"Could I create gold?"

"I doubt it. Maybe later?"

Quintus declared, "That's impossible."

"Who here is a spirit from a lost civilization?" asked Nusina, stretching her blobby body upward as though waving. Tulia smiled at her.

The mason-mage said, "But conjuration is a specialized type of elemental manipulation that creates raw water or stone, flame or air, not a complete object of arbitrary material. This isn't consistent with standard theory."

Ruyo hadn't heard of this power either. "It sounds like something that would stand out as flashy and worth 'collecting' by someone unscrupulous."

Nusina scolded, "I don't like the idea of you being used to trap dangerous criminals, milady. You aren't strong enough yet to simply reappear if you're killed."

"I promised I'd try helping. And if I'm going to earn any respect I have to be useful. Besides, I can show off making terrible biscuits and then summon one of those... water elemental creatures... for protection."

"I believe they were called Dynamic Servitor Element Embodiments."

"Were."

The spirit burbled like she was sighing. "Oh, fine. Elementals. Anyway, the prayers and practice you've received should make it possible to teach you the water-creation spell and one other. Either summoning elementals, or conjuring up items. You'll be sort of anchoring new abilities to your soul, one at a time."

Ruyo tapped her chin. "I like the idea of making bits of flotsam at will. Let's go with that. But why do I have access to it? Just because it's vaguely nautical?"

Nusina sounded scholarly. "The core of your power is Water, greatest of elements. But how you develop will depend not just on that inheritance but on who you are as a person... and as a legend. You're a merchant by trade, so by nature you can always have a stock of useful objects around. It'll be more intuitive for you than turning globs of water into puny monsters to do your bidding."

Ruyo was a merchant, certainly, but had never expected the universe to make I have trade goods into a mystically enforced fact. Strange. She said, "If the menu of powers depends on my nature, I'm glad I've got no obvious option for learning to yank people's blood out."

"Me too."

"So, water creation and this Flotsam power."

"I actually like your name for that one, milady. You can gain both of those today."

"Today," Ruyo echoed.

"Continue the cultivation of your powers and followers, and there will be more."

Ruyo felt she'd only taken the first step on a long road. "There isn't much time to sit around meditating. I'll need to return to Averell right away. Nusina, will you be able to come along this time? Even if you can barely appear, being able to offer advice or shout 'boo' could save me."

"But that would leave your shrine undefended!"

Tulia said, "What if I stay here instead?"

Quintus said, "Excuse me?"

She told him, "It makes sense. I can continue making boring measurements for you, and help keep Ruyo from running out of power. Once she's done in Averell, Nusina can take over again."

"Hmm. Well, I do need to return to my workshop... But no cooking or cleaning for a week?"

"Sir, you have money."

He fussed. "But no one knows how to clean my clothes right."

Ruyo assured him, "She'll be even more useful by gathering magic data. Think of it as a vacation. The workshop all to yourself! Restaurants for every meal!" Tulia nodded in support.

"Fine, then," he groused. "I'll want a full report."

Nusina said to the slave, "Would you really do that for us?"

"Right now I'm probably more dangerous to intruders than you are, forgive me for saying."

"It's... it's true. I'm not very good at my job yet."

"Hold onto the 'yet'. You can be mighty someday."

#

Ruyo trained intensively with Nusina, under the watchful gaze of Quintus and Tulia. The spirit explained how to concentrate and focus her will. Mana, a substance she'd never felt before at all, pushed into reality between her fingers as though she were sweating heavily. She leaned her head close and sniffed her cupped palms, smelling only pure water.

"Good, milady, but do it faster."

She tried again and again, straining herself mentally. She was able to conjure up a handful of water in just seconds. Then a bucketful, sooner than she'd meant to! The weight that splashed into existence crashed down to the floor and soaked her shoes.

"Also good. Now, try for control and steady output."

Ruyo stood in place with her hands cupped before her, pretending to be a fountain. A stream trickled down from her hands and pooled at her feet.

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"Nice!"

Ruyo took a bow. She told Quintus, "I would try flooding that well so you can swim down and have a look at the crystal. But giving people the power to breathe water isn't in my grimoire yet."

Nusina added, "It certainly could be soon. Please don't drown, milady; it would be terribly embarrassing."

Ruyo listened to Nusina explaining roughly how elementals worked. Then to Quintus' speculation about how the missing boy was making them. For the moment it was just theory knowledge and Ruyo lacked the thorough grounding in magery to feel at all confident about it. It might help to know, anyway.

She felt better about the Flotsam power, which really did feel like something she'd always been able to do and had only forgotten.

Her first product was an iron ingot that rippled into existence between her hands, falling heavily into her grip. "Nice! This is worth a little money." She raised one eyebrow in Tulia's direction. She could make more eventually, at the very least paying the slave-girl for her time. Ruyo's second attempt was a biscuit of the kind a ship carried -- and fortunately, fresh and edible. She felt drained by the effort.

Nusina said, "You'll need to pace yourself with that power. Making food or glass or wood will tire you much faster than water."

"Glass?"

"Yes, let's try that. It will be practice at making a more complex shape."

Though Ruyo got exhausted trying, she made a narrow glass bottle. It wouldn't impress the professionals in the Glasstown district, but it'd hold water. Then she managed to create a small chunk of wood, though the texture of it seemed oddly smooth.

Ruyo resolved to set Tulia up with a surplus of tolerable food and jars of water, as soon as she'd rested a bit. She showed Nusina the stone pendant she'd bought.

The spirit drifted closer, then darted back from it. "I don't like it. It's got a sort of divine signature, but it's not yours. Why would you of all people have that?"

