The Second Carpenter

XLI

XLI_I_His_Elven_Cold

Once again, Suakasai found himself on the brink of a rocky islet amid sunken tides. Once again, he woke up by a mermaid's singing. He looked at the mermaid. Mermaids' hair was usually a color of rainbow. This one's was dark mahogany. She was ssitting naked accros a small current between where Suakasai lay and another rocky islet. She was holding a harp which was accompanying her voice's soprano melody. Without thinking, or knowing why, he dropped in the water and swam toward her. As he approached, she tucked the harp under her left arm and took out something from hair straight hair, clipped on the left side of her neck. A vial. She offered it to Suakasai.

Oh, I see, thought Suakasai, taking it, it's one of those mermaids. Are these . . . my tears?

The mermaid jumped into the water and swam away to the northern end of the current between the islets. From the same direction came a boat. Suakasai ascended to the islet. Drenched, he narrowed his eyes to see if he could recognize faces in the darkness. One of them was holding something like stick wrapped in a grey linen cloth. Judging by how he held it, it must have been a walking stick. Although its top part was circular. He was wearing a dark blue cape and . . . he was an eastern elf. It was dark. He could see basically none of his defining features. But from the moment he lay his eyes on that elven being, he felt himself overwhelmed by some monstrous charisma. As if that elf was a forbidden dream pursued by all humanity. The other one was Lagno.

"Sir Suakasai," he heard a voice from behind and looked back to the right, "allow us to take you to our master." It was a golden-haired fairy about one meter tall, yet in the shape of an adult, thin, voluptuous woman, wearing a green dress.

"Us?" he looked to the other side to see flying violet of the same size. Lagno waved at him.

"Do we have your permission?" said the flying minotaur.

"Ye . . . yes."

They held his arms and lifted him, flying him toward the boat, landing him between Lagno and the elf.

"Why are you here, Lagno? I thought I left Arshida with you."

"I miss you too, honey. Arshida is safe in Eve Garden. Everybody seemed to care about her. They are very kind. And Molto is there to make sure she's not being mistreated. I know he wouldn't normally give a damn, but he knows you care about the child; he would let no one harm her. Um . . . he is-"

"Greetings, Sir Suakasai." His soothing, mature, masculine voice and the elegant way in which he carried himself were in perfect accord with his effeminate countenance. His white hair, reaching his ankles, even though straight, was luxuriant and considerably special. Even in the cold of the sea, Suakasai felt a distinct chill from him. "I am Alkol."

Suakasai started.

"I know . . . I know you have talked to my mother. Asentra, Avelak," he addressed the fairy and the minotaur respectively, "row us back to Fakrid'emsh."

"Yes, Master." They said in haromony.

I must ask you to contemplate something very simple yet remarkably relevant. If you have already done so, then you can read the following contemplating what another would contemplate while reading it. What is your impression of slavery? If it is getting people to follow you because they fear you, then does that not prove your inability to inspire true, heartfelt respect? Consequently, are slavemasters not simply weak souls who abuse other forms of power in order to compensate for their empty hearts? In minions' case, you could actually use the summoning magic to make them love you as well. They feel no fear. It is simply their nature to follow their summoners. They feel content when they do so. That might seem like a situation when the guilt and patheticness of forcing someone to follow you because you cannot inspire true respect is redeemed. But is it true loyalty, if it is inscribed into your essence before your existence and without your volition? I assume that in this situation, the one truly worthy of respect would be one who has that power, but does not abuse it. It might be safe to put Alkol in this category; for even though he has far more commanding power thatn mere minion summoning, he has never done anything that would hurt Asentra or Avelak even if they were not minions. Better yet, immediately upon summoning them, he let them know that they could leave him or go back whenever they want, and for whatever reason. The fact that they never did so can mean that Alkol is capable of inspiring true respect; and in his greatness, he understands that the one who abuses their power is also subject to objectification. When you force people into giving you something you do not deserve by the means of power, something they would not have given you freely, then you are allowing yourself to be defined by something that is not you and is merely added to you.