I scratched myself as I helped to assemble the loom. The new shirt was still too rough on my skin. I haven’t worn it inside the manor at all for this exact reason, wisely deciding to use it only when I had to appear in public or present myself to the people of power.

Unfortunately, after our vigorous and lengthy activities, I couldn’t find it anywhere in my room. Forcing me to wear a new shirt when it was time for me to help Wrena.

Despite the discomfort, I couldn’t stop smiling. While the reasons that spurned my morning actions weren’t very pleasant, the outcome was. As I let Yeva explore her sexuality I’ve managed to uncover new facets of hers that I’ve never expected to see. It was fascinating to see how much she managed to hide behind her shyness.

Or what she hid behind her clothes.

I was also extremely glad that my attention was welcomed well and eagerly. She even requested another ride on ‘Erf's pleasure cart’ after getting that treat. This time I didn’t try any convoluted positions and simply told her to sit on my face. She almost came from that statement alone. And it took her three attempts to do so, as her legs shook so hard from excitement. But a bright smile never left her face after that.

Even, when I told her that the cuddle time was over and I had to head out and do my work.

“Listen, Erf.” Wrena’s voice interrupted my dreams. “You look like you know your way around wood.”

I blinked at her, not getting what she was aiming at.

We were at the final stages of assembly, putting already finished pieces together. Blacksmith provided us with a sufficient amount of components a few days ago, speeding up our construction immensely. Through our work, Wrena had managed to progress through multiple levels of behaviour. Initially, she started out cautious toward me, then dismissive. Now as the parts were joined together to show the final mechanism she started to treat me with some newfound respect.

“I am not sure what you mean, but I am no carpenter myself. I know how to grow trees, care for them. I know the structure of wood. But I don’t have the skills to carve it.”

She sighed with relief and then chuckled ruefully. “Knowing what I do know you can probably grow some giant trees indeed. Probably tall enough to reach the Gods.”

I waved her off. “I can’t say about gods, but,” I smiled at her “yes.”

She smiled back and I returned to work, checking the launch mechanism that sent the shuttle between the threads, leaving a thread in its wake. I’ve got to give it to her, she was a master of her craft. Some mumblings and a chicken-scratch for a drawing and she came out with this beauty of a machine. She definitely didn’t brag about carving hair-thin lines.

“Look.” She continued “You know that Domina forbade you from telling anyone about this?”

“Uh-huh.” I agreed still working. “And I haven’t. Told anyone that is, yet.”

She groaned at my dismissal. “Fine! What do you want?”

My hand stopped trying to fish the thread through. “Hmm?”

She hissed. “What do you want to keep it that way. Name your price.”

I finally set aside my work and turned fully to her. “What is this about?” She wasn’t Irje or Yeva. She also wasn’t Domina either. While I had no attachments to the loom I wouldn’t simply give it away either. Especially to someone who wasn’t hurting for money nor status.

“This!” Wrena threw her hand at the machine. “Do you have any idea what is this?”

I turned to the contraption and then back to her.

“A loom,” I said

“Cut the act!” She growled, only to gasp at my incomprehension. “Wait, you don't even know what we have made, do you? Ugh, I should’ve found that out before haggling.”

That was interesting. Worth investigating.

“Don’t worry about it. I won’t ask for much as long as you tell me what has gotten you so excited?”

“Everything!” She cried. Apparently, she was ready to vent a long time ago to someone, and now I gave her that release. “Look how wide is the fabric! Something like that would have taken three or even four slaves to make. I know I recommended it but I didn’t expect it to be done by a single person with such ease.”

She took few breaths and started again. “And speed! Do you know how quickly your machine works? Have you seen the looms in Domina’s employ?”

“I’ve seen them from afar, yes.”

“Exactly from afar. Probably not in action. Well listen here, this ‘loom’ that you call it works as fast as multiple usual looms, and that with the smallest width of an arm at most. Something this wide will weave a hundred times before the old loom manages even a single one!”

“Impressive.” I mused, making her choke.

“You prick! It is impressive and you should act impressed!”

“Oh wow! Such wonder! We are the best.” I said in a monotone, barely holding my smile.

She slapped her forehead in defeat. “I give up. WHY are you not impressed?”

She clearly didn’t give up.

“Remember my speech about precision?” She nodded, frowning and I continued, “Remember how I said that I knew that it worked? Just like that, I knew the loom was going to work. I am not impressed with it because it fell within my expectations.”

I decided to give her an olive branch not to aggravate her more. “Only thing I am impressed here is the quality of your work. I can see your skill in every piece that you’ve made. If you are okay with it I would like to request a few projects to be done at your leisure and in return, I will not share the design with anyone unless Domina demands me to.”

