Chapter 4-6
Chapter 4: Honeycomb
Mari shook her head in astonishment and closed her eyes as she ticked through all the ways that they had been and were currently being manipulated by The Guild without their being aware of it.
A soft puff of air brought her back to the here and now and Mari resolved to let it go for now, but she also resolved to get to the bottom of the why of it.
She bowed her head and said a silent gratitude and then she looked up and smiled softly at Jacks and they turned, almost in unison, to stare at the honeycomb vents.
The vents in question, a common feature in every apartment, work, school and storage room in this elaborately designed refuge, were, in this case, supporting each side of the massive aircrete island that made up one side of the open fronted kitchenette which made up one side of the open plan room.
The vent risers were fronted by an elaborate grill made out of indestructible bioplastic. The design was modeled after the honeycomb shape of a bee’s hive, but the vent covers differed from building to building depending on the whims of a long-ago designer.
The covers looked like sculptures, but they had been cleverly designed so that the occupants could adjust the apertures and easily control the inflow of fresh air. As usual, the vents were wide open, and Mari and Jacks could actually see the air as it moved into the room because the room was still full of Jacks’ stagnant smoke.
They waited eagerly for the vent to come alive with motion and as each empty cavity filled with fresh air, they could actually see the fingers of air moving down the front of the vent.
Jacks grinned happily at the little ghosts of air and lit another bowlful of his pungent herb and blew it towards the vents and they enjoyed the show as the fingers of fresh air made the candle flame judder and dance.
It only took a few minutes until the pressure of the air increased and when they heard the “pop” of the greenhouse vents opening, “Pop! Pop! Pop!”, they both sighed happily. Even after twenty-two years, it was a thrill to see the passive venting system was still perfectly functional. And the relief as the stagnant heat of the day was pulled out of the room and replaced by cooler air from deep underground, was almost indescribable.
When the front vents popped open and the smoky room cleared with a soft “woosh” Mari breathed in deeply and huffed it out and said happily, “Ahhhh. That is my second favorite sound of day.”
Jacks winked at her and puffed another lungful of smoke and blew it in her direction. Mari grinned and picked up the big house ledger and waved the miasma back towards him and joked, “Pee-hew that’s some stinky stuff, my friend. How about if you keep it on your side of the table, hey?”
Jacks grinned and said, “Only if you show me how,” and handed her the pipe.
When she ignored the offer, he got up and stood behind her and leaned over her shoulder and then paged open the ledger to the most recent market lists and quickly totaled up the columns in his head.
He nodded and said, “If you are really going to go to the dark side of the Maze Market, we should have enough for you to bargain with, with the defunct batteries alone, but if you need more, we’ve got plenty of excess seed oil for trade and I counted one hundred packets of red dye, fifty lengths of plain wool fabric, all colors from the student weavers, plus Lyra’s fancy goods and her vests and those stunning new ribbons of hers. With her new technique, it looks like we doubled our ribbon production and halved the cost. This is going to be a very good market week.”
Jacks chortled and rubbed his hands together. Mari could see that he was getting more and more excited at the prospect of getting a break from work and having a little fun, if only for a week or two.
Mari nodded back and then jerked her head at the curtained doorway, wide eyed at the racket from the other room. She enjoyed teasing Lyra and getting a reaction out of her niece was one of the joys of her day. She grinned at Jacks and asked, “Do you think she’ll notice the air?”
Jacks cocked his head and listened to the steady “Clack, clack, bang” and answered, “I doubt it, it sounds like she’s found her rhythm with the new pattern. Motherfather, she’s getting faster isn’t she!”
Mari nodded, happy that he had noticed and said, “I can’t think why it never crossed my mind, but it really does belong to her now, so we adjusted the bench for her height. I vow she’s throwing twice as fast as before and she was always fast, lightning fast. I can hardly watch her now it makes me dizzy.”
