The alarm toned again. Was it the second or third time? Renz awoke, disoriented and dizzy. He blinked until his swimming vision stabilized. He was tucked in a large curved wall shelf piled with pillows that smelled of basil. There were no sheets, no blankets, just a pile of pillows in a variety of shapes and textures.

This was the Turning Wheel Inn where Suvira had led them last night. Led them into danger. Renz grumbled and shifted in the unfamiliar jumble of a bed.

Across the room, Joe moaned and cringed. He tried to climb out of his own shelf but fell backwards. “Um… why is my arm in a sling?”

Renz chuckled. “You played hero. We got drunk.”

Joe glared. “So, a typical Friday night?” He peaked under the bandages. “Damn.  It wasn’t a dream.” The brand on his arm was an angry burn and the air made it sting.

Renz fumbled and pulled himself out of bed. “Suvira has some salve to put on it before we go down to eat.” Renz tapped three times on the wall between the rooms, so she would know they were awake.

She was unlocking their door in seconds, dressed for travel. “Morning, boys. Let me see that arm.”

Joe bit his lower lip. He let Suvira apply the salve from a spray pump but took the container when she was done. “Thank you. I’ll take care of it from here.”
 Suvira nodded. “You’ll need to lose the sling until we are on the train. Careful not to bump into anything.”

Joe chuckled. “You’re telling me?”

Suvira cocked her head. “Yes. Now get dressed.” She left abruptly, locking the door.

Joe reached for his bag. “I don’t think she’s a morning person.”

Renz slid into his shirt and vest. “I think we don’t move fast enough.”

When Renz and Joe got downstairs, Survira was sitting at the corner table with Rae, the steelworker guild boss, and a tall eyan with brown fur and a silver stripe across his nose. Suvira stood as the boys approached the table. “This is Wernen. He’s going to sketch Joe for the wall.”

Renz nodded and Joe stepped forward and shook Wernen’s hand.

A buffet of local foods was spread across the bar. Renz made a plate for himself and one for Joe, grabbing familiar-looking items. Cheese, well-cooked meat, and fruit were generally safe. He picked out some crackers and long snap peas as well.

Wernen sketched while Renz and Joe ate. Rae handed over a tube of papers to go to the guild house in Nodae Eya, just east of the capital building.

Rae leaned forward. “If they give you any trouble, you show them that brand and tell them Rae’s got a new man in town.”

Joe nodded. “Consider it done.”

Rae patted his shoulder a little too hard. “Good. Confidence can get you in more doors than manners.”

Suvira leaned over close. “But favors can open closed doors. Make more friends than enemies.”

Joe nodded. “I usually do.”

After breakfast, Suvira led the boys into the back room to see the wall. Renz sucked in a breath. The domed room was half covered in a tiled mosaic, depicting rough and stern-looking eyan men, steel tracks, trains, and a smelting fire.

Joe blinked and shook his head. “Amazing. And they’re adding my funny mug to this wall?”

Suvira nodded. “The only human on the planet who will likely gain the honor. Most of these men were guild bosses and seconds. They created the trains and the rails. Being on this wall will give you some bargaining power, but don’t mistake it for authority in the capital. Guilds are second to tribal interests. They serve and create under direction.”

Joe shrugged. “That’s what I do.”

Renz ran a hand over the tiles, feeling the polished ceramics and rough grout. The tiles were concave, matching the walls of dome. “But they create brilliantly. Learn anything you can about local materials and art forms.”

Joe sat down on a bench and pulled out some loose pages. “Give me an hour and I’ll be ready to go.”

Suvira looked at Renz and gestured toward the door. “We’ll meet you at the train in two hours.”

Suvira led Renz all the way out to the street. He grabbed her arm. “Wait a minute.” Suvira stopped, but she stared down at Renz hand on her arm. He let go. “You’re unusually distressed this morning, more so than last night with the brand pointed at your arm.”

Suvira turned away from Renz and walked east, away from the train station. Renz followed, thinking through his question. Well, it hadn’t been a question. Maybe that was it. “What’s wrong?”

