To Nua’s own surprise, by the time she picked up a baked tuber from Hala in the morning, her wariness won with her greed. Eight coppers stayed behind the amphora together with the lamp, wrapped in relatively clean smallclothes and hidden under a slowly decaying pile of tuber peels.

Anki grunted with approval, but he didn’t press the matter, and the girl already knew that something about him was different that week. He didn’t inform her plans or conversations as strongly as before. Yesterday, he did not even mention training until she asked (sadly, Nua’s enterprise was getting in the way of sorcerous exercises, so the climbing Matrix wasn’t done yet). It was as if he was testing her. Nua decided to address the issue in the future. Right now, she didn’t feel like talking. She was thinking of the best way to tell Aton that she lost the fish. They were shamelessly eaten, that’s for sure. She just couldn’t decide who was the most believable culprit: her siblings, stray cats, or herself.

However, when she got to the warehouse, Aton wasn’t there. Another overseer took his place: twice as old, ebony-skinned, and grey-bearded. His tunic was professionally hemmed, which indicated the higher status of the man, and suggested that his position was probably temporary. He took his time marking off the wax tablet and looked like he considered this kind of work beneath him.

Something was off. Nua slouched, trying to get through without drawing too much attention. To no avail; the man lifted his chin at her sight with clear recognition. Her first instinct was to run; when she turned away, people still waiting in line to work blocked her path.

“There she is!”

Another man, younger and stronger, clad in the guard’s uniform, caught her by the arms. Nua tried etheric reinforcement, but she panicked and the energy dissipated. There was only one thing left to do, and that was screaming.

She gave out her best, blood-curdling shriek and didn’t stop until a third person came in running and put her hand on Nua’s mouth. To the girl’s dismay, that was Erish.

“Stop yelling!”, she hissed. “They mean no harm. Lord Dhurandhara asks for you in the office.”

Nua would be a fool if she believed her. They were already using force. Who knew what came next?

“Anki! Anki, help me hold the ether, I want to get out!”

“Calm down! You’re too upset to use sorcery. Nua, for the love of the Heavens!” The spirit was floating around, seemingly at a total loss when it came to the raw emotion. “At least don’t shout!”

“Someone just stop her up!”, bellowed the old man. A brief commotion ensued, and all of a sudden, Nua felt her mouth being stuffed with some sort of crunchy substance. She chewed on it on a reflex. A flatbread wrap. She eyed Erish with mistrust.

“And there goes my lunch,” said the woman.

“A fine calming substance, I’d say,” said Aton’s replacement. “Let’s get her into the office before she tries anything else.”

Nua was shaking. Despite all her training, she was still powerless, rendered immobile in the strong guard’s arms. She could do only one thing at the moment - finish Erish’s flatbread before anyone tries to reclaim it. She was somewhat surprised when nobody did. Perhaps it was mercy – while she had no idea what exactly lord merchant was going to do with her, Aton surely reported her for theft. The least punishment she could think of was flogging. With Erish personally gifting her midday meal, the loss of a hand was a sure thing.

“Anki, could we repeat the thing with Lady Providence?”

“This kind of trick is single use. If we do it once again, you’ll gain the reputation of an oracle, and that is not what you wish, not if you are willing to keep your freedom. I’ll think of something,” muttered the spirit. “Though by the look of it, that might be not necessary.”

“What do you mean?”

“I glanced through the window when you were eating. Aton is inside the office, but he doesn’t seem all that triumphant. In fact, guards surround him, too.”

“I don’t know, Anki. They gave me a flatbread wrap. There was cabbage inside.”

“Excuse me, but I don’t quite follow.”

“It’s a mercy meal. Like, you know, before they hang you.”

“I don’t think Erish planned that far.”

“Dunno. She didn’t take her lunch away.”

“You bit it. Would you eat the meal that was already chewed on?”

Nua gave Anki an incredulous look.

“Did it ever cross your mind that you’re spoiled?”

He sighed. “Never mind. I don’t think lord merchant is going to hang you, or cut off any of your limbs, especially since he saved you before.”

“He can still have me flogged.”, Nua thought of it for a while. Led by the guard and the old man, they have already crossed the whole warehouse. The office was apparently placed in a neighboring building, a small, two-story brick house. She was calming down, and that made it easy to work with ether again. Other guards were around, though, and they carried spears. Getting flogged was still better than being impaled on a spear. It almost paid off the cabbage wrap.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Still, she didn’t feel all that courageous when they went in.

Lord Dhurandhara’s office looked befitting of its owner. There was a thick carpet on the floor, with leaf and fruit patterns. For a brief moment, Nua’s senses were overcome with softness, and she suddenly became very conscious of her dirty feet. She curled her toes, quite certain that soiling the carpet will be met with additional punishment. Nobody seemed to care, though.

The walls were, too, adorned with tapestries that depicted seafaring. A flotilla of galleys traveled through the linked arrases, onward to the lighthouse-illuminated shore. Stars above represented the constellations, or at least Nua guessed so. There was a similar mosaic in the River God’s temple.

The sun was rising fast, so candles that burned in the silver, nymph-shaped candlesticks meant to flaunt the lord merchant’s wealth. So was the oak desk with the Azurian carvings, the globe with moving parts, scrolls, and a plethora of other treasures. Of course, that message was not meant for Nua.

