Chapter 29 A Hammer and a Knife

I woke up with a different body pillow in the morning. Apparently, Irje finally had enough of our cuddles and pushed us both away. I didn’t mind it really, it was quite refreshing to wake up as the big spoon. Judging by the big grin on Irje's face, she didn’t mind our absence that much either.

A set of cute noises emerged from Yeva in my arms, roused awake by my movements. Her hands wrapped around me and pulled me closer. She nuzzled into my neck only to sigh and hug me harder.

“This is nice,” She murmured sleepily, “Unusual, but very nice.”

“Good morning, love.” I pulled her face close and gave her a small peck, “When we get our new place, We will make sure that each of us will get a spare bedroom. That way we can either sleep together, alone, or just the two of any of us.”

Yeva hummed, “You know if you said something like that before I would have felt some worry.” Her leg wrapped around mine and pulled me closer, “But waking up like this feels nice as well. I wouldn’t mind sleeping by myself sometimes if it means that we could do this again.”

Her hand slid downward. “But we can discuss this later, I have no intention of wasting this opportunity.” She purred, easily guiding me inside of her.

XXX

In the end, Irje managed to sleep through the entire morning. She only woke up when I brought her breakfast, understanding that she might be cranky knowing she missed out on the fun.

My fears didn’t come to be. Irje woke up grinning, inhaled the offered food, and promptly glomped me afterwards.

The only things I could decipher, trying to crawl out from under the giddy amazon, were that my food tribute was more than appropriate and I should keep spoiling her in the same manner. Might as well drop my other projects too and live as her personal food provider from now on.

Alas, needs must when Domina drives, and I couldn’t indulge in our little tussle for too long. The glutton had slept through most of the morning and Domina would be mightily irritated if I made her late for the bath. With a few strategic tickling attacks, the mighty cougar was subdued into a laughing kitty mess.

I passed the kitten over to Yeva, who promptly dropped her on the floor and collapsed herself from the weight of the gift.

Giving the final kisses to a laughing mass on the ground, I set off to the inner compound. A bustling hive of activity and a plethora of new faces I’ve never seen. It was actually surprising how many servants were either directly under Tarhunna or came out of the woodwork after his arrival.

The supremacy of fluff and red was now tainted by occasional horns, while lithe frames of the Kiymetl were obstructed by the hulking forms. The former members of Enoch manor, most likely the Tarhunna’s entourage, when he was married off into this House.

Their height was absurd for my standards. I was slowly growing up, fuelled by constant intake of food and active nanites, but Irje was still a head taller than me. The minotaurs were probably a head above even her. Most of their height was likely due to them being unguligrade and walking on hooves but the rest of their bodies didn’t disappoint either.

Males were broad with heavy horns and logs for arms, forcing anyone around them to question their own masculinity. The females, however…The females were just a little bit slimmer in muscle, even though it probably meant very little, due to their magical strength. They compensated that with a taller posture and vast assets. Very vast assets. Large enough that my appreciation for female form was tinged with consideration for their daily toll of carrying so much weight around.

There were other nuances like ornamental gold, wrapped on their horns, or the leathery hoof boots present on all, to silence their clopping sounds, but I paid attention to something even deeper. The wer inside the manor looked more distinct than the free wer I usually saw on the streets of Samat. The animalistic features were much more prominent in the population within the manor walls. Especially shown by the newcomers.

While the wer in the city would usually have a set of ears or an occasional tail, the wer here would tend to have either both of these features or they would be much more prominent. Even Wrena - a wer through and through, lacking the tell-tale tail of the Kiymetl, still had bright foxy hair and prominent ears that would easily make her stand out in the muted crowd on the streets.

There was great variety among their kind and it was more obvious within the manor - one of the only places where wermages would live. Which reinforced the assumption that both wer and wermages belonged to one race. With multiple subspecies based on their animal characteristics. Close enough to interbreed, but far enough for mother’s genes to dominate in her progeny. The wer were either the ‘weaker’ offspring of wermages or the wermages were the ‘fortunate’ result in long-term wer interbreeding.