"Besides currying favor with a shopkeeper, I wanted to ask you about how it worked. We're going to need something similar, aren't we? I can't expect everyone to come in person to this cave, and I wouldn't want them to."

"You're thinking of using such a thing as a prayer collector? It would work, but you haven't yet got clear mythos."

"Hmm?" asked Ruyo.

"Symbolism. Marks and signs of your presence. If you become known for wearing hexagon designs and talking backwards, then that's the form that the most effective artifacts and prayers will take. I don't sense any strong associations to you yet. Just from conversation, it sounds like your strongest followers -- two thirds of whom are in the room -- know you as a merchant with water magic."

Ruyo turned to Tulia. "Did you know that I'm a legendary dancer?"

"No you're not."

"Bah. I'll have to think of something else."

#

The next day, the new goddess set out east to the city again, this time with Tulia remaining in the cave. Nusina followed along as a ghost visible only to Ruyo. "I'm glad to get out and see the world," she commented. "I can't move around freely except near you or the shrine."

"Can we fix that eventually?" Ruyo asked, as she and Quintus began riding.

"Yes, but giving me more flexibility also means fixing up the shrine or getting more of them, which we should be doing anyway."

"Tell me about building a second shrine."

"It would start out even weaker, but it'd help. You'd need a personal mythos to do that, and neither of us can be the ones to build or consecrate it."

Ruyo looked grim, and turned her horse around. "Then we're stopping by Baris' cabin on the way, to hire him. Tulia shouldn't be left alone."

Quintus wanted to get back to the city but tolerated the westward detour. He asked for some financial advice in between comparing notes on magic.

The ranger's cabin was easy to find, and had a few guideposts near the main trail. It was a simple one-story home but looked pleasant for a place closely surrounded by trees and the croaking of frogs. Wind carried the scent of drying meat from a smokehouse. Ruyo knocked on the cabin door, and a woman in an orange shawl answered.

"Oh, you must be Baris' fiancee. I'm Ruyo, a merchant and a beginner mage of sorts. And this is Quintus, a real wizard."

Her smile more than made up for her homely looks. "He's mentioned you. My name is Cydi, and I'm not sure what to think."

Nusina commented from over Ruyo's left shoulder, "I'm not strong enough to appear out here yet; sorry."

The woman went on, asking Ruyo, "What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping to pay Baris to keep a lookout on a nearby cave. There's a woman guarding it now, Quintus' servant, but she's no fighter."

"What, by herself? That lair of yours is no place to be alone. I'll head right over there."

Ruyo had now let three people in on the shrine's location, and Baris' betrothed could probably find it too. Any of them could betray Ruyo and, according to Nusina, possibly kill her by defacing the place. "Do you know where?" Ruyo asked.

"Well enough."

"I suppose I'll have to trust you," Ruyo said. She glanced toward the spirit, who twitched in what Ruyo recognized as a shrug.

"I'm no fighter either, but I can at the very least check on her and have my man pay closer attention when he's back."

"Thank you. Would you be interested in some iron or glass? They're probably the most valuable things I can conjure right now."

"Magically created? I'd like to see it done. Metal I suppose."

Ruyo concentrated, held her hands together, and focused. A shimmering blue-tinged glow appeared between her fingers, stretching and tugging back at her. She finished the spell as though tying a knot with her mind. A small iron ingot thumped into her grasp. She handed it over with a flourish.

"Impossible," Quintus muttered.

The lady took it, looking mildly impressed. "I can see that trick being useful. You'll probably never have to work for a living again, but that's true for anyone with a pile of spells."

Quintus said, "Hey!"

Ruyo told her, "I intend to work anyway, ma'am. I'm on my way to see about rescuing someone from danger, if I can."

"Really now. Good luck!"

Nusina bubbled for Ruyo's attention and she got the point right away. Blushing, she said, "If you're going to the cave and you want to help, there's a bit more you can do."

The lady of the house hesitated. "Baris seems to trust you, and I'm going to the cave anyway. If you're off to play hero and I can help with a few words and good wishes, I may as well."

"Thank you!"

#

With her spirit coaching her to try another material, Ruyo made her the largest piece of canvas cloth she could. She'd expected to make sailcloth, but it came out as a handkerchief, and not a good one. The threads barely held together. "I'll try to get you something better later; sorry."

"I might use it for patchwork."

With that settled, Ruyo and Quintus went east to Averell. The way was clear, and after a tedious ride and a stop in the village of Sor's Hill, the city rose ahead.

Nusina said, "At this rate you could end up known as a smithing goddess."

"Should I avoid that? I'd like to do more, of course."

"It's up to you. Just be mindful of your reputation."

They rode into the Glasstown district and then through the city gates. "Time to start that 'vacation'," Quintus said, looking doubtful.

"You're welcome to help with the rescue plan."

"I have thinking to do and work to catch up on. It's been very interesting."

One reason Ruyo was hesitant to part with Quintus was the thought of who he'd blab to. "It's important that you not share the details of where or what, at least yet. Can you keep that to yourself for now?"

"Of course," he said crossly. They'd already discussed this, but Ruyo wasn't confident the promise would stick.

Once they were alone, she told Nusina, "We need another shrine as soon as possible."

"I agree. Where, though? We also need someone to use it occasionally."

"Baris' cabin? Is there some minimum distance?"

"Basically not. That place would work. But you need something more elaborate than a table with a jar of water on it, and you'll have to convince someone to build it."

"The house of Vissio, then." The noble family had space and money. "All the more reason to befriend them. Let's go."