Ecdysis

 

 

Aikerim Kiymetl Adal

 

“Enough!” Aikerim strode across the room, her kaftan flourishing as she walked — showing off the exuberant materials and exquisite masterwork. “Anaise, hold your retinue — I know this is your first day and you are eager to show your real strength, but this is our family.”

She turned around and gave a nod to her older sister and a bow to her mother. “I will make sure to properly punish my daughter afterwards: she has much to learn with how guests ought to be treated.”

Amanzhan hid her scowl as she glared down at Aikerim. In the meantime, Anaise placed her hand on Erf and led him back to their couches.

Murmured exhales passed across present Dominas and Aikerim let a tiny smile grace her lips. They had planned this exchange, and the trap sprang around the Speaker of Kiymetl without her even realising it.

Oh, how lucky was she that Erf didn’t just have ‘daimonic’ knowledge but was also wise about it. Few men were — Aikerim could count on one hand how many wermages, given such knowledge and capabilities, would still be able to restrain their immediate urges and play a long game. Even the most short-sighted Domina knew there would be a time in her life when she would be heavy in her belly and vulnerable to her enemies. While children were a Domina’s eventual strength, they came at the price of temporary weakness.

Erf had a lot of hidden power. Aikerim wasn’t blind and knew how to hear the unsaid. Yet, the things she attributed to his Alchemistry and daimon heritage quickly outgrew even her most brazen assumptions. His casual nonchalance about the Samat wer who tried to capture him. The drastic difference between his regard for personal safety compared to the safety of others close to him.

Even his quick recovery from the Collector’s attack.

Servants whispered about a murk dragging an insensate lamura like it was nothing — she believed it. Anaise spoke about the second skin that made him shrug off werbow arrows — she believed her daughter too.

Ramad tried to gloss over his ‘mock battle’… Aikerim had a few choice words for him as well.

If one was forced to accept the facts, her Alchemist was likely strong enough to rival some wermages, and he had plenty of tricks up his sleeves beyond that. Yet he was a slave.

He was a murk.

That’s what made this situation so dangerous.

Erf’s outburst sent waves of shock across her entire family but it didn’t surprise her — this whole speech had been prepared by them in advance. Aikerim even used the truth spell and yet she still found herself astonished by the result.

When she voiced her concerns that the spell might be detecting what he believes rather than what was true, Erf asked her a simple question that sent shivers down her spine to the root of her tail.

He asked her if wermages still needed to breathe.

Some spells could affect it. Aikerim knew some that allowed her to run longer without losing her breath or dive for longer periods. She also heard that in some places wermages could even breathe underwater. Erf simply shook his head and said that it was not enough.

Everything had a cost, including life.

A simple statement but it was quite profound. It was not something that Aikerim thought about much, mostly because the apparent cost was so negligible. Food, water, air. As the Domina of a Pillar House, the lack of those three was never a concern to her. Aikerim knew that that wasn’t the case for everyone, and even a wermage could eventually succumb to thirst or hunger. But Flow made it extremely unlikely — they could move for longer, resist harder, and seek their salvation with greater force.

Things that would kill a murk were a concern to wer… and an annoyance to a wermage.

Erf simply said that there were ways to make the body forget how breathing was done. How to beat its heart within. How to wake up. Ways to kill someone without warning them about it. Ways to let go of life.

During their planning stages, Anaise wanted to continue pushing for much longer. She wanted to see her aunt beaten and made submissive as a warning to other Kiymetl Dominas daring to eye her Erf, but Aikerim forbade that.

Erf was a murk and he had the ability to kill wermages. And it would take Emanai a few decades if not centuries to accept this fact. If Aikerim was honest with herself, she was unlikely to believe it either if not for all the benefits that he had provided her with so far. There would be many who would look at him and see nothing but a Spark-less male. Something slightly above a horse only due to his knowledge. And those would stop at nothing until Erf had proven himself beyond their ability to turn a blind eye to the situation.

But Erf’s ability to prove himself could result in hundreds of wermages dying before anyone realised that something was wrong.

“Make sure that you do,” the Speaker gritted out the expected response through clenched teeth.

Erf had done well at impressing her family, including Matriarch, but it was her entrance that solidified their gains and forced the end of this issue. Now this was no longer the Speaker against the slave but the oldest sister against the younger. It didn’t matter if anyone even expected her to punish the slave — Amanzhan would be seen as the spiteful one if she dared to continue and demand something more.