But where would that leave murks? Or, maybe, humans as they were? This planet wasn’t Earth, from where humans came from. Nor was it in any stellar system that I was aware of. The convergent evolution was straight out. The number of species present that were considered Earth-like was staggering. To have that many living things evolve into identical copies would be equivalent to me randomly sinking into the ground due to the atoms of my body passing between the atoms of the soil.

The plants and animals were brought here. Most likely murks were too as humans. But what about the rest? Were wer the original race that lived on this planet? Or did they evolve from humans without Flow? What about the murk ability to resist Flow. Were humans resistant to it from the beginning or was it the response to the local population? Including the obviously magical animals.

Or, maybe, the genetics had absolutely nothing to do with it, and I should be looking at local horoscopes and animal entrails to divine the true reason of magic.

Once again a new revelation would shed some light on the issue, only for more questions to arise right after.

But I had more pressing issues to worry about, compared to the origin of species in Emanai. Specifically, the small procession that had been organized to send Domina to the baths. Just like Anaise, her ‘ordinary’ travel had a certain level of gravitas. What was considered a walk through the city required a very ornamented litter to carry the Domina and a horde of slaves. Both to cater to her needs during the travel itself and the baths afterwards.

I ended up replacing Sulla, walking by her litter, in case she needed my knowledge. Which she certainly did.

“You were unfortunately correct about my son,” Aikerim mentioned with a frown, “Don’t seek him out for now, nor divulge as much knowledge to him, as you are prone to do in front of others. At least until I can impress the importance of this to Amalric.”

I nodded in agreement, “Just as with the Dominas we are about to meet.”

She hummed, “Well, until the envoy leaves, perhaps. Speaking about her, Shahin Esca claimed that all glass is extremely fragile unless made by their House. But I had found yours just as strong as theirs. Is there a trick that they hide?”

Glancing at her, I noticed the calculating eye. A glint of a shrewd business shark tasting the blood in the ocean of trade. While I had nothing against the House of Esca, yet, I also had nothing for them either. Moreover, it was likely through their continuous actions that the glass remained an obscure commodity. Envoys like her probably had done many trips in the past, either to procure or even disappear the unlucky inventors.

“Annealing,” I replied, “When you shape the glass into a form, the tension within remains. Or when you cool the glass too quickly. You need to give it time to stay hot enough to release that tension, but cool enough to keep the final shape.”

The shark smiled, “A single word holds the prosperity of the entire House. How quaint. Perhaps I should comprise a list of other Houses’ well-kept secrets and see how many you could answer.”

“And I will meet an unfortunate end how fast?” I replied, unamused, “You don’t always need to take away from others in order to be rich yourself. Just as you are doing right now: buy things from one place and sell it in another. And have both sides throw money at you.”

She waved me off, “Don’t worry about it, that was but a simple musing. I am well aware of how much ire this knowledge could attract. For you directly and my Manor in general. Let us deal with the Esca for now.”

“Good. Because I plan on reinforcing the glass further. I will soak it in molten saltpetre and you will get things that won’t break even if you drop them.”

“Saltpetre?” Her tail wiggled from my promise. “You mean the salts that butchers use?”

“The very same,” I nodded, “It has many uses, beyond curing meats.”

Aikerim shook her head. A faint smile on her lips, “Alchemists always try to mix the most obscure things together. Your choice of ingredients isn’t that far off from the rest of them. Yet your results are unquestionable.”

I bowed to her praise, “I can explain the method behind it, but not right now: it will take quite some time and our trip is at an end.”

Domina followed my gaze to the luxurious bathing house ahead of us. “Indeed, We have arrived. Come, and remember what we have discussed prior. And make sure to keep your Gestr visible. I plan to intrigue them with you and not to embarrass them by springing it up later.”

XXX

We had shed most of our entourage at the entrance. The litter carriers went back to the manor while some slaves stayed put to guard our stuff. In the meantime, I’ve found myself surrounded by Domina’s attendants and Aikerim herself. And I used all my conscious effort to keep my eyes on her.

Because she wasn’t alone anymore.

Besides the currently naked fox, relaxed in the bath and having her hair and nails done, there were other equally important figures present. All equally naked too. All of them were surrounded by their own attendants, working tirelessly to keep their hosts satisfied. It was a good thing that all of them went into the water quickly, submerging most of their bodies under the fragrant water. Otherwise, with so much abundance of flesh, Erf would need to employ nanites to keep his erection down. And fix a nosebleed or two.

