Ka’ lay down on the flat roof, out of breath and exhausted from the day’s work. He expected the day to be challenging, but reality proved far more intense than he had anticipated.

  “Stew is nearly ready!”

  Mnai’?t called out from the roof above, his head poking over the top of the ladder, looking down at his colleague sprawled out on the right wing’s roof.

  “Want me to bring a bowl down to you?”

  Ka’ thought for a moment, contemplating his options, before replying.

  “No, thank you. I’ll come up.”

  Ka’ watched his head disappear before resolving himself to move again. His arms screamed at him as he pushed himself up and climbed the wooden ladder to the third-level roof.

  As he dragged himself over the top, he spotted the pale blue moon emerging from behind a cloud. It hovered just above the clay pot in the centre of the roof, as if blessing the meal his stomach had been demanding for the last two hours. The image of the lone man slowly stirring the large pot, an empty bowl in hand, caused Ka’ to pause briefly.

  He looks so peaceful…

  His thoughts were interrupted by the smell of beer and soggy bread that stretched out to greet him. Quickly pulling himself up, he approached the pot, grabbing a bowl for himself.

  “Tell me, Ka’Tehmn, how was your day?” Once they sat down with a bowl full of food, Mnai’?t began to talk in between mouthfuls.

  “Harder than expected.”

  “Honestly? Which parts?”

  “Hmm… I suppose all of it. I didn’t think I’d feel this sore.”

  Mnai’?t chuckled. He tried to explain that it would get easier the longer he did it – that the pain was only because it was new – but Ka’Tehmn was too focused on his food to respond properly.

  Halfway through the meal, Ka’ noticed the red moon appear next to its smaller blue sister. The two moons gazed down at the scene of the two servants atop the roof of their workplace. Like the night before, the two ate in peaceful silence before Ka’ offered to clean the cooking pot, and they made their way back down towards the servant’s building.

  Without spotting the third and most elusive moon, the pair descended into the right wing, getting caught by the matron who was waiting outside the owner’s door. She was wearing a dark yellow dress, decorated with braided frills around the waist, designed to enhance her lower physique.

  “Ka’Tehmn, my husband needs to speak to you. Mnai’?t, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good work today.”

  Her soft eyes did little to hide the commanding tone of her voice as Mnai’?t smiled politely at the older woman in reply. He nodded goodbye to Ka’Tehmn before he made his way down the corridor and back to his bed.

  “Greetings, Matron.”

  “Hmm.”

  Ka’ tried to be polite, bowing his head slightly as he spoke, only to be met with curt disapproval as she turned and pushed the door open. Watching the frills of her dress move through the door, he quickly followed her into the office.

  Ka’ had wondered what it looked like inside since he first arrived. The owner had introduced it as the place where he oversaw the business and the only path to the third level, where he and the matron slept. Ka’ had wondered what it looked like inside, often glancing as he passed the room, but knew he wasn’t allowed to enter without permission.

  Stepping into the office, Ka’ finally saw the owner’s hidden sanctum. The left wall had a large shelf on either end with the wooden window spanning the area between them. From outside, it looked like the windows opened in pairs, but inside, Ka’ could see that the windows were all connected – allowing the owner to slide them to one side for a large, open view.

  Contrastingly, the right wall was covered with wooden shelves filled with expensive-looking items and metal figures of animals. At a glance, Ka’ spotted at least three copper beetles and one silver cat curled into a ball.

  His sandals stepped onto a soft material, surprising him as he entered. He looked down to see a fur hide stretched over most of the floor, leaving a few gaps to reveal the wooden flooring underneath.

  A large wooden desk stood just beyond the centre of the room; a closed door was visible behind it, with more decorated shelves covering the far wall on either side. The owner sat behind the desk, while the matron moved to stand on his left. The owner watched him enter and look around, speaking only after the door had closed.

  “Your first day is over,” the owner said with a calm and measured tone. “How did you find it?”

  “He made a few mis-”

  “I was asking him.”

  The owner interrupted his wife, throwing her a sharp glare before turning back to Ka’. The matron’s face turned ashen white as she looked down at the rug. Ka’ noticed her shoulders shake slightly when her husband looked at her.

  “As I was saying Ka’, tell me how you found your first day.” The owner’s calm smile seemed to overlap with the robed priest as Ka’ felt a shiver up his spine. After a moment, he replied as precisely as he could.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “It was good. I was a bit surprised at times, but I understand what I have to do.”

  “Hehe, yes, I heard. ?a’?’ra has been warned not to do that again, so don’t worry. She’s always had a… passion, that outshines others.”

  Not the word I would use, but thanks.

  “Thank you, sir.” Ka’ bowed slightly as he spoke. “I believe I will be able to do better from tomorrow onwards.”

  “As do I…”

  The owner stared at the young man before him, watching his every move and breath. “I imagine that it was hard work, not worth the two coppers a day, but coin you are thankful for nonetheless.”

  “It is work. At worst, it is better than starving on the streets.”

  “Indeed,” the owner replied. The pair continued to stare at each other in silence, the matron still looking towards the floor.

  “You remember what I told you about your term, Ka’Tehmn?”

  “Yes, sir. Two coppers a day, a day off every fifth day – bar the end of months – and a portion withheld to cover the debts' interests, such as food and shelter.”

  “What else?”

  “Assuming this routine, it would take me about nineteen months to repay the fifteen squares and ten coppers owed if I managed to save ten coppers a month.”