Suvira glanced back at him. “Mardon is from Kannar tribe. You threatened his life for his threat against your freedom. We have to file a statement before he does.”

“Ah. So you’re short with me because I have made things difficult?”

Suvira stopped short and Renz bumped into her side. Her face softened as she looked down at him. “I am sorry, Renz. I don’t mean to be unkind, I mean to hurry. You did right. No question. But you shook him and there will be consequences.”

Suvira led the way again, up five streets and over three more. She stopped short in front of a green dome. Vined plants climbed the surface of the building, over painted vines. It was difficult to tell art from living vine. Perhaps that was the real art.

Suvira approached the front entrance, an arched door sank into the face of the dome. She rapped three times and stepped back.

The door swung open and a huge eyan filled the door frame. “Oh.  Suvira Frey - Farran. We have word from Bardor that you have a quest to complete.”

Suvira nodded. “That I do. I come to you in the office of that quest, Tran.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I am listening.”

Suvira pulled Renz forward. “This is Doctor Renz representing Xicon tribe. He has a claim against Kannar. One that will interest Bardor and Frey equally.”

Tran glared down at Renz. “Tell.”

Renz took in a breath. “At the market in Bardor, Mardon of Kannar attempted to purchase delegates of Xicon heading for Nodae Eya.”

Tran’s brow furrowed. “Mardon wants to enslave tribal leaders? Are you sure?”
 Renz nodded, feeling odd at the thought of himself as a tribal leader, but it was the truth. “He offered Survira any price she would name for myself and for my engineer.”

Tran took a step back and rubbed a beefy hand over his fuzzy face. “Bad tiding. Very bad. You must make your statements to the Lady Rudamae at once.”

Suvira nodded, but otherwise her face was frozen. “Then that is what we will do.”

They were led quickly through curving halls to a dark room, hung in folds of red and gold fabrics. Suvira arranged herself on pillows on the floor. Finding it the only option, Renz sunk down and joined her. “What now?” he asked.

A voice from a shadow answered him. “Now you tell the truth.” The golden eyan woman who drifted forward in the dark was grizzled and lined, like an elder. She loomed over Renz and circled his head with choking incense that smelled of clove and pepper, then did the same over Suvira. “Speak the truth and all will be well.”

Renz recounted the incident in Bardor market, even explaining his intended meaning compared with the received meaning. Lady Rudamae did not react, only listened. After a pause, she asked, “why do you travel to the capital?”

Renz replied, “I intend to make a land deal with Soza. We need to build an observatory and it must be on high land.”

“Soza land is the highest. And what will this observatory give you?”

Renz tried to gage his words, but they ran on without his control. “We want to study the stars and talk to our tribe off-world.” It had to be the incense, but it was too late. Harding would skin him alive if he found out Renz had admitted to other humans in the system. “I shouldn’t have said it, because it betrays my tribal trust, but I am drugged. We crashed here fifteen years ago and we have family we have not talked to in all that time. We want to know they are safe.”

Rudamae nodded. “Frey will support your complaint against Kannar. Slavery is distasteful in general and unnecessary. Enslavement of nobility is not an option, and you are noble.”

Rudamae leaned over to Suvira and kissed her forehead. “I think you will do well, child. You choose good company.” A tear ran down Suvira’s cheek as Rudamae backed into the shadows and disappeared.

A couple more tears followed the first and Suvira stretched a hand out after the elder. “I hope you’re right, grandmother. I can’t imagine not seeing you again for fifteen years.”

Renz reached out a hand but stopped short. “We are fighting for the same thing in a way.  I am sorry. I swear to you we will make it through this.”

Tran came in and pulled open heavy curtains, letting fresh air clear the incense from the room. A small golden girl in a frilled dress came running in with two opaque red glasses. She handed one to Suvira and kissed her cheek. Tran cleared his throat and the girl took a step back, eyes wide. She handed the second glass to Renz. It was water with slices of green citrus. As he sipped the drink, she stared at his face and his hands. She whispered to Suvira, “Does he have a tail?”

