Chapter 25 The Guest in the Grass

I sucked in the crisp air of the morning. A few hours of respite until the heat of the day will make itself known.

A few peaceful moments were all I had.

The new day was ahead of me and, with it, a multitude of tasks on my agenda. And the day after that. But this time I didn’t mind it as much.

My heart was calm.

Despite the upcoming arrival of Tarhunna and his son, despite my upcoming bath with Anaise. Despite the dreaded meeting of tomorrow.

Last night we celebrated. Neither Irje nor Yeva had any idea what was the usual way to celebrate the official sadaq and I wasn’t that far off myself. But we were creative. Emboldened by my reception at the baths, I ventured out to the kitchens and requested a set of lavish meals. Of the quick but delicious variety. Arguments of the cooks were silenced by my sash and their worries alleviated when I told them that they could report it to Sulla afterwards.

We took that food to my house: a quiet feast just for ourselves. We spent that time laughing and talking about the future. I tried to show Yeva how to eat certain desserts that she had never encountered in her life before. That quickly transformed into me feeding her everything as she outright demanded me to. Enjoying her new status to Irje’s chagrin. Luckily she didn’t mind it as much, especially after receiving a few morsels of food from me as well.

We talked about the new place, girls rife with ideas about the layout and absolutely necessary details that should not be missed. All three of us were in agreement that a more secluded design was much more preferable. Girls wanted more privacy for themselves, and to keep me away from accidentally attracting others by Irje’s own words. Apparently, their possessiveness grew with every day we've spent together. Or they were content enough to mention it to my face.

While I wanted privacy for my projects. My obscurity had already run its course and I had to get ready for my notoriety to kick in.

Having a private chemistry lab within the perimeter of my own estate would allow me to keep working on my projects without someone ‘accidentally’ stumbling in. Nor would I need to sneak out at night to do secretive projects, as I’ve done in the last two nights.

I also needed a safe place to bring in the salvage from the crash, and areas where I could bring some of that to life without others asking questions I was uncomfortable answering.

Finally, I needed a workshop. A real one. I’d gotten glass and soon I will get decent glassware for chemistry. But now I could do much more. Domina was now both aware and in approval of my projects and my status as a murk helped me greatly in avoiding uncomfortable questions. With that, my worst fears didn’t come to pass.

Aikerim also read me well. As soon as she found a common ground between our ideals she capitalized on it extremely quickly. And in a way that I wouldn’t begrudge her for it. I wanted the best for me and mine, and by positioning herself as a benevolent master and protector she knew that I would make her Manor prosper by a proxy.

Which is exactly what I was setting out to do. There was only so much I could create with available reagents and only so many tools I could request from artisans. I needed my own tools and I needed to add quite a few decimal places to precision in the meantime. A task that would usually take centuries and jump-start an industrial revolution. And I was planning to do it in weeks.

But to do that I needed one of the most important machines of mankind.

A lathe.

And not just an average one but the precision lathe.

Aikerim already started the work on a surface plate. With it, I will have access to flat surfaces, straight lines and precise angles. A lathe would give me the precision of a circle. A gateway to cylinders and pistons, crankshafts and gears. And the most important of them all: rods, threaded rods and screws.

From that, I could build the first micrometer and add a few more decimal places to the precision of my tools.

Beyond that lied the madness of the exponential growth. Domina coveted Ultramarine like a priceless treasure. I could turn blue into a commodity cheap enough to make blueprints from. And clad whole armies in Prussian Blue.

Enough daydreaming. Baby steps.

Emanai already had bow lathes for turning wood, usually powered by the carpenter. The concept wasn’t new or groundbreaking, but they were made out of wood themselves and relied on the artisan’s skill not the precision of a machine. I would probably have to go through few iterations as well before getting anything I would deem decent. And, once I have the ability to make micrometers, I would be able to improve it even more.

My feet pushed me forward. Not to the inner courtyard as I was planning before, but to the artisanal workshops.

