Chapter 39 Intermission

Aikerim Kiymetl Adal

She lounged near her table, reading the missives she had received. Ignoring the two figures in the room. Her affairs had been in order and profits were flowing in much faster than last year. The reason had been obvious for a while now. The Daimon. And an unusual one at that.

She knew of Daimonas. They were too notable to be forgotten even if they would happen once in a thousand years. There were rumours that Chasya twins were two of them and she wouldn’t easily dismiss these either. Especially after meeting Erf. All of them were born wise beyond their years and powerful beyond belief. All of them were eccentric and wilful.

And yet Daimonas were always a boon to their Manors despite their tyrannical tendencies. They brought respect of the other Manors with their status and skill in Flow while their seed was equally strong. Few Houses were brought to prominence by a Daimon only to grow their renown even further through their children. An occasional heavy-handedness was a small price to pay for the future prosperity of your Family.

Unfortunately for her, Erf was a murk. His body was weak and so was his seed, most likely. Aikerim was mildly curious, but so far neither of his sadaq had a belly to show. He couldn’t welcome the Flow around him, yet his knowledge was unmistakable. The soap was only mildly popular initially, mostly due to the novelty and her name behind it, but the conditioners pushed both products into a high demand among the elite.

Demand was so high that she easily financed his furnaces and kilns, and still ended up richer than she was before. Both financially and politically. While the new counting system and the bookkeeping allowed her to plug many holes in her coffers, the existence of some she didn’t even know previously.

She knew that this rush wouldn’t last long and she would have to start shipping the product across Emanai and overseas to compensate for the drop in demand across the city. But that was fine - these were the products of luxury with low volume and high profits. It would be a trifling matter to add them to her current shipments. And the foray into glass manufacturing already yielded another product of opulence. Based on the description, the new mirrors were ten or twenty times cheaper to make than the polished discs of metal. While being just as many times better in quality.

Unmistakable and visible quality at that.

She didn’t even dare to think how much would the ‘ultramarine’ Arksite sell for. Aikerim had to personally maintain the spell while the slaves dyed the kaftan in the darkness. Just to make sure no one would know of its colour until the Divine Ritual.

And there lied the challenge of her current situation. She had too much potential wealth on her hands. And this wasn’t just about the safety of her alchemist. Or the knowledge he possessed. She didn’t get where she was today by blindly rushing ahead - every step had been meticulously planned. And the habit had continued since then. Now, instead of just seeing the mountains of gold in her future, Aikerim saw greedy claws trying to grab a chunk for themselves or even take it all.

She was strong and powerful, but she wasn’t the only one. That meant her Manor had to rapidly grow in strength or she would be forced to hide more and more of the inventions out of the public eye. And that meant more spending, gifts, and bribes. More opulent sacrifices too: Anaise wouldn’t just come out in the Arksite kaftan during her Feast, she would also gift an entire bolt of similarly coloured wool as her first offering. All that to remain in the good graces.

A divestiture could be plausible too. Aikerim would have never even considered to sell or gift her ventures away, but Erf had made a compelling argument for it. She had no manpower to support all of them yet she loathed to have them stall and disappear. Each one of these products made her life a little bit more luxurious. They would also be immensely valuable commodities to strengthen her position within the Kiymetl while making her House stronger. A lump of gold was incomparable to the stable income for generations. And grateful sisters and aunts would be eager to defend her from other Houses. Or even appoint her as the next Matriarch.

She frowned while looking at the profits. It still stung her to give so much away. If only she had more daughters…

Something to consider for the future.

A shuffle in front of her table reminded Aikerim about the uncomfortable present issues.

“Do you know why I summoned you?” She spoke without lifting her eyes off her scroll.

“The murk lies,” Amalric stubbornly replied.

Tarhunna softly sighed.

“About what?” She put her scroll away and looked down on her kneeling son. He was in that position for a while now - beans forged character. Her husband was beside. She didn’t prohibit him from taking another sofa but he chose to stand.

“Wha—”

“You said he lies. About what?”

“Everything! He is full of them!” He kept digging deeper.

“He promised me riches. Does it mean he lied about it too?” With a snap of her fingers, the scroll smacked him in the face, “Tell me.”