Suvira shook her head. “If he does, it is very small."

Tran stepped forward and shooed the girl out of the room.

Renz stared at his water, blushing. “Our ancestors had tails. We evolved differently.”

~     ~     ~

The train from Frey to the capital was quick, serving a small lunch of glazed bread and tea before pulling into Nodae Eya. The curved and domed buildings spread out across the plain to the coast, seaming to spiral around a central point. At the heart of it all was a massive hive, punctuated with windows, balconies and three spiny turrets that reached into the high clouds.

Renz took in a large breath at the sight but bent over coughing. Joe thumped his back, no help at all. “Okay.  Okay, back off.” Renz coughed a little more and then straightened. “Just a dry throat from the incense.”

Joe raised an eyebrow. “You ran off and smoked while I was working? That hardly seems fair.”

Renz shook his head. “Had to file a complaint about our friend Mardon, the would-be slaver.”

Joe huffed. “Well, I guess that’s okay.”

Suvira waved at them from the far curb. She’d rounded up a closed carriage led by some shaggy oxen. They all climbed in and rocked their way through wide, busy streets. 

Joe got off first at the guild house. “I expect I’ll see you both in the morning.” He followed the hedgerows of pine up to the door and knocked with his branded arm.

Suvira had the driver pull the carriage around the back of the massive capital building, using a private Soza supply door into the hive-like construction. 

Renz looked at her skeptically. “Aren’t we trying to make friends with Soza, not offend them?”

“Well, this is the entry for the northeast region, so that includes Xicon tribe now that you have arrived. You’ll want to get settled in and change before making introductions.” Suvira grabbed bags and led Renz inside. “Dress well, be cool and slow like an elder, and don’t agree to anything.”

Renz nodded. “What about you?”

Suvira shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll be explaining myself and your situation to the Frey delegation. After that I should be sent to servants’ quarters or to you, depending how my explanations are received.”

Renz frowned. “Harsh.”

“Well I am an embarrassment.” Suvira waved to a woman in a tidy purple and black apron who was rushing in their direction. “I am delivering the Xicon delegate. Please take excellent care of Doctor Renz Banister of Xicon colony.”

The woman curtsied in front of Renz. “An honor to assist, Doctor.” She glanced at Suvira and pointed left to an unmarked door. “Frey hall is around the curve. Don’t delay.”

Suvira nodded and moved immediately to the door. She glanced back at Renz. “Cool, slow, no deals.”

Renz set his bags on the marbled floor. “Understood.”

As the door closed, Renz turned to his new attendant. “What is your name?”

The woman curtsied again. “I am Zusa, sir. I run the house and oversee the children during their interim here.”

Renz nodded. “Then I am very glad to meet you, Zusa. Please call me Renz when it is convenient.  Call me Doctor when I need to be on my guard.”

The woman bowed slightly. “Interesting.  I will remember, Renz. Please forgive me, but I must ask you to sit and have some tea while I make sure a room is well prepared.”

Renz took a seat on a short stool and pulled a cup and kettle close. “I’ll appreciate a break before I settle in. Thank you.”

Zusa grabbed the bags and hurried off down a corridor to the right.

A girl stepped into sight as soon as Zusa was gone. She hopped up on a stool and stared at Renz. He poured his tea and offered her a cup. She tried to push the cup away but brushed Renz hand. She jerked back and her eyes squinted. “Are you real or… a dream?”

Renz set down the empty cup and returned to his own, blowing at the steam. “I am real, but would a dream say anything different?”

The girl glared. “You are real. You try to confuse me like Hojon. He says I’m too young to be here, but I’m smarter.”

“Really? Well I don’t mean to confuse you, but dreams are difficult, aren’t they? I am Doctor Renz Banister from Xicon colony. What is your name?” He sipped at the spicy tea.

“Myra. I’ll be eight very soon. Hojon says I should be in the nursery with the babies until I’m ten. He calls me a baby when Zusa isn’t listening.”