Before I would gift the second pair of tori to Domina, I wanted to talk to Wrena as well. I would be waiting until the end of the queue anyway and I was already filled with burning curiosity. And it wasn’t about screws either.

Yesterday, my sleep-deprived mind didn’t put too much attention to the words of Anaise, but now I couldn’t let them go.

My ‘inventions’ were groundbreaking, but I wasn’t surrounded by inept and stupid. I’ve seen Wrena work and she had plenty of tools sharp enough to shave hair. Just because they didn’t manufacture most things en masse wasn’t indicative that they couldn’t make them at all.

If Wrena could sharpen her chisels someone definitely could make a straight razor.

Either I’ve overestimated the intelligence of the people, or there was something else at play.

XXX

“Ah! If it isn’t the murk himself! It is great to see you Erf!” Wrena smiled at my entrance and put aside her work, stretching.

“One and only. You seem to be in a good mood?” I nodded back with a smile of my own.

“Damn right I am! Look what I am working at!”

I looked around her proud form to see the familiar parts. “A loom?”

“Wrong!” She smirked at me, “This is the fifth loom!”

My eyebrows rose up. “Impressive. From what you have told Domina you should still be working on your third at most.”

“Exactly! Even though I expected it to take more time with all the secrecy. My apprentices were up to the task and more. In fact, we are waiting on the smithies to keep up.” She freely kept boasting, “And you? Still meet Domina occasionally?”

I nodded “I am heading to see her shortly, and I will inform her about your progress as well.”

Her hand slapped my shoulder, “You are a good murk, Erf. Smart one too. Keep at it and I might take you as my second husband.”

I shook my head in exasperation, “I don’t think mine would want to share me with anyone.”

Wrena tsk-ed, “Young blood. You males always scramble in without thinking through. You have a good head on your shoulders, if you were patient you could have been taken by a well-established woman. Instead, you rushed as soon your status got into your head.”

“Or maybe that was exactly what I was trying to avoid.” I raised my eyebrow, “I can assure you, having Domina is already plenty enough for my liking.”

“Your pyre, kid. She would’ve definitely traded you into a good family.” Wrena shrugged, losing interest, “As long as you mention my progress, you will be good in my view.”

Traded my ass. After ultramarine, the only thing I could expect from her as a marriage mediator was a life of celibacy. I simply couldn’t fathom who would be an applicable target for me in her eyes due to my perceived worth. Except these like Irje and Yeva - already beholden to her and unable to suborn her power over me.

All that made Wrena’s arguments moot. I just couldn’t tell her the reasons why.

Besides I didn’t come here to discuss my lack of opportunity as a male concubine.

“Yes. She will be pleased to hear how you are implementing the early stages of the American system of manufacturing.” I smirked, pulling her from the previous topic.

“I don’t care how you call it, but it is mine.” Wrena harrumphed.

“Of course. You saw a potential way to improve and you took advantage of it. But that is the name of what you are trying to achieve. And what the surface plate would be paramount for, among others things. There is a lot of potential in your future.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What other things?”

I smiled, pleased with my hook. “That is what I came here to discuss. But before we start I had a question on my mind.”

She waved at me, prompting me to continue.

“I’ve seen the sharpness of your tools. How come no one is using similar blades as shaving utensils?”

Wrena looked at me oddly. “They are used exactly like that.”

Now I was confused. “Even wermages?”

“Well, no. Their hair is too strong for that. What is this about? Is this about a Master of the House coming back?”

“Don’t worry about it then. And not likely - it was just a passing thought.” I waved her off, internally sweating.

Suddenly my willingness to test the conditioner on Anaise didn’t sound like a great idea. How much did I really know about wermage physiology? I pranced my knowledge like a peacock without care that my knowledge was human knowledge. I assumed I was human because knowledge came from a human. And I assumed that wermages were modifications from a human body because that was all my nanites knew about.

So far everything that I knew about murks, everything that I knew about myself fit the description of humans. So far nothing that I knew about wer and wermages fit any specific criteria of my knowledge. And yet I still looked at them and refused to see them for what they truly were. Unknown and magical.

