They reached the Inheritors' base at sunset. "It's probably safe."

Even so, they were casually armed, even Mena with a knife on her belt. It wasn't the first time for her, and she liked to talk about the days before she'd settled down.

Two of the remaining cultists -- researchers, Ruyo kept reminding herself -- greeted them at the door. In the upper, outer rooms the same work as before was ongoing. One man explained, "A few of us quit, but we no longer need to do any of this in secret. We're now here by the city's forbearance, since they could send someone to scoop up the rest of us."

Ruyo said nothing, letting the others ask the questions. She still wasn't convinced Nusina was right to work with them like they were all innocent dupes. Remote ruin lair, working in secret with ancient mysteries in the basement. How was that not obviously sinister?

She was fuming enough that she missed a question. "Huh?"

The researcher beside her said, "Would you like to try the prototype?" He had a strange machine at hand. A wooden plank with a cushioned seat, crudely connected by bits of wood and iron to a pair of wooden wheels, front and back, with iron rims like a wagon's.

Nusina spoke aloud in a professorial tone. "I told them about this idea, but they had to refine it into something they can build easily. As you can see, there are foot-pedals on the front wheel so that you can sit on the bench and push yourself forward."

Ruyo said, "So it's like walking but more complicated?"

"It's easier! Once you learn. And it can carry things."

"Like a horse."

"You don't have to feed this or brush it down. It's a Magnificent Chariot of Balance."

The researcher scratched one ear. "We were thinking of calling it a bicycle."

Elly said, "Can I try it?"

So they went back to the surface. The island was rocky and uninviting, but had a little clear space. There, Elly boarded the ridiculous thing and tried trundling around with it. Ruyo rushed in the first time she fell over, but Elly laughed off her bruises and managed to wobble along. Lisette tried it and couldn't quite get the hang of it, but seemed to enjoy herself.

One of the cultists said, "So it does work with minimal training. Somewhat."

Lisette said, "How do you build it? The men back at Wellspring could make more."

"We have plans here that we can share, along with the engines below. May we show you?"

This time they went down into the island's lower level without opposition. That one stair had been disabled. Below, there was a large concrete room that'd had a few interior walls demolished. Much of it was a workshop now full of metal parts and kettles. Only air magic would make this place safe when the gadgets down here were belching smoke as they seemed meant to do.

Elly stared at a man-sized, crude stone statue, thankfully inert. "In hindsight I'm glad this thing didn't get to punch me."

Nusina helped lead the tour, explaining that these "steam engines" (not her preferred name) could power complex machinery such as metalworking tools and pumps. "I remember only the basics of how they work, so unfortunately I was only able to give these people hints."

"Unfortunately!" Ruyo said.

"Don't be like that, milady. This work really is helpful to everyone, now that we've gotten over the... rude introduction."

Ruyo sighed and tried to be polite. "What does Pir think of all this?"

Lisette was currently powering the fire spirit. She spoke a few words with him and said, "I think he finds it familiar." Pir was drifting near the kettles to peer at them, to the alarm of one woman and the fascination of another.

Ruyo's father asked, "What was this place originally?"

A man said, "We think it was first meant for the use of elementals. See that sign?" A faded sign with pictograms clearly said "Wear eye and ear protection". "There was a set of narrow lanes over here, and one large room that might have been meant for more free-roaming practice. See the bits of sturdy, reinforced windows?"

Ruyo stood there with folded arms. "So, all this business about your group conjuring and controlling fire elementals came from here?"

"Yes. The steam machines are our work, but our ah, former leaders found equipment that could create and control the elementals. We think people came here for practice or fun, battling with the things. This site was our main breakthrough."

"Where's this magic equipment then?"

"Mostly destroyed." Nusina helped illuminate a set of rusty machinery that looked like some jerk had flooded its base and then like a stone fist had smashed it. "I never got a good look at this stuff while I was caged."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Swiftly changing the subject a bit, a researcher woman said, "It never worked much anyway. Master Veneri and Lir used it to reverse-engineer a spell to create fire elementals, and refined it along with developing control devices. When they... ceased operations, he had just figured out a water-type control wand from studying Nusina."

The sisters glared at her and one of the men interrupted. "Anyway, we now have a strong interest in continuing the research, but our leaders hoarded the actual spell for creating elementals. Could you teach us that?"

"Why would I teach you anything?" Ruyo said.

Nusina floated in front of her. "Milady, think about this."

Taris said, "Can we speak upstairs for a moment?"

Ruyo let her guide and her father take her upstairs. There, Taris said, "You've got a bad attitude about this."

"They kidnapped Nusina, damn it! And did you see what they did in Averell? No you didn't! I'm going to testify in court that I saw their leader stab his own mother in front of me after they kidnapped a boy."

Nusina said, "I don't hold a grudge against the whole group for that. Much. Yes, they were complicit, but I think some of them genuinely didn't know what happened in Averell."

"Some of them did. We never caught them all."

"Do you recognize faces here from that fight in the sewer ruins?"

"No."

