Lion Head Mesa You want me to leave London and give up magic?

The resident sanpin worked hard and without much fanfare. He had been shown the ropes ages ago and fell quickly to the habit of early rising, working without comment, and taking few breaks; he slept very little and as a result of all his hard work, his body had begun to thin. He looked trim and youthful, sometimes a bit haggard as the days wore on, but Reyes kept his head down and tried to stay out of the limelight.

He thought often of home. Every moment he could spare for sleep he would recite a prayer to his daughter, wishing that Sorana was well somewhere, that she was happy; he had convinced himself by now that she was. That every job done properly would only fuel her happiness, even if he could not see it. It was delusional thinking by a lonely man; but it got him through his days.

Today, with the help of a fellahin girl named Nazli, he was brought to the room of lessons and told to tidy it. It was a spacious area within the mesa lined with furs, reeds, and with a few ornaments upon the walls. He did his best to sweep out the detritus and tidy these things, keeping silent while bodies flit around in the halls and at some point, Nazli was called away. He was alone for a rare moment.

the man had worked hard and had said nothing about the terms of his release. and so in his infinite mercy, ramesses would free him. he did not summon the crimson man, he only went to find reyes with long sure strokes of his legs.
in a hallway outside the teaching-room, the unattended pharaoh arrived in time to see nazli moving away; he knew it was her, down to the set of her ears and pattern of her coat.
and he was reminded with a sweet fire that at any time he could call her to him.
it was in this good and ruddy flush that he met the man who had caused him pains in his life. "sanpin. you are released from service to akashingo. you may stay as mazoi or be sent out of the palace."
lazuli eyes studied the redfurred servant.

He was alone for a fraction of time, so quickly did that ebb that Reyes was unaware of how long. He could not take much comfort in it. When a body approached it came directly to him and waited there, but he had his eyes downcast and his head hunched in its new, but common, place; he thought it was Nazli returned, and only when the pharaoh spoke did Reyes realize his mistake.

But it was not a harsh thing the pharaoh said. He was not angry, he did not show in any way that he was dissatisfied with Reyes' presence here or his work. In fact, he gave the man leave to ascend beyond sanpin - or to leave outright. To go home.

Had it been so long? The days had merged together in such a way with his constant work, it had broken down his spirit to be used in this way, but Reyes had no knowledge of the passage of time or any of it. It felt like it had only been weeks ago that he'd arrived and made his pitiful arrangement - but it had been months already? The image of Sorana in his head was out of date; that was a horrible thought, and one which revived some semblance of self in to Reyes again.

I will go, then. He answered. His voice was low and almost timid, rougher than usual. He did not have the same bravado that Ramesses - and many others - expected of him. You kept your promise? My wife and my daughter - they don't know of this? He could not abide the thought of them knowing he was a slave in any way, but especially in such a weak position beneath the pharaoh of all people.

the lilac girl seared through his mind. "i have had little contact with brecheliant. no one knows that you are here." it would have brought little pride and more stress had they known that all this time a strong hunter of their own was captive here.
the man's voice was hushed. this was a good thing, then. perhaps he would not be such a fool in the future. "i will instruct sayf to put together a meal for you. and take something from the storerooms as a gift."
teeth glittered, eyes shone. "do not return to your wife without a gift." he too wanted to see the man on his way, though he eyed the good muscle beneath the red fur and thought how sad it was to be bereft of such strength.

The flow of information did not cease. Reyes listened, unable to put a face to the thought of his wife, as the only person he had thought of these long hours was his daughter; but he was thankful to be given the charity of a meal. He would enjoy the taste of his victory, even if it had been hard fought over many hours of toiling; perhaps especially so for the work he'd been made to do.

The last thing Ramesses offered was a gift. Did he truly care how Reyes was received when he returned home? Any gift would make it known where Reyes had been this whole time; but perhaps he could lie, and he could say he was somewhere else, doing anything other than service to this man. It would be something Reyes thought about as he ate his meal and made his way home - and maybe he would tell the truth, in the end.

Thank you. He answered, head still bowed. He was honest now: Ramesses could have sent someone to tell his daughter of his weakness, of his service, and ruined some deeper piece of himself with that simple act. He did not do that.

The two men stood together. Reyes did not dare move, and was too accustomed now to wait for dismissal to even think to depart without a word from someone above him.

indeed it would, and it might signal to brecheliant more might than mercy.
but ramesses had not advised only that this gift might come from akashingo, only that the man should not return empty-handed.
wives were fickle.
he thought of his own, no doubt demure but smoldering beneath the attention of basillica men. did she not understand that he had bid her go for her own happiness? and in apology.
"women are a funny thing, are they not, reyes?" and pharaoh did not truly want conversation, only that the man understand where he stood.
keeping the scarlet wolf here only because he could.
"if the life of a husband and a father is something you no longer find appealing one day, then i have a vicious task for a man who knows how to keep silent and take an order." the madness leapt, then smoothed.
"go now, with my blessing. your service here is noted."

Reyes did not think of his wife, even as Ramesses spoke further. He did not agree or disagree, his mind was full of Sorana; the girl in the water, the sound of her laughter, finding her favorite foods as a gift for his return, many things now peppered through his thoughts.

And then he was properly dismissed. Ramesses gave his blessing and bade he leave — with an offering of further work, should things not work out. Reyes' head bobbed even lower with silent acquiescence and he turned then to go, eager to be apart from the man, and to seek his meal and the road home.

I have a vicious task for a man who knows how to keep silent and take an order.
What could that task be, he found himself wondering? But his figure retreated along the corridors, leaving Ramesses alone.