“Same reason as the other dominas I expect.”

“This is highly unusual. There is a reason that companions are meant to be older. What stability, learning or life wisdom can you give my daughter?”

“You have had companions with all of those features. But you haven’t had a companion with mine yet.”

“And those are?” 

He seemed open to hiring me. “I am not much older than your daughter, but that is an advantage. Because I am closer in age it would be easier to relate to one another. Besides that, I have experienced the loss of my family as she has. I would not say that I am lacking in life experience.”

“I am sorry that happened. Those are good points, and I appreciate your honesty. However there is more in play than you know. I will not be hiring you. I invited you in out of courtesy.” 

His hand went to the bell on the table, to call for a servant. My hopes dashed, I was angry that he had even given me an opening, a piece of hope. I couldn’t walk out of here without a job. There was an almost unnoticeable tremor in my hand, where my finger had been pricked.

“Wait! Please. There is another reason to hire me.”

“And what is that?”

Whatever excuse he gave, I knew he was curious about me, otherwise he wouldn’t have sat down with me like this.

“I could be your daughter.”

“What?” He was genuinely baffled by what I had said.

“If history had played out differently, if your family had moved closer to their past investments in the Ascended City, it could be your daughter sitting here, destitute.”

I felt humiliated playing the pity card. It was shameful and I hated it. And yet, it had worked with the guards, although that hadn’t been a calculated move as this was. Perhaps it would work now. I didn’t have many cards to play. I had to use everything I could, I couldn’t walk out of here without that job.

“The Ibis family has lived in Lascus since before even the empire. This was once our kingdom. We would never have moved away.” He spoke stiffely.

“Lord Ibis, sitting in front of you is a desperate person. Turn me out, and what will become of me? This companionship is my best hope for the future.” My gamble hadn’t paid off. Curling my hands in my lap, I tried to think of what to say next.

“I care for my daughter, I want a good companion for her. A steady loyal one, who will not leave her. Not a desperate one.”

“I could be that for her.” I leaned forward.

“Pity would not work with her, she would chew you and spit you out in a minute.”

“If that’s what you think, hire me.” I think I was getting to him. 

“What would you do if you woke up to all your closet empty?”

“I would be happy for the opportunity to get new clothing.”

“Or if her pet savagely attacked you?”

“Animals love me. Wouldn’t happen.”

“What if someone pissed in all your food for a month?”

“Pissed food is better than no food.”

“Or if someone hid rotten meat all around your room?”

“A chance to make some new rat friends.”

With that absurd answer, that line of questioning stopped. Relaxing slightly in his chair, he asked next. “What was your life like in the Hilled Outlands?”

“Hard. We lived poor, everyday was full of work from dawn until dusk. But I wish it were still so.” I smiled wistfully.

“Can you cook and clean?”

“Yes.”

“I would pay you a quarter the amount agreed on.”

“Done.” That was a harsh reduction. However I wasn’t risking my chances by haggling, at least not now.

“If I would take you on, would you swear to me, that you will always be a loyal and good companion to my daughter?”

“I swear it.”

“You must swear it on your family.”

“I swear it on my family, the la Mandras.”

I felt, more than saw, a warm flash from the necklace under my clothing. My vow had been witnessed. I wondered why it had worked that way. The la Mandra’s weren’t really my family. There must be more to the inheritance of this necklace then I had known. My line of thinking was derailed by Lord Ibis’ next words.

“Very well. Then I invite you officially, Domina la Mandra, to be a companion to my daughter. Unofficially, you will also be a help to the cook and clean as Dominic instructs.”

“Thank you!” In my excitement, my voice came out too loud, Lord Ibis looked already apprehensive. We stood and headed to the sitting room we had first met, where Domina Vole was waiting.

“Domina Vole, I have invited Domina la Mandra to stay.”

“Lord Ibis, I thought we had reached an agreement?”

“I wish what is best for my daughter.”

“Very well. Domina Marin, I congratulate you.” She smiled thinly. The transparency of the smile reminded me of her earlier words. We are not friends. “Should you have any other need to be fulfilled Lord Ibis, I hope you will think of me.”

After she left, Lord Ibis called out. “Dominic!”

The head butler came in. 

“Yes, my lord?”

“In unofficial capacity, Domina la Mandra will be helping in the house.”

“A domina is not what I meant when I asked for more hired help.”

“She’s what we can afford.” He seemed a changed man with the passing of the luncheon. Lines in his face relaxed, his face seeming more open and friendly.

“I am leaving. Take charge of her.”

