Through measurements

By EDGARS AUZIŅŠ

Tired of the endless intrigues of the Taemran Council, Naya and her squad are sent on a quest to find the legendary pearl-sayers in the once majestic Ima, which sank three thousand years ago in an earthquake. At first glance, the city appears dead, but the preternatural flame of Chaos still burns in its heart, preserving an ancient history of tragedy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: EDGARS AUZINS
• Release date: Jun 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227655509

EDGARS AUZIŅŠ

Dzimis 1989. gada 22. decembrī. Absolvējis Rīgas Juridisko koledžu. Profesijā nav strādājis, bet apguvis programmēšanas prasmes un pašlaik ar to nodarbojas. Kopš 2022. gada ir personīgā uzņēmuma vadītājs, kas nodarbojas ar transporta pārvadājumiem, kā arī programmēšanu. Dzīvnieku, īpaši suņu, mīļotājs. Born 22 December 1989. Graduated from Riga College of Law. Has not worked in the profession, but has acquired programming skills and is currently working in it. Since 2022 he has been the CEO of his own company, which deals with transport transport as well as programming. Lover of animals, especially dogs.

Book preview

Chapter 1. Amazed

The minute hand on the clock moved one notch with a quiet tick. Naya changed the position of her legs - now the left was thrown over the right, and not the right over the left. Tick - the arrow once again pointed to the next division. Naya placed both feet on the floor. Tick - the arrow pointed to five. Twenty five minutes. Naya has been sitting here for twenty-five minutes!

- What demon!? - the leader exploded.

Damn Izumat with its patriarchal system: Naya was not allowed to go to some drinking bouts simply because she was a woman! The leader would have broken a couple of bones to those idiots at the door, just in case, but inside there was a cultural drunkenness with local moss drink, and she sent her entire squad there to get information about Ima, so she had to endure and wait. However, she already hated this city. Worse than Ortarel - there they at least listened to her, but here everyone looked only at Emiel and shushed her if she argued with him. Naya is not used to not being the leader in her own squad.

At her exclamation, the guard at the door of the hall turned his head, and the leader barely restrained herself from showing him with a gesture what she thought about him and his opinion.

The irritation was off the charts, so in the end Naya simply got up and left the house of some local rich man, deciding that she was physically unable to sit here for several hours without causing unnecessary problems for her squad. The third day in Izumat infuriated her even more than the previous two. On the first day, she and the men tried to find out something about Ima in the markets, on the second - in taverns. The results were practically nil, but at least Naya was not looked down upon. In the end, only Emiel managed to start a conversation with someone who had a normal status yesterday. That’s how the squad got to this tasting, as the man who invited them decently called it.

In Izumat, everything was different: instead of Houses there were clans, instead of central buildings there were mansions like the one from which the leader had just left. Although out is not quite the right word. With the mood she was in now, it was possible to break through new tunnels, so she practically flew out into the street.

She more or less calmed down only after about twenty minutes at a fountain in some square.

— Is there anything in our city that you can worry about so much? — a melodic voice rang out next to Naya when she stopped splashing water on her face, in the hope that the cold water would at least help her pull herself together and finally begin, as Arien had advised her, to perceive local customs as a game.

The leader glanced at the middle-aged woman trying to talk to her and involuntarily twitched the corner of her lips in a weak smile - the local women were so different from the women of the same Taemran that Naya simply could not take them seriously. Too calm, too obedient, accustomed to obeying and unaccustomed to being responsible. Not everyone even had a weapon.

Naya sincerely believed that they had nothing to talk about, but she put on a friendly face and stretched her grin to an almost decent smile:

— Lately everything has been a bit unnerving...

— Maybe there’s something wrong with your health? — the woman suggested.

Maybe it’s time to get out of here, destroy some cave along the way and force my seven assholes to walk toe-to-toe in front of me? — The leader mentally rolled her eyes.

Somehow getting rid of her uninvited interlocutor, Naya went into the nearest tavern and, sitting by the window, ordered tea.

