The Adremaza glanced over the assembled mazei. Pride stirred within him as intelligent, peaceful eyes stared back at him.
"I have called you all here to inform you that Zhendo Athmaza has retracted his offer to serve as nohecheris in the event that one of the two current nohecherei should lose the ability to perform their office." He trusted it would come as no surprise to the group; Zhendo was old, now, and had no patience for politics anymore, even as a passive witness. And his back ached. "As you all know, it is a requirement that the Athmaz'are have an alternate appointed at all times, in case of emergency. I will ask that one of the dachen'mazei here step forward to replace him."
Eyes shifted in thoughtful curiosity about the room.
"I do not need a response immediately," Sehalis said, "but every moment lost carries its risks. If anything were to befall one of the emperor's maza-nohecherei, the Athmaz'are is responsible for supplying a replacement without delay."
Cala's brow furrowed, causing his spectacles to shift on his nose. The Adremaza's words recalled his mind from where it was wandering amid treatises on the use of maz in the presence of other mazei, and the potential augmentative effects of crystals or other cut stones. The emperor and his current maza-nohecherei were fit and healthy, so it was not likely there would soon be need for a replacement. But if he were to become a nohecheris, Cala's research could continue while he was off duty. And he would have many hours he could dedicate almost exclusively to its contemplation as he followed the emperor around, as long as he still maintained the level of vigilance required by the post. Cala always did his best thinking while he was supposedly engaged in something else, anyway. He had the revelation that led to two years' worth of study and several volumes of written findings, while digging up carrots in the Mazan'theileian's gardens. The conclusion thereof came to him while he was watching a raindrop slide down a pane of glass in a window of the library. Dedicating half his life to simple vigilance while his mind wandered would no doubt improve his research outcomes.
"I will do it, Sehalis," he said, but by then, the room had nearly emptied. He sighed and shook his head at himself. Although he'd been an exceptional student, learning and retaining great stores of knowledge and synthesizing it as well as any scholar, his mind tended to let go of things that were not its primary focus. He had earned the reputation of absent-mindedness very shortly after arriving at the Mazan'theileian, as he kept misplacing his notebooks, coats, and even his spectacles every which where. And sometimes he would be so lost in his thoughts that he would lose track of conversations…as had happened now, apparently.
No matter, he thought. A visit to Sehalis' office would confirm whether someone else had already taken up the position of back-up nohecheris. And he would take advantage of the opportunity to share his most recent discoveries with the Adremaza while he was there, and see if he could perhaps have some quartz crystals ordered for his experiments.