  The owner smiled at the response, perhaps happy that Ka’ had remembered his explanation, or impressed that the servant understood the mathematics and logic behind it. Ka’ was scrutinised for almost a minute before the owner spoke again.

  “I have a task for you tomorrow. After you finish your morning jobs, head to the kitchen to collect a delivery. We are going to start selling lunches to those in the city who are too busy to visit. I want you to be my delivery person. Can you do that?”

  Something is wrong.

  “Forgive me, sir, but I do not know the city that well. Perhaps Mnai’?t would be better as he knows the area more.”

  The owner merely smiled at the response.

  “Do not forget, you must visit the kitchen as soon as you finish tomorrow. I do not want to hear the kitchen complaining about a slow delivery. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ka’ bowed in acknowledgement before being ushered out of the room and back to the corridor. Once the door closed behind him, he looked around to see that the night had swallowed the house. Keeping his hand to the wall, he felt his way down the corridor to the stairs and out the main doors. With the two moons illuminating the outside, he made his way back to the servant’s quarters and prepared for the following day.

  ***

  The following morning, Ka’ repeated his chores from the day before – bringing wood to the kitchen, feeding the chickens, milking the goats, and beating the girls' sheets clean. A little more familiar with the tasks and with the girls behaving themselves, he finished a bit earlier than before.

  He made his way down to the main hall and towards the kitchen, waving at Hem as he passed Ka’ while carrying several drinks to a table.

  “I’m here to collect some food for a delivery,” Ka’ said to the man behind the bar. The bar hire took one look at him before quickly moving into the kitchen, returning shortly after to explain that it wasn’t ready yet.

  Ka’ decided to stand by the side and wait. As he was waiting, Hem walked over to him for a quick chat. The two discussed the morning events, with Hem throwing a few suggestive questions about what Ka’ did with the girls’ sheets on the roof. The delivery was soon brought out by one of the kitchen staff, who handed it over and explained what needed to be done.

  “This is a pair of sesame and fig loaves for the bathhouse just up the street. You’ll find them by turning left outside the door and walking for a few minutes; they’re the large wooden building with the palm trees by the entrance – hard to miss.

  They owe you six coppers for the food, and have already paid two coppers, so you need to get another four. Do you have change for a square? If not, get some from the bar.”

  The kitchen member spoke quickly, rattling off more information than Ka’ could comfortably absorb before practically running back to the kitchen. Left alone with a small reed basket covered by a silk cloth bearing the Blue Moon House’s symbol, a blue moon, Ka’ was momentarily stunned.

  What did she just say? Left and… Trees?

  “Here.” The bar hire brought a few coins over and placed them on the side. “Bring them back if you don’t use them. I’ve counted.”

  Interrupted from his thoughts, Ka’ looked down at the counter to see several greenish yellow-red coins. Ka’ reached down and picked one up, examining it on both sides.

  Running his thumb over the face, the rough surface scratched against his skin, and the image of a fiery bird appeared under his thumb before he turned it over. A triangle of flames surrounded a ball on the other side of the coin.

  It’s the same bird as before. What was it called again?

  Ka’ examined the small coin, no wider than the length of his thumbprint, and half as thick as his nail. It felt strangely heavy in his hand. He reached out and scooped the rest of the coins into his palm, storing them in a small coin sack he borrowed from Hem on his way out.

  Outside, the midday heat seemed to permeate everything the sunlight touched. Ka’ walked down the street, easily finding his destination on the opposite side of the street.

  The outside of the building was a large rectangle that stretched backwards for almost a hundred meters. It was two levels tall, with the outside covered in redwood boards and paintings of giant lizards battling on all sides. Six towering palm trees lined up in front of the door, creating a shaded path toward the door. Ka’ knocked loudly and waited for someone to let him in.

  “Coming! One moment!” The sound of someone scurrying across the floor came from inside. “Hello, welcome to the six-eyed bathhouse. Which bath would you like to use?”

  A young, dark-skinned man answered the door as Ka’ stepped back to avoid being hit by the outward swing.

  “Hi, I’m from the Blue Moon House. I’ve got a bread delivery for here.”

  “I was just thinking ‘bout that. Come in, I’ll get the coins.” The dark-skinned man disappeared behind the door, leaving Ka’ alone outside. Ka’ followed him in, seeing a mid-sized, rug-filled room upon entry. At the far end, a wooden podium stood between two curtain-covered doorways – one green, one blue.

  “Here we are, it was six coppers for the meal, right?” The young man emerged from behind the podium, six copper coins on display in his outstretched palm.

  “Just four, you paid two already, I think. I’ll come back if I’m wrong.”

  Ka’ swapped the reed basket for the coins, dropping them into the pouch tied around his wrist. Curious, he asked about where he was and what a ‘bathhouse’ did.

  “We let people soak and clean themselves in heated water in large bowls or pools. My father’s sacred beast keeps the water hot and helps with keeping out strays. You should come try it on your next temple day, it’s only five copper. Oh! There he is now.”

  Ka’ followed the man’s gaze, turning around to see a cabinet by the green curtain. Inside, a large reptilian figure was curled up on a pile of rugs, its tail wrapped around its body in defence.

  The first thing Ka’ noticed was the striking red colour of it’s scaled. The second was the two antler-like horns that sprouted from the crown of its shovel-shaped head. But the most memorable thing Ka’ saw was the three pairs of crystal purple eyes staring directly at him – hungrily.