That was Aikerim’s luck: Erf had easily agreed to play the role that Kiymetl expected of him. A force behind a leading female. A strong left hand to assist the right. Powerful, but not dangerous to Kiymetl, because it was theirs already. Held in knowing arms, if not her daughter’s then hers.

He agreed to this too easily and with a knowing smile on his lips — Erf understood the ramifications just as well as she did. Worst of all — he probably understood them from the very beginning.

That made him wise, and very dangerous.

And Aikerim was quite pleased with herself that she had managed to bind this daimonic non-daimon to her Manor. Now she needed to delicately maintain his position so that none would try to either worm their way into Anaise’s sadaq or get spooked a little bit too much by him and decide to remove him.

Someone like Isra Haleh was fine. She was much more likely to eat out of Erf’s hand than to try and manipulate him over to Enoch. Most of her House was safe for now as well. Even Amanzhan, at the cusp of her Heat, looked at Erf as a piece of distasteful furniture.

What worried Aikerim were Matriarch and Esca.

Her mother knew her too well. Nanaya could dismiss Erf’s statements, but she would not ignore Aikerim’s actions. Matriarch expressed sadness on more than one occasion that Aikerim wasn’t the firstborn daughter precisely due to her ability to see profit where others could not.

Esca knew Erf too well. Shahin Esca was likely the only wermage outside her Manor that had some grasp on Erf’s abilities. The first to get worried enough to send Collectors. And one who had enough wits about her to necessitate the Servitude. Erf’s propensity for giving second chances meant that Aikerim wouldn’t let the former envoy anywhere close to him again without a firm grasp on her collar.

She would submit by herself or with her clan or she would be removed if there was even a hint of unwelcome influence. But the rest of Esca…

“However. As my daughter did state — this wealth is indeed mine and will enrich all Entrance Feasts of Kiymetl from now on! For I am a grateful daughter of Kiymetl.” Aikerim turned around and raised the cup of wine to her sisters and aunts. “What you see around you is the first glimpse of what is to come.”

A loud cheer came in answer, for the offer was more than generous.

“So,” Nanaya Ayda murmured, “you chose to part with your wealth, then.”

Aikerim smiled and nodded. “It is easier to show excessive generosity and dispel any accusations of greed rather than try to reason with the crowd. But there is another thing that I wish to discuss. Esca.”

Amanzhan clenched her fists. “So you are immediately using your recent success and wealth to take what is rightfully mine? I knew you were a hypocrite.”

Aikerim swished her tail. “That is the reason why I wished to discuss it with you. It is your Manor that deals with Esca directly. If I were to negotiate any large deals between us I am obligated to use you as an intermediary.”

She managed to look directly at her mother and her sister. “Because I respect what is rightfully yours.”

Amanzhan opened her mouth to speak but a hand on her shoulder made her glance back.

“It appears that your sister has shown herself as a stark example of filial piety. I hope that you act just as wisely.”

The Speaker sighed in defeat and Aikerim hid her smile. Now she had one less problem to tackle and possibly concentrate on something she didn’t dare to even think about.

Matriarch had spoken.

 

 

Shahin Esca Yusuf-ja

 

“Things are moving fast, cousin,” Amir whispered to her. “Here I am, ready to try everything just to have an opportunity to be around when the ‘daimon’ would present his gifts, and Amanzhan Irada practically shoves the opportunity into my hands.”

“Did you accept her offer?”

“Obviously not! While I recognise your knowledge in the matter, I am an Envoy myself and I know when something sounds too suspicious.”

“Good.” Shahin nodded. “I knew I could put my trust in you.”

Amir harrumphed and crossed her hands. “So? What caused all of this?”

“Amanzhan Irada has finally recognised her loss,” Shahin Yusuf-ja spoke in contemplation. “I expected it to happen, but she could not even last through the initial opening.”

She pointed her hand at the luxury of the room. “Aikerim Adal kept everyone on the back foot with these displays of wealth while she took her time establishing the status of her daimon within the House. I could not hear everything that was said between them, but it was over before the conversation had even touched his gifts to Kiymetl.”

Amir frowned. “That does not make any sense. If it was as you said — why would Aikerim just give up right after? I was coming here expecting to see Amanzhan desperately trying to keep us!”

