Chapter 26 The Face Off
Irje
She forced herself to remain calm in the presence of Domina.
While she had been called upon before and met with her on multiple occasions, this was the first time they had a meeting truly private.
She should’ve expected it really, Erf was like a fire. He gave warmth, he lit up the path ahead, but he could also burn you just by being close. Gods willing, whatever shenanigans, as he himself would call it, were the cause of this - they wouldn’t be too hot for her to handle.
At least Domina was in a very good mood. She rarely, if ever, allowed her tail so much freedom to move.
“Have you been made aware of the news?”
The voice of Aikerim Adal was commanding, but benevolent. Perhaps this was about something for the future and not about what he had done in the past.
Irje bowed, “I have. You have my deepest thanks for allowing us to form sadaq.”
“Sit,” Domina commanded, gesturing at the sofa near the table. Right across the lying wermage eating grapes. “Is that all that he informed you about?”
She carefully sat on the sheets reserved for important guests. “Erf told us about our purchase and a new place, your generosity knows no bounds.”
“Yes, the new place. What do you think about it?”
“Uhm, immense gratitude?” Irje really wasn’t sure what she was going for.
Domina sighed and rolled her eyes. A gesture of her hand and another plate slid over the table. Full of grapes.
Right toward Irje.
She goggled at the offered treat and the manner in which it was given.
“What I meant was how do you like your estate to look like.” She clarified.
Slowly lifting her eyes from the treat onto the treater, Irje kept staring. Domina wasn’t in a very good mood. She was in the best mood Irje had ever seen. She wondered, clumsily grabbing a grape, if Erf had the fortune of experiencing the same. Or misfortune, perhaps.
“I was thinking…private?” Irje cautiously ventured. This would be the worst time to say too much and lose whatever Erf had managed to bargain for.
Domina drummed her fingers in contemplation.
“Do you still fear my wrath?”
“I belong to Erf now, but you are his mistress,” She acknowledged.
“That is true, yet I have no desire to do so unless you cause something much, much more grievous than simply speaking out of greed. Do you know why?”
She breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, there was only one reason. “Erf.”
Domina nodded, “Erf. It is good that you still have a head on your shoulders. I was beginning to fear that all these nightly activities have kept you distracted for too long.”
Irje decided to avoid answering that by conveniently eating another delicious grape.
“He called you precious, you know. His own jewel.”
That was the wrong choice, she realized, as the large grape got stuck inside her throat. Irje swallowed hard, blinking off the tears on her rapidly blushing face.
“What?” She croaked.
Domina put on a pleased smile and continued, “Precious. The namesake of our entire Manor. We earned our name through the gift of jewels to the Gods. We earned our wealth and our vocation through the trade of the things that are precious to others.”
A cup of wine slid over the table. “Now, I want you to think. I want you to think as if you were wearing my dresses. What could a merchant of all things precious offer to someone who already has a jewel in his hands?”
As she picked up the cup, Irje noticed Domina holding an identical one. She sipped the drink, enjoying the taste of it. She did it quickly this time, not to have another blunder as with the grape. But thoughts didn’t come. The good ones, the ones that she would like herself.
But Domina was waiting.
“Offer him more?” She finally conceded her loss.
A thick brow rose up. “Do you think he is the type that wishes for more jewels?”
She couldn’t help but chuckle in response, “No, he is not.”
Despite all his prowess and willingness to please her in bed, Erf was pleasantly resistant to the temptations of acquiring more.
“Exactly, he isn’t,” Domina tipped the cup to her in response. “But you don’t become a profitable merchant if that is all that it takes for you to stop.”
A hand with a blue ring brought the cup to her lips again.
“A person who already has his precious jewel is in dire need to set that gem in gold.” Domina mused, nursing her cup. “So I ask again of you. How do you like your estate to look like?”
She tried her hardest to stop her hands from shaking. Stupid, lovable oaf. What did he offer to her for their safety? How large was his ‘enough’?
A part of her chastised Erf inside her mind. For his indiscriminate spending. Another part was busy worrying about the future attention from Domina.