Nothing happened for about an hour, and she had even relaxed, thoughtfully running her fingers along the rim of her mug and collecting in her head the scattered pieces of information about Ima that she already knew into a coherent picture, when someone’s hand suddenly slid onto her shoulder. The leader’s first impulse was to snatch the dagger and thrust it into the wide palm that was proprietarily placed on her collarbone, but Naya managed to pull herself back in time.

Don’t be so tense, the voice of a potential suicide said hoarsely in her ear, it’s just sad when a beautiful woman sits alone. And even without snacks.

It seems to me that living without an arm is sadder, the leader still could not restrain herself, throwing off someone else’s limb.

-Aren't you local? — the man was surprised.

- Isn’t the lady local? — Naya corrected him, flashing an angry look. Who are you to treat me like a servant?

I apologize, the man unexpectedly gave in easily, bowing his head slightly. - You know, I've always been interested in meeting someone from another city. Few women come to Izumat - all the units that come here are male.

No wonder, Naya chuckled, this city is absolutely unbearable.

- So bad? — her new interlocutor laughed. He continued to examine her with interest, as if seeing some kind of curiosity in front of him.

Looking at him again, the leader realized that she was talking not to a man, but to a guy. He was most likely not even twenty yet.

Involuntarily softening, Naya sighed heavily. The young guy’s curiosity was understandable, but she still needed to somehow kill time while her squad got drunk at the expense of their new acquaintance Emiel.

- And what do you want to know? "Naya smiled barely noticeably, and unrestrained enthusiasm immediately flashed in the guy’s eyes.

- How do you like it here? It must be great when men take care of everything? You don't need to constantly defend yourself, right? You don’t even have to go into the tunnels - safety and comfort! - he jabbered.

- Is this the nonsense that they drum into everyone here? — Naya raised her eyebrow skeptically. - How come you haven’t died out here at all...

- And what is wrong? - Her interlocutor was surprised.

Maybe it’s that I can smear you all over the arena in a second with pate, and you still haven’t even deigned to move away so that I don’t bump into you with my nose if I turn my head? — Naya asked, openly mocking him, in the same tone.

Um... the guy was a little confused, but still sat back a little.

The funny thing is that you are afraid of me, and still ask what the difference is, the leader continued calmly.

I’m not afraid of you, the guy immediately knitted his eyebrows.

Well then, repeat your gesture with which you sat here, Naya cast a significant glance at his hands, which were trembling from tension.

She honestly tried not to take it out on the young man, but it turned out badly. If she had been in Taemran, she would never have allowed herself to do this. However, in Taemran no one would dare to demonstrate such impudence towards her. She encountered neglect for the first time in her life, so it was very difficult for her to contain the anger rushing out. Naya was used to being looked at either with respect or with fear - both options suited her. The only exception to this could be those who were objectively stronger than her, but not a petty bastard from a city forgotten by the Gods, where there was not even a temple of Chaos due to the absence of priestesses here.

The guy hesitated for a while, but then still carefully put his hand on her shoulder. And Naya suddenly felt cheerful. She turned around sharply and, grabbing his chin, pulled his face to hers so that only a few centimeters remained between their lips. Baring her teeth dangerously, she slid her palm onto the neck of the guy who tried to pull away:

- What are you doing? The mistress did not allow you to resist. And you don’t have the status to be stubborn and not let me do what I want with you.

The guy in her arms twitched, either to try to get a weapon, or to escape, or simply from a surge of excitement.

Naya laughed, let him go and picked up her cup of tea again:

This is what distinguishes women from other cities, she glanced slyly at the dumbfounded guy.

And I even liked it, the guy, having come to his senses, laughed a little awkwardly.

Naya smiled and shook her head. This interlocutor was clearly funnier than the woman at the fountain, but still did not make for pleasant company.

- Listen, can you continue this? — the guy suddenly asked, biting his lip slightly.