“Deal.” She slapped her hand into mine, quick to take my offer. “What kind of projects were you thinking about?”

I scratched my chin thinking. “I need a large wooden frame, and, maybe, you can help me find a good mason trading in slate. Do you make musical instruments with strings?”

“Like a lyre or kithara? No.” She shook her head.

“Kithara, yes. Do you know anyone who does?”

She hummed “Yeah, I can get you in contact with one. That’s all?”

Looks like she didn’t like the fact that she barely had to do anything at all. Or just frustrated that she couldn’t provide what I asked herself. Made sense, the more I needed the things she had, the more likely I would stick to our agreement.

“Oh, I would also need a bed.”

She raised her eyebrows at me, knowing that as a teacher I should already have one.

“A larger bed.” I clarified.

Something was telling me that I might need it soon.

XXX

It was a pleasure watching Aikerim reactions when I was aware of how monumental our design actually was. I took my time memorizing the movements of her tail, the rise of her expressive eyebrows, and quiet noises of approval when I presented to her yet another tidbit of the loom operation.

I absorbed it all and kept selling like a seasoned salesman.

“But wait there is more!” I pointed out at the mechanism. “If you noticed, I only used two pedals making a normal weave. The other four are set up in a different pattern only pulling a select few threads instead of all odd or all even.”

I trailed off knowing her habit by now.

“And what type of weave is that?” Aikerim didn’t disappoint me, She loved asking questions and tried to steer the conversation so that questions will be asked. Perhaps a habit she picked up from Virnan. That was all he did in my presence.

I smiled, watching her tail. “A certain weave, usually used for more expensive fibres, like silk.” A surprise, pleasure, anticipation. “It makes a very glossy and smooth fabric.” Excitement.

I pulled out the fabric we have already made before her arrival to point her to the different strip within. “Satin. Here is an example of it with coarse threads.”

She came closer, her fingers running on and off the strip. Her tail swayed in pleasure as she tested the material for strength and uniformity and found nothing to complain about.

“Does it mean you can switch from one to another?” she brought it closer where one weave turned into the other without any gaps. “What about other patterns?”

“Each pattern requires a set of pedals. Some can be reused by multiple patterns, or if you wish to make only basic weave two pedals are more than enough.”

“So, how many?” came an impatient question.

“Weaves? There are three standard ones. Different patterns? Like repeating symbols or pictures.” I pointed at the scales on my Gestr. “As many as you want. The loom can be modified and patterns can be added or removed at will.”

Domina’s eyes opened wide as she looked at me and then glanced at Wrena, who nodded.

She sighed and closed her eyes. “How easy it is to make another one?” She asked me as she got her bearings together.

I silently pointed to the carpenter in the room.

Aikerim shot me a sharp glance and turned to Wrena, with an eyebrow raised.

“If I can have my apprentices and all necessary parts from a blacksmith we could make one every five days! Otherwise a tenday at least.”

Ouch, way to throw me under a cart.

“Can we trust them to keep it secret?”

“There is no need to. Now that I’ve made one I can have them make me parts and a frame while I assemble the most important pieces alone!”

“Good, I will send out Sulla to get materials coming, Get your crew together we would need ten, no make it twenty for now. I will update the numbers after these are ready and working.” Aikerim stopped and composed herself, turning even more regal. “You have done a great deed for this house. I will make sure your actions today and in the future will be correctly recorded in the history of Kiymetl.”

Wrena bowed deep, smiling. “Thank you, Domina, for your benevolence!”

Huh, apparently it was a big enough deal for her to be satisfied just like that. Maybe there was more to the statement that I didn’t know about. Or maybe the monetary reward wasn’t a thing mentioned in public.

“Thank you for your work.” Domina dismissed her with a gesture, turning to leave. “Erf, follow me.”

Well, I guess I will not be recorded in that book then.

We walked together to the inner compound. The twilight turning the greenery around us into a dark sea of leaves rustling in the wind. A hidden gesture from her and the runes that I’ve seen all this time burst out in a glow. Just as few patterns on her kaftan did. It was a mesmerizing sight. While runes on the sidewalk were packed tightly to provide more light, the patterns on her dress were sparse. Highlighting her curves and bringing attention to the most important details like her tail.

“So you gave loom to Wrena now?” She murmured walking, “Should I expect you to beg me for a new spot for her? Or should I get a report of her screaming from your room tonight?”

I blushed from her words, apparently, I needed better soundproofing. “Nothing that intense, she is a free member of your household and clearly has enough skill and mettle herself. And our relationship was purely about work.”

“And yet you still gave it away, how much did she offer?”

“I dunno, I only asked of her a few trinkets that I needed.”

She snorted. “All that for a few trinkets. And what would you want from me then?”

“Same things I wanted before I would say.” I shrugged. “Including freedom.”

