I think you already know the answer to that question,” he replies, the mildness of his voice belying the cunning in his gaze. He might have left it at that, but instead he confirms it for her. “Ryatah.”
reave
@Mazikeen