Two of her contacts were in the Flask district, known for a fancy fountain and bath complex as well as a barracks currently occupied by dozens of outsiders. The air stank here within the city walls, and Ruyo's nose wrinkled. More people ought to use those baths. She looked at an open square in front of the squat stone dormitories, to watch the dark-eyed foreign soldiers practicing there. The Khyberians were from the hot northern lands, bowlegged from living in the saddle. Some of them were riding their horses around on the cobblestones and pretending to trample and stab men on foot.

Some of them were hanging around the fountain nearby. It had been built very early in the city's history and redecorated as the place's fortunes grew, so that it now had three distinct shades of stonework forming crystalline shapes as well as a giant ever-pouring flask. Ruyo felt drawn to the water, reaching toward it. A little of it reached toward her outstretched hand without her meaning to call it.

Someone grabbed Ruyo's legs and heaved her into the fountain. She yelped and splashed. Behind her, men laughed.

Ruyo clenched her fists and shoved forward at the water. Her hands glowed and amplified her angry splashing.

A gout of water sprang up like a living thing. The soldier who'd tossed her now ducked, and the wave splashed over his head. "What? A mage?" He reached for a long knife on his belt.

Ruyo held out her hands and made them glow on purpose this time. Only a trickle of water gathered itself between her fingers, but it swirled like a caged hornet. "I've taken up a new hobby, yes. Want to see?"

The soldier backed off, though several of his fellows were watching, laughing at one or both of them. Ruyo waded out of the fountain and walked away, feeling her cheeks burning. She released the barely-charged bluff of a spell only once she was away. She would have to learn some better self-defense than the hidden dagger she carried. It seemed like she had less raw power out here than back in the shrine.

She left the soldiers behind and worriedly checked her backpack. Long ago she'd invested in a good waterproof one for weather.

She cursed. Though most of her goods would be fine, several messages she'd been paid to deliver had gotten soaked despite being in a sealed tube. The cap had come off. She stamped the ground in frustration at letting people down; if she couldn't even handle mail what good were prayers?

Although... if anyone around here could handle water damage, it was a wizard, or possibly herself. She changed paths and hurried toward the workshop of Quintus, a mage. He'd been on her list of people to visit anyway.

Her clothes were soaked through, too. She'd have to... oh. Of course. She stepped out of the foot traffic and concentrated, running her hands down along her tunic as though wringing it out. She tried to charge her hands with magic again to push the water out. It worked better than any ordinary effort would have; her clothes felt lighter and warmer right away. The water swirled away and splashed on the street. Pleased with herself, she hurried on. A few people glanced her way, looking envious of the trick.

Quintus lived in a crowded street of masons and furniture-makers, where the stone houses had plain cramped fronts but everyone had a colorful sign or awning. Quintus displayed a yellow board with a wand and surveyor's staff.

Fortunately he was there, and answered the locked door after only two knocks -- a new record. The long-haired, long-robed architect looked like Ruyo had woken him up, though it was nearly noon. He peered at her and said, "You look different today."

"I have something for you, but I've also got some waterlogged papers. Can you help, quickly?"

"Come in, come in."

The workshop was Quintus' home as well, shared only by a slave-girl named Tulia who cooked and cleaned for him. Ruyo greeted her warmly and slipped her a few copper coins, then took out the papers.

"You shouldn't have gotten them wet," Quintus observed.

"I know. Listen. I got access to magic recently, and --"

"I thought you looked odd! What happened? Tell me everything."

Ruyo smiled patiently. "I'd love to, but it would let people down if I ruined their letters. Can you fix them? I have some power to control water, but not with much skill yet."

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Quintus studied her, then looked at the papers and back again. "It's not my specialty, but let's see what I can do." He asked Ruyo to demonstrate her power, started asking too many questions, and had to be coaxed to focus on the task at hand. He offered Ruyo advice on using more fine control, and worked with her to try drying the paper without completely ruining the ink.

Between Quintus' aid and coaching and tools, and a suggestion from Tulia to light a candle very carefully under the paper, they got the messages dry without much damage. Ruyo was relieved, and hugged both of her helpers. Quintus looked alarmed by the attention but remembered to be polite about it. "You're welcome."

Now that the danger was past, Ruyo and the others paid attention to the messages they'd saved. One sheet of paper was addressed to a nobleman, and written in gibberish. "What's this?" said Quintus. "A cipher. Does this writer think that's secure? It's obviously just shifted six places in the alphabet. 'mana... stockpile'. hmm."