And the third part couldn’t stop grinning like a loon.
Sometimes a price was set to encourage someone to join a sadaq. Or to placate the mother or a Domina. A dowry it was called. Judging by the wermage reaction her own dowry was immense. So immense that Domina had to offer back something that was enough to entice most free wer. And possibly some wermages too. An estate within one of the Pillar Manors was not a thing to be trifled with.
And now she will have hers.
Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure about Erf seducing the Lady of the House anymore. She wasn’t so sure about many things that she had planned or dismissed for her future too. Their evening lectures came to mind - was that what he meant by exponential growth?
Irje clenched her shaking hands.
She chose it herself. The ride was getting wilder by the day, but she was the one who climbed on the back of a young gryff. And she had no intention of letting go. Whether he would carry her to the lands of Gods in the sky, or he will burn her by the nearby Sun. And she would not be trailing behind - hanging on the reins for her dear life. Not for herself, and definitely not for him.
She won’t leave him alone on that peak of his.
“I want it big, the biggest you would give.” Irje licked her lips, “I want him to have no want within, in space and crafts of his. And give him an aqueduct, he talks about the power of water a lot. Find replacements for Yeva and me both. We are already spread thin between the current tasks, and you know better than us, that what he can give is more than what he has right now.”
She saw Domina absentmindedly rub that sky-blue ring of hers. “Gods…” She breathed.
The amber eyes pierced her through. A hiss, “Not a word to anyone.”
“By Three Horns I won’t,” Irje fanatically nodded.
Domina stared at her for a moment and then nodded, “What else?”
She wasn’t even surprised anymore at the continuous acceptance. A mind of an experienced organizer and overseer hard at work, “I want kitchens and servant quarters. Decent and remote. I want the cooks and servants either male or taken, happy to work but nothing beyond that. I want them desperate to keep that status without taking any risks to improve their condition further. Either by gossip or by bed.
Her throat ran dry from all that speaking. Drinking deep from a cup she kept on going, “I want no ‘encouragements’ to have someone join our sadaq. At least without our knowledge and acceptance. I am not stupid and I will seriously consider someone who will truly be a worthwhile addition to my new family, but I will not suffer some upstart or worse a backstabber.”
“Truly?” Domina leaned forward. “And yet you want him to fuck my daughter?”
The cup of wine froze at her lips.
“Did you really think that I wouldn’t notice?” The wermage hissed, “Or realize who actually was pointing him at my precious jewel?”
She felt a tinge of shame and fear, but she fought them down hard. A different memory was giving her the strength to do so.
“You made me do it!” Irje growled back, “The welts on his back are still fresh inside my mind!”
“I’ve done it for his safety!” Domina roared, standing up. Blue lines flared up all over the room.
“And so did I!” She jumped up herself, easily pushing the sofa aside and towering over the glowing wermage.
They stood still, glaring at each other.
Tyrannical Amber and Bellicose Yellow.
The silence of the room poisoned by the ring of resonating dishes, dancing to the hum of magic.
A grape fell on the floor. Rolling across the glowing lines of power.
“Good.” Aikerim pulled back, crossing arms over her black kaftan. “That means we are in agreement.”
Irje almost fell over from the abrupt lack of pressure. “Wh-what?”
The wermage plopped back into her sofa, her eyebrow raised. “We both desire for his safety, do we not?”
She opened her mouth, but the words refused to come out. Crazy wermages with their weird thoughts. Carefully, she reached out and pulled the sofa back for her to sit down. But the fire of anger still roared strongly inside her veins. “Was this all a joke to you?”
“A test, actually.” Domina calmly drank her wine. “If you wish to become his Prime, you should be able to defend him and his. Whether with strength, wit, or determination.”
Irje huffed but forced herself to calm down. Despite the rancour caused by her words, the underlying message was of approval. At least that what she thought it was. “And? Did I pass your ‘test’?”
“Almost,” Aikerim allowed. She smiled and reached over for a grape.
“Tell me,” The grape was lost inside her open mouth. “For him to educate my daughter in all ways carnal: how good is he in bed?”
