The Ether Witch

The records regarding the astronomy charts Tam was interested in obtaining happened to be located in the very same official records hall that a certain, prudish, Acker following Lord Kim tended to frequent to review complaints filed by his tenants, and where he himself also would draft his reports on his many opinions on the laws of Junya and Zinfera on the whole.

The library with its offices built at the back of the building weren’t far from the sea side, where off the beaches, Zinfera’s multiple small islands dotted the distant waters, adding a beautiful scenic view from certain vantage points in Junya.

The library was three stories tall– one of the tallest in Junya– its floors and pillars were made of dark stained wood, white washed walls, and light papered sliding doors that divided the rooms. Much like the place Tam was staying in with his companions.

On the first floor, shelves lined the walls, and in the middle, long tables ran with benches tucked underneath.

The entire building smelled of books and scented wood polish… And Tam instantly loved it.

Approaching the official who sat behind a large ornately carved desk filled with dragons and laurels, Tam clutched the thick manuscript he had crafted as his thesis to his chest, hoping he appeared timid and uncertain.

“Pardon me, sir?” he called out.

The official, with his long, straight salt and pepper beard touching his chest, and his fine, tall black hat, didn’t so much as glance in Tam’s direction.

“Excuse me?” Tam tried again.

The official turned the page of the large volume in front of him.

Tam had worked with many types of difficult people in his time gathering information for his household and the crown of Daxaria, and even though he was in a foreign land with buildings, art, and clothing he had never seen the likes of before in his life, he still knew how to handle people when it came to getting information .

“I’m here to request the records for the Gatral Dragon constellation?”

The official, again, gave no sign of having heard the request.

Tam smiled, sighed, and then moved to step around the desk, as though to go rummaging about on his own to find what he needed.

A long cane appeared, coming down with a crack in front of him.

It was roughly the reaction he had been anticipating.

He turned to look back at the official, still wearing a polite smile, but the man, despite wielding the cane, still hadn’t looked up from his book.

Squaring himself back to the desk, and also noting the amount of Zinferan men that either ignored him entirely or only bothered sparing him a brief look of annoyance as they continued to pour over their own studies.

“I am new to Zinfera. My wife is from here, and her family has sponsored us so that I might continue working on my thesis. Is there something I need to do or have in order to see these records?”

“Name?”

“Voll.”

“Your wife’s maiden name?”

Tam tilted his head. “Goe.”

At long last the official lifted his wrinkled eyes to Tam. “There are no Goe’s in Junya.”

“They reside in Haeson and Gondol, but everyone knows Junya has the best records of the stars,” Tam replied with his most charming smile.

The official was not impressed.

“You should stay with your wife’s family if they are funding your studies.”

Tam quickly recalled how important the hierarchy of family was in the Zinferan society.

“We have traveled with her cousins, her father wishes us to join them in another month or two.”

The official sniffed disapprovingly before turning back to his book, his wiry eyebrows raised.

Tam waited patiently.

The official turned the page of his book once more and then called out. “Po, records on the Gatral Dragon. Case twenty three, shelf four.”

A younger man who had been seated nearby at one of the long tables who had an inventory ledger laid out in front of him sprung up from his seat, and took off down the left side of the room.

If anyone thought this was odd, they didn’t show it.

“Thank you.” Tam bowed his head.

The official said nothing.

Following where the young man disappeared, Tam pretended to be eyeing the room as any foreigner would; with undisguised interest, while also pointedly not gaping at the people.

That didn’t mean he didn’t take note of everyone there…

No one was dressed in a manner befitting a lord who could be Lord Kim, but then again, neither was he.

Tam wore a simple black, Zinferan wrap style shirt, but still donned his boots and trousers from Daxaria.

The young Zinferan man named Po who had led Tam to the very back left corner of the room, proceeded to pull out four books, hand them to Tam briskly, and then immediately hurry back to his seat he had been in moments before.

Tam stared down at the texts, made a show of shrugging and looking pleased, then sat down and started working in the quiet room, with nothing but the sound of pages turning and quills scratching.