The leader laughed again, this time almost choking on her tea. In general, if you think about it, it might even be interesting - to put a guy in bed with unexpected total control and have a blast with him - anyway, he would not be able to resist her - he did not have the build and magical potential. But it was cruel, so Naya dismissed the idea that flashed in her head, deciding that if she was going to have fun like that, then at least she had to choose an opponent based on herself. But she was frankly bored waiting for her squad alone, so she simply continued to kindly make fun of her young seducer:

- Do you want to play? Do you like me that much?

I like how you’re trying to supposedly put me in my place, the guy admitted.

A hopeless idiot, Naya immediately lost all interest and pronounced a verdict to herself. The guy still didn’t understand that he was walking on a blade and continued to measure her with his stereotypes. There was no need for the leader to prove anything to him. She didn't care about his opinion of her.

Get out of here, she sighed.

- Why is this? — the guy was indignant.

Because I’m not interested anymore, Naya snapped, giving him an irritated look.

The guy opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted by another lower and deeper voice:

- Leave in a good way before things turn bad: she’s not local and won’t tolerate your antics.

Naya turned around in surprise, hearing the first sensible thought in the last three hours.

I apologize, madam, for this idiot, the man who approached her from behind calmly smiled at her. This one was clearly older and, judging by the armor, was a member of a professional squad. From his speech, Naya assumed that he often went to other cities and, apparently, was well acquainted with their traditions.

It’s okay, she nodded, will you sit down?

- So you kick me out and invite him? — the guy frowned with displeasure.

As was correctly noted, you are an idiot, but he, apparently, is not, Naya shrugged.

The older man silently pulled the resisting guy from the table by the collar and sat down in his place, pointing him to the exit from the tavern.

— What brought a woman of such status to our city? - Following the guy who slammed the door, Naya’s third interlocutor for today began the conversation.

Interest in Ima, the leader answered honestly.

The man nodded thoughtfully, ordered the innkeeper who came up to him cold cuts and liqueur for two, and turned back to Naya:

Shan Aren, he introduced himself.

Naya Liyar, the leader introduced herself in response, through the eyes of the innkeeper.

For a second, some incomprehensible mixture of emotions was reflected on Shan’s face, but he pulled himself together faster than Naya could notice them.

- Ima, then? Well, then it’s better to start with the legends and gradually move on to the truth. Although truth here is very relative, because no one can say anything for sure, even here in Izumat," Shan began.

Naya glanced at the man with interest and leaned her back against the window, demonstrating complete readiness to listen.

For the next hour, they periodically pulled meat from the plate they brought and slowly strained the infusion while Shan remembered all the stories about the flooded city. This was the most pleasant conversation today, so the leader finally stopped being indignant at every little thing and completely immersed herself in local fairy tales. The man turned out to be an excellent storyteller, although he mostly said what Naya had already heard or read in the libraries of other cities that she and the squad visited along the way.

One question, the leader smiled, shaking the glass in front of her and watching how the burgundy liqueur shimmered in it from side to side, why did you suddenly decide to help me in my conditional search for information?

As a thank you for not hurting Ziran, Shan’s nose wrinkled slightly.

- Whom? - Naya didn’t understand.

Idiot, the man grinned, part-time son of my sister.

Ah, the leader nodded.

They were silent for a while. The dishes were clanking in the tavern, and the smell of fried meat was coming from the kitchen. Overall, the atmosphere was quite pleasant, and Shang didn’t seem to be too tense around Naya, so she decided to continue:

- Well, since you seem to have volunteered to enlighten me, can you tell me what things are needed for the journey to your Ima?

I don’t know, the man shook his head, I never went there. For this purpose, there used to be units specializing in water magic, but, unfortunately, I have no acquaintances among them. And even now, in all of Izumat, only two or three of those detachments remain alive. But they, as far as I’ve heard, prefer not to stay in the city. They seem to have been transferred to the status of ordinary professional detachments and are constantly sent on missions. It will be quite difficult for you to talk to any of them.

- So they are constantly sent out of the city on purpose? - Naya was amazed.