This time around, the feeling of fire on her face was much harder to fight.
XXX
My attempts to go unnoticed were both unnecessary and unproductive. The envoy with the tongue-twisting name of Shahin Esca Yusuf-ja simply ignored me altogether. She remained content trading simple pleasantries with the Kiymetl ruling family until an appropriate litter would be found for her shape and size.
Shahin of the Esca clan, from Yusuf. Judging by the name, their clans either spread across many cities, or they were nomadic now or in the past. I wasn’t sure how much this knowledge would help me in the future, but from this point onward I was immensely curious of all things snake-like. Perhaps I should pick Aikerim's brain about her in a couple of hours.
In the end, it was actually Amalric Karim, who drew the attention of the crowd on yours truly. While Anaise’s father ignored me, busy with introducing both sides to each other, Her brother couldn’t help himself but frown in my general direction.
“Tell me, sister,” He finally picked up on the fact that she didn’t like the ‘little’ part, “Why do you have a murk as your attendant? Our mother would gladly give you someone more appropriate for our status.”
I sighed internally to myself. All that care and all was ruined because of some lovestruck fool. His glances at the demure lamia were obvious to anyone. Tarhunna started to speak himself but stopped, seeing the smirk on Anaise’s face.
“Daughter?” He prompted with a smile instead.
“Erf,” The smugness personified turned over to me, sending the wave of luscious fire across the wind. “Tell my family why my mother chose you.”
“My heart is full with your sight,” I bowed down low. Away from three pairs of scrutinizing eyes. Buying myself some time and allowing the Gestr to fall out from the neck of my tunic.
I was grateful to her, for allowing me to dig my own grave so to say. But I still had to tread carefully here. Can’t just start with ‘Hey I am the murk that made all that glass, please kill me behind the next corner!’, nor could I say ‘Oh I am just a nobody, here to embarrass the future Domina, who is already cranky by being blue-balled by her mother’.
“Master of the House, young master,” My lips moved on my own with acquired practise, impervious to my sarcastic mind, “This one here is tasked by Virnan Shah himself to assist in the education of the Noble Lady of the House.”
Which was technically true, I just skipped a few details.
“Master Shah? Hoh…” Tarhunna’s eyebrows rose as he noticed the gold on my neck. His whole head swivelled down to my waist and back to Anaise. The horns making even a subtlest of his head movements quite obvious. “It appears you have managed to surpass even my most daring expectations. Didn’t he declare that he won’t even look at any applicants below the age of fifty? With all his previous students being well past a hundred years? How are his lessons?”
I quietly faded into the background, content with their exchange. I wasn’t sure how much of his exclamation was the pride of the father but that tidbit was certainly added to impress their guest.
Anaise hugged her tail. “As a Rhetor, he can be very… intense.”
Intense my ass. The senile fox you have seen that day was a model of a gentleman. We only were at each other's necks for fifteen minutes or so. There wasn't even any sand throwing at all!
The curious head swivelled back to me, “And what did Master Shah say about her education so far?”
“The Lady of the House is being humble. Just three days ago she had pointed out an important solution to one of his problems. Which allowed him to gain a great breakthrough.” I spoke calmly as Anaise’s calm persona fought hard to keep her face free from blush. “Master Shah was so grateful that he had promised to teach her both the Geometry and Flow.”
“He is what?!” Tarhunna boomed in visible shock, while I received a crimson glare hidden by the fluffiest tail in the city at the moment. “This is great news! A celebration! We should hold a great feast in your honour!”
Once again I stepped away, satisfied at my redirection. Anaise was occupied in trying her hardest to look proper under the barrage of new questions. Her family was busy shaking her for new revelations while trying to be polite with their guest. The snake was trying to look proper and not at all confused by the deluge of obviously important news that she might or might not need in the future.
Eventually, the custom litter had arrived, and the entire procession set out toward the manor. Even Amalric didn’t bother me afterwards. It appeared like he wasn’t really concerned about my status as a murk rather than the quality of his sister’s attendants. He had shown a similar surprise as his father at seeing the Gestr, but he also didn’t frown in my direction anymore.