“Because we are not important.”

Amir’s head snakes hissed at Shahin’s nonchalant answer.

“Aikerim Adal chose the path of the gracious winner. Instead of taking all possible spoils, she chose to take a step back and provide a token concession to her sister.”

“Token concession? Shahin, you begged me to try and claw this for our clan! I feel like I repeat myself, but did they break your spirit so much that you dare to imply that we are fighting for the scraps from their table!?”

“I am not speaking about my opinion, but the opinion of Aikerim Adal. And yes, from her perspective, we all are fighting for the scraps from her table. Me, you, Amanzhan Irada, and even Nanaya Ayda. All you see here is a dazzling ruse and things that Domina is willing to give up just to keep her golden swan. We are not important to her, compared to what is at stake.”

“The daimon.”

“Precisely.”

Amir glanced at the murk that was engaging in some small talk with some Kiymetl wermage under the watchful eye of the Lady of the House. “I do not like when other Houses dare to underestimate us. Can we take him?”

Shahin shook her head. “Did I not tell you? This is all a ruse. Including the obedient daimon. The daimon who just confessed in front of the Kiymetl Matriarch that he is capable of killing this entire city. And Kiymetl’s Orb of Truth confirmed his words. Even if you succeed, you will leave behind the Domina who knows the secrets of our glass, and you will be carrying something more than a meek murk. There is a chance that your ship would never even reach our shores. Or worse — you will bring a plague into our homeland.”

“So how does she keep him, then?”

Shahin nodded at the Lady of the House.

Amir scrunched her nose in distaste. “She is willing to pay with her grandchildren just to satisfy him!?”

“Is she?” Shahin glanced at her. “Look at her husband. The Enoch one, with the horns. How do you like his Spark?”

Amir licked her lips, “Not bad. A Matriarch’s favour?”

“Not at all. I did my best to learn about the Domina. This isn’t the first ruse of Aikerim Adal. Her own Entrance Feast was rather lacklustre where she failed to catch any suitable partner for herself. Even slightly embarrassed Kiymetl as a whole. The city of Samat was quick to discard and forget the awkward fox. But she did not fail. Aikerim Adal simply donned the mask of failure just so she could be underestimated by other Pillar Houses and take her time getting a husband far above her status. She earned her title of Domina for that.”

She shook her head. “An actress… what a shame.”

“A successful actress. There is a difference.”

“So, what do you want me to do now? I am not going to throw my daughters at him! Or do you intend to volunteer?”

Shahin rolled her eyes. “Stay as you are. Play along and take as many concessions as they give you. We are not some group of merchants without a clan, and we should act like it. But do not overreach. There is too much at stake to rely on luck and it is not our time to act.”

“Then why did you waste so much time talking about this if you want me to act as I was?” The head snakes hissed in unison with her words.

“Because I do not wish to see you slip once you see the gifts. I want you to bear the name of Esca in pride. And I want you to keep in mind that whatever you are about to witness is nothing more than scraps. So that we can act accordingly in the future. And I want you to be aware of who the important figures in this room are.”

The hissing stopped as Amir peered into Shahin’s eyes. Seeing what others could not see. Hearing what Shahin could not speak.

Her whole stance shifted as the cousin retreated and let the Envoy take her place. The snakes were still and quiet as they turned in all directions. All-seeing.

“Any weaknesses?”

Shahin smiled. “He is curious, and I am the first lamura he has ever seen. Do not be afraid to ask and listen, too. You will hear a lot more that way.”

 

Amir Esca Shirvan-ja

 

She inhaled the smoke to calm herself and let her head snakes blow it in his direction. “When I heard that the Kiymetl Speaker herself wished to bring peace back between our Houses, I did not expect to see three trinkets.”

Three. Not one. She would kill Shahin later.

“I hope they won’t disappoint us, child,” Amanzhan Irada said from a nearby couch, surrounded by her closest friends and relatives. “I had said many good things to our dear friends from the south. It would be a shame if your gifts couldn’t measure up to my words.”

This was the first part of the Entrance Feast. The so-called ‘small feast’ where family and special guests were invited to enjoy the relative calmness and privacy compared to the loud noises coming from the ‘large feast’ outside. This was a day when the Manor opened its doors and welcomed anyone from the streets to dine and drink in honour of the young wermage. It was a way to promote goodwill among the masses and bolster the ranks when Anaise Hilal would process across Samat to deliver her first gifts to the Altar.