Mari knew she was bragging a bit, but she just couldn’t help it because she was continually astonished at Lyra’s speed and skill on the big floor loom.
Lyra was working on her latest designs; bright swirls of primary colors, all woven together into a gorgeous whirl of color and movement. The design was loosely based on an ancient re-printing from a centuries-old lore tablet that Hanzen had dug out of storage last year and the pieces were turning out exactly as she had envisioned.
On top of the black background Lyra had added embroidered embellishments in the style of thick and thin horizontal and vertical patterns of lines and dots and junctions that sparkled with bright colors and glittering beads. The pieces were in great demand and fetched a high value in trade. Mari hoped she wouldn’t have to, but she knew if she asked, Lyra would gladly donate a few of her larger tapestries,, for the good of the refuge, no questions asked.
Chapter 5: Doman’s Loom
As she pictured the loom it reminded Mari of her first days here in this remote mountain valley. After the unexpected death of her sister, exactly twenty-two years ago today, she was ready for a break and when the news arrived of a long-term assignment at Malock Station it was perfectly timed and she and Jacks left Porum Town the minute the weather broke.
Their very small cart caravan consisted of a single cart with Jacks managing the load. The only other adult on the trip besides Mari was Lyra’s milk mother, Lasana.
Lasana had her hands full because she had to care for Lyra as well as her own twins Arden and Banji. It was quite a distance to walk with three newborns and they were on the road for almost two weeks. The fall weather was perfect, and Jacks said at the time, that except for all of the crying babies, it was one of the most pleasant walkabouts he’d ever been on.
Lyra was barely three months old, and Lasana’s twins were just about four months old and they were all very demanding and unfortunately, Mari wasn’t much help to anyone. All she could remember of the trip was squalling needy infants and walking all day and the mountains! She remembered there was an awful lot of elevation gained and lost along the narrow path that wound them up to their remote destination.
She was heartbroken and had spent the entire trip trudging far behind the others as she tried desperately to hold her emotions in check. She hated Lyra those first few months and didn’t want her sorrow at losing her sister to color her interactions with the babe, so she kept to herself and mourned alone.
When they first arrived at Malock, Mari was so lost in her sorrow that she had no interest in the assignment but somehow the loom, a fully functional loom with most of the original parts and pieces intact, brought her back to herself and it was the loom that had made her want to stay.
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The current Station Administrator, an ancient dried-out old man, worn to the bone by the isolation, the extreme weather, the ridiculously short growing season and the relentless heat of the summers, had tried to resign the minute they arrived.
Mari reassured him, “Your resignation is unnecessary, Administrator Doman. We are only here to help.”
Five months later, after Jacks’ revamped cooling system was working as expected, Mari had sat at this very table to write up her report for the Guild.
Mater Doman was standing in front of the honeycomb vents reading his latest correspondence from the Grand Mater’s office as he enjoyed the cool air coming into the big room.
He nodded happily and said, “The towers are working, yes? You and Jacks engineered a marvelous solution, but I fear it will not last.”
He waved his letter at her and when she looked up, he said, “The Grand Mater and The Guild Council have approved my resignation and you are both to stay here at Malock as Co-Administrators. Congratulations my dear.”
Mari stood up so abruptly she knocked over her stool and Doman grinned at her face, a caricature of shock and surprise.
She pointed at Doman and said, “But, but this was a temporary assignment. And that can’t be right. We are only level two. Refuge admins are five or above and neither of us has the training or the marks. I, I don’t understand.”
Doman shrugged and said, “I have been following your exploits. Did you know that The Guild keeps a few of their most trusted Refuge Admins informed about all of the teams they have out wandering the countryside, “Problem-Solving?”
Mari shook her head and said, “That would certainly explain a few things. No, I did not know that.”
He continued, “Did you know that Antares Chulchin sent you here specifically to take over this refuge? I have been asking to retire for years but she made me wait.” He waved the letter at her again and continued, “Apparently she was making me wait for you.”
