Zeah Korlann is a character in the series Senta and the Steel Dragon.  I really created him for the first book in that series.  His story arc was one of an older man pursued by a younger woman.  He and his young lady Egeria really parallel Mike and Patience in His Robot Girlfriend, and its no surprise that I put that book together from some earlier pieces, right after I had written The Voyage of the Minotaur.

After that, I didn’t have much for Zeah to do, but I used him as an observer.  He really is a stand-in for me in the Senta books.  In The Two Dragons, his chief occupation is to observe the three women revolving around his life: his daughter Yuah, their shared nemesis Iolanthe, and Zeah’s wife Egeria.  At this point in the story, he watches the conflict between Yuah and Egeria.

The children had already gone through the house and come out in the garden.  Egeria had ordered the dining room table set up in the backyard, and Chunny was already covering it with fancy dishes filled with delicious looking food.

“Can we play games?” shouted Augie.

“We will play after lunch,” said Egeria.

“What games can we play?  We don’t have enough people to play Doggy Doggy.”

“Perhaps we could play Honey, Do You Love Me.”

“That’s no good,” said Terra, in her squeaky voice.  “Everybody here already knows who loves who.”

“You mean ‘who loves whom’,” corrected Egeria.  “I have a new game I think you will enjoy.” 

She made a sweeping gesture to indicate that they should all sit, and insisted that Zeah sit at the head of the table.  He was still dressed in his suit, so he still felt rather formal.  His wife certainly seemed formal as well.  Her white day dress made her fiery red hair stand out all the more.  Yuah’s dress was, in Zeah’s opinion, slightly scandalous.  It showed entirely too much back.  She sat at the opposite end of the table, while Egeria and the children stared at each other from either side.  Both women sat with a posture that could only have been achieved by rigid corseting.

“Pass around the chips,” ordered Egeria.

“I want a biscuit,” said Augie.

“Not till after.”

They passed around golden fish, beans, cheese, fruit, and of course crisp, beautiful chips.  Augie wanted nothing but chips and beans, and Terra wanted only fruit.  As the little girl used both tiny hands to hold the platter loaded with grapes, sliced apples, pear halves, bananas, and strawberries, she dropped the edge onto her plate.  With a loud crack, the plate broke into two pieces.  With a little cry, she dropped the platter, and although it didn’t break, fruit went rolling in all directions.  Zeah caught his breath.  Here as everywhere, Egeria employed dishes that were far too valuable to be used by normal humans, let alone children.

Egeria made no sound or expression that could be construed as any kind of admonishment.  She simply got up and gathered the stray fruit.  Yuah was upset though, probably with the same thoughts in her head that Zeah had in his.

“What kind of fool leaves out dishes like this for little children,” she said.

Egeria didn’t reply, but both her mouth and her eyes grew small.

Chunny came out to the table and removed the two plate halves, replacing them with a plate that to Zeah’s mind looked even more valuable than the one that had broken.  A few moments later, the lizardman returned with another platter loaded with butter biscuits.  These were the neat, perfect biscuits that Egeria bought in a tin, preferring them over homemade ones.  Now that his duty had been done by eating his chips and beans, Augie set to work ridding the property of buttery desserts.

When they had all finished, Egeria led the children around the house to the side yard.  Set up across the green lawn was a net for badminton, and four light rackets had been placed on a small occasional table that had been brought down from the upstairs hallway.  Zeah went to the gazebo near the edge of the yard and picked up the wicker armchair, bringing it back.  He intended to be a spectator in this sporting event.  By the time he had made himself comfortable, the sides had already been chosen.  Yuah and Augie were set up on the east side of the net, while Egeria and little Terra, whose racket was almost as large as she was, were arrayed on the west.

Yuah served first, taking the bright yellow shuttlecock and whacking it with a force that should have knocked it clear to the ocean.  The feathered birdie lost its steam though just above Egeria and wafted down right in front of her.  With a mighty backhand blow, she sent it soaring back again over the net.  Despite the fact that neither woman, with their corseted waists, long dresses trailing upon the ground, and voluminous hairstyles seemed ready for athletics, they pummeled the hapless cork and feather device back and forth.

Thwack!  Egeria smashed the birdie directly toward Yuah’s face.  Thwack!  Yuah sent it back.  Thwack!  This time Yuah had to reach around.  Thwack!  It went toward the back end of the court.  Egeria, a good four inches shorter than her opponent was unable to reach it, and the birdie alighted gently upon the grass.

“Ha!” cried Yuah.  Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell to the ground in a faint, an often enough occurrence for women walking in corsets, let alone participating in sporting events.

Egeria smiled triumphantly.  She wobbled for a moment and then she too fell down into the grass, gulping for air.

“Hey, I want to play!” shouted Augie, but Terra had already lost interest and was busy chasing a butterfly.

“Grandpa will play with you,” said Zeah, “as soon as we clear the court.”