I put the guitar aside and faced Aikerim fully.

“I will be honest with you, my Domina. While I am not surprised that he had come to talk, I was not expecting him to come exactly now, nor have I told him, or someone connected to him, about the current development,” I shrugged, “In fact, his ‘timely’ appearance is rather startling to me as well and I would be wary to meet him right now without your presence.”

She walked fully into my house. A stray glance at the large rune carving on the floor turned into a meticulous scan of the room, studying the carvings around the openings. A slight twitch of her fingers and the runes lit up brightly. Three distinct runic arrows pointed at the wermage as if accusing her of illegal use of magic.

Aikerim shook her head and muttered something derogatory under her breath.

“You said you expected his response. Why?” She decided to continue the conversation.

“My family. I have met him in the city after the disastrous meeting with his sister. Something that he almost expected to happen by the way, and tried to fix the situation in advance,” My fingers reached out and slid across the strings of the guitar, reminding her of the gift I had received from Albin, “I had informed him then that his attempts were nowhere as sufficient.”

“I see,” Domina hummed, then looked at my silent sadaq, “Leave us.”

“Your son had said the same last time,” Irje challenged her back before I could even utter anything.

“And I am not him. If I was planning on punishing him, I could do it in your presence. Now go and let me talk to my alchemist in private.” Aikerim cut her off without skipping a beat.

I patted Yeva as I shook my head to Irje, quietly telling them to leave the room. Politics, politics and displays of power were everywhere.

“So tell me,” She spoke once we were alone, the blazing runes warning me of the silence spell active around us, “Since when have you started to rely on the other Manors’ help in solving your problems?”

“Since I have acknowledged your prowess in letting others do the work for you. You started it by putting other Manors against Shebet. I continued in your manner by making her brother potentially act against Sophia.”

“And you don’t think he would be the cause of yesterday’s attack?” She raised her eyebrow, “Using the envoy as the obvious aggressor to further his own plans?”

Aikerim stance barely changed but her tail, ears, and eyebrows were easy to read.

When she wanted them to be read that is.

When Domina arrived at my place her stance was neutral, appropriate, and without any obvious emotions visible in her body language. Schooled. And only now I could start to see hints of curiosity within. I was no longer a potentially insubordinate slave that was undermining her authority in her eyes. Compared to our previous ‘conversation’ about a similar issue she had improved leaps and bounds in her ability to trust me. Or, at least, give me the benefit of a doubt to either explain my reasons or give her enough rope to hang myself.

I shook my head, “Unlikely. Sophia Chasya wants to have me, and Albin is equally curious. Albeit much more capable of controlling his urges. They want to pick my brain, not stab my heart. Unless she is vengeful enough to deny you of me since she couldn’t get me. Whoever had done this was either trying to silence me forever or diminish your rising power.”

“Yet he is awfully great with his timing,” She mused.

“That is rather usual for him, although I wonder.”

Her ears twitched as the eyebrow rose up again.

I continued, “What if he doesn’t know, but is trying to find out for sure. Him coming over and requesting to speak with me would force you either to confirm whether I am alive or keep stalling.”

“You think a Speaker of Shebet would drop everything and run to check on you?” She couldn’t hold a hint of a smile while saying that.

“Why not? He did manage to intercept us in the middle of a city, trying to bribe us in advance.”

“What have you told him to be that interested in you? Have you told him about your abilities?”

“Nothing much, apart from very sparse tidbits of my knowledge. Not that he needed much to make correct assumptions before,” I scratched my chin in contemplation, “He did call my knowledge demonic, but he wasn’t-”

A loud hiss interrupted my musings as Aikerim pulled on her ears in an act of extreme frustration. Something that I’ve only witnessed Virnan and Anaise do so far.

“Do you think he wanted to kill me because he thought I was a demon?” I carefully probed.

“No,” She groaned, “But that would explain why he is so interested in you. If only he could keep his mouth shut, however.”

I frowned, “That doesn’t sound like it was just a passing remark. Is there something I should know about demons?”

A few more choice words were muttered about Albin and Aikerim plopped down on my bed. Frustrated tail slapping the bedding left and right. She stared at me for a few seconds only to sigh deeply.