I didn’t know whether that was caused by the actual concern about his sister, or the desire for his family to appear wealthy and influential. But as long as they were busy with their own things I didn’t have to care as much.
A feast was definitely a great idea. In fact, they should feast every day until the envoy needs to head home and diet.
As long as Aikerim won't get the ingenious idea of parading me there too. I should remind her about it tonight.
“You weren’t particularly honest with my father.” Anaise quietly murmured.
While we were all walking together, the litters were sufficiently far apart. They had taken a significant amount of street space by themselves and having multiple to be carried side by side would take even more. A procession like that would take ages to clear the crowds in front of them.
“I haven't said any lies either. All my words were true.”
I got gently smacked.
“You know what I meant.” She huffed good-naturedly. “You intentionally made it sound like something else. Now my father and my brother might get a wrong idea about my abilities.”
“Will they?” I raised my eyebrow. “Are you not the youngest student of the senile fox himself.”
Anaise snorted, “Erf!”
“What?” I was the image of innocence. “He said it himself. I didn't even have to choke him that time.”
“Hnk. Stop it.” She furiously worked her jaw muscles trying to hold herself from grinning. Her hand holding her tail down.
I let the moment linger, allowing her to collect herself, but enjoying the process nevertheless.
“They would arrive at the same conclusions later,” I moved on in a more calm manner, “I just made sure it hit them like a pile of bricks now. For a greater impact.”
“While intentionally making yourself invisible,” She pointed out, smiling comfortably now, “You ignored my advice.”
“Well, there is a brash ambition and a careful one. But now your father will be reminded of that joy if he will talk to me again in the future.”
She hummed in response. “You are afraid of her? Don’t. She will be received as a guest, but that is all she will be here.”
I sighed, “It is not that I am afraid of her but her arrival feels too convenient to be coincidental. Now I have to watch for her sneaking in the background.”
Anaise rolled her eyes. “Do you really think she will have the permission to wander freely through the Manor? She will have luxurious accommodations for the guests, but she won't be able to go deeper. Especially as an envoy of our trading partner. Our relations are cordial but not that friendly.”
“That is good then. I guess from my perspective the manor was too open.”
“Because you haven’t gone to any of the places forbidden for you.” Anaise mused back.
“I didn’t even realize there were many. I mean private quarters are private for a reason but, beyond that, I simply went everywhere I needed to go.”
That would be important knowledge to know. I didn’t want to cause some faux pas, by stepping into some blessed garden, or a wermage-only pavilion.
She put her head on her knuckles, looking at me. “There aren’t many because it is you, Erf. As an alchemist, you are allowed to enter workshops. As a tutor, you can enter the inner courtyards. As my attendant, you have even more freedom inside the Manor. And, as Erf, you have all that and more…”
Anaise stumbled for a second on her last word. Only for her eyes turn wide as she turned her blushing face away from me. A memory of yesterday, no doubt. But her words made sense to me. In fact, I couldn’t even remember being stopped at the gates ever since I’ve come back with Gestr. I originally thought it was because of the golden trinket, but perhaps it was the Domina who gave me free passage afterwards.
“Erf.” A quiet mumble interrupted my musings. And a lithe hand tugging at my tunic. “I’ve seen the similar rings in my mother's hair. And soon her hair will follow. Will you…are you going to do…more?”
I shuddered at the idea. I could feel my hips groan at the possible abuse. With everything sensitive in between rapidly hiding away.
“Not if I can help it. Forgive me, but your mother is intense. If you don't mind I can even use your name if she insists.”
“G-good…” The tugging fingers clenched one last time before letting me go, “That’s… good. She won't, but…yes you can use that.”
She looked adorable, quietly smiling through her blush as her fingers played with the tip of her tail close to her face.
“Don’t take it against her.” My own hand reached out and gently enveloped her own, “Use her actions to benefit you instead. It is like ambition: would you snatch what you can now, or wait a few days for the most opportune moment?”
“So I can get more?”
“Much more.”
“Eeeep.”