She turned to look at me. An eerie figure illuminated by the blue glow around us. I just noticed that the runes didn't glow everywhere, only within a certain radius from her.

“You aren’t ready for freedom,” She stated plainly as if commenting on the weather. “Perhaps I should offer you a few trinkets myself?”

Honestly saying, hearing her say these words hurt. It hurt me but somehow made me feel lighter. Like a rejection of unrequited love. The hope was crushed but the burden of uncertainty was gone with it as well.

I calmed myself down. “You are my Domina,” I responded in a polite way, bowing. “If you give me something I will accept.”

“You are showing your teeth properly this time. Good.”

I raised my eyes at her.

She managed once again to tower over me while being barely above my height. Her ears backwards, flat against her head. “Remember your worth, Erf. And, especially, don't let others forget about it either. You will be used for pittance otherwise.” She turned and continued walking. Her tail once again grazed over me pulling me after her.

“I’ve heard from Sulla that you were interested in Alchemy. You will be provided with a secluded workshop, where you won’t be afraid to disturb others with your fumes.”

“Thank you, Domina.”

“You will be provided with a stipend to procure reagents and keep you stocked.”

“You are most generous, Domina.”

“…and a cadre of slaves to help with your tasks.”

“That won’t be necessary, Domina. Things I want to try require extreme precision and can produce poisons accidentally. I would end up spending more time making sure no one dies by mistake.”

We walked some more in silence. I smiled listening to the nocturnal birds starting their nightly song. Somehow their songs tonight felt even more beautiful.

“Do you know that the runes glow through my power alone?”

“I have noticed that the glow extends in a circle, with you at the centre, and presumed as much.”

“Indeed. It is a basic runic script that channels my Flow through it, glowing in response. In contrast to divine artefacts that don’t require a mage to power them, working on their own.”

“Fascinating. Is that is why they are so rare and sought after, compared to the runes I see all over the buildings?”

“Quite so. I will send you the codex on them, who knows you might learn them in few days as well.”

“Thank you, Aikerim.”

She hummed and we continued to walk in silence. Her dark figure striking an imposing shape in front of me. Her tail swishing silently, her ears upright.

Eventually, we reached the inner compound, with people walking past us every now and then, stopping only to pay respects to Domina. At last, we’ve ended up in a guest room with a single table, surrounded by lounging beds around it. Apparently, the room was either always ready or Domina predicted that we would end up here tonight. The table was loaded.

I inhaled the scents as Domina dismissed the slaves and gestured me to take a spot. Lying down across from me.

“Tell me about precision.” She said gesturing for me to try the food at the table.

My eyes grew wide. Unbidden, my hand grabbed a slice of fresh bread, another holding the knife already. “When a hard object moves against the soft one, the latter changes shape to fit former better.” I started, scooping the creamy golden delicacy in front of me. “What would happen if it is two similar objects that grind against each other?”

“They meet in the middle?” She ventured, slightly put off by my eagerness.

“Precisely!” I bit on my contraption and moaned in pleasure. “This is really good.”

“It is butter on bread” She responded unimpressed.

“Well, it is a great butter, Krishna would be delighted.”

“Who?” her ears perked up at an unknown name.”

I waved her off. “Not important. What is important is that, while they would meet in the middle, they would also form a surface that is easy to move in four directions, since the movement is what caused the change.”

I finished the toast, forming a fist with my hand. “Usually they would make a convex.” My palm rubbed the fist. “Concave.” I switched the positions grinding the fist into my palm. “Or flat.” Hands together.

“Sounds plausible, but not very precise.” She observed.

I smiled. “It is not. Unless you use three surfaces and grind all three against each other interchangeably.” I bumped my fists together and then tried to rub my hands cupped. “If we do that we would end up with pairs that simply don't match each other, making them change shape again.”

I pressed my hands together. “Until they reach the only possible outcome.”

“A flat surface?”

“No. The flat surface. A surface plate.”

“Sounds menacing, and obscure. What is the purpose of it?”

I grinned, grabbing an apple. “It is flat.”

Domina sighed conceding defeat. “Enough of your plays, Speak plainly.”

I made sure not to spill a drop, the fruit was crunchy and juicy. “To appreciate its flatness, remember that Wrena said she could carve a hair’s breadth runes?” Seeing her nod I continued. “A properly prepared surface plate won’t have a difference in height larger than a seventh of that.”

Her eyes grew wide.

“Across the length of two of me.”

“That is flat.” She murmured quietly.

“What makes it important is that it doesn't require any complex tools to make, just some paint and scrapers made from hard steel to facilitate the removal of material. Instead of waiting for two pieces to meet in the middle they are painted and rubbed together. The high spots would be stripped of paint and could be scraped off by a craftsman just like I scraped the butter.”