“I guess I should tell you. Especially since I can’t trust Albin Chasya to keep things quiet. Who knows how many know by now. I am actually surprised that you don’t know already, but that might be because you are the first murk to be one.

“Daimonas are either children of the Gods or the heroes of the old given flesh again. Some even say that they contain the spirit of the Flow itself.” She noticed my raised eyebrow and chuckled tiredly, “I know it sounds implausible, that one would be a murk, and it had never happened before either. All daimonas were wermages until you came about. They all had Sparks brighter than the most, but their defining characteristic was their knowledge. The knowledge that they shouldn’t have, but did possess. Including the maturity and wisdom beyond their early years.”

I stood still in front of her. Shocked to the core. There were others like me simply running around? What were they doing? And, more importantly, why did they keep Emanai and the rest in such an archaic state? Did the nanite imprinting fail or did they choose to keep the civilization at this level for some reason?

I glanced at the window, seeing glimpses of the sky through the wooden screen. Precise memories were fuzzy, but I was sure that my ship had only me on board. And it was alone. I had no idea if there were other crashes before or after me, however.

“And what happened to them?” I asked, turning my head back to Aikerim.

“They aren’t as common as you think. Even by our standards. Their lives are nothing more than legends now,” She glanced up at the window too, “Perhaps they even joined the other Gods and still keep watch over us.”

My hands clenched. Keeping watch, my ass. I could understand not interfering with truly alien civilizations, at least not without extensive study and immense scrutiny. Acting rashly could cause irreparable damage to their culture. But these were humans! They were descendants of these that once called Earth home! To simply let them struggle while reaping the benefits for themselves wasn’t just immoral — it was outright cruel.

Unthinkable.

It was like finding a group of castaways on an island and letting them live there since they managed to make primitive spears and axes and were actively chopping each other to pieces. Or worse, position themselves as god-like beings and enjoy being worshipped as one. And leave, once the entertainment grew stale.

Unless I was missing something again.

“I see why I was given so much freedom despite my status now. Not just a slave, but a potential daimon…” I muttered deep in my own thoughts.

Aikerim nodded, “Early on I had a faint suspicion that you were one, but your way of carrying yourself as well as the knowledge you possess made it obvious since then. Know that while you stand beside me and my Manor, my wealth and power will aid you in your journeys. You might end up seeing your name and deeds engraved in Kiymetl histories.”

I bowed, “You have my gratitude, but please tell me: what other feats were these daimonas known for?”

The obvious unspoken words were clear to me, but there was no need to speak them out loud. Aikerim feared that I could try to seek better pastures. Especially after the last few days, with constant attacks and the looming threat over my family. All of which made the limits of her power and influence obvious to both of us.

Yet, apparently, she didn’t dare to lock me up and flog the knowledge out of me. Something, that I initially attributed only to her opportunistic mind of a trader, was also bolstered by the mythical status I apparently possessed. No wonder she didn’t bother to grill me on the origins of my knowledge — she already had the answers. Or why she stopped Sophia from doing the same later. Which apparently was a moot point since Albin was already aware.

Perhaps from our first meeting too, he could be uncomfortably insightful.

Aikerim couldn’t beg me to stay either. Domina couldn’t show herself being weak, her position wouldn’t let her. So all she could do is continue to do what had worked so far as hope that I was indeed grateful enough to close my eyes on previous transgressions. And that was exactly what I wanted her to do.

She sighed with relief, “Many Manors claim to have a Daimon as their first ancestor, or as one who brought them to prosperity. Their strength and swift rise to power made them into fearsome warriors on a field of battle. While their sharp mind and wit allowed them to win the battles of words.”

I stared at her.

Aikerim coughed, “There are tales of some that conquered vast swathes of land from the Forests, expanding Emanai borders. While others brought forth new spells, unseen before. Or brought plentiful loot from other nations.”

I blinked, “That’s it?”

She sputtered, “What do you mean, ‘that’s it’? Emanai would be a shadow of its current self without their might! Our neighbours fear us and pay tribute, and not the other way around.”

