Chapter 7.2: Take Your Magic Man!
He awoke early in the morning as the sun rose, because the sounds of the streets began at the same time as well. He needed to use the bathroom and quietly walked out of the room, down the stone steps. A woman saw him, and almost jumped in surprise.
"Where is the bathroom," he asked.
She looked at him in confusion, and Ace sighed.
I will just find it myself.
He opened random doors in the house, made of cheaply cut wood, or simply peered through open doorways.
This place is huge compared to the places I saw before, Ace thought.
The woman, one of Menes' servants, followed him from afar, afraid he would use his magic to steal something or kill them all. Ace opened a door, and it was simply dry storage for food. He took a fruit and put it in his pocket, ignoring the woman's protests. He opened another door, and this one was just an empty bedroom.
The last wooden door he opened led to Ibis' room. She was naked, and wiping down her body. She let out a loud shriek and Ace quickly closed the door. The woman then began to smack Ace, shouting more incoherent words, and Ace tried to get her to stop. She wouldn't and Ace simply blinked to the other side of the room, and the screaming began once more.
I am so tired of this, Ace thought. I just need to pee.
Menes ran into the room, and he and the woman exchanged words. Menes walked right over to Ace and punched him square in the jaw. "Get out," he shrieked. "Get out of my house!" "It was an accident," Ace shouted. Menes understood the word accident, but he did not believe him. He punched Ace again, and this time, Ace was angry.
His eyes turned black and he glared at Menes. Menes was now terrified of Ace and what he would do to his daughter.
"Do not take her from me," he pleaded. "Don't hurt her."
Ace walked off, ignoring Menes words, and continued to search the house until he finally found what he assumed was a bathroom. It was separated from the rest of the house, in a small little shack. It had a stone chair with a hole that went into the ground, a vase filled with water, and cloth rags.
This place has no electricity, Ace realized. How is that possible?
He tried to rinse his hands but felt gross that there was no soap around and prayed he didn't catch anything weird roaming their house.
He went around their home, trying to understand where he was. He found an open area, and in it was a sundial, a plaque with picture-words he could not understand, and a well. People walked about and he followed them to the back of the home, where they seemed to be weaving baskets and making various items.
Is this how they make money, Ace wondered.
He wandered back into the house and tried to find a way to apologize, but when he returned, two men with spears were there to greet him.
"Take your magic man from my house," Menes yelled.
Ace was terrified. He had no idea where he could go, he accidentally insulted the only people kind enough to help him, and soon he was going to die. Before he could blink away, one of the guards whacked him on the head with the wooden end of his spear, knocking him out.
They dragged Ace away, Menes finally relieved to be done with him.
Ace was now treated like a criminal, because technically he was a criminal. They learned of his ability from Menes, and drugged him so he was confused as to where he was. He awoke in another strange room, but this one more beautiful than anything he had seen in his life. Columns were inside the room, with beautiful carvings on them. The bed was soft, and had many pillows, with a canopy roof, and thin linens that draped the sides of it, giving privacy on the bed.
This isn't so bad, Ace thought.
It was still slightly humid inside this room, but it wasn't as hot as before. A slight breeze came in from the window, which was simply a square hole cut into the wall. The floors were made of stone, but these were painted, with ornate drawings of winged men and strange beasts. Ace ate the fruit he put in his pocket earlier and wandered around, trying to understand where he had been taken now. He exited the large room and was greeted by a giant staircase, a giant hall with more ornate columns, and many people going about their business.
Some of them turned to stare at him, but they paid him no mind as Ace stood at the top of the stairwell. He saw two hallways, adjacent to where he was standing, and took the one on his right. It led to a room with a large ornate door with a picture painted on it of a man with the head of a bird, and large wings.
They really like birds here, Ace thought.
He opened the door, and again came upon another naked person, but this time it was a man. A small area was cut into the ground and filled with water, and little ornate tiles of bright red, blue, and white decorated the ground. A woman was bathing the man, and he looked annoyed once someone opened the door, but perked up once he recognized Ace.
"I am so sorry," Ace yelled.
He turned to leave, but the man asked him to stay.
"I have been waiting for you to wake up all day," he smiled. "I am so sorry for the rude treatment you were given. I told them I wanted you unharmed."
"You brought me here," Ace asked. The man nodded and Ace was very uncomfortable. A rich man, naked in his own personal pool, being bathed by a woman was requesting him, and his mind could only think it was for a singular and sexual purpose.
"Wait. You can understand me," Ace exclaimed.
"Yes I can, but your manner of speech is quite strange," the man replied. "You seem to be speaking Latin but adding some strange other languages in between." He got out of the bath, and Ace turned away, as he had little shame, and strangely was erect.
The woman promptly dried his body and Ace left the room, back to where he was before, embarrassed that now the only person he could speak with was a strange man who possibly bought him.