“It is about the plague, Nua.”, the king said. “The plague that ended us all.”

The girl held her breath. “What killed you?” she had asked weeks ago. If Anki’s tales were to be believed, the rulers of the Empire of Dawn and Dusk were near immortal and invincible, able to alter reality itself with their godly powers, and even worshipped as gods.

“A plague? I had a vision in the Southern Temple. I thought there was a battle.”

If the king had brows, he would have furrowed them.

“A vision? Have my soldiers shown you one? You were not exactly…” he paused. “Never mind; most likely they became desperate after a thousand years and gave a message to the very first Unsagga they saw.”

He made a gesture that gave the impression of shrugging.

“There was a battle, yes. The Empire has fallen apart in numerous battles, but the plague that weakened it came first. I have mentioned before that except for us, other people and other beings could work ether, although we were, without a doubt, the most powerful faction. We believe that Old Azurians came up with the plague. They were the ones that profited from it the most.”

He sighed.

“It was an insidious thing. A work of art, truly. It carried through ether, infecting everyone that came in contact with it. The plague was tailored to us, to our destinies, to our bodies. It affected the Autarchs and their relatives, up to the ones where the blood was too diluted to count. We weren’t numerous. Autarchs were not meant to reproduce, in order not to outbreed their kindred Unsagga. Even though we had jumped over that hurdle, it was never easy.” Anki went silent, overcome with memories.

“I thought you died because you changed your soul into a gem.”

“That’s not how it…” Anki scoffed. “That’s how much you can understand, I know. My body was dying, Nua. The plague worked slowly, but surely. We have had months, years even to figure out a way to conquer it, but before we had even realized what was happening, it was already with us, even with the little ones. I believe there was one person who could…” again, he stopped talking.

“Anki?”

“If the world looks like it looks like today, that means she had failed. Nua, the desert we will be traversing soon, it was a lush land in my time. Great Utu was always harsh, but not that relentless. Hundreds of years, years committed to making long-lasting changes to this world, futile! You cannot fathom what we have lost. And the Azurians even made you forget that people were taking their own lives with poppy extract so as not to suffer from the plague to the very end.”

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“Why would they do that? Why did they hate you so much?”

Anki did not answer, and in a blink of an eye, he vanished. Nua was left shaken and despite the whole day spent traveling, she did not feel like going to sleep. She also expected never to forget the song in its new, terrible glory.

She wondered if there was something to take her thoughts away from the past that haunted Anki, then she opted to find out what the public baths were. There was one in the Bottoms, but it was a joint enterprise with a neighboring brothel and Hala expressively forbid her from going there. The servant she met in the corridor pointed her in the right direction. Soon enough, she found herself in a large chamber with a fountain in the middle, decorated with ceramic mosaics in green and blue leaf and shell patterns. There were shelves where people left their clothes, and benches where women sat, talking and relaxing. From the look of it, the room was supposed to be used by the females only.

“First time in the bath?”

Nua turned around. The woman was about Hala’s age, plump, and rather tall. She was wearing a loose, dark blue garment that looked like it was just one large piece of clothing wrapped around her.

“Is it that obvious?” she asked in a sheepish tone.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of”, the woman assured. “Ours is not as spacious as the ones in the city, but it’s cozy, very clean, and not that overwhelming. You can leave your clothes over there”, she pointed to the shelves. “We watch over them. Here’s the towel”, she handed her a folded blue cloth, similar to what she was wearing. “You can stay in the cooling room for as long as you want. If you need a drink, let me know. Go to the steam chamber whenever you feel ready. We only have one, but it’s not too congested right now.”

The attendant smiled. Then she got a proper look at Nua’s face and there was a slight, barely noticeable change in her expression.

“Are you, by any chance, traveling with lady merchant Ashraqat?”, her tone was a tiny bit too sweet. Not too much, though. She was a professional.

“Yes. I’m Hessa’s apprentice.” After Anki’s tale, instead of feeling intimidated as usual, Nua found herself somewhat angry. “Is there a problem?”

“Not at all, young lady.” The odd tone in the woman’s voice was gone; she got a hold of herself. “Please, keep close to your group, so we know that everything is in order. And call me if you have any questions.”

“That was very Azurian of her”, Anki suddenly reappeared, his voice bitter. “I’m surprised she did not have any slurs in her repertoire.”

Nua shot him an incredulous look.

“And what are you doing here? This is a women’s chamber! You’ve given me an oath not to ogle me. You’re being a lecherous creep right now. Hide in the men’s room if you need to bathe.”

“I don’t… all right”, the king puffed, taken aback. “Please, do relax. I need some time alone anyway.”

“Just one more thing, Anki.”

“Yes?”

“I think I agree. I do need to grow a few more inches.”