Other people were present in the room beside the imposing silhouette of the blue-skinned Vedan, who was comfortably seated in his leather chair. A middle-aged woman in a plain-colored, but high quality tunic, with a set of matching silver and malachite jewelry – bracelets, necklace, earrings. The oldest man Nua saw in her life (not counting Anki, obviously), supporting himself with a bronze-decorated, dark wooden cane. And, of course, Aton. Surrounded by three guards, just like Anki said.

He had dark circles under his eyes and he looked as if he ate something rotten.

“Ah, a missing piece.”, lord Dhurandhara welcomed her, barely lifting his head. “Did you have trouble bringing her in?”

“Not at all, milord.”

“Thank you for your assistance.” The Vedan leaned forward, putting one pair of his hands together. “Now, what should I do with you, troublemaker?”

Nua understood immediately that it was not a question she should try to answer.

“See, girl,” continued lord merchant. “I think of myself as a good judge of character. For example, Aton here…”

The overseer paled.

“Aton is hardworking, loyal, and sufficiently honest. Unless a temptation occurs, and nothing tempts him more than young date wine. Fortunately for me, he has another weakness, that is when he overconsumes said wine, he becomes very talkative. Turns out,” the Vedan smiled. “Taverns have ears. But enough about him. What is your weakness, Nua? Lack of honesty? A misguided love for the fish? An entrepreneurial spirit?”

The girl notices that he used her name. She didn’t know if it was good or bad. She exchanged worried looks with Anki.

“I didn’t steal anything, milord. It was not dishonest.”

“I agree,” the lord said, “That it was Aton who should be the wiser and nip the idea in the bud. However, I hired you to work at my warehouse. Not to develop a competing business under my nose.”

“The guy is smarter than I gave him credit for,” Anki sighed. “But he’s also intrigued, and he understands the hierarchy of responsibility. Act dumb, and you’re going to get away with it.”

Nua was wringing her fingers, feeling that she doesn’t need to act too much.

“Business…? But… it’s just a few fish, sir.”

“A few fish.” Lord merchant sighed. “I don’t suppose you realize that, but let’s pretend I’d allow you to continue. On Secondday, you bought two fish. Yesterday, you bought double that. What do you think, how many fish you would have next Secondday at this rate?”

Nua opened her mouth. She didn’t expect the question, and it caused her imagination to run wild. It wasn’t hard, with her persistent hunger, making her think of food. In her mind, piles and piles of enticing, tasty flatfish, were doubling and multiplying.

“Two hundred and fifty-six”, she said before she could stop herself.

There was a moment of long silence. Lord merchant’s smile died at his lips. The middle-aged woman and the greybeard stared. Aton frowned and seemed to calculate, using his fingers. Anki gave out a surprised snort.

No one was more shocked than Nua.

“Interesting. Tell me this, girl” said the Vedan slowly, leaning forward and pressing all of his fingers together. “If you have six crates with five fish each, how many fish is that?”

Nua wanted to say that she doesn’t know, but at that moment she realized that in fact, she knew.

“Thirty…?”

“Say, and if you had thirty-five crates with twenty-nine fish each?”, he asked, now with a mischievous spark in his eyes.

“That’s…” Nua’s jaw went slack when she realized that she could calculate that, too. “Wait a moment… One thousand fifteen.” What was happening here, exactly? Was it still possible to salvage the situation? “Milord, I apologize. I didn’t want to double the fish each day and I didn’t think as far as the next Secondday.”

“I can see that you haven’t. I do understand now, though, why the goddess brought you to my attention.” he leaned back on his chair and mulled it over for a while. His other employees relaxed, if only by a fraction. Except for Aton, who had a desperate look on his face now, especially after the mention of the goddess. “See, girl, in my business I believe in justice. Lady Providence tells us to divide wealth for each according to their needs, but skills, of course, have their own merit. Otherwise, there would be no people able to divide. I am also a firm believer in just punishment and reward for one’s actions. Do you understand?”

Not in the slightest, Nua thought.

“…yes.”

Lord Dhurandhara smiled.

“Therefore you won’t be surprised that for you, I have envisioned a reward and a punishment. You will be awarded a responsibility more suited to your skills. Severus, you’ve been looking for an assistant to relieve your aching legs and replace you on slippery surfaces and in tight passages. She is able to fill that role. Nua, you will be in the care of this gentleman. You will go on the quay and on the trawler decks, count the shipments, and relay the numbers to your supervisor. It doesn’t matter if you’re illiterate. He does the books.”

“…yes?”

“Sir, isn’t this an apprenticeship at my trade?”, the Azurian elder asked. “She’s Unsagga. The law forbids her to do that.”

‘It is not, since she does not do any writing.”, lord merchant replied. “Also, here I decide what an apprenticeship is and what is not. I know that you have your ideas about the Unsagga,”, he waved his hand with clear contempt for petty human squabbles. “But when I recruit my crew, I am not under the purview of the Overlord’s Mercy’s laws, and don’t you ever forget it.”

“Milord.”, the bookkeeper nodded.

“This post will be compensated a silver denarius a week.”, he smirked. “And a discounted flatfish a day, since you like them so much. For here and not to go," he underscored. "This is a trial period, so if you’re found lacking, you go back to cleaning. Now, a punishment.” He turned to the guards. “Five lashes. Don’t break her skin, I want her hale and working tomorrow.”

So flogging it is, thought Nua in a haze. And a promotion. This isn’t going to end up well. The lord didn’t seem to realize just how deep the prejudice for the Unsagga went. As well as the opportunity sounded, it was time to scram.

And what exactly, in the deepest pits of hell, did Anki do to her?