*

By the time Tam was closing the last book, the sky outside the front doors had dimmed, and he was the only one still in the library…

Aside from the official who guarded the door who was standing directly beside Tam staring him down.

“We are closing. Leave.”

Tam stood up, forcing himself to be clumsy as he did so. “Of course! My apologies! I get too involved in my studies and-”

The official was already walking away.

Tam sighed with a smile, his eyes fluttering closed as he proceeded to stretch his neck.

“Dongu is a brilliant man, but unless you are made of paper and ink he will have very little interest in you.”

The voice that sounded at Tam’s side would have surprised him, had he not heard the subtle nasally breath moments beforehand.

Opening his eyes, Tam turned to find himself staring at a stout, Zinferan man, with a closely trimmed goatee, and royal blue robes smiling up at him.

“My name is Lord Kim,” he introduced with a smile.

Tam blinked, gave a convincing gasp of astonishment, and bowed. “My lord! My apologies! I had no idea! I-”

Lord Kim chuckled. “Not to worry. I have a room in the back, and I don’t usually herald my presence. I noticed you are quite a serious scholar, and you are very clearly not from our shores. I confess that I am curious about you and your studies. Would you mind having a cup of tea with me, mister…?”

Tam pressed his hand over his heart and bowed again, making sure that while proper, it was a bit too sloppy so as to not betray his own nobility.

“Mr. Voll! And of course! I’d be honored! My wife is used to me forgetting the time, but I don’t want to get back too late– our son loves to hear about my studies before bed time.”

Lord Kim’s smile broadened. “A scholar and a committed family man! The first round of tea is on me, hm?” The Zinferan nobleman clapped a hand on Tam’s back, steering him toward the doors where the official named Dongu waited, his nose wrinkling in displeasure at their slow departure.

“Have a good evening,” Tam bowed to Dongu, who, as predicted, said nothing, and instead slammed the doors behind Lord Kim and Tam hard enough to make the two large handle rings bang against the doors.

“Did I offend him?” Tam asked with feigned worry.

“Oh no, no, dear boy. He doesn’t like anyone. Now, tell me, what kind of tea would you care to have this evening? Black tea? Fruit tea? Milk tea…?”

“I best have a citrus. If I drink black tea I’ll be up all night and won’t be able to get a full day to study.”

Lord Kim laughed again and gestured at a quaint store with its windows already aglow just up the road in the same direction Tam would’ve had to head if making the journey home.

Its pillars were painted a mint green, and its sign gleamed with gold lettering that read, Lang Tea.

Upon entering the shop with its low tables, all crowded around by men, painted porcelain pots sitting in the middle over lit flames, and cups that matched the pots without handles to match for each table, Tam watched as Lord Kim waved to a man behind the counter who hurried over.

“My room upstairs,” Lord Kim informed the tea house attendant quietly.

The attendant bowed, but shot a curious glance in Tam’s direction, prompting the future duke to smile in thanks.

“You’re tall… I’m sorry to say that it really does not help you blend in, and not everyone is happy to see foreigners in the kingdom these days. Particularly those from… Troivack?” Lord Kim ventured a guess as he proceeded to follow the attendant down the left wall toward the staircase that led them up to the balcony that circled the ground room, but had private rooms built off the top with different colored round lanterns hanging in between the rooms.

“I’m from Daxaria,” Tam clarified while hunching his shoulders.

“Ah, that is better. Though you don’t exactly look Daxarian.”

“I had a Troivackian grandparent.” Tam wasn’t really lying. Duchess Annika Ashowan’s mother had been Daxarian herself, and it was only his grandfather that was Troivackian…

“I see. How is it you happened to meet your wife?” Lord Kim continued to ask as they reached the second floor and proceeded down and to the right to what appeared to be the largest room that sat open with three women wearing fine, jade colored tops and orange skirts…

“Is this tea house yours by chance….?” Tam ventured after remembering what Jeong had said about the color orange and those who wore it.

Lord Kim looked over his shoulder at Tam, his eyes sparkling. “What a quick mind you have. Yes, I do, please. Come in and sit.”