The tables were heavy with food, but many did not indulge too much. While some did it to pace themselves, many were occupied with scrutinising the curious trinkets and even pottery on the table. Slaves were running back and forth as each plate was somewhat different and many Dominas were eager to see them all.

Glazed in blue and white. This Erf had put their glass even on clay. But that was fine — Esca had their alchemists and one had accompanied them. She did not attend the Feast as she was busy trying to recreate the mixes Shahin had provided early in the day.

Most Dominas who were present were in groups. Erf was residing on one of the couches near Anaise Hilal and the rest of her retinue, while Amir managed to get a couch relatively close to them due to Shahin being present. It was interesting to see that the Speaker of Kiymetl occupied one group of couches while Aikerim Adal lay close to Matriarch herself. Interesting and telling.

“There are three trinkets because there are three things in navigation that I consider very important. Vision, direction, and location.”

“You think wermages can’t find their way?” someone immediately called back at him.

As Erf started to slowly explain these inventions, Amir sat back and started to investigate the set of three trinkets that were brought to her table. Kiymetl Dominas did not push back too hard against the gifts but, just like her, they were trying not to sell themselves short and get excited about something that could still be a sham.

The ‘looking glass’ immediately brought attention among many, no matter how much they tried to hide it. A tube with a set of glass forms that made everything that was far — close. Amir saw Shahin nod and nodded in turn. The claims were outrageous but the result was undeniable. Both in trade and war…

Her cousin glanced at her as she played with a particular pouch and Amir felt herself smiling. Once the alchemist found the correct mixture, Esca would not be far behind.

“When Tarhunna Wafiq returned from his voyage, my Domina knew about his arrival even before the ship made landfall,” Erf spoke as he rolled the tube around. Landfall — what a peculiar word. “She knew because there were servants on the shore peering into the sea and warning her about arriving ships. They did it because the speed of knowledge is crucial.

“We are in a House of Trade. I imagine all of you can see the benefits of knowing that a particular ship is coming before anyone on the markets does. Whether they are about to deliver goods that are scarce in Samat, or if it is the Emanai navies that are coming over to resupply with food and water.”

That certainly sent a wave of smiles across the room. Be the first when a needy customer arrives and you will earn a fortune.

“These will be invaluable in battle as well. Whether you want to see your opponent sooner than they see you or if you wish to count how many arrows each archer has.”

“It won’t see far in the Forest,” one of the older werfoxes reasoned.

“No, it will not. It is better suited to fields and open seas. But the next trinket should have some usage within the Forest.” Erf nodded and slid the second trinket across. “This is a compass. With it in your hand, you will never lose your direction. Whether you are lost in open seas with a cloudy sky or deep within the Forest where light doesn’t shine.”

Amir felt the bead of sweat roll down her back. It was easy to recognise the ‘direction’ trinket as it had an arrow that kept pointing in one direction, no matter how she turned it. Captains of ships used the sun to know their orientation during the day and the Northern Palm during the night: the five stars that looked down on Tana from the north without travelling across the sky like the rest.

Just as Erf said, both of those required clear skies. When the clouds came, a ship had to navigate by the shoreline, or land overnight lest they get lost in the sea.

That little trinket acted as a sixth star. One you could tuck under your sash.

“And for how long can this needle stay on target?” Amir prodded the trinket with fake indifference.

As Kiymetl murmured about the benefits it would provide within the Forest, she tried to keep the fear out of her heart. Shahin was right when she urged Amir to be here by any means possible. While each trinket would not propel Kiymetl as the new queens of the seas, it began to dawn on her that this was not about individual pieces. This was a set that could give ship captains abilities they never had before.

She glanced at Aikerim Adal and saw her knowing smile. The Kiymetl Domina understood it as well.

And that was why she threw these morsels from her table in a show of indifference. These were not just scraps.

They were bait.

‘Shaitan does not threaten’, the tales would say.

Erf shrugged, “Nearby iron might affect its performance and eventually make it less sensitive. But if you treat it right — years. There isn’t much here to break.”

“And what,” Amir leaned in closer, “makes it move for so long? I see no runes that power it.”

The tone of her voice made other Dominas perk up and glance at her.

“Well, Tana does.”