"Then maybe it's better to forget exactly who's guilty of being an evil minion, so long as we get the ringleaders."

Her father nodded. "I'm thinking more about the politics of this situation. If I were the leader going back in chains, I'd say, I know advanced magic and you ought to trade that knowledge for letting me live. After all, the only other wizard who knows this stuff hates the research team and isn't cooperating."

"That's not even true. Virid knows elementals too. He's even done a combined kind."

"Great. But he's just a kid, right? Not an expert yet. Averell wants military advantages right away, and if Veneri promises a way to fling giant, mean versions of Pir into an enemy army, they might take that offer."

Nusina said, "Our best bet for getting rid of the genuinely bad people, and advancing the spread of magic and technology, is for you to cooperate with the Inheritors and make them your biggest fans. Make Veneri's knowledge worthless and redundant."

Ruyo leaned against a wall and cupped her face in her hands, cursing. "I still want to thrash these people for the sake of all their victims, and for crimes we probably don't even know about. There's obviously more going on here than we know. Remember how two of the cultists broke that cat-like elemental loose and snuck away?" She steeled herself and stood up straighter. "But if you both think it's better for everybody to forgive and forget, I'll go along."

Taris said, "And smile when you do it. Don't be a sour salesman."

Composing herself, Ruyo went back downstairs and coughed into one fist. "All right. I'm going to pretend we've never met." She smiled. "Hi, I'm Ruyo. I'm willing to help you with your work and share a lot of information about magic and ancient tech. Interested?"

#

She felt conflicted, but at least there was a resolution for now. It was late at night and everyone needed to rest. Nusina wanted to pull an all-nighter with whichever Inheritors could stay awake, and that meant having Ruyo spend the night too, to be nearby. Which meant that the sisters insisted on staying. Ruyo's parents took the boat back with the Order mage and the guard. Ruyo and the girls holed up in one of the upper rooms where they'd fought the mixed batch of elementals.

They made camp awkwardly with some scavenged blankets, not wanting to spend the night in the same room as the remaining Inheritors. Ruyo said, "What do you two make of all this?"

Elly yawned. Pir and Nusina were downstairs. "I don't trust these guys either, but the city would probably want to keep the group around even if we didn't. Might as well have them praying to you, right?"

Lisette said, "Nusina seems to forgive them, and the worst ones are going on trial."

"All right, all right." Even so, she tried to sleep lightly.

#

After an uneasy night where she spent a few hours awake and cranking out more enchanted sticks, she went downstairs to rescue Nusina again. The spirit was visibly tired but with superhuman stamina, had spent all night talking.

Nusina said, "Good morning, milady. We've made some progress. A few of the Inheritors have managed to conjure a waterball elemental for themselves, and one has managed to recreate the basic fire kind. So that's one problem solved, and they can continue working on that."

"Did you get anything out of that yourself?"

"I did! It was nice to have a more friendly conversation. I have some spell ideas to go over, and designs for the..." She sighed. "Bicycle, as they boringly call it. I've been trying to set up a better version involving chains and gears, but it hasn't worked well yet."

For now they needed to get moving. While they waited for a promised return boat, Ruyo did her usual morning spells and got coaxed into trying the wheeled cart for herself. She made a fool of herself and got some bruises and scrapes, but it seemed worth trying out on more open ground.

One boat returned towing another to leave behind. Ruyo headed back to the city with the sisters and the spirits. "Did you two ever learn to swim?" Ruyo asked.

Elly said, "Nusina had us visit the bathhouse and practice." She looked over the side. "I'm still not eager to jump into the deep ocean." Her sister nodded.

Ruyo helped guide the boat along. "There's a ruin beneath us right now. More to explore."

"Once you can breathe underwater," Nusina said.

"Yeah, yeah. Teach me once we're not in such a hurry."

#

Ruyo and company gathered up some notes from the Inheritors. She sold more iron, borrowed money from her parents, and bought three crates of trade goods. Salted mutton; leather and dye, fish-based glue and ink, plus a few magic trinkets she got a good deal on. She checked in on the shrine's progress and hugged her parents one more time. By that afternoon the ship Tiger was ready.

This one was a grand cargo vessel towering above most in the harbor and forced to stand off in deep water. With several merchants' cargo aboard (largely salted fish and calamine ore), there was a need for guards anyway, and there was room for the condemned cult prisoners. Three of them: Veneri the leader, Lir the fanatical researcher, and a heartless woman who'd been identified belatedly as involved in Virid's kidnapping. In theory it'd be a completely safe voyage.

Ruyo introduced herself to the guards and said, "Do you have a good idea of what the prisoners can do?"

One of them nodded, looking grim. "I've got some magic to counter their tricks, but these three can start a fire on the ship. We've got them in a warded room, but that's no guarantee."

"My friends and I all have water magic, so we can help keep watch. Nusina?"

Nusina appeared. "I hardly need to sleep."

The guards boggled, though they'd been told what to expect. "You are going to keep watch on that fire spirit you have along, right?"

"Of course," Lisette said.