- Um? — it seems that this formulation of the question confused Shan a little. - I didn’t think about that. Hardly. We don’t have many professional teams that agree to work with other cities, but there are many such requests - naturally, they are not allowed to sit still.

Naya nodded, but made a mental note to herself just in case: those who saw Ima with their own eyes are either almost never in the city, or they are dead. This was somewhat suspicious, but the leader did not show it, instead asking a new question:

- But you also go to other cities, have you really never crossed paths?

We crossed paths, but the thought never crossed my mind to ask them something that I would never need in my life, Shan smiled a little guiltily, pouring some tinctures from the decanter for Naya and himself. You know, I also have a question for you, he continued. he pricked a small piece of meat on a fork.

Ask, the woman repeated his gesture.

- Why are you alone? The leader is sitting alone - it’s hard to believe," Shan pointed at her with his glass.

I’m waiting for my subordinates to complete the assignment, Naya explained briefly, I’m of little use in your city.

The man nodded understandingly and turned his thoughtful gaze somewhere outside the window. Dark elves walked around the square, sometimes someone rode on a lizard or a huge spider, children splashed around the fountain, the central tower with its bluish light signaled the absence of danger. The glass muffled the sounds, but some shouts from the street could still be heard.

I can’t imagine what it’s like to be under the command of a woman, Shan finally voiced his thoughts.

Naya chuckled meaningfully - she also had no idea what it was like to be under the command of a man. At that moment, Emiel's communication mark on her wrist pulsed, signaling that her squad had left the cultural drinking bout and was ready to meet her.

Well, thank you for the conversation, Naya smiled at Shanu, getting up from her seat.

The man also stood up, releasing her from the table:

- It was nice to chat. Maybe we'll see you again.

Before leaving, Naya nodded questioningly at the plate and decanter.

I’ll pay, Shan answered expectedly.

At least Naya liked something about this city - the men here a priori believed that women had no money, and usually paid for everything for them themselves. Naya, of course, had money, but the thrift, as he put it, adopted from Iran over the years spent together, dictated that she pretend to be a fool.

Thank you again for Ziran, Shan said to her back. It seems that he greatly overestimated Naya's degree of aggressiveness, but this, on the whole, was to her advantage. Despite the fact that most men here didn’t think anything of her, many still preferred not to get involved with her, because they simply didn’t know what to expect from her. To be challenged to the arena by a woman and lose would be a huge stain on the reputation and pride of any man in Izumat, so, just in case, they still did not go too far in their vile behavior, by Naya’s standards.

"I wonder if there are any truly strong women here? And where are they all, if so? - she asked questions as she walked along the busy streets. Izumat was a huge city - ten times larger than Taemran, and its population was also many times larger. For centuries, men who disagreed with the matriarchal system flocked here from all the nearest cities within a year's walking radius and, naturally, took with them women from the lower strata of society, who, due to their small abilities, could not participate in the standard struggle for power - it was easier for them to give up and it’s more or less normal to live here, pleasing strong men with your submissiveness, than to exist on the verge of contempt from strong women in other cities.

A stronghold of degradation for women and an abundant feeding ground for ego for men, Naya assessed the city melancholy. In general, the atmosphere here was quite comfortable. Men butted heads only among themselves; this never extended to children and women. The latter were always protected first and there was no harsh suppression or anything like that. Naya viewed all this as a kind of payment or an unspoken agreement: it was as if the women here had sold their rights in exchange for not having to take care of anything themselves. True, they didn’t have much of an opportunity to choose a partner here either. Moreover, they became attached to those who chose them because they provided for them. This seemed like too much to Naya: even with her boundless love for Arien, if he had suddenly declared that she should depend on him for everything and sit in silence, she would have rebelled. However, Arien loved her precisely for her wayward character, so this could not happen in principle.

Drowning in vivid images of how her man behaved as soon as she called him hers, she almost crashed head-on into the door of the tavern that opened in front of her, where she and the squad were staying. The unfamiliar guy at the entrance looked at Naya strangely, but did not say anything. She almost laughed out loud and quickly slipped inside, to the second floor to the rooms, away from prying eyes. She could quite imagine what her face looked like when she remembered Arien moaning into her lips.