Renz shook his head. “Well that doesn’t sound very nice. That would be a waste of your time, wouldn’t it? How old is this Hojon who bothers you?”

Myra relaxed and picked up the empty tea cup, examining the flower design. “He’s twelve. He thinks he’s in charge of me, but he’s not.”

“Good for you. But it may be useful if you let him think he is in charge.”

“That’s what Nura does, but she’s older.”

Zusa returned and stood at a distance. “Your room is ready, Renz. I will show you. Myra, would you please tell the others we have a delegate from Xicon colony. They must mind their manners.”

Myra nodded and jumped down from her stool. “I will tell them. Good day, Doctor Renz.” She ran out of the room in a blur, faster than Renz thought she could move. Eyan children could spring like cats.

Renz sipped his tea and set it down. He might as well practice that slow and cool thing now, since his heart raced. He would have to play the old, slow but hyper-alert cat. He was completely submerged in Eyan culture, but it was alien – no he was alien. Must remember this is their world we’re sharing.

Renz stood slowly. “Alright, Zusa. Lead the way.”

            ~          ~          ~

Renz entered the suite that would be his home in Nodae Eya. The main room was large and open, but dark. Purple and black dominated the room with hints of silver shimmering off delicate surfaces. There was a basket on a pedestal by the door, stacked with papers rolled into tubes. An oval hand-marked chart on the wall beside the basket showed a bi-hourly schedule. It was tilted and Renz adjusted it into place.

Fixed to the back of the door, a clock with an open face ticked softly. The two-hour markers were inlaid shell, varying from lavender at midday to purple-tinted black after nightfall.

Drapes hung from high poles and stacks of pillows lined the walls of the room. The only large feature was a desk curving around a bench at the far side of the room. Renz wandered over to examine writing implements strewn in a carved glass bowl. Most were charcoal pencils or tipped paintbrushes. A few delicate jars sat in the shadow of the bowl, ink, and cleaner.

There was a gentle knock from the left. Renz felt the drapes along the wall and found an edge in the folds. A second knock led Renz to a hidden door, fitted perfectly into the curving wall. He took a breath and pulled the door open by a narrow groove.

A slender, young eyan man stood with his hands clasped in front of him. “Good day, sir. I am Marko. I will be attending to your needs.”

Renz nodded. “I appreciate that, Marko. Please call me Renz when it is convenient.”

Marko smiled. “Zusa has instructed the staff to call you Doctor only when you must be on your guard. We will do as you say. It is clever.”

Renz took a step back and held open the drape. “Tell me what I need to know about these rooms and this schedule.”

Marko strode into the room and straight to the basket by the main door. He lifted the basked and carried it to the desk. He arranged the tubes into stacks. “The first order of business is communications. You will find a stack at your door every morning after breakfast. Red seals are urgent. Today’s business. Purple seals are in-house. Soza and Xicon internal business only.  You can choose a different color if you like. Green comes from Frey or Sonnor. Blue comes from Bardor or Omar. Gold comes from Nodae Eya nobility. Do not ignore gold seals. Orange comes from Kannar or Forra, but there are none here today.” Marko paused in his sorting, examining a seal carefully. “Brown come from cross-landers. Handle with care. No deals with cross-landers without Nodae Eya authorizations.”

Renz took the tube from Marko and examined the brown seal depicting a bear claw over a clover. “Interesting.” Renz pulled the scroll out and unrolled it. Bold, large script marked a brief greeting and a request to meet in person. “Would it be safe to agree to a meeting?”

Marko’s ears bent back for a moment. “Not advisable this early. A polite acknowledgement and an appointment for next week would be wise. Perhaps over tea.”

“Good. How do I keep track of appointments?”

“Please sit.” Marko waited for Renz to ease himself onto the bench, then pointed out an indention in the underside of the desk on Renz’s right. “Just there.”

