"I have performed an etheric inspection of your body and I have arrived to an interesting conclusion."

Nua stopped in the middle of the yard. Between the shock coming from the revelation that her world had indeed turned upside down and the amazement because the adventure didn’t seem to be finished, only one coherent thought surfaced.

“…you what?”

“I have arrived…”, started Anki again.

“You lecherous pig!”

A random homeless passerby glanced at Nua with suspicion, then trotted off.

“An inspection”, said Anki, somewhat irritated, “In an entirely medical meaning.”

Nua wrapped her arms around herself.

“I will not wash, like, ever again.”

“Nua. I am a ghost! I have no flesh! I take no interest in carnal matters.”

The girl glared at the small blue flame that had appeared next to her. Ancient ghost or not, royal or whatever, there were important limits she had to set once and for all.

“Swear on your name and your former Empire”, she said, “That you will never perform an inspection, medical or not, on my body, without me saying so.”

“I swear…”, Anki started.

“And also”, she added quickly. “That you will not watch me when I’m bathing. Or whatever!”

More passersby looked.

“Perhaps it would be of your interest to know that you can answer me in your thoughts. We’re connected. If you subvocalize, I will hear you just as well.”

“What does it mean, subvocalize?”

“Whisper, but without actually whispering.”

“LIKE THAT?”

Anki seemed to nod. It was strange how the flame, somehow, could show the full range of emotions. Maybe it had something to do with their connection. “Yes, like that. You don’t have to force it so much. I can hear you.”

“That’s mighty useful. Now swear.”

She did not let go until he gave her a full oath, with titles and such. Even if Anki’s ghostly state was keeping her safe in that matter (she did not believe that a powerful man would simply respect her – that did not align with her life experience), she had the right to her own privacy. Better to make it clear before it becomes an issue.

“You really have the force of will that does not fit your lowly status.”, said Anki finally.

“They do call me willful.”

“I’d prefer to say relentless.”

“Relentless”, Nua repeated. “ I like the word. Is it good?”

“Could be, under the right circumstances. It does make me hopeful. Let’s go to the pump and I will explain what I found. If you wish, that is.”

The pump system was ancient. They were scattered thorough the city, mainly in the lowermost circle – the upper circles sported modern aqueducts. Some of the pumps have broken over the years, but most were still active. Their makers drilled the wells deep under the riverbed, reaching water deposits from times immemorial. On the surface, they built little stone houses with bronze wheels and faucets. Even now, you could still see faded runes on their surface.

A bulky, armed man guarded the pump. Hired by one of the gangs, most likely. No one in their right mind would destroy city water pumps just to salvage the metal, but you never knew. Not everyone was reasonable. Or friendly to the locals. And the ancient machinery was incredibly bothersome to fix.

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As the main water source in the district, the pump was the center of social life. Even now, around midday, several tired, middle age women sat at the bench near the faucet, waiting for their turn and talking. Nua chose a spot a few paces away and got promptly ignored. She didn’t want to wash so close for everyone to see, anyway. Several things could happen if she tried – the women would chase her off for soiling the area where people got their drinking water, the guard could beat her up, and she could end up as a target of some curious observer.

What she intended to use was the leftover water running down the stone trough away from the building and finally to the gutter. It was occasionally used for this purpose. The area where Nua sat was also sufficiently shaded by a small, twisted fig tree. She even noticed a pile of damp rags left by the person that used it previously.

“I’m curious, Anki. Do you remember these pumps?”

“No. I believe that Eshunna was remade entirely since I was its sovereign.”, he answered. “For example, it was more spread out and not vertically arranged. The signs are written in the bastardized version of the Empire script. Not even the abbreviated notation. This irrigation system relies on individual wells, not the connected waterworks. How do they supply the upper city?”

“I think there is an aqueduct. But I’m not sure. Never been there.”

“This is a good place to listen to gossip and learn”, he observed. “Is it crowded in the morning?”