There was still quite a lot to see even above water. There was a trio of ladies with obviously canine traits yet obviously different among each other. A wolf and two dogs - the representatives of the former House of War, now split into three separate Houses. They weren’t secluded from the rest but they definitely favoured each other's company, staying just a bit closer together compared to the others.

Their bodies weren’t that far off to that of Aikerim. Athletic but not imposing in their size. The wolf lady and one of the werdogs sprouted upright ears similar to my Domina, while the third had a pair of floppy ones.

I sighed internally. She looked cutest among all three, and the floppy ears made that image even better.

These ears were also similar to the merchant, who brought me into this city.

She was a Domina of one of the Kishava Manors. This lady, with a cute button for a nose and a gentle face, surrounded by brown of her hair, belonged to the House of Logistics. Their manors made sure all manner of goods were moving to the armies of Emanai and, most importantly, from them.

A House of slave traders.

I was probably lucky that Kishava Manor held the dominion of the slave trade and not the Kiymetl Manor. My arguments about slavery would have been rebuked much more strongly otherwise. And I would’ve had a much harder time reconciling myself to wilfully work under someone like that.

Even now I felt a bitter taste looking at that face.

So I didn’t. There were plenty of other sights for me to see to soothe my grumbling conscience. One of Tarhunna’s sisters or aunts was here too for example. One thing I could say is that her newborn children would never be hungry and probably the newborn children of her entire manor if she decided to share. It was extremely hard not to ogle at the two monuments to motherhood floating in the water. Large enough to be affected by their own buoyancy.

She also leaned back to have attendants polish her equally impressive set of horns, making the whole view even more spectacular. Her ginger hair spread everywhere.

Beside the relaxed minotaur, another horny specimen decided to relax. Her horns were curved and the horizontal irises in her eyes clearly marked her magical ‘animal’ traits as sheep-like. She was a bit smaller than the minotaur lady yet bigger than anyone else present. She was also the only one to leave all her hair unshaved. While her larger companion clearly had fur on her cloven legs, the wersheep had human appendages, but the fur coverage was much more aggressive in her case. Covering her legs, the bottom of her stomach, and extending upward to her immense chest.

A Domina of the Samat Manor. The House that ruled this city, and gave the capital its name.

It was a blessing that the most attention paid to me was from my own Domina. Since I was currently working on her hair yet again. The tiny bit of attention, that the gold on my neck caused, didn’t last long. The few enquiries were met with prepared statements on my position. And, if some of them remained curious they did not show it. They especially did not lower themselves to ask more questions directly to me as well.

Just as planned.

I kept myself quiet when they spoke among themselves, their discussion both light and heavy at the same time. They spoke of previous deals and the unplanned divine festival they were still trying to prepare themselves for. Apparently, they had been at it for weeks now with whoever was responsible to deliver the will of the gods stalling yet again. Each House vying for the best day to benefit their own.

Just as they were discussing favours and the weather, they were also leisurely talking on the matter of war. The current ones as well as the future ones. The trio had been asked constantly about the amount of food and slaves they were expected to ‘procure’ and current losses in manpower due to battles and hostile wildlife.

It was rather eerie listening to them nonchalantly throw lives around. Both murk and magical. But I got it. These might not be the actual rulers of Emanai Manorat, but they were really close to the top. These women here were the administrative force behind the power of their mothers and elder sisters. And their priorities were obvious.

Individual lives mattered little when the whole country was at stake.

Especially at their level of technological advancement. This world was still a zero-sum game. The land was limited and expansion was nearly impossible. Each country was forced to maintain borders from magical beasts. To expand them, one needed more population to man the walls and more wermages not to get slaughtered when cleaning the forests. All that needed food, which needed more space. Which needed expansion of borders.

A vicious cycle. Unless you took the food from your neighbours.

I idly wondered how many nations had to perish to keep Emanai afloat. And how likely it was that the Emanai would follow them soon. From what I could tell, making a new country from scratch was an arduous process. Unless you were rebuilding from the ruins of old. The wildlife was unlikely to cause intentional damage to infrastructure, so walls would most likely remain standing when the country could no longer feed its population. And then there were walls of the city to fall back to.

