The next day, Ruyo's mana regenerated somewhat from the prayers of people at her three shrines. She bestowed basic magic on two people chosen by lot, promising to do more later when she had the time and power. Unfortunately she now had more people wanting her initiation services than she could help, especially if they were going to pray once and never again. Her chosen ones said they'd do it regularly, but it wasn't like she could enforce that.

Then she was back on the road with her two followers Khulis and Hastro, plus the spirit. "Nusina, I'm running dry. Can you schedule any assassination attempts for after I've had time to soak up some adulation and awe?"

"Remember you've got to start generating food back home, too."

She groaned and paused to cast her Flotsam power remotely. There were probably several man-days worth of food in the cave, now, and Ruyo was now tapped out.

The city of Averell finally came into sight by afternoon. Ruyo stopped at her usual inn at the Glasstown district. Next door, she dropped off a few letters from Brotherhood and Sor's Hill at a courier's office.

A message was waiting for her from Felix the Jay, trader in musical instruments and furs. Wanting to see her again.

The two men with her were weary from the road. She'd given them a few hours on the horse to spare their legs and exercise hers, but they were more worn out than her. She had little cash on her, mostly just trade goods, so she asked them to come along to the market.

There, she sought out a blacksmith and sold off their iron supply. Lighter pockets, heavier purses. She gave the men all of the profit and left them to work out buying supplies for the printing project and whatever else they wanted.

"Are you sure you want to go alone?" asked Hastro.

"I ought to be safe here."

"With your track record?"

"All right, fine. Please watch my back."

She'd loaded her horse's saddlebags of cargo into her backpack, so she still had plenty to carry. She wandered the tree-lined city market to unload a bit of dye, hand-deliver a letter to a dealer in jewelry, sell a nice scented cedar box from Brotherhood, and go clothes-shopping.

While Ruyo was chatting with the same dealer who'd sold her an outfit before, asking for something sturdier, Hastro tugged on her repaired sleeve. "Being followed. Guard over there."

"Could be worse." She said goodbye to the merchant for now and turned to look right at the armed watchman standing on a sunny staircase. The estates of some of the merchant and noble families overlooked this market.

She went over to him to say, "Yes?"

"You're the mage named Ruyo?"

She nodded.

"Come with me, please. Just you."

She turned toward Hastro and shrugged. Nusina commented, "I doubt he means any harm."

#

The guard led them toward a sturdy stone building, a guard headquarters. Ruyo said, "Am I being arrested?"

"No, we just have orders to arrange a meeting." He ushered her into a conference room and left her to wait.

Ruyo boredly conjured a ball of water and fooled with it. Nusina slipped under the door and reported nothing special.

Eventually, Anemos the wind-mage arrived, accompanying an old man in the glittering scarlet robe and stone bracelets of a Steadfast Church priest. Anemos said, "Good day, ma'am. I trust you've resolved matters with Brotherhood?"

Ruyo realized she had nowhere to put the water-ball in her hand. "With some trouble, yes. We've offered to help each other. Ah, have you got a cup or a bowl somewhere?"

Anemos scoffed and spoke to someone outside, who brought a pitcher. Ruyo dumped the water into that. Then he said, "May I introduce His Eminence, High Father Caiunus."

The priest looked Ruyo over expectantly. Ruyo wasn't sure what the protocol was for meeting someone so high-ranking. The actual head of the Church or one of the highest underlings, she wasn't sure. In either case it didn't seem appropriate to kiss his hand or bow. She simply said, "It's an honor to meet you, your eminence."

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Caiunus grunted, seeming to accept her reaction. "Let me be frank, miss Ruyo. We would like you to publicly join the Steadfast Church, in a ceremony seen by the prominent families."

"Why?"

"Why does our organization stand? We are the rock on which civilization rests. To have some newcomer attracting literal worship in our backyard is troubling."

"A bit of a threat," Ruyo noted to Nusina.

"But they want you."

Ruyo said, "Is it safe to speak of sensitive topics here?"

The priest nodded. "Anemos' family is one of our key supporters."

"All right. I understand that Khyber recently pressured the city, or the Church, to give up something important. You're also suddenly eager to train new mages even if it means having them pray to me. And you've tolerated the Vissio family shrine. And then there's the problem of that 'university'; have you dealt with that yet? There's obviously something going on here that I keep seeing only pieces of."

The high priest said, "These are political matters as well as Church ones. The Council is who you should ask about such things."

Ruyo frowned. "If I'm to participate, it sounds like I'll be involved in the politics, like it or not."