* * *

- I hate this city! - This was the first thing Kjar said when he slammed the door behind everyone else. If everything here was like everywhere else, I would have learned everything three times already and earned money at the same time!

I absolutely agree with you, Naya nodded emphatically, sincerely sharing his indignation: if there was a matriarchy in Izumat, Kjar would have climbed into the bed of the Managers long ago, and they would have told him everything, and so it was necessary to fish out information in portions throughout the city, as if it were a failure fishing.

I want them to throw me on the bed and, sitting on me, whisper in my ear everything we need, the dancer whined, stretched out across the knees of the leader who was sitting on the sofa.

I want it too, Naya sighed, stroking his back, so what did you find out? - she turned to the others.

The fact that Kjar did not recognize anything was already clear. Men never really loved him, but here they generally looked at him as if he were a creature who had lost all his pride. Naya, as a first warning, would have gladly burned a couple of limbs for these contemptuous glances and gestures to those who allowed them, but she understood that this was impossible. Kjar never shouted at every corner about what he was doing, but the way he interacted with women gave him away wherever he found himself, and in Izumat such work for a man was considered a disgrace. Even today they let him go to a drinking party, gritting his teeth, only because Emiel showed him off with such a face that it was clear without words that he would not accept any objections.

Everyone here respected Emiel at first sight and, feeling the power of his magic, they did not argue with him. Nai Shiin hid the energy on the way to the city, so no one could determine its magical potential just by looking at it. Then the leader was afraid that a strong woman might be perceived as a threat here, and this could create unnecessary problems for them, so she herself offered to introduce Emiel as leader. True, she did not suspect that it would be so difficult to keep her mouth, accustomed to giving orders, shut and bow her head at those moments in which she was accustomed to being hit in the jaw. Her world has always been battles - she did not know how to be an obedient attachment to men and was not going to learn. Fortunately, being alone with her, her squad did not try to follow local traditions. Probably, the men could well imagine what their leader would arrange for them after this, so they emphatically observed even those rules of Taemran that they usually ignored.

They’re afraid that I’ll organize a local Ortarel for them later, Naya noted to herself with satisfaction, listening to official and respectful phrases that were completely untypical for her squad. However, this calmed her to some extent, so she did not try to interrupt these theatrical performances.

Mermaids settled in Ima not so long ago, so diving there became very dangerous, and they stopped sending troops there twenty years ago, Asin began, keeping a respectful distance from the leader. He smelled of alcohol a kilometer away, and he apparently understood this.

The last three detachments did not return, Shiin added this information, almost sitting by the chair, the search party sent after that could not approach the ruins because of the same mermaids. Since then, the flooded city has been considered a forbidden territory.

- Why are these mermaids so dangerous that they were so scared? — Naya raised her eyebrows in surprise.

They eat drow, Iran grinned drunkenly, and in general everything that moves. They also block almost any attacks with their water magic.

— Mermaids are intelligent creatures. This is a race, not monsters, and they understand our language, the leader was still perplexed, why did they start fighting with them instead of coming to an agreement?

Maybe there isn’t enough food for them in Ima, so it didn’t work out? — Aen suggested, delicately covering his mouth with his hand.

If there wasn’t enough food, then you could pay them with food for your safety, Naya objected, "they’re not stupid enough to scare off the food in the form of dark elves or whatever they could use to pay them off when it was so not enough. There's something different here.

- Do you think they drove everyone out of there on purpose? - Emiel frowned. Apart from Arien, who was not affected by alcohol due to his natural magic, he was the only one who stood firmly on his feet, although he stank no less.

I would think that they were guarding something, but considering that they appeared there recently, this is not logical, the woman tapped Chiara’s back with her fingers, so I can’t put forward any clear theory yet. I'll go to the library tomorrow and read about mermaids. Maybe I'll understand something.