I would need to look at the maps, there might be multiple layers of walls within the Emanai just for that specific reason. Most likely built as the country expanded and intentionally left behind to act as secondary barriers. Building new walls into the wild forests would be hard. Clearing out a district from animals that managed to break in - much more manageable.

“I thought you would bring The Annoyance, Aikerim.” a new voice pierced the calm discussions about bread and blood.

As my Domina scrunched her nose in distaste, I looked up to the new person entering the bath. The Censor looked just like Aikerim described. She was tall. Not as large as the minotaurs of Enoch Manor, but her legs for days easily put her in the top percentiles of the entire city population.

The large jagged horns on her head were tinted with yellow. A touch of brimstone on the black ridges. I saw only one wermage with a similar horn style, Albin. Unlike him, she had the front braids, four of them in fact. But just like him, her manner of speech was anything but polite. I wondered if Shebet House had some special etiquette standards, or perhaps they skipped them outright. Whatever it was, they certainly had the political clout to do so. The other Dominas in the bath weren’t deferential to the newcomer, but they clearly permitted her behaviour.

“The one, that you begged for me to bring? He is right behind me, Sophia.” Aikerim answered in a similar tone.

She had slightly bronze skin and vividly yellow almond-shaped eyes. An enormous cape of raven-black hair was still gathered in one large puffy ponytail, giving her an exotic look one could find in the tale of Ala ad-Din. If one would ignore draconic horns and an immense fleshy tail, adorned with a shark-like crescent fin. Sophia Shebet looked young. She looked young and pretty, despite Virnan calling her an old hag every time he could. I could see the hag part was likely due to her personality. And I just now understood the old part. He wasn’t calling her decrepit or ugly.

He was calling her powerful even when cursing her.

By Domina’s words, age was a praiseworthy aspect of a wermage. For centuries-old Virnan calling another wermage “old” meant a lot more than I initially assumed. It was a begrudging acceptance of her power. Either magical or political. The power of a Censor extended across the entire Emanai, giving her unique authority over the population. Especially in all things religious. No wonder the other ladies here gave her greater leeway to act as she did.

The yellow eyes zeroed on me. “A murk!?” Came an incredulous reply and an obvious scowl.

Well, fuck you too, dragon lady.

“I expected you to know what you were looking for,” Aikerim sighed.

Sophia scoffed, “Since when have you started to expect anything from my brother?”

Five pairs of eyes zeroed in on me once again, as Domina slightly sagged under my hands. Well, I don't have to hide the fact that I knew Albin anymore. I wondered if she was his actual sister or one of his cousins. Both of them held very important positions, and both would benefit if some people would misunderstand their relationship.

In the meantime, Sophia finally managed to walk into the pool. And then she moved across it. It was an extremely startling sight to experience, as she simply used her tail to propel herself forward while maintaining a standing position. Aikerim’s tail was strong, the tails of the other houses were probably on par with hers. But none of them even held a candle to the size and ability of Shebet tails. From what I could tell, for them, the tails were actual appendages in power and usability.

The yellow eyes loomed over me. Equally eerie. She didn’t have the deep amber of Aikerim, nor did she had the lighter yellow of Irje. Her irises were unnaturally solid yellow. Both confirming the plurality of the yellow eye colour in Emanai, and subsequently maintaining the uniqueness of her own.

“And you, somehow, managed to teach that fart?” She scowled “He was obnoxious before, and now he is outright insufferable!”

I bowed, “I merely gave him new tools to work with, everything else he had achieved by himself.”

She crossed her arms, pushing her chest upward. Her dark nipples staring me down accusingly themselves, “Don’t take me for a fool. I’ve studied natural philosophy for longer than the Fart was alive! You didn’t give him ‘some tools’ you taught him a different way of thinking.”

She narrowed her eyes, “A way of thinking that you had no time to invent yourself. Especially the numbers you had given to him. Which means you were taught. By whom?”

“His name was Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi.” I eagerly replied. I expected something like this from her, or I should say - Aikerim expected it. We went through possible questions and answers beforehand exactly for this reason.

Sophia mumbled the name and shook her head.

“An obviously fake name.” Her proclamation wasn’t as assured as her previous ones, however. But she pressed on, “Where did you meet him? Where is he now?”