Renz pressed a button he found in the indention. A six-inch section of table lifted up.  It revealed a hanging stack of cards: an upside-down roll-a-dex. “Excellent.” The cards had dates printed at the top.  Renz picked a day toward the end of the next week and unhooked the card for that day. Next to the line for tea time, Renz penciled in “meeting – cross-lander, Madam Wenda Teklacotta.”

Renz glanced up at Marko. “I need paper and a secretary to check my replies before I send them out.”

Marko raised his eyebrows. “A secret-keeper? We are all secret-keepers here, but I will find Ximena. She has the skill you will need and a proper fear of upsetting the elders.”

“That sounds reasonable. How old is Ximena?”

“She will be fourteen and graduate from her apprenticeship here in five weeks. She may be willing to stay on as long as you need her talents. She does love the capital.”

Renz replaced the schedule card and lowered the shelf. “That would be most helpful. Do all tribes send children to the capital for four years of training?”

Marko identified another indention in the underside of the desk which opened a drawer of paper and tubes. “Two years is standard, but Soza demands more of her children. Soza is a harsh landscape and trade is essential to their prosperity.”

Then Soza will be well practiced at negotiation. “Thank you, Marko. I will work here for a while.”

“If you need anything, ring.” Marko pulled back the drape by the servant’s entrance he’d come through.  A bell-pull hung next to the door.

“I will.” Renz pulled up some paper and examined the fine grain of the parchment. He began drafting a reply to the cross-lander who wished to meet.

~          ~          ~

Ximena arrived an hour later with Zusa and a seal designer. Zusa served iced water with lemon while Renz talked over seal ideas with the designer, Trasia Sonnor. Ximena went right to work making notes on the letters Renz had drafted.

Trasia Sonnor recommended a broken arrow or feather to symbolize the crash of the Xicon ship.

Renz shook his head. “One accident does not define an entire people.  We are not broken now and that is not the legacy we will leave to our children.” He paused while that idea sunk in, then continued. “The feather is a good idea. We did fly here and we could fly again.”

Renz settled on a seal in a rich honey yellow with a feather over a five-point star, the implication being Xicon was the tribe from a distant star.

As Trasia rushed out the door, Ximena turned to the last letter in the stack. It was the first letter Renz drafted, to the cross-lander. Ximena bit the end of her pencil and growled.

Renz handed his water back to Zusa and approached the desk. “Did I make a mistake?”

Ximena looked up at his face and examined it. “No mistake, sir.  But there is a better way to make the invitation.”

Renz raised an eyebrow. “If you are going to be my secret-keeper, I need you to be honest with me. What did I do wrong?”

Ximena grumbled and set down the pencil. “You are too familiar. You must be formal with cross-landers or no one will trust you. Waiting to meet is good, but your invitation sounds like tea with a personal friend. You do not know this woman. You should never be personal and casual with questionable people. Use formal language. Keep a distance. Even over tea.”

Renz nodded. “There is tension between the cross-landers and the nobility and I should tread carefully. Show me how you would phrase the reply.” Renz walked around the curve to stand next to Ximena. She shifted sideways nervously. Renz lowered himself slowly to the bench. “You are not the student anymore, Ximena. You are the instructor. Teach me. I will make you proud.”

Ximena puffed out her chest and grinned. It was a wicked expression that made the hairs on the back of Renz’s neck stand on end. She grabbed her pencil and began marking in the margins. “Well, then. Let’s get started.”

They worked for a couple hours, perfecting the letters and redrafting them. When the seal arrived with a supply of wax, they sealed the letters and Ximena rang the bell for Marko to collect them for delivery. Renz was glad to be done. He was tired and dizzy.

Marko handed off the letters to staff and stepped into the room. Ximena quickly made her way out the main door without saying goodbye. Renz stared after her and asked, “Did I scare her away?”

Marko shook his head. “No. You all must get ready for dinner.”

“Ah. Well that’s good.” Renz was starving but didn’t want to say so. He was sure he would be over fed the next day if he said a word. “I expect I need to freshen up and change.”