***

Dominic didn’t take charge of me. He sniffed, said he was busy and called the younger servant, Lucas, to give me an abbreviated tour of the house. Lucas was quiet and shy. It fit me perfectly, I was not in a talkative mood, thinking over the conversations I had with Lord Ibis and Domina Vole. He showed me the kitchens, a once grand room built for a team of cooks. There was an old woman snoring by the fire and a young kitchen helper, Adriana, cleaning the dishes from our luncheon. 

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My room was high up, on the third floor. One floor under the servant’s.  By the standards of the house, it was a simple room. But it was more than I was used to. I had a featherbed, with a bed table and lamp besides, a fireplace and a large colorful woven wall tapestry. My favorite part was the window. It had a view of the lake of Lascus, which the city was named after. It was sparkling and blue. I knew that underneath the deceptively still surface, were deep hidden depths. The lake was famous for it.

It wasn’t until dinner that my duties began. A light knock on the door by Lucas woke me up from my nap. I was to meet Lady Ibis, the daughter, and head together to eat.

***

Knocking at the door of her private sitting room Lucas had led me to, there was no answer. Curiosity kept him around, but he had taken a few steps back. Presumably a safety measure from whatever bomb would explode when Lady Ibis and I would meet. 

When the second knock yielded no results, I called out, “Lady Ibis I am your new companion, Marin, I am opening the door.”

The door wasn’t locked. I opened it to see Lady Solum Ibis standing with a confrontational look. She was slender and beautiful, with none of the awkwardness or bad skin that I had when I was sixteen. Her hair was a dark brown, her skin the same beautiful rich color as her father. Her greatest beauty were her large and dark eyes, framed by wide cheekbones, a straight nose and full lips. 

Pointing at me she said, “General, attack!”

A small scaled creature, the size of a chihuahua jumped at me and bit my hand. It was so small, that it was just hanging there by the teeth, a deep growl in its throat. I bent down, so that it’s feet reached the floor. With the stability of the floor, it shook my hand in it’s mouth, pulling and trying to tear at it.  It was a beautiful animal, a bright cheerful yellow, to pale to be called golden, with a long and sinuous neck. It had a squashed looking snout, reminiscent of a pug. It’s clawed feet and long tail gave it the look of a mini dragon, even with the lack of wings.

The whole time, I remained silent. After the initial shock of the bite, it was easy. Eventually it stopped shaking my hand. Looking up at me with it’s hand still in my mouth. It’s eyes wide and cute, asking me why I wasn’t screaming or attacking back. Speaking in a low, gentle voice I answered.

“There’s no need for that, I am not here to hurt anybody.”

It let go. My hand was bleeding, from the deep marks it’s teeth had made. I ignored the pain.

“Aren’t you angry? General’s saliva ensures that’s going to scar you know.” Those were Solum’s first words to me. As General ran back to her, curling around her legs like a cat.

“It would take more than that, for the scars I have within to be reflected without.”

Looking behind me, I saw Lucas’ wide eyed expression. His eyes following the blood dripping on the floor. “Lucas, can you please show me where the bandages are? I would like some, to wrap my hand.”

“I will fetch them.” Turning heel, he walked nearly a run. 

Turning back, I calmly asked. “In that case, shall we head to dinner?”

*** 

The next morning was when the studies would start. Traditionally, I was supposed to be some sort of governess for Solum. I dressed in the same clothes as the day before. It was my only respectable set of clothing. Smoothing the front down, I took a breath, trying not to feel like a fraud. I didn’t know what I could teach Solum, my own ignorance was often something that I cursed at. I wished I could be the student. My plan for the day ahead was to gather information on what she had learned until now, and how her studies went with her prior companions.

Heading down, I waited for her to come down too. And waited. Waiting some more. Puffing up the flights, I wasn’t used to them yet, her room was empty. I searched for Lucas instead.

“I’m sorry,” he smiled ruefully. “Dominic ordered me not to say anything until you realized. She’s in the family study.”

“The family study?” That hadn’t been in the short tour yesterday. 

“I can show you. Dominic also wanted me to tell you that dinner is on you tonight. Lila wants a free evening.”

I was looking forward to it, it seemed like it would be a relief. At least with cooking, I knew what I was doing.

“I will have it ready at the same time as we ate last night.”

The family study was a whole separate building, built behind the mansion. It was a circular building, about the size of a normal house, surrounded by a garden. Saying goodbye to Lucas I went in.

Entering inside, a smell reached me before I could get a good look around. A wave of feelings hit me so strongly, it felt like I had hit a wall. I could only stand there, eyes closed and let it wash over me. I was homesick. Homesick for that smell, and for the true place it reminded me of. It was the musty smell of paper, of ink, the unique blend of perfume when books are piled and shelved in the hundreds.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” Salum’s derogatory tone knocked me out of my reminiscing. 

