Ruyo spent a few minutes trying to relax. When somebody banged on the door again, she rose and stretched. "Yes?"

"We're looking to see if you can complete the initiation for your second student, maybe start the others."

She murmured, "Back to business, huh?" She tested her mental link, asking Nusina, "Can you hear me from outside?"

"Yes, milady. Are you all right?"

"I have a lot to think about. Be right there."

She went outside to get on with magic for an impatient crowd. As it turned out, the second level of "Sorcerous Initiation" was simple now for the student who'd gotten the first, and she was able to start three more people on the first level before phantom muscles ached and she felt a faint pressure behind her eyes. When they offered to pray again and Nusina explained that their prayers more-or-less counted only once a day, Ruyo groaned and imagined writing up a formal price list.

She didn't teach anything but arcane skill, and didn't provide anything but practical resources. "I'm still a shopkeeper," she said.

Her spirit guide said, "I'm sensing your followers now associate you with magic."

Ruyo interrupted a cooking lesson. "And every one of them is 'following' me in the shallows because he wants something specific and valuable."

"Isn't that what you want? A lot of open, easygoing relationships? Also, a few of them want some guidance and not just power. Which people, I don't know."

Ruyo could guess, though. "The robbers. They're beaten and aimless. What did the old goddess teach, in moral terms?"

Ruyo snapped back to reality when the cook, Vissio's man, waved in front of her face. "You there?"

She shook her head. "Sorry. Shall we get on with that lesson?"

They trained and talked about food. The man had no real advice for her other than to think about the texture and origin of the food she was creating and preparing. The lesson did double duty as dinner preparation for everyone. As Ruyo chopped onions and turnips her teacher said, "You normally eat prepared food on the road?"

"Bread, jerky, nuts, some 'portable soup'. I stop at villages when I can, for trading too."

"No wonder you can't make much, even by magic. Look, this pot is boiling. For a water expert it ought to be your thing. See how the hot water changes the color and texture? Smell that savory grease boiling off? The elements change everything and make it more useful. They can turn a chunk of raw bloody meat into stew."

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Nusina hovered around the pot, making the steam ripple so that she was partly visible. "The concept of boiling is a little disturbing, but steam is interesting. I --"

Ruyo looked up at the spirit, who'd gone still. "Hmm?"

She spoke in a drone, audible to all. "Seventeen casualties reported at Scintilla Power Plant south of Faithful Wellspring Three. 'They looked cooked', says one hospital official. Victims were taken to [crackle] Memorial Hospital for treatment, but four died before stasis could be applied. Prayers requested."

Ruyo, the cook, and several onlookers went quiet. Ruyo finally said, "What?"

"I remember, a little. Something terrible happened. Steam burns people."

She beckoned Nusina closer and the spirit became tangible, letting Ruyo hug her. Ruyo said, "It was a long time ago."

"Didn't see the victims. I just monitored these things. I remember feeling helpless. Doing my job while bad things happened around me."

"You did your job; that's what matters. Successfully protected..." Ruyo shook her head, thinking of the facility they still needed her to guard. "That's not important right now. You all right?"

"Just rattled. Go on."

Ruyo kept the spirit nearby while she studied dinner. The cook gratefully accepted the second level of magic as soon as Ruyo was ready.

#

Baris arrived in time to share in the food. "Just making the rounds," he said. "More friends?"

"A training group from Averell. Here; give me your hands."

When she did the ritual, holding him and carving deeper the channel of magic inside him, it was easy. He thanked her and said, "I'm glad you're doing this for more people than just me and the missus. It means more people who can live on their own, outside the big cities. More freedom to wander without being afraid."

"There's sign of a bear near here, by the way."

"I noticed while we were hunting the possessed man. Just keep away for now and we'll deal with it later."

He left her and entered the cave to pray. From him she sensed vague approval, a desire to see her do well. Another strange flavor.

Ruyo attempted to make some better food. The spell took form as a small loaf that looked like it had bits of carrot and turnip in it, smelling like a vegetable stew. It still looked like a ship's biscuit but had some moisture and texture. For comparison she made another one, dry, and it looked like it'd keep better.

Baris and the cook tried bits of each. The cook said, "This is an improvement. You could probably keep people healthier with these."

"Hopefully with some variety in the flavor," Baris said.

"For long-term food production?" Ruyo asked.

He shrugged. "If you're going to employ people, you should be feeding them at least." He leaned closer. "Those three rough-looking men are free to go, I hope?"

"Oh! Yes. I got them to reconsider their careers. Promised them help while they do that."

"Whatever happened could've gone worse, then. Sorry I wasn't there for it."

"You've already earned everything I can give you and more, Baris."

He looked surprised. "I do want magic powers and free stuff. But I'm more concerned with having my neighbors be safe and happy."

"Thank you, I think. If that's so, then there's something you should know." She took him aside, and showed him the note about the Witch Hunters of Brotherhood. "They're your neighbors too."

Baris stared at it. His hands shook. "Idiots! They don't know what they'd be throwing away!"