Marko nodded. “I will set out clothes.”

The washroom had a toilet of sorts, and it took Renz a minute to figure out he was expected to squat and rest his knees in grooves of a curving arch, much too high for him to keep his balance easily. It looked like he would have to practice yoga just to use the facilities.

There was a massive oval basin in the floor with a pull cord that reached to the ceiling.  The surrounding wall was pressed with colorful shells and bits of glass in reds and purples. Renz pulled the cord and water streamed down, shimmering in earie colors. Renz took a towel off a basin next to the shower and found it slick. It was coated in chamomile soap. “I’ll be clean and fresh in no time.”

~     ~     ~

Renz stepped into the circular dining hall with six entrances. It was as broad as a football field.  Elegant eyans clustered together in large groups. A gong sounded and the noise of thirty conversations subsided. Next to Renz, a man in a silken brown vest announced, “The Xicon Delegation has arrived. Doctor Renz Banister, the First.” Renz was confused by the last bit since he didn’t have any children. There must be some significance. The first delegate? The highest rank?

There was a moment of silence as Renz stood still in his surprise as he was examined by onlookers. Whispering and conversations resumed, but with more fervor and stolen looks toward the northeast door where Renz stood.

Ximena stepped out of the crowd with an elderly woman in a shimmering golden gown.  Renz met them halfway and bowed slightly. “Good evening, ladies.”

The elderly woman blinked a few times then smiled. “Good evening, young man. It is good to see the young stepping forward to take their place.”

Renz smiled. How young did he appeared? “Thank you. I will endeavor to do my best.”

“Don’t we all, dear. Now Ximena has a fondness for cherries. Can you take her to the buffet? It’s such a long walk for my old legs and I have to talk to everyone along the way.”

“I would be honored.”

Ximena nodded to the lady then walked next to Renz, guiding him toward the buffet. “That was Her Highness Demora, the reigning lady in Nodae Eya. She stays in order to have the last word if there is something she finds offensive. Otherwise, she sits back and watches.”

“Clever. I bet when she does speak on an issue, she has everyone’s full attention.”

Ximena looked sideways at Renz. “How could you know that?”

“If one is always complaining, then the complaints are commonplace and boring, expected.  If one only rarely raises a fuss, then it is an occasion of curiosity. It must be important.”

“She has more power because she doesn’t wave it about at parties? Is that how it works?”

Renz chuckled. “Yes, I believe you have the idea.”

A group of ladies approached and stood in Renz’s path. Ximena wrinkled her nose. “Then no one explained that to these Frey girls.

Renz slowed and stopped, bowing slightly. “Good evening, ladies.”

A woman in a green dress with a yellow sash stepped forward. “Good evening, Doctor. We heard you had a bit of trouble on the road.”

Renz nodded, “Nothing we couldn’t handle.”

A lady with a green velvet dress with a vest that matched Renz’s honey-colored jacket leaned forward, as if in confidence. “Because a child of Frey saved you from a fight?”

Renz shook his head. They were from Frey delegation and they wanted to extract a favor. This wasn’t dinner. It was a political cocktail party. “Suvira is a brilliant woman, but I held my own. By the way, why are you wearing Suvira’s dress?”

The lady’s left ear twitched. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Renz stepped around the woman in front and held out his right sleeve for inspection. “The fabric from Suvira’s vest came off the same bolt as this jacket, custom tailored for her as a gift. Please return it to Suvira before you stretch it out of proportion or give it back to me.”

There were gasps and giggles all around. Renz had forgotten for a moment that his every move was being watched on all sides. Well, if they wanted a show to judge him, they certainly got one.

The lady grabbed at her skirts and strolled leisurely toward the southwest entrance with her nose and ears up. Renz was impressed with the strict control it took to leave the room with such dignity as people were snickering and whispering behind her back. The other Frey ladies drifted away, uninterested in further embarrassment.

Next to Renz, Ximena covered her face with a furry hand and snorted. “Oh, that had a sting to it, Doctor. She will remember that slight for years, but the next time you see Suvira, she will be wearing her dress.”