Mari shook her head in denial and then boldly asked, “She told you this?”
He waggled his head sideways and said, “No, she did not. But I have been a Mater and an Administrator for a very long time, a very long time indeed. And I am not an idiot. She has been sending some very specific instructions, and I have become an expert at reading between the lines.”
He waggled his eyebrows and then said seriously, “She does not hand out praise easily, as I imagine you well know. And I don’t imagine she would like me telling you any of this but at this point I no longer care what she thinks and you need to know. I am an old man, and her politics no longer interest me.”
He looked at Mari in a considered fashion as if he were deciding whether or not to tell her more of his little “truth bombs.” He smiled and Mari thought he looked satisfied and also a little mischievous. Doman asked her, “Does it surprise you that she’s been setting your assignments herself?”
Mari pulled back a little and shook her head and then he asked, “And each assignment has inexplicably moved you closer and closer to Malock?”
Mari stared into the near distance as she flashed back to their most recent assignments, and she blinked in surprise when she realized that he was telling her the truth.
Doman nodded and said, “You and Jacks have accomplished more than you know on your travels for The Guild. She said and I quote, “Together they are the most effective team we have ever trained.”
The old Mater nodded once, decisively, very much satisfied with his replacements. He picked up two blank Certificates and asked Mari to bring Jacks back into the room.
Jacks looked even more shocked than Mari, if that were possible, as they stood in front of the old man and watched him fill out the documents with a flourish. After he signed the thick papers, he handed them to Mari and Jacks and as soon as they signed them Doman bowed formally and picked up Mari’s left hand.
He laid three fingers to the inside of her wrist which literally added three lines to the inked double mark of her rank.
Doman said solemnly, “You have earned the rank of a Mater’s Fifth in Administration with your good works these many years. I resign my role as Administrator of this Refuge, and I turn my books and my keys over to you. The lives of the people are in your hands.”
He smiled at her blank look of shock and then turned and performed the same protocol with Jacks.
He kept ahold of Jacks hand and then picked up Mari’s again and squeezed tight and said, “The Guild will send the official paperwork and there’s an Ink Master in Dolmani Town who can add your new stripes at the next Market Fair.”
He looked directly at Mari and said, “I have tried to fulfill my duties, but I cannot do it, I cannot do what must be done. Now you are here, and I have seen your abilities, I believe what Antares believes. You NEED to be here, and you and Jacks are the KEY to getting them out.”
At each emphasis in his words, he squeezed their hands as hard as he could.
He smiled, satisfied with his gambit and said, “And remember there are many mysteries here. I think to succeed you must do better than I have done and dig out all of the secrets of Malock Station.”
Mari tried to ask a question, but Doman ignored her and said, “It is a narrow path you tread towards our salvation and I am confident of the Grand Mater’s choice. Administrator Marisol Calor, Administrator Jacks Ustilio, you have taken on a mighty task.”
With that, he bowed formally with his hand over his heart and then with a happy grin he handed Mari the refuge ledger and a very large, very heavy ring of keys.
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Mari examined the inside of her wrist and the five inked lines that marked her rank and then she held her hand up to the exact same vent and just as before she could feel the miracle of the air as it pushed away the heat of the day and filled the room with the cool breath of night.
Mari whispered, “And it still feels like a miracle,” and then wondered just how much longer it would last.
Chapter 6: Medicine Bottles
“How are the towers working?” Jacks asked. He had paused in his task and instead of totaling up the market list he was sitting at the big table smoking and squinting in annoyance at the lamp. It had started to flicker because the wicks needed a trim.
Mari rolled her eyes at him, lit a nearby lamp, sat back down and picked up the fancy mesh over-vest. She knew it would be another half hour before the heat in the building cleared. She had almost finished her work on the vest, but the dim light and the stuffy air were making her headache worse.
She squinched her eyes shut for a minute and answered shortly, “Barely, as you can plainly see for yourself.”