Because for a murk Erf they were normal. And because for the nanite Erf normal was human.

Good job, Erf. You speak of wisdom and quote the titans, yet act like a bubbling fool sometimes. It was great that the conditioner worked so well on Anaise, but what if it burned her hair out? Or worse? What if affected Irje?

“So, what other things, Erf?” Wrena’s impatient voice interrupted my self-ridicule.

“Right.” I gathered my fraying thoughts, “How good are you at carving gears and screws…”

XXX

Our conversation was productive and, most importantly, calming to my mind. Yes, I had made a mistake in my thinking. But that mistake didn’t cause any accidents. So the best thing I could do was to learn from it and not to wallow in misery and brood.

Wrena was perceptive of my ideas but Domina’s order came to the forefront. I didn’t mind the delay myself, simply because I had no place yet where I could put her works. Nor did I have any other skilled artisan, who was bound by an oath of secrecy to Domina. She did give me a knife, sharp enough to shave hair, correctly assuming I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

She also told me where I could find the best carpets in Emanai.

Carpets were a big deal. Both Irje and Yeva were adamant on that aspect of life. Both expected, nay demanded that I should get many for our future house. And not just random rugs either. Emboldened by my rising influence they agreed that I should have Farshat. These weren’t just made to cover floors. These were literal pieces of art woven into fabric and usually kept hidden away deep in private rooms. Hung on the walls of personal bedrooms and, if you were rich enough, spread across the floors.

I’ve been in the bath with Anaise and I had no idea what kind of farshat covered her inner rooms.

Suffice to say Irje was absolutely salivating at having one of these. Yeva was also very amenable to fuzzy and warm coverings that she could enjoy walking barefoot upon. Erf appreciated the aesthetic but felt as if most of it flew over his head. But some things you simply shrugged off and said: “Yes, dear” to. Especially if money was not an issue.

I also needed to come up with a seal. Not for myself as much as for Yeva. The Kiymetl seal on my neck told everyone in the city to what Manor I belonged to and most likely kept some opportunistic hands at bay. An Erf seal over Yeva’s neck would do the same within this manor. The seal would have the weighting scales obviously, to depict it as under the greater protector, but the rest was up to me.

A tree perhaps. As a symbol of freedom.

I waved at Irje as I passed the workshops on my way to Domina, noticing Viter nearby. Good. As Yeva kept picking up my knowledge while Irje familiarized herself with managing a new project, my presence there became less and less necessary. I still dropped here and there, observing products and checking out the progress on crucibles that would actually melt the glass before melting themselves. But now I didn’t have to stand there for hours and give lectures on what ‘crucible’ actually was.

And the progress was lightning fast. A new stack was being built in the meantime, custom made to exchange heat from the exhaust and preheat the air before combustion. It wasn’t a proper recuperative furnace, but I wasn’t planning on producing a few tonnes of glass per day. Yet. Nor did I have the ability to pump superheated air. Yet.

As I said - baby steps.

Suffice to say this allowed me to perform other tasks and I was glad to know that the girls had another pair of claws. Did I trust him with their safety? Not sure. But I definitely trusted him to do his job. That was a life of a slave and he didn’t look too stubborn to risk his life and a rather decent living in comparison to others on something like spite.

In fact, he was a bit too eager to keep his current place. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Once again the Domina’s public quarters were filled with people.

I sighed, my detour didn’t help as much as I’ve assumed. Or there were more people today. I nodded to Sulla and headed off to an alcove, waiting for my turn. Expecting something similar to yesterday.

Except it wasn’t.

When the current petitioner left, Sulla broke the established queue. And simply dragged me to see Aikerim before others. I watched the faces of the onlookers gawking at me and quite a few frowns from these, who were pushed behind in their place. Seriously, woman. I knew you like yourself some new jewellery, but have some patience! I will be the talk of the entire manor tonight.

“Finally. I expected to see you earlier.” She greeted me with outstretched arms. Well, one arm. Her hand in an obvious ‘gimme’ gesture.