I groaned and leaned on the wall, “So much waste! They could have done so much more, yet all they did was take for themselves and for their family. Choosing to indulge in warfare and pillage. Taking instead of creating!”

“That is how the world works. You can’t eat two portions of bread without taking it from someone else.”

“Aikerim, as a merchant you should know it doesn’t have to work that way. Or do you believe that you steal from the sellers and overcharge the buyers?”

I could see I hit a sore point with that. The ears went down and the tail bristled. Elusive fangs, similar to her daughter’s, emerged. It had been a while since I’d seen her this angry.

“I can see that you do not,” I kept talking, not allowing her to speak, “Nor do I, for that matter. For things do not have a set value. And value scales with demand. Gold might be precious, but it is worthless if you are alone without food on an empty island.

“By buying where there is plenty and selling where there is none you turn a profit. While satisfying both the seller and the buyer. All three would walk out with better rewards than they could otherwise achieve. The seller could sell for more than she could ever get locally, and the buyer could buy for less, or buy at all. And you get richer in the process.”

Tail flopped on the bed as her ears rose up again. A vindicated look quickly replaced the scowl of anger.

“If only everyone could understand it as well.” Aikerim huffed.

“If they did, you would have a lot more competition.,” I quipped, “But in that example, all three would benefit. And the value was created during the exchange. Just as you create value when you buy wool and turn it into clothes. And how much value I added with the loom alone. And for years to come too.

“And that was just a simple loom!” I threw my hands in the air, “That is nothing in the grand scale of things. I can do much more, they could have done as much if not even more than me since they had magic too. So why didn’t they?! It is inexcusable that they chose to spend their time with trifle matters!”

“Or, maybe they aren’t as generous as you are?” She mused.

I walked over and leaned closer toward her face, “Tell me. Would you like to have any food that you desire, anytime? Fresh juicy grapes in the middle of the winter? Spices and sweets? What about the fanciest clothes made from thinnest threads and any colour you fancy? Enough to fill multiple rooms with clothes alone. Have the ability to dress the entire Emanai with just your Manor? In Arksite? Just imagine entire armies…arms of warriors walking side by side, all in blue. The glory of Emanai.”

Aikerim listened in rapt attention, eyes wide. Tiny quiet breaths escaping from her slightly open mouth. Eyes on me, tail deathly still.

I sharply pulled back, “Or would you prefer to have others scrape under your feet, washing splatters of shit from your legs? Hanging fragrant flowers on your windows to mask the unwelcome smells. Slavish in their behaviour lest you end them with your might.”

She recoiled too as if slapped, eyes blinking in confusion.

I waited in silence, waiting for her to recover. Daring for her to answer back.

“You…Can you make all of that happen?” Aikerim finally murmured.

“Most inventions aren’t just a single discovery but a set of small improvements that allow something previously unfeasible to become possible. This is why I was so keen on precision, or why I wanted glass. Each of these is but a stepping stone that let us rise higher. So yes, I could. In time,” I allowed, and then changed my tone back, “Something the other Daimonas had plenty of, yet didn’t.”

And if this was some sort of space attraction like “Plunge into a fantasy world and experience the authentic life of an ancient nobleman!” Then I would enjoy aiming a Kugelblitz drive at someone once I find my way to space.

“You know, with every day passing you make me regret more and more giving you your own sadaq.”

“And I am thankful that you did. Now that we are together they are my responsibility and I have no intention of letting them go,” I firmly stopped that conversation, “I wasn’t trying to be useful to get into someone’s sadaq, to begin with.”

“You have done a splendid job of trying to get into Anaise’s.” She accused me.

I cringed, “I admit, I did not expect such a drastic response. But didn’t you yourself agree that I should teach her? Were you aware that she would react this way?”

“I expected you to teach her many things, including the impermanence of murks. Your apparent longevity had smashed my plans at the worst time possible,” She sighed, “No matter. Unfortunately, we have more pressing matters than your relationship with my daughter. Specifically the Speaker at my doorstep. What can I expect from the upcoming meeting?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. What I do hope is that he had found a solution to the ‘issue’ his sister caused. And he is here to tell about it. As we spoke during the private bath, I’ve shared some ideas about history with him that made him rather interested to hear the conclusion of. Especially my beliefs about Emanai's potential collapse.”