Quintus' girl said, "Sir, perhaps we shouldn't be reading others' mail?"

Ruyo had frozen. "I'm curious about this one. The seal on it is already broken. What does it say?"

The mage hemmed and hawed, running one finger along the poorly encrypted words. "Located hints of a mana stockpile of some kind, in or near Averell. Quite curious to know more... and then something about a poor flax harvest." He read silently, then stopped and pushed the letter aside. "The rest is boring family things. What, are the nobles building magic weapons now? You'd think they would've told me. Just last week this very same noble called on me to ask about making enchanted boots for some secret expedition against Khyber. Can you imagine leaving me out of things when I'm obviously so vital they need me to play cobbler as well as enchanter and mason?"

Tulia sighed.

Ruyo asked her, "Is anyone else in the building? I want to tell you something."

"No, we're alone."

Ruyo weighed how much to explain to Quintus. "Actually, Quintus, could I trouble you to borrow Tulia for an hour? I haven't seen her in a while, and we could have a pleasant walk while I deliver these letters."

Quintus waved one hand. "Very well. I have other projects to work on."

Ruyo took the girl outside and asked, "Is there a good place to talk?"

"There's no one at the Three Curtains at this hour." There was mischief in her olive eyes; that tavern was beyond the price range of a slave, even though Quintus let her keep the change when running errands. Ruyo had made a habit of slipping her a little money in return for profitable rumors.

"I'm buying. And I'm teaching you to write."

"I already know how, from copying letters."

Ruyo led her along. "I'm going to write things down and have you read them silently and discuss them a bit."

"Ah!"

In the dim little pub it was easy to get a quiet corner table and a meal of sizzling-hot eggy pastries. Ruyo took out a sheet of blank paper from Quintus' workshop. Between written messages and quiet conversation, Ruyo said, "A lot has happened in the last few days..."

Tulia listened to the tale with growing astonishment, but avoided any loud outbursts. "So you want me and my master to come with you, and pray."

"That would help me, and I think Quintus would do it just to study the place. If I can get enough benefit, I'll do whatever I can to make it worthwhile."

"The power to refill canteens isn't much of a reward, ma'am."

"No, but it looks like I can learn to do other things."

The girl said, "Are you sure this assistant of yours isn't playing you for a fool? Using you to gather strength for its own purposes?"

Ruyo toyed with a spicy pastry, looking down. "Not completely sure. She picked me out of desperation and chance. But we got to talking about what the job means, and how to avoid being an abusive jackass."

"Like the First World?"

Ruyo's people lived amid the ruins of the Lost World. But they'd come from literally another world than this one. Whole villages of people had been fallen out of reality, dropping onto this planet without explanation, and found only the Lost World ruins to greet them. Supposedly the old home, the First World of Man, had real gods. But the legends described them as cruel and lecherous monsters, and few people used their names as more than curse words now. Good riddance!

Tulia said, "Your assistant doesn't sound like someone who wants to shovel sacrificial victims into her maw."

Ruyo messily devoured her food. With her mouth full she said, "She's nice. Can you talk Quintus into visiting, without him telling half the city what this is about?"

"Could you convince him to free me?"

Ruyo choked. "I thought you liked him."

"He's a dear, but he's never shown the slightest interest in me as more than an underling. I don't mind working for him, but I want the freedom not to. And the status of a citizen, and to own nice clothes or even a business of my own."

Ruyo's family were only minor merchants, but they were freemen. How could Ruyo refuse someone as competent as Tulia the chance to shine? Ruyo said, "I doubt he'd sell you for any price I could afford, not while he lacks a patient and literate replacement. If you promised to keep working for him for a year or two --"

"But you're --" Tulia lowered her voice. "In your position, why can't you command it?"

"Because he would laugh at me, and my wrath would only get him wet. I'm much better off trying to offer favors than threats. I'd rather do that anyway."

"But again, I don't see what big favors you can offer."

"Nor do I," Ruyo admitted. "But you can gamble. Convince him to take a field trip to see a... let's say a cave of interest to a mason-mage. We'll reveal more detail once we're out of town. At worst you'll get to see something impressive and your master will be happy. I'll be asking Nusina how to start doing more than trivial magic tricks, so if I learn anything useful you'll benefit too."

"It would be nice to get out of the city," Tulia mused.