The lamura’s follow-up question got stuck inside her throat. She closed her mouth, opened it up again only to reconsider and close it once more. “Tana?”

“Yes. The planet.” The murk pointed at the ground.

“She makes the needle move?”

“More like pulls it toward the north, yes.”

“Why would she only pull it to the north?”

“Well, Tana also pulls the other side to the south.”

Amir held herself back from slapping her forehead. The daimon was talking about something akin to an artefact in longevity, yet treated it like it was a spoon or something similar. She bit her smoking pipe and tried a different approach. “Can you make it move to another direction instead?”

“Well, yes. I can put another arrow on top to point somewhere else. But I would still need the original needle to point north and south. Think of it like a unique weather vane that feels a constant breeze,” Erf said without taking his gaze away from her meticulously maintained snakes. At least someone here had decent taste.

“You aren’t trying to claim this uses Flow, are you?” another Domina spoke up.

“Not at all! I am rather sure that this breeze and Flow are two separate things.”

“So a whole world makes this breeze just to move those needles? How convenient.” It was hard to downplay the effect regardless, but she would try.

The daimon rolled his eyes. “That breeze also keeps all of us alive. It ‘blows’ away harmful light from the sun. Take it away and everything would slowly start to die. Murks would be first, then wer, and eventually wermages. Give it enough time and the air would be blown away too.”

“A ‘breeze’. That ‘blows’ away light. Light that can blow away the air,” Amir spoke deadpan. “Do you have any proof for your words or this is all Fae-talk?”

“I wonder how many daimonas in the past were asked to prove their words,” Erf spoke to the nearby Anaise Hilal and turned back to Amir. “As a matter of fact — I do. The northern lights.”

“The northern lights?” She was not familiar with the term.

“Are you talking about the midnight dance in the skies?” Matriarch suddenly spoke up.

“Yes. They don’t come often, but one can say they are the light which was blown all the way to the north.” Erf stopped for a moment and then asked, “Did you manage to see them in Amul?”

Shahin was right. Curiosity was his weakness.

“I have lived centuries, young daimon, and travelled far.” Matriarch raised her eyebrow. “You dare to question my words?”

“Oh, not at all! These dances don’t always stay far in the north. If the light that comes from the sun is quite intense — they can travel not only to Amul but even to here. I simply wished to rely on your knowledge and learn more about the world around me.”

He was curious but smart about it.

Nanaya Ayda nodded, mollified. “I did not, not even on Emanai’s northern shores, but mountain clans speak of them with familiarity.”

“Thank you, Matriarch. Your wisdom, as always, is precious.”

“Did it help you uncover some other secret of the world around us?”

Daimon nervously chuckled. “It mostly confirmed what I expected already.”

“That is quite common to daimonas.” Matriarch nodded. “They will often speak of things to come or things that are, yet refuse to explain the reason. The fact that you do try is curious. What can you tell me about the last gift?”

Amir leaned in, listening. Of all three — that one was the most obscure.

“The sextant.” Erf picked up the instrument and pointed to where they needed to look. “When you adjust it, the small mirror turns. When you look at a certain object, let’s say the horizon, and adjust the mirror to look at something else, like the sun, it gives you the precise angle between these two objects. Not only can you find out how high the sun is in the sky, but you can use it to find angular distances between shoreline landmarks, or even stars. Allowing you to read the sky and learn where you are. Even if there is nothing else but sea around you. Or sand.”

Amir swallowed.

“How fortunate.” Nanaya Ayda put aside the sextant. “But it feels to me that these gifts of yours weren’t made for Kiymetl but some other, more maritime Manor. Like Esca. Why is that?”

“Unity. These gifts will bind us together stronger than any other contract or marriage.”

Matriarch smiled oh so sweetly. “Until one grows strong enough not to need the other, you mean.”

Some started to murmur and Amir sighed in her heart. He over-praised his product. Erf was too naive to think that Kiymetl would be willing to part with such an exuberant gift now, at least without any steep concessions.

“I do not believe that Kiymetl can grow that quickly to successfully replace every Esca captain and glass-blower person for person—”

“I was not talking about us!” Matriarch harrumphed, unimpressed. “With these gifts, for every step that Kiymetl takes forward, Esca would advance by a league!”

“If I tell you that you are a league away from a certain river, would you be able to learn where precisely you are? No. You would need a map for that and maybe some other information since a river can be quite long.