Renz nodded once. “Good. There is no scenario I can imagine where taking Suvira’s new dress was a compliment.”

Ximena lowered her hand, but still smirked. “True. But you may win the feathered hat tonight.”

Renz furrowed his brow. “What?”

“The fool of the day wears a feathered hat until he finds a bigger fool. Uncle Max has been looking to pass it on for a month now.”

Renz shook his head. “So I’m the new court jester.  Lovely.”

Ximena giggle. “There are worse fates.”

~     ~     ~

Renz slid the blade of his razor down the side of his face, comforted by the familiar ritual. There were two taps on the bathroom door. “Come.”

Marko eased the door open without a sound. He froze in the doorway and watched through the mirror Renz had fixed to the wall.

Renz tilted his chin up. “I’ll just be a moment. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Marko’s eyes slid up the wall to stare at nothing. His ears twitched and bent back slightly.

Renz wiped his face with a towel and turned. “I’m sorry.  Did I offend you?”

Marko continued to stare at the wall. “No, sir. You do not have to apologize to staff. We are here to assist you.”

“But I’ve disturbed you.”

“I do not wish to worry you, Renz. Please. Let me braid your hair so you can meet Soza for breakfast.”

Renz pulled his dressing gown tighter, self-conscious if front of critical eyes. He moved toward the bedroom. “I’m not sure I’ll ever move fast enough.”

Marko followed, shaking his head. “You have time. But Ximena would like you there. It is her first breakfast outside the children’s den. She doesn’t want to be the main spectacle.”

Renz smiled and sat down. “And I’m the biggest spectacle in town. I’m sure I can keep attention off her. Come one, come all. See the bizarre tail-less man.”

Marko made a humming noise deep in his throat as he began to brush out Renz hair with a round brush. It was a noise to soothe children. “I don’t think you’re bizarre. I think you’re compelling.”

At least that was reassuring. “Then please tell me what I have done to disturb you.”

Marko stopped breathing for several seconds. “I don’t think I can say, sir.”
 Renz suppressed the urge to shake his head. “Well, there. I did it again. I suppose I should talk less and be more formal. I want to apologize again, but you’ve told me not to. I’ll have to work on that.”

Marko sighed as he separated Renz hair into three sections. “Sir does not have to worry about staff. We are here to assist.”
 “I do have to worry if I have made you too uncomfortable to remember my name.

~     ~     ~

Renz pushed away his plate of tangy eggs and raised a hand. He motioned Zusa over to the table. “I have not seen Joseph Ryan this morning. Did he arrive last night? Should I be worried?”

Zusa shook her head. “He just arrived this morning and is settling into the servants’ quarters.”

Renz’s brow furrowed and he tilted his head to see Zusa’s face more clearly. His voice went up an octave. “What do you mean Joe is in the servants’ quarters?”

Zusa took a step backward. “He’s your attendant, isn’t he? His place is with the servants.”

Renz shook his head and took a slow breath. “He is not. Move him immediately. I need access to my chief engineer. He is a man of learning and a valuable resource.”

Zusa looked at the ground. “Really? Well, there are some free rooms available in the children’s wing.”

Renz nodded. “That will do, for now.”

~     ~     ~

Joe followed Zusa through the arched service corridor, around a long bend and out into the pantry between the bathhouses. Zusa peaked out the exit before opening the door wide.

Joe followed her into the main Soza compound hall. “Are we sneaking around for a reason?”

Zusa glanced back. “Renz would not like to see you entering through a service door. He was angry. We must get you settled quickly, so you can join the children for tea. I believe Renz will find you just after tea, to be sure you have been made welcome.”

Joe nodded. “I bet he will. He takes care of his own.”

Zusa stopped suddenly in Joe’s path. “You are family then? No wonder he was angry.”

Joe realized he’d made a language hiccup again. “We are - tribesmen who work together toward common ends. Renz will treat anyone on his team with proper respect and diligence, like family, as long as they do the same.”