Tam bobbed his head in thanks, and proceeded into the room as Lord Kim finished giving the women their tea orders.

Once the door had slid shut, and the lord seated himself, Tam joined him in sitting cross legged on the floor. A beautiful painting of a woman in a red dress standing on the shoreline took up most of the wall behind Lord Kim, drawing Tam’s eyes as the rest of the room was made up of white and brown colors.

“Ah, it is a beautiful piece is it not? This was quite a popular style back when grand lady Chin Taejo first earned the emperor at the time’s favor. Have you heard of the mother of our emperor?”

Tam nodded, his eyes still fixed on the red dress.

“A fearless woman not to be trifled with… It is a pity that Zinfera has fallen on such uncertain times,” Lord Kim shook his head with a sigh. “But enough of such thoughts. You were reading about the constellation of Gatral. You aren’t one of those foolhardy men who think they can find a dragon and a golden treasure horde are you?”

Tam held up his hands and shook his head. “Not at all! When I was a boy, I found some old books in our family’s library about the stars, and I have been dreaming of the day I could come and study the texts here in Zinfera.”

Lord Kim nodded along. “That reminds me, young man, you never mentioned how it is you met a fine Zinferan woman?”

Tam looked at the table bashfully. “My… My brother-in-law introduced us. I am often reserved in nature, and our families happened to know each other, and well… We’ve practically been inseparable since the day we met.”

Lord Kim laughed good naturedly as the door to their room slid open and in shuffled the three serving women, their faces tilted to the floor as they set the table and poured the tea for the two men.

Lord Kim and Tam waited quietly for them to finish, Tam thanked them, and the lord waved, and then once again, they were alone.

“How long have the two of you been married?” Lord Kim persisted.

Tam, making sure to still be smiling and bowing answered. “My lord, you must have so many more important things in your life to worry about than my own marriage. Have you always lived in Junya? Forgive me if that was impertinent!” Tam added urgently while bowing so low that his hair grazed the table.

Lord Kim sighed and reached for his tea cup that had beautiful, delicate cherry blossoms painted on them. “I apologize, Mr. Voll. It must seem I am prying into your life unnecessarily. As I said earlier, we seldom get many foreigners visiting. I have been living in Junya many years, though I did spend a bit of time in Haeson. I find Junya to still be a traditional place, and one finely steeped in Zinfera’s history. I do hope you find the charms of this city during your stay.”

“I’m already enjoying it a great deal,” Tam proceeded to pick up his own cup and sip it tentatively, then perked up. “I should take Eli here, she would be able to tell me all about this tea.”

Had he just said that outloud?

“Eli?” Lord Kim pressed leaning forward.

“Ah. Ellie. My wife. She is exceptionally knowledgeable about tea,” Tam clarified. Though he mentally kicked himself for not using his assistant’s alias nickname…

“Your wife sounds like a quality woman. If you are interested, I’d be happy to have her come to my tea house here. Perhaps I may even bring my own wife should she join me here in the city– our eldest daughter has children of her own and requested my wife’s help for a time.”

“We would be honored, sir!” Tam gushed.

Lord Kim chortled, pleased.

As they fell into other topics regarding popular stores and politics of Junya, Tam took another sip from his tea, only to have the citrus scent tickle his nose, and remind him of his exchange with Eli the night before… The night where she had ensured a very clear boundary remained between them… And Tam, as a result, had taken a very long walk around the side streets of Junya, trying to clear the emotional haze that was clouding his mind.

He had realized then that he was toeing a far more dangerous line than a simple crush on his assistant, and so when he had returned to go to bed that evening, he had gone and slept on the balcony, and left early the next morning before Eli awoke.

While everything else was going along splendidly with his new plan to assess what was happening in Junya by hanging around the local haunts of the nobility they needed to convince and torment, the matter of him falling into a one sided love for Eli was making his wins tinged with anxiety that were not helping his peace of mind in the least.

Hopefully Eli was able to find Luca a good teacher today… Then maybe I can stay in his room with him saying I’m helping him study and learning to stick to a good schedule for school without suspicion.