I placed the coveted pouch into her palm. “And I expected this meeting to be more… clandestine.”

Aikerim smiled, looking at her own pairs of blue rings, tori, and doughnuts. “It would have been if my Alchemist didn’t discover Arksite.”

When I was making the first pair, I wasn’t sure that they would be received well. So I made only one as a trial. This time around I’ve made a few versions of variable thickness and radius. Some were even small enough to be worn as rings.

“Your status as an Alchemist could have kept you hidden in obscurity for longer. With Arksite, that obscurity would backfire tremendously. I would prefer these curious to look and find a distinguished alchemist, rather than unknown murk. Hopefully, they won't dig too deep afterwards.” She continued speaking as she spread the gifts on her table.

Her tail danced as she moved them around. Picking, choosing, contemplating. Relishing.

Yep, her desires had absolutely no sway in her decisions.

“So what does that mean for me, then?”

“Nothing much in the immediate future.” She picked a pair and put them aside, occupied by unravelling her own braids, “Keep working on your projects, but expect your results to be paraded in a more public manner.”

I picked up the comb and walked around her sofa. “More meetings with the likes of Virnan Shah?”

Aikerim relaxed and let me groom her hair. “Less likely than you think. A few would be interested, but most of them would reconsider after learning that you are a male murk.”

“And I expect you to make sure such knowledge would reach their ears,” I murmured along, busy with my task.

Just like Anaise’s, her hair was healthy, strong, and straight. While I could feel the difference with how the hair handled the comb, that was only because I was looking for it. Despite Wrena’s assurances, wermage hair felt, acted, and looked absolutely human-like. So what was the issue, then?

“Of course. I want them to know of you, not to be interested in you.” She smiled, “Is that how you have enticed my daughter?”

I raised my eyebrow, “I beg your pardon?”

“I almost couldn't feel your stumble. Almost, but not there yet. Keep working on your restraint - you will need it in the future.” Aikerim stretched with a smirk. “I’ve seen how luscious her hair had become. I’ve also seen how furious she was at being interrupted. I can put two and two together, Erf.”

Her revelation didn’t really alarm me that much. From her body movements and tone, I saw the curiosity of a Domina rather than the ire of a parent.

I split her hair and slowly started braiding it back. “I have to attend to her needs, do I not?”

She barked a laugh. “All that work you’ve done to avoid being a companion slave? No, if you had no inclination for that you would’ve found a way to avoid it.”

I finished braiding in the first ring. It looked really fetching with her black kaftan, heavily embroidered with gold. As if she anticipated this colour of jewellery. “And yet you aren’t explicitly telling me no. Despite standing in her way. So what exactly are you trying to achieve?”

She waited until I switched to the other side and started working on her other braid. “My Little Moon isn’t so little anymore. Soon she will start taking much larger social roles. Soon she will start choosing her husbands-to-be. It is my duty as a mother to have my children ready for the life ahead.”

That…was an interesting argument. Not sure that I shared it myself, but if you disassociate sex from love then it holds its own weight. Especially in a society where powerful women were expected to accrue harems themselves. Well, sadaq-at. Putting too much emotional weight on the first time would make the sadaq dynamic more unbalanced with the first husband claiming the ‘dibs’ above other husbands. Something all these Dominas should be careful to avoid. No matter their power: political or magical.

Even I made sure to spend time with Irje and Yeva separately, despite having a wonderful time together. Sadaq or not, no one should feel left out in the relationship. It would simply not work well otherwise.

And that is why a previous experience would be crucial for Anaise. A knowledgeable Domina-to-be would have a much better chance of controlling her husbands, rather than being controlled herself.

“You don’t want me to be her attendant, you want me to be her teacher,” I murmured.

“I always wanted you to be her teacher. You just keep surprising me with the fields you are capable of teaching.”

“Is that why you interrupted her yesterday? So you can talk to me first?” The second ring was finally in place.

“No. Everything has time and place. Today Anaise is meeting her father and brother after a long absence. I wish for her to concentrate on that instead.” She summoned a disk of polished bronze, enjoying her own reflection.