Amalric peeled the parchment off his face, “This is nothing. Give me a ship and I can easily earn as much in a year.”

“In three tendays,” She growled, making her son’s diatribe sputter, “And show it to your father, since he is so curious.”

“Aikerim?”

She sighed, “I know you well enough, Tar. You could have stopped him before I had to personally step in myself. Twice at that."

Her husband shook his horns as he glanced at the reports thrown at them, “He looks to be a grand asset indeed. Important enough to be kept safe. You have my word—”

“No,” She stopped him, “your word is not enough anymore since I had to intervene on my own. Now you will have my word as Domina that he is to be kept safe. No one would touch him, unless by my order. No punishments or threats! Deal with me if you see something suspicious and I will deal with him. And if I learn of anything again I will consider it to be a threat to my Manor. And I will deal with it accordingly.”

“But Mother!” Amalric pleaded, “he is dangerous! Don’t you see that is exactly what he wants. He will poison your ears with his honeyed words.”

"I will not have my son act like a poppet of a lamura!" She slammed her fists into the table, making the dust fall from the ceiling. Table held. Barely.

“Shahin simply showed me how much influence the murk has over you!”

“Silence! And you, do you share in his foolishness?” She glanced at her husband.

Tarhunna shrugged, “I trust your judgement, but with all that secrecy around him, one is bound to wonder.”

“Yes, I find it vexing how he manages to attract the female sight,” She felt a bit of pleasure watching them cringe from the way she worded it, “Especially from overseas.”

Now that got a real reaction.

“She would never!” Amalric roared.

“Really? An esteemed daughter of Esca, without a Manor yet well-connected, chose to leave the comfortable sands of her homeland and travel across the sea to woo my youngest son? You are still at least a century too young to have elder daughters run after you like that.”

“House of Trade is well-known and your Manor within it is raising in fame, a marriage between our families could benefit both sides.” Tarhunna intervened, while her son gnashed his teeth in anger.

She would have to work on his restraint more at a later time.

She pulled in the rushing waters of the Flow and pushed it back as she observed the runes around her.

“Yes, especially right now. When my Manor had obtained an alchemist that can make glass,” She said afterwards, “And that is why I sent a letter asking about the powders Esca used. To confirm if what he said was actual truth or just what he believed as one.”

In the quiet of her sealed room, secluded from servants and with glowing magical seals on the walls, she quietly continued, “And now I have an envoy in my lap as I dance around the curious eyes of my peers. All because my son and my husband said a little bit too much during their trip.”

The sofa groaned when the large frame of her husband landed on it. Amalric had the decency to stay quiet when serious talk began. He was rash and bold but he was still her son. And she made sure he wasn’t stupid. Unfortunate foolishness of youth that all it was.

“And you chose not to sell him. Are you waiting for a better price?” Tarhunna asked rubbing his chin.

She shook her head, “Esca wouldn’t be able to afford him. And I am unwilling to give him for a pittance.”

“They would not be happy to find out that you know of their secret. Despite the distance, Esca aren’t pushovers. They could easily apply pressure on your mother.”

“Good. That is exactly why I kept it secret. I would’ve preferred her not knowing at all but the other outcome is still an acceptable one. By the time my mother would be forced to act, I will have them in the palm of my hand. In fact, I just need a few more days to make sure she could understand the fate of her House if they refuse to cooperate. Which is why Shahin Esca will be leaving tomorrow to visit our summer estate. Far enough that her tongue won't reach my son, and her knife - my alchemist.”

“Do you really think she would risk herself for a mere murk artisan? She knows that that the laws of hospitality won’t save her if she attacks you and yours. He might know a lot but Esca had been polishing their craft for centuries. Even if we move all of our assets into glass it would take us years to catch up to their scale, and even longer to their artistry. Enough time to bury us many times over.” Her husband asked incredulously.

“She might,” Aikerim slid over a wrapped object, “Because he doesn’t just know their glass. He knows more.”

“Tell me, my dear husband,” She crooned as she pulled the cover away, “After spending so long in their lands. How many glass mirrors do they produce. And then ask yourself - how many centuries it would take for Esca to catch up to Kiymetl now.”

The shocked silence was her answer.