“I had let you question my slave for long enough.” Aikerim sharply intervened, “You asked and he gave you an answer. Which I had confirmed myself as true with The Orb of Truth. Even as a Censor, I would suggest you not to delve too deep in matters of fate.”

“You actually think he is a—” Sophia’s next outburst was silenced by the hand on her shoulder.

“Your rivalry with Virnan Shah had lasted for centuries. But you should be mindful of where your spirit could take you. Some things should be better left unsaid.” The minotaur lady spoke calmly.

Sophia opened her mouth to protest but noticed the eyes on her. She scowled but didn’t finish her sentence either.

I mentally sighed to myself. I was tremendously lucky that I managed to ingratiate Aikerim far enough for her to defend me this vigorously. If she considered me any less important she could easily wash her hands off of me and let me handle the questioning in its entirety. And I wasn’t sure I would be able to weather it without slipping up myself.

“Fine,” She bit out instead. “How much?”

Aikerim leaned into my hands, her own arm gently playing with a lock of her hair, “I’ve recently heard a very interesting question. For how much gold would you sell a goose that lays golden eggs? He didn’t spend all his time talking numbers with my uncle. As an alchemist of Kiymetl, he was able to produce the soap, you all already tried, as well as the hair products that I currently enjoy.”

The flick of her wrist sent her hairs falling down, showing off their shine and causing the murmur among the ladies. The Samat Domina was particularly interested, Her long but curly hair most likely caused her some issues in the past. Especially since her white mane didn’t resort to growing only from her head.

“The Divine Ritual will begin on the eighth tenday of Summer.” The crisp voice of the Censor wiped the smile off my Domina’s lips.

And plunged the pool into an outrage.

Some were more vocal about it with the shouts of “This is preposterous!” and “You can’t do this!”

The Samat wersheep shook her head as well, “This is too soon, we won’t have time to prepare for festivities.”

The Censor stared at clearly uncomfortable Aikerim. Expectant. And I knew why - Anaise’s birthday would happen right in the middle of the festivities. Her Second birthday to be precise, as they only celebrated them every ten years. She would officially enter the wermage elite society at its completion. That is why the Second birthday had a different name: The Entrance Feast.

It was the best present Anaise, Aikerim, and the entire Kiymetl Manor could hope for. The city would be chockful with important dignitaries both from within the Emanai as well as from abroad. And ‘blessed by the gods’ too. Other Dominas knew this, hence the outrage. Or they had their own feasts or birthdays. That they would not mind to happen in the middle of the celebration as well.

And now it was thrown at her. All for the small price of Erf.

Unseen by others, Aikerim’s tail wrapped around my arm, keeping it steady and still.

“I would be amenable to have him work as a lector for your House. Or we could find some other form of compromise,” She finally conceded, her quiet voice nearly drowned by the louder debates all around us.

“That was not what I was asking for,” Sophia pressed on. Extremely impolite with her blunt approach.

I saw it clearly now, why Aikerim had found their House distasteful. The Censor wielded a significant amount of power, and she used it like a sledgehammer. Every problem for her was just a spike to be driven in, or a wall to be punched through. Ignorant to the fact that she was in the middle of a glassware shop.

No wonder Albin was running preemptive damage control. She was burning bridges wherever she went.

“Then you should have chosen a different date for a Ritual.” My Domina stood her ground.

Sophia recoiled from her response as if she was struck, clearly not expecting an outright refusal.

A wave of relief washed all over me. While I expected Aikerim to hold on to me as much as she could, it was a different thing to actually see it in action. Especially with the stakes as high.

The Censor stood dumbstruck as the debate boiled all around us. Once again the discussion was re-ignited by the uncertainty of date. With everyone weighing in with different reasons, which would most likely benefit their Manor. While others were either trying to mediate for an equally beneficial conclusion, or even supporting the current decision.

The tiny mouth closed, lips pressed thin. The water roiling behind from the thrashing of her tail. Sophia huffed, “The decision on the date was chosen as the most blessed one.”

The bath stood still. The debate was over. There were some unhappy faces but no one intervened.

“Who would be the Host, then?” The Slave trader tilted her head. Floppy ears swinging. “We would need to hurry to organize it on time.”