Zusa moved forward to a lavishly carved pair of wooden doors depicting the Sun and the Moon. Zusa swung the doors inward, revealing a massive soft brown, domed room with five short tables. Ten other doors circled the perimeter, each a different color. Zusa pointed to the purple door covered in an interwoven fern relief. “This will be your room.”

Zusa pointed back toward the door. A pedestal table with a marbled top sat by the left side of the door. “The silver tray will have incoming messages, the gold tray is for outgoing messages, and the green tray is for staff orders. If you need anything more immediate, there is a bell cord in your suite.”

“Thank you, Zusa. You’ve been kind.”

She ducked her head. “I’ve been more honest than kind, I think.”

Joe smiled. “Same thing.  I like honest.”

“Good.  The children will be out for tea in ten minutes, if you’d like to settle in first.”

“I’ll do that.” Joe opened the purple door and strolled into a menagerie of stuffed animal toys, building blocks, and three small beds, layered with piles of purple pillows.

The room even smelled of lavender. Curtains hung on the far wall. Joe pulled them back to find a thin door next to a full-length mirror. He replaced the curtain and turned full circle. Drawers and shelves filled the left wall, clear to the ceiling. A stepladder hung from a rod at the top. The only other door was partially open, on the right side of the room. Joe pushed it open to find a slender man unpacking his bags into a closet opposite a wash basin.

The young man started, then bowed. “I am almost done here, sir. Would you like me to lay out an outfit for you?”

Joe smiled and nodded. “Sure, leave me something comfortable for after tea. And you can call me Joe.” He glanced back at the toy box of a room. “I’m just one of the boys, for now.”

“I’m Marko. If you need anything, just ring the bell.”

Joe looked back out into the room. “Um...”

Marko stepped around him and pulled back the edge of the curtain. A bell-pull the same color was hidden in the folds. “If you need anything.” Marko bowed again and disappeared through the hidden door.

Joe met the Soza children as they came out of their rooms for tea. Women in aprons with laden trays served the eldest boy and girl first, then Joe. The rest were served in order of age. Joe thought this might be another slight to his position here, until one of the women snuck him an extra meringue.

Hojon, the oldest boy in the Soza compound, stretched up to his full height. He was just a bit shorter than Joe, but not by much. He ruffled Joe’s ruddy hair. “What is that floppy mess?”

Joe smiled. “Renz says I have to grow it out, but it’s too short too braid and too long to keep in place. It’ll take a few months to reach my shoulders.”

Nura, a girl a year older than Hojon, picked up a brush and circled behind Joe. “We’ll fix it, Uncle Joe.”

Hojon and Nura maneuvered around Joe’s stool and brushed his hair into a slanted wave. Hojon added gel and Nura used a fine comb to create a swirl over one ear.

Joe took a look in the wall mirror and admired their work. “Well don’t I look dashing? Can you teach me to do that?”

Renz came through the door and smirked, his feathered fool’s hat slanting over one eye. “You’re making yourself at home. Excellent.” He clapped his hands.

Joe nodded. “Getting to know the best and brightest.”

The kids giggled. Nura curtsied and swished her tail back and forth, ruffling her petticoat.  Myra waved at Renz.

Renz nodded. “That they are. You should be careful.”

Joe shrugged. “I think we’re good.”

Renz laughed. “Really?” He picked a magazine off the message table and handed it to Joe. “You sure?” The cover pictured a bride in a flowing blue lace dress with a slanting hairstyle, with a swirl over one ear.

Joe pulled a lily from a ceramic vase, snapped the stem, and stuck the bloom over his other ear. He swung around and bowed.

The kids cheered and laughed. Hojon asked, “Renz, why are you the clown?  Joe’s funnier.”

From the mouth of babes. Renz raised an eyebrow. He felt like a circus attraction, and that had to end. “Now on, he will be.” Renz removed the feathery hat and tossed it to Joe, who donned it and posed. Renz opened his arms wide. “Who should I be?”

~     ~     ~