Agrona Samat Ninanak

She lounged on her sofa, her face unreadable.

“I find you surprisingly unaffected,” Agrona finally spoke to her idle visitor, “The venture is growing in cost with every day and yet you do not seem to be worried about it.”

She leaned over, pointing the sharp tips of her horns at her ‘ally’, “I have no desire to dig the mud while you eat pears up above. If you are really interested in seeing this succeed then you have to show it. Remember, I am not the one who came here with gifts and offers, asking for the help of a Pillar Manor. I can step away at any point, and lose nothing.”

“Except for the Craft District,” The lamura readjusted the coils of her tail, “We both know that Kiymetl already owns the Trade District of Samat. Despite the fact that it should rightfully belong to you. And you know exactly why she is getting that aqueduct.”

Agrona suppressed the growl inside her throat. She had no intentions to reveal her feelings too much, despite the truth in the lamura’s words. Kiymetl had been a sore point for her House for centuries. While other Manors had earned their wealth with honest work, the foxes chose to steal it instead. They would fleece the sellers and gouge the buyers, stuffing their coffers with the gold of others. Even their position as a Pillar Manor had been a slap on everyone’s faces.

Upstarts had bribed their way with rich offerings. Earning their place not by the blood they spilt nor the sweat they had `shed, but by gold and gems they threw on the altar.

At least their Matriarch had a modicum of decency herself. Nanaya Kiymetl Ayda had established her reign where the Twin Sisters were close. The slaves of her House pulled the boats from Shara to Nuur and back, linking the two rivers into one route and uniting the two halves of Emanai. And with them - allowing the sea to sea travel.

Aikerim Adal did none of that. Instead, she simply walked into greatness from a literal nobody, forty years ago. And now Agrona felt her slimy fingers digging even deeper. Purchasing large quantities of raw materials even before they hit the markets. And making waves with their new concoctions for the skin and the hair. Turning heads with the new quality and quantity of their textiles.

“The same aqueduct that I am now forced to make because of this venture,” She retorted instead.

“I have warned you about the potential risk of sending someone from your own Manor,” Shahin argued back, “But we can salvage this and even turn it into our own advantage.”

“Tell me, then.”

Lamura drank her honey-wine, “Despite your claims of my inaction, I just had a meeting with Aikerim Adal. My recent conversations with her son had been most unwelcome and she insisted that I would remain at guest quarters while I am inside her Manor from now on.”

Agrona scoffed, “Do you really think that she will simply forget about me because you have made a nuisance of yourself?”

“Of course not. You know just as well as I do, that if I push too hard she would kick me out, despite any potential consequences it could bring to her Manor.”

She smiled and swished her drink, “No. Aikerim Adal will be occupied with the recent actions of her son. He stepped on her precious golden feathered swan. And now she must be very careful not to have its feathers turn into normal ones. And she will gladly accept your help, especially if you need to hire extra hands to speed up the construction. As a token of goodwill, of course.”

“And that would just make her stronger, faster.”

“In a couple of days, all that construction would be meaningless.”

The wersheep glanced sharply at her visitor, “And what makes you think she only has just one swan? Or haven’t learnt his secrets by now? All this would be a waste if she retains the knowledge.”

“I have done my due diligence, she has three or four at most at this moment. And she won’t dare to have more for a while. That would weaken the position of her swan. Aikerim Adal is smart enough to keep him happy, at least for some time after the recent incident. Or he might even demand it himself.”

She mulled over the words of the lamura for a while, “Kiymetl is very interested in acquiring more slaves from another Manor. So interested that she dared to threaten Shebet while stuffing their more-than-generous gifts under her belt. What are the chances that there are more swans hiding there?”

“None. What she is planning to buy are mere sailors for the golden ship inside her Manor. Family of the navigator that she has. Once again, to pamper her swan,” Shahin immediately replied.

Agrona chuckled, “And make us throw our gold into a smoke. What a thief. Very well, there will be a bigger detachment of workers since I suddenly have some funds cleared up.”

The yellow orbs within the black irises looked hard at the Samat Domina, “Make no mistake, the murk is full of tricks himself. And this could be our last chance at this. Get the best possible person, multiple even, and have them meet me at the Manor. I want them to act fast and hard.”