"That's not my decision. What we need, what we want, is your public support."

"As I've said, the nature of my powers requires shrines and prayers. I can't directly support a group that forbids them."

Caiunus looked aside. "Our doctrine is, or needs to be, flexible enough to deal with uncertain times." He looked back at her as though that were any kind of useful answer.

Ruyo fumed privately to Nusina. "He's beating around the bush."

"Maybe put him off for now. Ask for info to think about."

"Hmm. Your eminence, I think it would help if I could get a formal copy of what your doctrine actually is. I admit I'm no theology expert. Let me study that and see what questions I have."

The priest forced a smile. "You have a theology expert right here."

"And I'm too ignorant to benefit from your wisdom yet, sir. Let me take a little time to better understand the Church. Also, what would my role in it be?"

Anemos spoke up. "A hero. A rallying point."

Caiunus said, "Anemos..."

Ruyo felt queasy, thinking about the large-scale problems faced by entire city-states. She was ready for no such thing. "Well. Again, give me some reading material. And... by the way, I'm working on a project that could produce documents more quickly. If you'd care to donate to that project I may be able to get you copies of your scriptures, or even ordinary paperwork. That would be a way to begin working together for your benefit, wouldn't it?"

Anemos said, "It's true; I've seen her men experimenting with some sort of metalworking."

Caiunus said, "What sort of donation do you have in mind?"

"The services of a lead-working smith, maybe one who specializes in machine parts. Tell him I can supply some raw material, and if he prays a few times I can grant him magic if he hasn't got it already."

Anemos told him, "We did already offer her some basic instruction in several skills. This would be another step toward cooperation."

The priest played with one of his bracelets. "I will allow this on a trial basis. I can lend you copies of some religious instruction, and that will give you something for your scrivening project to work on."

Nusina said something that made Ruyo laugh. Ruyo relayed it: "Really, lending us a book or two of any kind would do my followers a favor. They're in danger of boredom."

Anemos snorted. "I'll arrange it."

#

Ruyo left the meeting without conflict, but without resolution either. Ruyo wandered the streets and made for the market again, saying to Nusina, "I want to focus on the things I can definitely do, like handing out magic and working toward more useful powers. These people want to pull me into some larger conflict that I don't even understand."

Nusina said, "I suspect they're headed for war, milady. There's been some terrible insult, an insolent demand from a neighbor, and a sudden desire to acquire you."

Ruyo nodded. "And they were focused on showing me off to the nobles, like having me around makes them more legitimate."

Her steps carried her toward the workshop of Felix the Jay. "I should see him again; he was asking for me."

Felix wasn't in, but came while she was waiting in an office. The big man had an infectious smile, and when he swept her up in a hug she didn't object. "I hear you've been getting into trouble!"

"A fair amount," she said. "How's business?"

"Good, good. I have a few fiddles you might take west." He shut the office door and grew more serious. "Seriously, what the hell is going on? There're all sorts of rumors. Give me the short version."

Ruyo took a deep breath. "I'm officially a goddess now. Nusina?"

The spirit pushed into the physical world and poured herself in a sort of bow. "Hello, sir."

"One of those magic monsters people are talking about!"

"Not exactly. I'm a guardian spirit. There are elemental creatures, though, and several people who can create them."

Felix shook his head. "Maybe I need the slightly longer version."

Ruyo told him more, and he looked increasingly astonished. She hadn't even told him the secret parts! Finally he said, "And after all this you're still trying to fool around with cloth and metal bits?"

Ruyo tapped a fancy fur hat on a shelf. "You do what you can, with your skills. So I'm still a trader, just expanding into other things. Maybe too many at once."

"You're smart and you've been able to hold your own in a fight. Wish I could've been there for that."

"Thanks for listening."

"If I can find the time, I might drop by that shrine of yours. I'd like to see it."

"Sure."

#

"You didn't tell him outright to pray?" Nusina asked.

"If he wants to, he will. Now, there's something else I'd like to do." She headed for a building in the Flask district with its bathhouse and fountain.

"Clothes shopping?"

"That too," Ruyo said. "But later."

She came to a miniature castle, whose corners were four monolithic pillars with stylized watchtowers atop them. Panes of colored glass lined the north wall to let in the sun. Ruyo stood before the south door and said, "This is something I'd like to handle alone, if you don't mind."

Nusina's ghostly form peered curiously at her. "Are you all right?"

"Probably. Just give me a little time to myself, please."