She wanted to finish the intricate beadwork before the night claxon rang and hoped to shame Jacks back to the ledger so she could focus on the vest and finally finish the fiddly thing. Jacks took the hint and put his pipe and sack back down and finished his review of the loose pages.
Mari tried to focus on the vest but instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples and then got up and went back to her room where she retrieved a bottle of tincture.
The elegant clay bottle was glazed with a wash of blue and molded into the shape of a woman’s face. Mari rubbed her thumb across the edge of the design and smiled softly at the little bottle.
Lyra had made it many years ago as a “gift” for her aunt and when she gave it to her, and Mari saw the card and the warning in the handwritten note “Mari’s Only!” she’d laughed out loud and complemented Lyra on her “elegant” solution. She could still picture the day and Lyra’s mischievous grin.
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It had all started when Lyra had gotten into Mari’s headache medicine. Just a sip of the strong herbal tincture had put the young girl into a deep sleep for almost twenty-four hours.
When she finally woke up the next day, Mari had punished her with an hour-long lecture about the dangers of unknown medicine and staying out of people’s private things and that was the first and only time Lyra had ever sampled Mari’s medicine without permission.
A week later, for no reason at all, Lyra presented Mari with a small gift and when Mari saw Lyra’s face, her beautiful transparent face she knew something was up. Lyra was clearly peeved about the lecture, but she was thrilled to have surprised Mari and even happier at how beautifully the little bottle had turned out. Mari had laughed out loud with delight and hugged her niece as she praised her skill.
The bottle was beautiful, but she was more delighted that Lyra had used the opportunity to tease her because she hadn’t marked her old medicine bottle properly in the first place. It was not the gift of a child. It was very subtle and very clever and it was the first time that Mari recognized that Lyra was growing up into an extremely intelligent little human.
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Mari marveled again at the little bottle as she took another small sip and made a face at the bitter taste.
Jacks, who didn’t normally comment on her headaches asked, “Are they getting worse? Should we try something stronger?”
“Are you keeping track?” Mari asked, surprised that he had mentioned it. Normally he ignored her headaches.
Jacks said honestly, “No, not really, I just noticed. I can write to the Herb Master for a different recipe. I am afraid to go too strong with the herbs I am using. Too much can cause heart palpitations.”
Mari frowned a tiny bit and Jacks was sorry he’d said anything. Mari sighed and shook her head. She had hoped her increased use of Jacks’ pain remedy had gone unnoticed and vowed to be more discrete when self-medicating. It wouldn’t do for anyone else to notice and knowledge of it would only complicate matters.
She looked at Jacks cross-eyed and deliberately picked up the tincture and returned it to her room. She secured the stopper and carefully set the little bottle down with her other herbal remedies.
When she came out, she grimaced and shuddered and took a swallow of tea and said, “Yes, it does seem like they are getting a little bit worse. The heat seems to bring them on faster than it used to, that’s for sure. I spoke with the Matron and Allain said it’s not uncommon and the only cure is to go down to the basements and cool off.”
Mari sighed and sat back down on the softly padded bench and said, “I just can’t stand to be mewed up in those caverns downstairs, gossiping the day away, so I take a little more medicine so I can stay up here and get some work done. Would you happen to have any of that herb in smokable form? That might just do the trick but only if you have enough left to make more headache medicine. I cannot run out of that, or I will be in trouble.”
Jacks nodded and said happily, “I’ve got a lot, my last crop did really well with the new soil we’ve been working on. This time I used more of Osman’s concentrated fish water and that seemed to do the trick. I just needed to dilute it because at full strength it was way too harsh and kept burning the roots. And I have plenty of tincture for you, don’t worry. I’ll need to restock a few ingredients and I’ve got to make more raw alcohol or trade for more when we get to Dalta market, so except for that, you are good to go.”
Mari nodded her thanks and that was that. Jacks tried not to worry and instead he vowed to find a more effective remedy for his friend.
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Doman's Loom