“These tools can tell you a lot, but they will need a star map that can translate the distances between the stars to the location of where you are. A thick almanac, full with tables of stellar distances and the key to unlocking the knowledge.”

His grin turned vicious. “But stars do not idle. They travel through the skies and shift ever so slightly year after year. Their paths can be calculated but if you were to write down every single distance for years to come, you would need a library larger than this city to hold it all in one place. But you can make more compact codices just for a single year and sell them to captains. Year after year. One captain — one codex.

“The process is tedious yet requires extreme precision or the entire table would be off. It would need hordes of skilled slaves just to run the numbers fast enough. Virnan Kiymetl Shah!?”

The silver fox raised his head from a nearby table, busy playing with the trinket. “Shut up and go away! I am busy!”

The daimon coughed, “You will get improved versions soon enough with detailed instructions. Can you tell me how long it would take you to calculate the position of a single star for one year?”

“Why in ten hells would I do that!?” came an annoyed response. “Are you already growing senile? Well, you are a murk, it was bound to happen any day now. A single servant with a slide rule will be sufficient, the same slide rule that you gave me mere days ago! Two if you worry about him sleeping on the job. And write this down so you won’t forget it by tomorrow morning.”

“There you have it.” Erf turned back to Matriarch nonplussed. “These trinkets aren’t that complex. Give it a few years and you will see many fakes and counterfeits pop out left and right. Will they be as precise as the ones coming out of Aikerim’s Manor? No. Will they still do their task? Yes. Will they require the same almanac year after year? Absolutely.”

The daimon leaned in and whispered to a silent Matriarch. “I am not giving you mere tools, Nanaya Kiymetl Ayda. I am giving you an entirely new trade. A trade that will grow richer with every new captain that adopts, purchases, or even steals these three gifts. I heard that the presence of the Divine Castle is quite beneficial to new wermage children. It might be a good time: a new Manor for a new Domina.”

Matriarch stared him down. It was not a gaze of anger, but of hunger and frustration. And so did many other Dominas near and far, ignoring the triumphant look of Aikerim Adal and Anaise Hilal.

“That tongue of yours,” Nanaya Ayda finally grumbled as her fingers crushed the golden cup. “If only you had Spark…”

Amir Shirvan-ja had to agree: the Shaitan knew how to entice a lady.

Perhaps she might explore further his interest in her head snakes and see how good his tongue was.

 

XXX

 

I grunted from the slap on my back as Albin roared in laughter beside me.

“This isn’t funny!”

“Oh, I disagree, Erf! This is outright hilarious!” He bent over in another fit. “Enjoying the attention?”

“Go fuck yourself.”

It was nearing nighttime and we were walking through Samat to lay gifts at the feet of a nearby goddess that had been playing hide and seek in her floaty castle for weeks. Mostly hide. And yet, instead of worrying about the divine justice, fury, or boredom from above, I was worried about the pack of cougars that was eyeing me like a piece of meat.

I already got an earful from Anaise and Yeva for trying, and luckily failing, to seduce Matriarch. Then Aikerim got all contemplative and wondered if had I succeeded, would I expect her to call me daddy. That got me a second earful from Anaise and Yeva.

Irje spent all that time laughing herself silly until she went hoarse. Then Albin snuck into our procession for the sole purpose of taking on her burden.

“At least you can look at the bright side.” Albin kept snickering. “With your lack of Spark, they are less likely to try and milk you daily for babies. They just want to keep you close.”

“Yeah, keep me,” I snarked back. “I already had inquiries about how long my tongue can work under stress. Just think how stupid that is — ‘I am interested in this guy so I am going to ask him to suck my dick or lick my cunt and that will make him do everything I say!’. This is supposed to be a House of Trade. That is like asking me to pay them in gold so that I have the coveted opportunity to dig a well for them as well! With my bare hands!”

Albin grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer. “What did you expect? That they would line up to suck your dick? You have to understand — they are the rulers of this land. The cream of the crop. You know? Cougars.”

I palmed my face. “Why are you even here? Don’t you have some hiding to do? Or do you want me to introduce you to a lovely, almost single, and very willing Speaker of Kiymetl? It is that fox over there that has been trying to lift your khalat with her eyes alone.”