“Very much so. Now, I will take the shirt off, so do not look.”

“Can you listen and wash at the same time?”

“I will try.”

“I can repeat it afterward if you forget. Now, I have a better idea about how your mind works.”

“Uh, bad?”

“Oh, it’s absolutely fascinating. You told me before that your mother was very ill when she had you, right?”

“She died of it.” To mask sudden tears, Nua submerged the face in the trough.

“Whatever she had, it left a mark on you. See, your brain is actually very functional given that it’s literally scarred.”

“What?!” blurted Nua aloud, splashing the water everywhere.

“Like I said. It seems that you have survived quite an ordeal. Even then, the separate regions of your mind do pretty well. You are creative. You think on your feet. You have a reason and a will of your own. It’s only when you try to apply it to a complex task, it gets challenging. You get distracted, or can’t hold on an impulse. You are poor at judging risks. You quickly lose the skills you’ve gained. You think too literally. Well, some of it might be the environment you grew up in, but here’s the thing: I can fix that.”

There was a long moment of silence. Then Nua answered.

“Anki. First, let’s be clear with one very important thing.”

“I’m listening.”

“I am not broken. I lived like that all my life. I helped Auntie Hala. I collected scrap. I outlived Flavius, I saved you and I rode the goliath. I did all that. I am me. You can’t fix me. Maybe I have scars. That means I was hurt and I healed, and I lived. I am not broken.”

Anki was silent for a while.

“I agree.” He paused. “I think I am getting what I deserve. Perhaps you’re the punishment for my past hubris. That’s precisely for such rare insights I’d like to see you reach your potential.”

Nua was washing her shirt fervently, trying not to think about what she just heard. Her heart was pounding. Why was he doing that? Why didn’t he just try to wait her out and jump to a different, more valuable host? Was it because he had promised her power?”

“Let me rephrase that”, he continued. “People who were hurt and healed can get better. Warriors train to overcome their battle scars. You are right. You’re not broken. But you can improve. It’s nothing wrong to desire improvement.”

“For warriors, it’s about muscle. It’s not the same.”, she puffed.

“On the contrary. It’s exactly the same. I can’t cast a spell and erase your scars. I can only start a process where they would be remade. It would be gradual, and it would require your cooperation.”

That sounded better. Still, Nua did not trust him.

“It’s my mind. Would I become a different person?”

“As we grow up, do we become different, or do we grow into our true selves? You lived your life. You’d be left with your experiences and idiosyncrasies. However, this is just a starting point.”

“Idio… did you try to offend me now? I hope not. This is too complicated. What kind of cooperation? How do you train thinking? Do I sit and count to one hundred?”

“For starters, you need better nutrition. I can’t even begin the process without it. You need to eat food the brain is made of.”

“I dunno, like, meat?”

“That too, but fat fish would be much better. Egg, legumes, fresh fruits, nuts. I’m surprised you can even survive on tubers and gruel.”

Nua felt a bit stunned. All of a sudden, the opportunity that Anki presented has gone from promising to impossible. She did not know anyone who was eating like that. Perhaps, being a miraculous ancient ghost that heals scarred minds, he could also make food?

Oh, that would be so good. It did not hurt to ask.

“I’m afraid not. The food you must get yourself.”

Nua thought about it very hard. She remembered that she kind of had this idea before. Why was that? Ah – it was because Anki could spy for her. She spent a while trying to imagine roast meat, butter, figs, and dates, and the perspective seemed more and more appealing. Then, she finally got up. She was not exactly clean – the blood left faint brown stains on her shirt, and the grease didn’t want to come off her hands. But she judged herself acceptable. She wrung out her shirt and a pool of muddy water formed quickly on the stones, then dripped into the trough.

“All right. I’m all on aboard with your plan. Food thievery it is then, partner.”

Anki had a faint impression that she agreed for the entirely wrong reasons and that he would regret it later.