“Since there isn’t much time left, one of the Manors closer to Samat would do.” The eerie almonds pierced Aikerim once more, “Chimgen had some struggles in recent years, they would be delighted with the task.”

“So you are planning to disrupt my trade instead?” Aikerim hissed, rising up.

The foxy tail squeezed my arm almost painfully so, while other servants scrambled away from the vicinity. This wasn’t a debate anymore, or polite bickering between honest rivals. This was the time for threats and power.

Large horns, black with a tint of sulphur, tilted to the side as the tiny mouth spread into a wide smirk. Sharp teeth within.

“Then you should have done your trading sooner, or you could always do it after,” Sophia purred, having found the chink in Aikerim’s armour.

My thoughts swam, trying to keep up with what was going on. The Chimgen Manor owned the city of Chimgen. And all the neighbouring lands and farms. Including one, that I was from myself. The same one that my mother and my uncle were at.

Judging by Aikerim reaction, and her tail on my body, this didn’t mean anything good for me.

“Then I would like to make one purchase before the messengers are sent.” My Domina scowled, causing a murmur in the bath.

“You know very well that you can’t do that,” Sophia teased among the murmurs of agreement, “To interfere so brazenly with the will of the Gods. Every Domina of Chimgen Manors will be informed as they should be. And they will be ready to Host the Divine Ritual. However, I am capable of seeing which ones won’t pass the cut. So I might be able to assist you with the purchase. Despite any promises that my brother made, only I can do that as a Censor.”

“So I would be able to choose from these, who are not destined to be the sacrifices?” Aikerim shifted, hiding the jerk in my movements, her tail still wound around me. “And what would you ask for this ‘assistance’?”

“A trade for a trade, of course. You buy yourself some, while I get mine.” Came an immediate answer.

I held still, my mind on fire. That spiteful fucking bitch. She couldn’t get her hands on me and now she chose to sacrifice my family to their gods instead? I felt the nanites shift within my body. The new but yet so well familiar itch between my eyes. Weeks of careful planning, subtle plots and machinations, and a spoilt princess ruins everything because she wasn’t given a doll to play with.

“You want me to exchange an artisan and a rhetor for few farmers? Have you forgotten to what Manor I belong to?” Aikerim was dripping with sarcasm.

Somehow, her ire at Sophia helped me to calm down somewhat. Her spoken priorities were still mostly about herself and her manor, but the fact that she was venting at her this very moment kept me logical. Her emotions allowed me to restrain mine, and keep my head on my shoulders.

“Your daughter would be delighted with the Divine Ritual that you will get from this ‘unfair’ trade.”

I wanted to punch her face, I wanted to punch all of their faces. A tiny voice inside my head whispering the names of different poisons and plagues, enough to turn this city into a graveyard. But I held myself still. The most important part right now wasn’t about caving in the face of the smug werdrake. It was about keeping my family safe. Alive. As well as not dying and not getting my sadaq in trouble either.

“I will consider your suggestion in further detail,” Aikerim ground out.

Time. Good. I needed time too. To think. To plan.

Perhaps, to kill.

The naked, horned, and tailed Jasmine spread her arms, “Just don’t take too long. Who knows, I might get interested in these farmers myself.”

XXX

I’ve spent the rest of the bath in the fog of a daze. I spoke about soap and conditioner to some, applied it to others, but all that felt muted, inconsequential. Conversations too turned into small talk, but I didn’t care about their problems anymore. My hands moved and my mouth opened and closed. But my brain was on fire, constantly coming up with new suggestions and discarding just as many out.

I’ve realized that the bath was over when my concoctions were taken from me by the carrier slaves. And I was thrust into the larger crowd of my Domina’s entourage, getting ready to depart.

Another slave with the seal of a quill approached me. A package in his hands.

Coils of wire, with varying thickness and composition. Their weight and silver colour felt as if they would burn my hands.

Amalric

He walked through the roads of his home, enjoying the familiar sights. He had missed the cold shade of trees all of the time abroad. Yusuf was an unusual place, devoid of vicious animals, but struck with the heat instead.

The breeze, humid but fresh, brought his thoughts to Shahin. He still couldn’t wrap his thoughts around why his mother acted so distant to the news he brought. To have her travel all the way across the sea and into a climate that was too cold for them. She was clearly enamoured with him. He didn’t just stand a chance to join her sadaq, he could easily become her Prime, and even steer her decisions in the future!.

