The trawlers stopped docking at the quay an hour or so before midday, most of the late arrivals carrying only the fish that were preserved and ready to sell, and for the last few hours, the cleaners turned to the other parts of the warehouse, where their task was to systematically get rid of the usual dirt and debris that came with carrying barrels and crates full of greasy edible articles. Well, that, and an occasional spill of the pickled fish container.

The work has systematically gotten less arduous, and it was all the better because Nua wouldn’t probably be able to keep up with the intensity of the first part of the day, even with sorcerous reinforcement. Ether came easier to her now. She was able to hold it in for almost sixty ticks of the fancy mechanical clock hanging on the wall in the main hall. Or at least that’s what Anki claimed – cleaning, wielding ether, and counting to sixty at the same time was greatly beyond her capabilities. Actually, she was surprised that the sorcery yielded to her so easily. Even the king mentioned it on one occasion.

“My first impression wasn’t wrong. You take to the ether like fish to the water. I’m looking forward to the day when your aptitude lets you handle Concepts and runes.”

Nua did not comment. At the moment, she was fed up with fish, in or outside the water, and the comparison made her groan under her breath. She doubted that even when healed, her mind would let her handle any sort of that stuff. She didn’t exactly remember the writing on the walls in Anki’s temple, but by the sheer amount of it, she imagined that it needed a lifetime to learn.

A gong marked the end of work. Erish called the crew members, and slowly they gathered in the cleaners’ space, some of them stretching or massaging their aching backs. Nua observed that they were all much more tired than her, even though they worked like that every day. In contrast, physically, she was almost fine. Not entirely – the tuber from Hala all but evaporated in her stomach, and some weariness was getting to her as well. After all, with or without ether, she had worked for ten long hourglasses for the first time in her life.

When it came to mental exhaustion, however, she was strongly convinced that if she uses sorcery once again, her brain will leak out. There’s no easy way to escape work, even with magic, she thought, dragging the bucket and mop back. There needs to be a balance. She glanced at Anki. It appeared that in life, you’re either royally screwed, or you’re screwed royally.

The crew members handed their gear to Erish. She marked each piece off on a wax tablet and put it in the corner. When it came to Nua, she gave her a long, thoughtful look.

“You doin’ good.”, she said, at last. “Do come back tomorrow.”

Nua returned a sheepish smile. Recently she’d been getting so much praise, she felt she could get addicted to it, and that one came from a stranger, no less. She still wasn’t convinced about coming back, though. The risk from the rest of the crew remained, and if Anki’s plan did not work, there wouldn't be any reason to.

All that was left was going to Aton.

The large man stood near the main entrance, marking off laborers on his wax tablet. She waited until the end of the line, then approached.

“Nua, was it.”, he muttered.

“I… I want to ask something.”, she started.

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He sighed and looked wistfully at the exit.

“Ask away. Just make it quick.”

“Um, what do you do with fish that are too bad for sale? Like, I know some look bad, squished or something, but are still good to eat.”

“Hah! A clever one!”, Aton laughed. “I can’t give away any merchandise. That’s theft. If they look bad, they still sell at half a price. If we think they’re past sale, they get piled up as refuse. A farmer gets it once a week, you know. Good as animal feed and fertilizer.”

Nua shot a worried glance at Anki.

“See? I told you they won’t just give me fish.”

“That’s… outrageous, but oddly efficient.”, mused the spirit. “How would this kind of person think? It’s been too long… ah. I have it. Repeat my words.”

“Um.”, Nua said, listening to Anki’s prompts. “What if I don’t just take it? What if I buy it?”

Aton looked at her with careful consideration.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the farmer buys a whole pile by the weight, right? Sure if you get my copper, and I get, let’s say, a small smoked flatfish, nobody loses. And that’s not theft.”

There was a shifty look in Aton’s eyes. He lowered his head, palms on his thighs, the bearded face too close for Nua’s comfort.

“Say, clever beast-eyes. Let’s have a deal. You get your fish every day. I get all of your coppers at the end of the week. But if you bail before the Sixthday, you bet I’m goin’ to find you. ‘Cause, that’ll be theft.”

“A… a deal.”

The man spat at his hand to seal the agreement. Nua shuddered but followed his lead. She needed to wait until he brings her the promised flatfish, although, after today, she would be glad not to touch this particular kind of food for the next year. When he came back, she put her spoils in the pocket (her pants weren’t clean anymore, so staining them further was not a concern). Then, she left, before he would change his mind and decided to tell on her. The deal left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Outside, it was early afternoon. A strong breeze from the river eased the heat. Groups of people were leaving the docks in droves. A large colony of seagulls congregated at the quay like a pyramid of dirty feather balls, sleepy and stuffed to the brim with leftovers. There were several cats scurrying around or napping in odd places.

“Well, that went easily enough.”, Anki commented.

Nua walked with her hands in her pockets.

“Uhm.”

“You are not satisfied.”

“I am not.” Nua kicked a stray cobblestone. It rolled all the way to the river.

“That was a hard day, and you did well. So now, you’d be perhaps very interested in having a well-deserved rest in your hideout, while I spy the junkyard.”

“No junkyard today. We go home, Anki.”

“You are not that tired. I’ve seen to that.”

The girl looked directly at the king.

“Anki. There’s a word for what that guy did. Forcing people to give away all their wages or they get beat up.”

“Extortion?”

“Yeah, that was it. I listened to you and got exor… extort… whatever. On the first day of work. And that Fabia wants to kill me when the crew boss is not looking. She’s going to push me off the quay.”

For a long while, she walked in silence.

“But… You’ve got your fish, didn’t you?”

She gave out a deep sigh. “Not sure if it’s worth it. I don’t want fish. I don’t want sorcery. I don’t want to go back there, but I have to, or they’re going to find me and beat me bloody. I want home.”

She continued forward. Then Anki started again.

“Nua, he’s not able to find you. Your kind is not a unique sight in the Bottoms, or even at the docks for that matter. Judging from what I had seen until now, I doubt he could even tell one Unsagga from another. He just wants to make you afraid. You don’t need to go back. I have waited a thousand years. I can wait some more.”

The girl looked at the flatfish, a doubtful gain of her daily toil. Her stomach grumbled. She thought again about how Anki could jump to another person when he regains his strength. Someone better. Strong, determined, and ruthless. Mixed-bloods could use ether too, right? She imagined Fabia in the goliath, then a sudden spike of fear got the better of her.

She started a brisk walk towards the junkyard.

“I changed my mind. I go back tomorrow. You teach me more sorcery. The running, jumping, and sneaking kind, so I can avoid getting beaten. But first, by the River God! I need to get some rest.”