“What?!”

I waved her off, “I am not talking about tomorrow nor a century from now. Rather millennia, based on your lifespans, so at this point, this is just a theory. But a theory that a historian like him would find impossible to ignore. He might not be desperate but he won’t be apathetic either.”

“I wish to know about these theories as well. As soon as possible too.” Domina demanded.

I pointed at the scrolls of parchment on my table, “They are already there, and most of the glass technology as well. I just have to add my theories on how Esca had possibly discovered it.”

Aikerim snagged the scroll but didn’t bother to read it. Instead, she rose up, “Good. Go, tell your sadaq that you are to attend the meeting and meet me at the inner courtyard. Anaise had stalled him enough. And change your clothes, my Manor is safe, but I don’t want anyone to recognize you as an alchemist.”

XXX

I was instantly intercepted as soon as I left the house. Irje tensed up immediately, seeing the residual frown on my face, spooking Yeva in the process.

They barely even noticed a wermage walking past them, her nose buried inside the scroll.

I quickly assuaged their fears by telling them my anger was not about something imminent, but the righteous fury of my likely predecessors. Neither of my girls had heard about them but both agreed with me that it did explain the unusual degree of treatment. Irje even joked that, if I was a wer, Aikerim would have given me her daughter on my second day inside the manor. Only to be smacked upside the head by a huffing Yeva.

Domina’s revelation had drastically changed the dynamic between us once again. Yes, I was still a murk. But I wasn’t just her slave anymore. Not in her eyes, and definitely not in mine. While she would still issue demands, she also started to pick her battles, recognizing where my opinions mattered more.

I smiled. For better or for worse, this had become a real partnership between us.

Yet another step on my path. Yet one more assurance that my sadaq would stay safe even without me around. Her final words confirmed it.

A walk to the inner courtyard had proven uneventful with the entire manor being unusually still. A hint of worry disappeared with emerging Sulla, who silently waved for me to come inside. He took me to the contemplative Domina still reading my scrolls and was dismissed with but a single wave of a hand.

“How much of this is true?” She quietly asked as we kept walking through the corridor alone.

“I would need more knowledge on Emanai than I currently have. Census, maps, possibly some historical records but it is likely.”

“Later, then,” She acknowledged.

And I knew why. Or I could guess, based on the loud laughter behind the door in front of us. I knew that devilish laughter. Or, should I say daimonic, for some of his mannerisms and word choices made me rather suspicious… Or he could be a recent descendant of one.

That would be better, for I wouldn’t need to punch his face in.

Incensed Anaise rushed past us as soon as we opened the door, leaving chuckling Albin alone with us. Surprisingly enough he was wearing quite an unusual set of clothes. Gone were his flashy khalats and sashes, leaving behind a dark grey coat of sorts that actually covered his tail and pants. Extreme rarity within the city walls.

“So, you weren’t killed after all,” he murmured, throwing a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Well, he looked to be in a rather great mood. That bode well.

Aikerim scrunched her eyebrows, and hissed, “You expected him to survive? Should I assume that you were aware he could be Collected soon?”

“Eh, about a coin toss,” He shrugged, completely ignoring her other question.

“So, did you come here to confirm? Or are you here with your answer?” I asked quickly, forcibly pulling the conversation back on track. He already managed to annoy the Lady of the House, and I had no intention that he would do the same with the Domina herself.

He stood and stretched, using his own horns to pull on his neck. An unusual action that only the horned ones could really enjoy, “You should call your sadaq here, they might be interested to hear about it too.”

“Well, as long as Domina permits, Albin. I could just tell them after this is all over too.”

He smiled and reached into his coat, “Ah but there is a problem with that.”

His hand gently placed an orb on the table. Almost identical to that of Aikerim’s but the pattern was different, even denser too. Was that the Orb of Truth that belonged to Shebet? And why was it here?

“Since after this is all over, you will be coming with me.” The Mephistopheles spoke.

What?

I turned to find deathly pale Aikerim staring at the Orb.

What?