She didn’t have a Manor herself, but she was a second daughter. There was always a possibility that an accident would befall the Lady of the House. And her children. Or Shahin could gain her own Manor just as his mother did. She definitely was smart, powerful, and ambitious enough.

Just a little push and she would be his as well.

Besides, he had seen her in Yusuf. These thick robes did no justice to her beautiful forms.

And yet, his mother reacted as if he brought a mere wer to wed to. Despite coddling a murk herself. Even his sister changed. Before he left, she still acted like a child. Eager to listen to his stories and his trips. Father warned him that she would grow up eventually but this was too much too quick. Somehow in just a year, she turned from a small girl, curious but naive, into some sort of a mathematical genius, smart enough even for his Grand-uncle to notice.

And, especially, to start teaching her Flow.

His fists clenched.

He would not be left in the dust. He was a proud son of the Kiymetl Manor. And he would show his worth both to his mother and his sister. And he would start by forging a stronger connection with the House of Glass.

His feet scraped the ground as he came to a halt. Surprised by the serpentine figure on his path.

The heart rang loud in his chest and he couldn't stop his smile. These alleyways were shaded and fresh to the skin. Annoying for a lamura. He could see the faint runic glow from under her robes, providing her with heat. She wouldn’t come here for no reason unless the reason was him.

“Shahin Esca! It is a surprise to meet you here,” He spoke with a smile, his feet picking up the pace. “Do you find the sights enjoyable, despite the cold?”

She tilted her head, “Please Amalric, you do not have to be so formal.”

“Lady Esca, then.” He obliged.

She sighed with good nature at his words, but moved on, “While the air is chill to touch, your land is full of sights I find beautiful to look upon... Especially the lush of trees and the translucence of water. This trip had shown me many things I was surprised to discover... What about you, Amalric? Have you found yourself surprised after your return?”

He found himself distracted by her words. Her speech was always calm and soft. All lamuras were like that. Both in words and life, unless they were working. It was as if they saved all that speed throughout the day only to release it in few hours of impossible activity.

“Samat is always changing,” He easily agreed, happy to receive so much of her attention. Perhaps he has found her in a great talking mood for once, “Every time my feet brought me back to the city, I noticed how much things grew, despite staying the same. Even my own sister. I can’t call her little no more, with how much she grew in just a year.”

Shahin Esca hummed as she resumed her ‘walk’ beckoning for him to join her. “Indeed, she looked and acted well beyond her years. Especially with her new tutor that caused you some confusion.”

“Oh please forget that,” He was quick to move on from his stumble at the docks.

Sheepishly, he scratched his head, his eyes avoiding her, “Virnan Shah is an established natural philosopher, Rhetor and a master of Geometry. To have him teach my sister is a point of pride. She would definitely grow into a strong Domina herself. I was simply confused why my mother would assign a murk Alchemist as her attendant that is all-”

A sudden rustle of dirt stopped him in his tracks. The tail scraped across the path as Shahin turned to face him. “An Alchemist? Was he not just a scribe to send the missives?”

He shrugged, enchanted by the eyes that looked deeply into his. “Most likely both? He had a golden Gestr on his neck - a seal of free passage into the Tower of Kiymetl. My Grand-uncle, most likely, sent him both to relay his messages and teach her alchemy. Although he seemed too young for that. Perhaps an apprentice?”

The beautiful hand gently touched his shoulder. He gulped from the contact. “Your family truly cares for each other... I can see the love toward them even in your eyes.”

He quietly nodded, struggling to keep his face devoid of heat as she said ‘love’. The way lamuras could drag their words was almost sensual.

“I can see that you have great pride in all of them and, especially, her. You have told me many stories about your country and your city. Yourself and your mother. But I would like to hear more,” She softly spoke, only to ask right after, “Would you tell me of your sister?”

“It would be my pleasure!” He eagerly answered, “Perhaps a warm pavilion would be a better place for such a conversation.”

Shahin quietly bowed and offered her hand to him, instead of simply 'walking' close.

He licked his suddenly dry lips. Ecstatic with his progress.

He almost had her now.