“It’s a library.” Was all I could say. My earlier plans on how to talk and assert myself were blown out of my mind. 

“Obviously. Haven’t you heard of the Ibis study?” Seeing the shock in my expression she added, “Dominic said you were a country bumpkin. Can you even read?”

“Of course I can read.” I snapped back. Closing the door I walked in. The whole building was one room, by the stairwell in the center I could see that there was more leading below us. The top of the structure was translucent, like the center of the mansion. Salum sat at a grand table, General resting on the table. There were three, each facing each other in a triangle in the middle of the room. Salums table was a mess of piled books, and curiously what looked to be a mini screwdriver. The other two tables were empty other than that same tool. None of the decline I had seen traces of in the main house had reached here. The walls were lined all around the room by books, with no empty shelves.

“This is amazing.” As time had passed in this new world, it was not the superficial comforts I had in before The River that I missed most, it had been the ease of getting information, of learning. Of asking a question and knowing the answer within seconds.

She watched me suspiciously. I headed to the stairs to peek at the room downstairs.

“You can’t go in there.”

Her words were unnecessary. I say that myself. There was a door and a locked gate in front of it at the end of the stairs.

“Why not?”

“That is the private collection.” She eyed me suspiciously until I backed away to sit at one of the tables.

“How does this usually go?”

“I read and you do whatever you want.”

“Great.” That probably wasn’t the truth, but it was exactly what I wanted to hear. Getting up, I walked around to browse the books. Taking a closer look, I could see that they were not quite like the books of my world. Each of the books were screwed closed, with actual screws in the binding. To see the title, each book had to be taken out to see the cover. To read it, you had to carefully unscrew parts of the book. Taking a long time to look at the different titles, until with a happy sigh, I sat down to read. I felt at peace as I immersed myself into Legends of the Esoteric Ones.

***

I ran to the kitchens. I had lost track of time, and it was less than an hour before dinner. Sitting in the chair beside the fire, was the same old woman as before, this time awake. Lila must have been the younger one, because she was nowhere to be seen.

“Late are you?” She cackled. 

I didn’t bother answering. I walked towards the pantry to see what food there was.

“It’s empty,” she called after me. “Lila left you the shopping.”

She was mostly right. There was a bag of flour, a slightly crushed bound pile of herbs and a jug of oil. There was no time to go shopping. I didn’t even know where the market was. I wished I could ask my mother. She had been a queen of making something out of nothing. We had grown up poor, but I hadn’t known it as a child. Her spaghetti ketchups, made from the free packets we gathered, had been a delicacy for me. Burying that thought deep, I stared at the items looking for a solution.

It wasn’t long before another memory tickled at me, and I knew what to make. It wouldn’t be a very balanced meal, but it would do for today. After adding fire to the oven, I kneaded water and flour.

“Bread?”

“Yes” I answered. “Flatbread, I didn’t see any yeast.”

She hummed.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Aemilia.”

“Marin.” I introduced that.

“I know that. What I don’t know is what you are doing to that poor bread now.”

I had flattened it out, and was giving it indented marks with my knuckles.

“You’ll see.” Searching through the pots and pan, I found what I was looking for, a positively giant round pan with a thick bottom.

The firewood had turned into coal, poking them around to the arrangement of my liking I added the pan to heat with some oil on the bottom. Before it smoked, I added the dough to the sizzling pan. Back in the fire it went. 

In the fanciest serving bowl I could find, I dumped some oil and in a smaller bowl, I crumbled the dry herbs. Dinner was ready to be served.

***

“What did you say this was again?” Lord Ibis was looking incredulously at the food at the table. Dominic’s face in the background was a study of indifference, but Lucas, who had served the oil and herbs looked uncomfortable. Solum was poking at the cut piece of bread on her plate. It had come out perfectly in my eyes, a crunchy crust underneath and a soft pillowy top. The top looked like an artisan focaccia. A lovely smell of bread wafting up from the fresh hot piece on my plate. 

“Flatbread, to be dipped in oil and herbs.” 

“Where is the meat? Or fish?”

“There is only oil and herbs.” Dominic said smugly, perhaps he was not as indifferent as he looked.

“Try it. If you don’t like it, then complain.” I urged.

“I am not complaining, only… surprised.”

Gingerly, he ripped a piece of the bread on his plate and dipped it first in the oil, and the dried herbs. That seemed to be the signal to eat, because Solum followed. I thought it was delicious, and enjoyed the simple fare.

“This would be acceptable as a snack, but next time make a more hearty dinner.” Was the last comment by Lord Ibis.