I glanced at the tool that she used. Soon. But there was something more pressing right now.

“Does that mean you would interfere with her bathing today as well?”

Aikerim put her mirror aside, only to look at me with an odd glint in her eyes. “Her hair was quite an enjoyable sight. Do you expect me not to look the same for the meeting tomorrow?”

I’ve picked up a ring she set aside and offered it to her. “Please tell me, that you have informed your daughter about this in advance.” I really hoped I didn’t have to break this news to Anaise myself. I was out of gifts to placate her with.

“Worry not. I had faced the brunt of her anger, yesterday.” Aikerim smiled, accepting my ‘bribe’.

I breathed a sigh of relief. “I will provide your attendants with the conditioner before your bath.”

“You will attend my bath yourself.”

Her words made me narrow my eyes. “Are you in need of a teacher?”

Domina chuckled, “I have other ways to ascertain your prowess. Or have you forgotten what Irje was originally busy with?”

“Please be gentle with her, I’ve come to care for her greatly.”

She waved my concerns away.

“My daughter’s excuse was actually a sound one. I do not believe you had the opportunity to see what my bath could be about. A knowledge that could be important tomorrow. If I would have you as my attendant among the ladies of my status, I would expect you to know where the sponges usually are. I do not believe my daughter has taught you that.” Aikerim moved on.

Yes. That was a good reason, actually.

“I appreciate your tutelage.” I bowed to her, but a thought deep inside my mind was still there. Nagging. “If I may ask. What made you so accepting of my coaching of your daughter? What if she desires more?”

“How old do you think I am, Erf?”

“I do not wish to presume…” I cautiously approached the social minefield ahead of me.

“You should,” Her words made me stumble in my speech, “An age is a point of power among our kind if you are asked like that again - guess generously and then throw in another fifty years to be sure.”

Domina reclined once again into her regal pose. “Just so you know, I am a hundred and seventy years old, Erf. Some might say it is still young for a Domina, but I know my worth. I expect to lead my Manor just as long. Anaise will take in my stead then. If she grows attached to you, it would be good for her to learn how to let go. A passing of her teacher from old age would be an appropriate experience.”

No wonder Irje outright dismissed my concerns about Anaise. Such heavy disparity in the lifespans would bring a point of view I was not yet ready to tackle myself. That also further explained Aikerim aloofness about my relationship with her daughter. Perhaps she didn’t see me as a tool anymore. But it mattered little. For them I was temporary.

Who knows, perhaps she was so greedy with my knowledge because she expected me to keel over and die from an old age any minute now.

“And if a said teacher refuses to die?” I threw a probing question.

She smiled at me. Predatory so. “If said Alchemist finds a cure to prolong his life, I might snatch him up myself.”

XXX

The harbour was hot, loud, and smelt strongly of fish and salt. The word had been passed over that the ship was sighted near the closest lighthouse. And now Anaise stood on a pier, attended by me and surrounded by the horde of other slaves. While the ship was carrying important passengers and, therefore, little in the way of trade goods, plenty of personal belongings were still needed to be unloaded and promptly sent to the manor.

She watched the growing outline of the ship, while I observed her instead.

Her face, full of expectation, was tempered with a hint of frustration. I had no idea how well her mother planned this, but it really did give her a more regal image. Like a patron both welcoming but a little bit dismayed at the platitudes of her subjects. Or it could have been the training that allowed her to channel negative emotions into something more fruitful.

Luckily for me, her frustrations did not extend to me as much as they did toward her mother. While Anaise was terse with me today, her lack of engagement was mostly caused by awkwardness and, I dare to say, anticipation. My gift from yesterday still had a placating and calming effect on her. Just like her mother, she wore a darker kaftan both to highlight her red hair and to put more attention to the rings of blue skillfully braided in.

Unlike her mother, she capitalized on the new shine of her hair. The rest of her hair was set in a ponytail more elaborate than usual. A fire-red, gently rolling in the wind on the canvas of the emerald-green sea.

