17 Chapter 12.2: The Sijarkes Makes A New Enemy

"Isn't my Du Quam good? Z'jil Kedrik runs this side of the temple for me, so everything must go through him first. But all that you shall need should be handled by Du Quam Umdochar, not my Kedrik. Did you know that Umdochar has been standing in as Tirkju'a for the last two years?"

The Margijer didn't seem to notice her horsehair wig. She had to calm down. The toad's rectangular eyes must have some sort of defect that outdo-ed her own.

"I know. I don't hear from him often, but I know that, at least."

The Margijer smiled, nodding slowly. She motioned for the Sijarkes to reach for more food. She did so, out of habit. It's hard to refuse a meal, especially one at another's expense. Katill Broiis had a year-long meal budget set aside to maintain her lifestyle and she never the idea of limitations never grew on her.

"Since we'll be sharing the temple from now on, I have some expectations. I've lived here since before the Ki Heptre years, so you best do as I say and heed my words. That wall outside," the Margijer said as she pointed at the very thing which cause the Sijarkes the greatest annoyance upon sight, "is the only thing dividing our jurisdictions; it all belongs to me in the first place. The Tirkju'a himself had no objections. There's no doubt you won't feel too different." The Margijer felt no need to let her comforts be obsolete in the coming change. She was a creature who thrived off of habit, rarely opening her doors to variety. She knew what she liked and what worked, and she stuck to it.

But the Sijarkes had other—somewhat radical—plans.

Without skipping a beat, she said, "No, I'm quite indifferent."

"What?"

"Serious question," the Sijarkes began, shaking her head as she gestured outside, "why is there a wall?" Seeing as the Margijer would not satisfy her query, the Sijarkes continued: "I heard that your Du Quam had it built.

"And is there a problem with that?"

"Of course. Don't you see how terrible that wall looks? If I'm going to have visiting royalty or high ranking officials stay, I wouldn't want that wall to spoil the view."

"Spoil the view? As Tirkju'a, you'll find yourself moving from place to place, anyway. All your hours will be dedicated to those trips. Being away so much, you should just let me and Kedrik handle the temple as we deem fit; you'll have your uninterrupted freedom elsewhere, but not here. Not my temple."

She has to have a say.

"But, as Tirkju'a—,"

"Even if you jump out your own tower, I'll have no interference."

The Sijarkes doesn't find this funny anymore. The silence took over, setting in like a fog. Kedrik peeked again from behind a wall, curious of what has happened. He catches the Margijer's eye.

"Ah, I almost forgot. My Kedrik has kept a backlog of all the requests mistakenly sent to me instead of Umdochar. Back to work for you, codfish."

"What?"

"I said quit whinin'. Do you think an old Du Quam could handle the Tirkju'a's abandoned responsibilities? He's only human..."

The Margijer shifted her stance towards the direction where Kedrik was approaching her from. "Kedrik, dear, when was the last time our dear Umdochar came to retrieve them?"

"Dear Umdochar retrieved them 6 weeks ago!" chirped the ever so helpful Kedrik.

"6 weeks ago, Domma Sijarkes. 6 weeks." The Domma Margijer would not let the fact pass. The Sijarkes would not let this stain the opinion of her temple neighbor—she had a reputation to uphold, regardless of whether or not Umdochar would choose to work for her or not.

"He had other things to take care of," the Sijarkes reasoned. "And again, he's old. He's been around for like, what, 300 something years? And in case you didn't know, I'm getting his apprentice as my first Du Quam. He's not old."

"Oh, that half-breed."

"Half-breed?" the Sijarkes looked back and forth their faces, searching for some truth. "I was not..."

"You didn't even know? You insolent creature, that Du Quam may have hailed from Cussarossia, but his mother is as pale as her Urbedaurian kin. He takes after her, blonde and 'womanish'." The Margijer emphasized her point by laying back slowly, letting her heavy head tip her over to lie flat across the pool waters.

Kedrik spoke up, "Word of his beauty is known throughout Ori'ehem, Domma Sijarkes. His popularity does him many favors."

"Well, he must be very good if Umdochar advocated for him strongly. Being a half-breed won't change things. I still have to meet him later before my inauguration." The Sijarkes finally removed the bib, squinted at it in confusion, and set it on the chair. Even if her Du Quam was a half-breed, it won't be too bad. All she needed to do now was meet up and set things straight with him.

"Are you coming to watch?" She whipped her head around only to come face to face with the Du Quam Kedrik, who stared down at her from inside his shawl, back turned to the Margijer. His disturbed gaze sent a chill through her, telling her all she needed to know of him.

Would it be rude to say?

"There's something very wrong with your Du Quam." The Sijarkes only managed to croak out until Kedrik withdrew his stance.