I finished the fruit. “Repeat this process long enough and you would end up with the flattest possible surface at this point. The foundation of many tools as well. Using a plate as a reference and scraping off the imperfections from the target piece would yield an extremely straight straightedge, and later a plethora of rulers. All extremely straight.”

I decided to test the meat beside me. From what I could tell it was a bird or a lizard. Something small but extremely fragrant. “If you have that you can make micrometres, callipers, lathes. Each iteration allowing you to make finer and finer parts.”

She chuckled, eating a grape herself. She really liked these grapes apparently. “And all that from three, what?”

“Chunks of granite would be a great start.” I mused. “Hard enough not to weather easily. And if you hit it it would break or chip instead of bending or warping.” The meat was also extremely tender.

We sat in silence once more. Domina was ruminating on my revelations, her tail in a constant loop of delight. While I was ruminating her dinner, my jaws in a constant loop of mastication.

“It’s baffling really.” She murmured quietly. “Your ideas make sense. Most are even too simple to have any mistakes in them. So why this is the first time I am hearing about them? Loom had been in use for centuries, and yet yours left it in the dust in a matter of days.”

“Well, there are two main reasons.” I huffed. Lying prone on the lounging sofa. On my back - my bloated stomach accepting no compromises. “You will understand one and won't like the other.”

“You are rather nonchalant talking about something you already know I won't like.” She observed.

“Well whatever happens happens but, at least, I won't be hungry.”

“Oh? Should I have offered you a feast instead?”

I shrugged without moving. “Who knows, might have worked too. A path to a man’s heart lies through his stomach.”

She snorted, bursting out in a small laugh. “I shall keep it in mind, for later.” Then sighed. “Go on spill it.”

“Oh? Hmm.” I gathered my thoughts. “Here is a thought experiment. What is the fastest route to the Primary manor?”

“Well, if you take the Path of heroes-”

“Ah, ah, ah” I interrupted her. “No limitations, what is the fastest route on foot. Period.”

“That. Hmm.” She stumbled to answer.

“There are questions that are hard to solve, but once you see the answer it just makes sense. Creating an efficient mechanism that combines multiple complex parts smoothly can be one of these.”

“That means you didn’t invent it either?” As usual, Aikerim was quick to grasp the details.

“That is correct, I simply was aware of the solution. That is why I gave it away for a pittance as you’ve said. Easy come easy go.”

“You know,” She mused. “I’ve thought you naive, but there is a grain of reason in your words.”

“Well, I am happy that you no longer think that.” I quipped.

“I still do.” She replied nonchalantly. “I just see the reason why. You will demand proper payment from others from now on. Because the worth of knowledge isn’t counted by how little it matters to you, but how much it matters to others.”

“That… is a fair point. Thank you Aikerim.”

“Now, what is the second reason?”

I glanced at her. “Your uncle spends all his time studying math. Out of his own volition, perhaps, but why isn’t there a job to study new looms?”

“Who would want to do that?”

“Well, that’s why I said a job. Imagine simply paying someone to do nothing but experiment with different loom designs day in and out.”

She frowned. “Sounds expensive. You wouldn’t just assign a manual for this, you would need someone with a good head on the shoulders.”

I nodded along. “Exactly. It is very expensive. Right now prohibitively so. Because any benefit of the improvement will be easily overshadowed by buying a few more manuals and building a few more traditional looms.”

She grit her teeth. “Are you saying I should dismiss all my slaves to somehow prosper?”

“No. I am saying that slavery in general stalls progress across the country. Or even the entire world if others employ similar methods. It is simply not worth it to make more efficient designs if free labour is readily available.”

“So? What Are you gonna do about it?”

“Me?” I laughed ruefully. “I am pretty sure even you can’t do anything about it, yet. What could a little me even do?”

She huffed. “Then why do you even bother to tell me this?”

I smiled sadly spreading my arms. “So that now you are aware.”

She cursed under her breath and plopped down on the sofa. “Enough of your rhetorics. Finish your damn meal and leave. I expect you at your best tomorrow afternoon for the lesson.”

XXX

I placed my steps carefully on the cold bricks. The night quickly stripping the heat from the ground.

A rustle of leaves in the wind.

A sharp moonlight through the gaps.

A heavy burden on my soul.

Since souls were obviously located under the stomach.

My hand, helping me to carry my burden.

I shivered when I arrived at my door. Summer was still young and the night winds made themselves known.

A familiar whine of the hinges.

“DID YOU USE ALL MY OIL ON YEVA?! ANSWER ME, ERF!”

I closed the door quietly, pressing the back of my head on the solid wood.

The moon was bright. The night was still young. Perhaps I should enjoy it longer.