- Are we going to the city again? — the dancer groaned doomedly in her arms.

You can come with me, the leader took pity on him, but the rest, yes. Get a map of the tunnels to Ima and find out exactly how they used to dive there, what they got out and where they sold it.

- For what? — Iran, who was sleeping on his brother’s shoulder, was puzzled.

- Because mermaids could have been settled there. Imagine: Izumat mines something valuable and sells it, for example, to Norgil - why pay more when you can just take over the mining site? Mermaids may have a contract with another city. After all, a flooded ruin is a great place to live for them, isn't it? Maybe this is the whole point of what is happening: for the mermaids - a home, and for others - a place of prey, - Naya explained her train of thought, - if so, we could introduce ourselves as a detachment from that city and calmly go to the grotto or whatever it is now ...

It doesn’t sound very plausible, it’s worth checking, Asin bit his lip thoughtfully, but how do you imagine such a settlement? They quietly brought in a couple of hundred mermaids in barrels?

They could have simply been shown a place - they breathe perfectly under water and could swim along underground rivers themselves, Shiin recalled, rubbing his aching temple.

We should figure out how to get to the city first. The tunnel diagram that we have ends at Izumat, if someone forgot, Iran reminded everyone a little vaguely, and you grabbed onto these mermaids. We'll send Chiara to them and he'll sort it out.

Yeah, he’ll fuck a flock of mermaids, they’ll happily pay him with sayer pearls and we’ll cheerfully stomp to Mother Ar’tremon... Naya laughed, Aen, take your brother to bed.

Iran always got drunk faster than anyone in the squad, and at the same time his brain turned off by sixty percent. Nobody paid much attention to this for a long time.

The rest are also free, if there is nothing more to tell, the leader waved her hand at all her attempts to support a relatively constructive discussion of the topic with a crowd of not very sober men.

They shook their heads and walked away. Asin pulled the protesting Shiin from his chair and pushed him out of the room to go downstairs and get something else to eat. Emiel and Aen, having put Iran to sleep, went off to wander around the markets again in the hope of finding on the shelves something related to Ima, or an accommodating merchant who had previously dealt in goods from there. Kjar never moved from Naya’s lap, and Arien, after walking around the room a little, putting away the things scattered by the others, also sat down next to the leader.

— Do you think mermaids are the truth or an excuse? - he sighed tiredly.

He was almost as uncomfortable in Izumat as Naya - many did not notice that he had enormous magical potential due to the fact that his light magic, until he used it, was almost elusive for perception, and, moreover, Because of his pretty face, men here, as well as in other cities, did not take him seriously at all. Usually, thanks to his handsome face, he at least easily found a common language with women, but here the women knew practically nothing, and communication with them gave little, so even in this he did not win.

I don’t know, but just in case, it’s better to have an idea of ​​what to prepare for if they are still there, Naya shrugged, braiding Chiara’s recently grown hair into thin braids. In theory, they should have already been cut to a length corresponding to his status, but the leader really wanted to look at him with hair down to the middle of his back, so she ignored this formal need for the third month - no one saw them in the tunnels, but in Izumat, like her I understood that this tradition was not supported, so there were no problems due to this.

They are probably there, the dancer muttered, without taking his face off the sofa, yesterday I heard a conversation between two women in the square. They were talking about some kind of mermaid song, which the man of one of them allegedly heard.

- A song? - Naya asked. - What exactly did they say? Quote.

I keep thinking, on which instrument is it better to try to play that mermaid song that Barsar sang to me? - Kjar imitated a female voice.

Find me this woman, the leader immediately gave the order, instantly drawing a logical line: this Barsar was most likely a member of the search party that Shiin had just spoken about. If so, then perhaps they could find him and find out at least part of what they needed.

Having sent Kjar and Arien on a search, Naya stood by the window and, looking at the city, thought that they had probably made a mistake after starting to extract information from local men and underestimating their women. She and her squad were used to communicating with those who had power, because the rest usually knew nothing, but in Izumat this approach apparently did not work