“These are hard to find, especially quickly.”

Lamura pulled out a scroll, “Get as many as you can. As long as they will succeed in their task. Take this, If Aikerim finds out of my involvement - send my ashes with it to Yusuf. And they will honour my words. Samat will be the first city with glass-makers of Esca.”

“I would prefer it not to get that far,” She shook her head but took the scroll nevertheless.

“So do I. That is why I will be out of Samat for a few days. Enjoying the countryside at the behest of Aikerim, while she handles her family matters.”

Agrona smiled with a satisfied grin. Soon the Kiymetl upstart will learn some humility. While she could boast an achievement of her own. And then she will look at Tarhunna’s face, black with bitter regret for choosing the fox over her.

Yeva

She plucked strings of the guitar as she tried to recreate songs from her childhood. The strings were harsh to touch and loud to the ear but the instrument was able to make the notes she grew up hearing. She also got a slight cramp in her left hand from doing so. Yet her fingers kept going.

“Tell me more about your mother,” Irje softly spoke nearby.

She smiled hearing the concern in her voice. Music, that Erf had played last night, was beautiful but it also woke up the bittersweet memories of her past. And of her mother. She spoke a little bit about her, once she calmed down, but the embrace of her family was warm and strong. And sweet dreams quickly took her away.

The morning was hectic. All of the glass production was put on hold, yet Erf and Viter were ushered away by a group of guards. Apparently, the estate construction was starting up. The cougar wanted to go as well but he asked Irje to stay with her. Promising to call on her as soon as they will start discussing the layout.

Irje didn’t argue much and Yeva was quietly grateful to both of them. She didn’t feel like running around the new place this morning. And quiet and restful time in their comfortable bed was a luxury she and Irje couldn’t say no to. Especially early in the morning when the air was still cold and the blankets were extra cosy.

Add to it the lack of any scheduled work and one would know what a true pleasure felt like.

“She was one of the musicians at the Manor,” Yeva sighed in reply to the question, “Good enough to play when the guests would arrive. My early childhood was full of songs and plays that she would practise every night. To make sure that masters would stay happy with her music.”

“She took care of me as much as she could. Taught me to play so that I would have a task once I grew older. Fed me. You know I don’t remember her eating any time I ate, she would just sit and look at me. Smiling.”

Yeva felt the arms encircle her and she let herself be cuddled, without letting go of the guitar, “And then she was gone. And I found myself on the fields, working for a Domina that I’ve never seen before. All that effort - wasted. The fingers that once bled on strings were now dirty with the mud.”

“It wasn’t wasted,” Irje gently murmured, “You said yourself of her smiles and I promise you they were honest. You were her joy and in treating you as best as she could she escaped the burdens of her day.”

“I know that now,” She slumped in the embrace, “But the heart still aches. And I don’t want for him to do the same. I want to be useful instead of selfish.”

“Is that why you wish to play?”

“Yes. I have no desire to pick up the lyre once again, it still brings back bad memories. But this is different. It feels different and sings different. It doesn’t remind me of my mother - it tells me of my future.” A smile crept up onto her face, “And it smells of him.”

“You have been helpful many times before, however.”

“And now I have to worry about the Lady of the House, too. It is a foregone conclusion by now that she likes him and will want to keep him around. Which gives him more safety within this Manor and marginally to us as well. But you know well enough how excessive Erf can be with everything he does. And I am not sure how she will see us in the future. And I don’t want to be seen as a leach or have him defend my status from her. Especially when her words would resonate inside my heart as true.”

Irje didn’t reply for a while and she began to play again. Songs that she knew. Melodies that she heard from Erf. Plucking individual strings or chords only to quietly listen to yet another sound. She sat on top of Irje, her back in a warm embrace. The heat of the wer scaring the fears of the past away.

Until the cold air swept under her body.

“Irje!” She shrieked holding the instrument as tight as she could, her legs flailing in the air, “What are you doing!”

“You aren’t the only one, who wants to practise and be useful!” Irje laughed triumphantly.

“Put me down!” Yeva demanded only to hear more laughter from the cougar hellion.

She fought hard her own emerging grin. Irje will pay. Just as soon as she would return to the ground she will make her pay dearly.

It was tickle time.