Albin scoffed. “She wouldn't dare. And I wasn’t hiding — I was keeping my sister busy. You should be thanking me for taking that worry off your shoulders so you could concentrate on Kiymetl alone.”

I thought for a second. “Know what? You are right — thank you. Your sacrifice wasn’t in vain.”

“There are ways that you could repay me.” He wiggled his eyebrows and slid closer to me. “I’ve heard that you are very skilled with your tongu—“

I elbowed him in the kidneys, which only made him laugh once again. “I swear, if I get an earful from my wife for trying to seduce a Speaker of Shebet, I will start discussing history with your sister. Just so you will have to depend on her to hear the details.”

“Ouch!” He grasped his chest. “I didn’t know you were such a wicked man. What can I do to avoid this cruel fate?”

I sighed and looked at the large square opening up in front of us. With all the jokes and teasing, I didn’t even notice that we had almost arrived at our destination. “Just ease off from sex-related jests. For today at least. I am still shuddering from Aikerim’s jokes. And tell me what will happen at the Altar of Landing?”

“I see you got plenty of gifts.” Albin pulled out a bowl of popcorn and started munching on it. “Runed armour under khalat? Prudent. Bolts of blue cloth on the carts, nice. Half of the city was drooling as you passed, by the way. Not that it would matter to you, but the name of Aikerim Adal will be on everyone’s lips for quite some time. Did you bring dyes as I instructed?”

“Yeah.” I waved at one of the carts that just passed us on its way to the Altar square.

And then my heart skipped a beat. “Wait, you know I have runes under my khalat?”

“Erf.” His tail poked me in the chest. “I am a mage. Of a decent kind, if I might add. Runes use our power — of course I can feel your runes. How are you planning on powering them, by the way?”

“I am not. I was thinking that if a wermage decides to attack me, they would likely power them simply due to proximity. Anaise said that this could work.”

“Oh, it will. But it would also make the quality of your armour shift and change without your knowledge. Make sure not to rely on it.”

I nodded in agreement and silently promised myself to shed all runed scales once all this was done. I wasn’t relying on runes from the beginning — but it appeared that they were more of a liability than I imagined them to be.

“Why dyes?”

“Emanai gods are so sophisticated that they abhor lacklustre arts. So Emanai decided to gift things that weren’t marred by the hand of a crook. Unless the artist was really talented.” Albin winked at me. “Then they would take the artist.

“So the gifts will enter the Altar.” Albin continued as if nothing happened, “Then they go poof, and—“

“Poof?”

“Magic, Erf.” He nodded at the bright flash of light that once was the cart and threw another handful of popcorn into his mouth. “Keep up with the times.”

“Ah, yes. How silly of me. So after the magical poof?”

“After all carts go poof, the Altar caretakers recite a speech, welcoming the new wermage into adulthood and thanking her for her humble gifts. And then we all turn around and head to our homes. Occasionally, gods will poof a gift back. Then there will be a lot of drinking and another set of celebrations, your Manor goes almost bankrupt from the wine and honey that the rest of the city will undoubtedly drink from your cellars, and then we head to our homes.”

“Just like that?”

“Well, no.” He kept crunching. “We will be hungover too.”

Another flash of light illuminated the Altar, bright and yellow. It grew and grew until all I could see was light as the people around me screamed in surprise.

When I blinked, I found myself in a large, vaulted room. There were no windows but plenty of candles floating in the air and casting eerie light everywhere with their blue flames. The walls weren’t just glowing with runes, they were audibly humming with inner power.

The room wasn’t empty.

In the centre of the room, between two blue-skinned, three-horned giants and flying scrolls that would occasionally unravel, deposit runic scribbles directly into the air, and flutter away, floated a carpet.

A magical flying carpet.

A fucking flying carpet!

On it sat the third being. Layers of luxurious cloth could hide the shape but not the size, while the thick veil around a wide-brimmed, slightly conical hat hid the face away from onlookers. It hid the face but not the glow of its eyes.

And they were looking at me.

As the crowd around me rubbed their eyes I nudged my tour guide. “Albin? What happens after this poof?”

“Well.” He put aside his bowl. “After this poof, we do a little bit of kneeling.”

The guards slammed their weapons into the ground. An unholy union between a war scythe and a war shovel.

“Kneel in the presence of the Divine Heurisk of Emanai! Catriona Emanai Aethil!”