“It is a delight to my eyes and heart to finally see you again, father!” Anaise allowed herself to break her previous decorum and brilliantly smile at the figure that just disembarked from the ship.

I simply baulked at the sight.

I’ve heard plenty about the man’s character, but I was absolutely not expecting to see this. Apparently, the quiet and calculating mind was encased in a hulking body, full of muscle and horns of a bull. With cloven feet and ox-like tail to complete the ensemble. Virtually nothing alike with Anaise, except for the green in his eyes and a similar nose.

I didn’t realize how strong Aikerim’s blood was to be able to override so much.

As Tarhunna embraced his daughter I let them enjoy the moment to themselves, without listening too closely to their conversation. Most that I could observe right now I already knew: his responses were calm but full of parental pride and joy. Apparently, her appearance wasn’t the only part that shocked him, but her demeanour as well.

I guess being apprenticed under Virnan raised her self esteem quite a bit.

“It is nice to finally see you… sister.” Apparently, her father wasn’t the only one to be surprised by her appearance. Amalric Karim looked much closer to Tarhunna compared to Anaise, but still kept all animal traits of his mother. Despite his larger frame and the chin of his father, he still had a fox tail and ears on top of his head.

It really didn’t feel like a coincidence anymore. Perhaps there was more to the wermage genetics than met the eye. I wouldn’t make the mistake again, but, even in humans, mothers provided more than just a half of a child’s DNA. The human egg was filled with different gradients of chemicals. Proteins that told the growing child where it needed to grow head and legs. The boot code for a human program.

Biological uncertainties aside, that could have been one of the factors why Emanai society was so matriarchal. Manors were clearly of the same type and their power grew with the number of wermages that they had. Wermage females weren’t just powerful beings, equal to the other gender, they were also the only way for a Manor to grow and prosper.

A hegemony of gender.

“Little sister,” A twitch of Anaise’s tail made me pay attention to the conversation at hand. Was the response too familiar? “Allow me to introduce you to the envoy of Esca! She had heard many tales about our family and agreed to travel with us all the way from Yusuf.”

The name was familiar, but the envoy was a sight to see herself. Dark, raven-blue hair cascaded down in black waves. A pair of large pointy ears poking through, rich in gold earrings. The predatory gaze of her eyes was exacerbated by the black irises and vibrant-yellow sclera. The veil, that covered the rest of her face, made her appearance even more striking. Almost like a falcon.

But the exotic look of her face wasn’t the only thing that pulled my undivided attention. She ‘stood’ tall, taller than Irje, but she was much longer than that. The envoy had no legs to speak of. An enormous tail emerged from her flowing robes only to stretch even further on the ground.

A lamia.

I didn’t know if she was a wer or a wermage, but such a different body structure was a first for me. Emanai had many shapes and forms among the magical kind. But all of them were fully humanoid.

How peculiar.

“May the warmth never leave your house.” The envoy bowed low to Anaise.

“And may the warmth never leave your breath.” Anaise politely acknowledged her greeting, “What brings you so far away from your home?”

“Your Manor is well known for its trade across the nations, artisans of my house are always looking for places where they could sell their product, and always on a lookout for new ingredients. But it is through the words and deeds of your father and brother that I realized how lucky I would be to visit your homeland.” The snake made a small bow to the mentioned males, receiving one polite and one eager nod in response.

In the meantime, I tried to stay as still and quiet as possible. The envoy words about artisans brought up a memory from two days ago. “Esca holds a tight leash on their product.” Aikerim mentioned to me back then. And for a reason. House of Esca was the manufacturer of glass.

Not ‘a’ manufacturer, but ‘the’ manufacturer. Because there wasn’t anyone else. Until now.

And I had no delusions that this was just a courtesy trip or a networking one. The snake smelled something. Something enough to slither all the way across the sea to here. Into my backyard. And now I had to make sure she won't bite.

The yellow and black orbs of a predator looked again at Anaise. All of her, only to stop on the two morsels of blue on her chest. “And I believe my stars were the lucky ones.”

Fuck.