“You no longer serve?” I asked.
“I am retired from the king’s service. I now provide extra training for his elite soldiers and his personal guard when they promote.” Without waiting for me to respond, he opened the door in front of us. “These are my chambers. I understand that it makes you uncomfortable to stay in here with me, but I’m afraid it is necessary for now.”
I walked behind him into the room, and my eyes widened. A huge bed dominated the space. It was large enough for three monsters the size of Bokkan. A couch, at least six feet long, was angled by the fireplace, the cushions wide and deep. I would easily fit on it, even if I was stretched out completely. Immediately, I decided I would sleep there.
A table sat at each end, with strange-looking lamps on them. Double doors on the opposite wall were open to reveal what appeared to be a huge bathroom.
I wandered in that direction and peeked inside.
Wow.Finally, something about this place that didn’t fill me with dread. There was an open shower stall against one wall. A heavy sink on another. In the center of the room was a round pool in the floor. Steam rose from the water and it was so clear I could see the ledge all the way around for someone to sit on. It was definitely deeper than I was tall, but I felt the urge to jump in anyway because I was grimy and my entire body hurt.
“The water closet is in here,” he said, interrupting my study of the bathing pool.
He opened another door to reveal an object that resembled a toilet, but it was taller than any I’d ever seen before.
“Uh, how do I use that?” I asked.
The daemon shot me an incredulous look.
I scoffed. “It looks like the toilets we have at home, but not exactly the same. I understand where to sit, but how do I, uh, flush? And, well, clean up?”
“What do you use in the human realm?”
“We have something called toilet paper. It’s disposable and will dissolve in time.”
“That sounds barbaric,” he said. “You use paper on your private areas?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to argue about human hygiene with you. Please just tell me what the process is so I can take care of myself.”
He walked over to the toilet. “There is a lever here that will release a stream of water to wash you. There are rags in this basket that you can use to dry off.” He grabbed a handle and pulled up a square of wood. “This chute drops to our incinerator. Most of these cloths are from old clothes, linens, and towels, so we burn them after we use them.”
Okay, so it was basically a bidet.
“I understand,” I replied. “Thank you for explaining it.”
He nodded. “Do you have any other questions?”
My expression explained it all.
Bokkan sighed. “You can ask me anything, and I’ll do my best to answer.”
“The bathing pool. Will I need to do anything to change out the water when I use it?”
He shook his head.
“What about the lamps and lights here? Do they have switches? Or do you use candles? We have electricity where I’m from, and it requires the use of switches to turn them on and off.”
“Magic powers our lights and other useful items in the house. To turn a light on or off, all you need to do is touch it.”
“But I’m human. I don’t have magic,” I replied.
He frowned at me. “All living creatures have magic. Including humans. That’s why daemons make deals with them. As part of the bargain, a daemon will either augment a human’s magic in return for years of service or siphon off a small amount of the magic in return for a favor.”
“Bokkan, I’m thirty-one years old. I think I would know by now if I have magic.”
“Perhaps you don’t have enough to manipulate, but you do have it.”
That answer was simple enough. Also, what did I know of magic? Saving the topic for later discussion, I changed the subject. “Am I allowed to walk around the house, or do you expect me to stay in your rooms at all times?”
