Ruyo slept poorly after that. She practiced conjuring her version of meat, produced only a blob she threw out, then looked at a crude leather bracelet she wore. She'd made the thing before going to war and it had, barely, remained intact. She took it off and studied how it had frayed and decayed from her recent rough living. The sight made her shudder as she thought about soldiers she'd seen killed in front of her. Her preferred killing method didn't shed blood but it was awful all the same. It seemed that meat and leather, healing and transformation were all similar. Just as both violence and creation seemed to be part of her job.

The good news was that her followers had showed up and defended her when she asked. The more that people were willing to stand ready with weapons at hand, the less actual killing they needed to do.

Ruyo finally thought to use her shrine to send a message back to Averell. Until now she'd been too busy to send more than a terse arrival note using the magical postal system she'd begun to establish. Now, she conjured a sheet of paper and fetched a quill and ink from her room. She wrote, "I assume you have people already inbound to Wellspring. It's my earnest wish to continue our relationship and I assure you there will be increasing benefits in the near future."

She put the note on the cave's floor and hit it with a splash of water and a jolt of magic, causing it to vanish. Hopefully her priestess in Averell would pass it along; if someone else found it first it said nothing too revealing. Right away she wrote to Brotherhood too, with the same vagueness. "Elly will arrive ASAP, wounded. I advise that you prepare for a minor construction project." She pondered trying to use the secret code that the monk Lobb had taught her, but couldn't recall the trick of it this late at night.

#

Nusina woke her up too early. "Milady, all is well. Relatively. Elly and all the monks but Lobb have left. Our prisoner is still here. Baris wants to send a letter to Averell."

Ruyo reluctantly got out of bed. "I should have asked Baris. Yes, please fetch the letter -- or do you still get everything wet when you lift it?"

"I learned how not to. From watching Pir give people flaming hugs."

"I'd like to try one but the little guy doesn't trust me." Ruyo yawned. "I expect a shocked, ticked-off city delegation today."

She created a pile of food for everyone: many small loaves of bread in assorted flavors, orange juice and water, plus her latest version of dried meat. "Is this any good?"

The soldiers said, "Better than some of our rations. You ever make pemmican?"

She didn't know of it; the soldiers she'd been traveling with were using her bread supply and random foraging. The stuff turned out to be a mass of dried meat and berries, not too different from what she'd made before but maybe a variant she could duplicate. The experiment kept everyone talking about something besides last night's unpleasantness.

The newcomers arrived by noon. Nusina had been waiting on the road so she could send a warning from a mile away. So when the party of six high-ranking Averell men and women and a dozen armed city guards arrived on horseback, Ruyo had her own little militia waiting.

The guards already at camp were on alert, too, seeing Ruyo's group prepare for trouble. She assured them, "I just want to make sure we have an understanding."

The new group pulled up to where Ruyo stood waiting, backed by her followers. "Good day, Councilors. Would you like an in-person explanation?"

Among them was Marcellus of Anemos, gold-clad master of wind magic and part Khyberian by birth. "Hail, Lady of Waters. We're owed the truth from your own mouth."

Beside him was Madame Vissio, one of Ruyo's first allies, connected to the city's spy ring. The shrewd lady in black and white said, "You violated the Council's explicit command."

It had been Vissio who formally ordered her to hand over the Shroud, but strongly, informally suggested not doing so. Ruyo curtseyed to her and said, "I did, Madame. Acting as an agent of the southlands, I used what information I had available. I personally killed the general leading the invasion, helped your army kill some of your enemies and rescue a village, and prevented Khyber or any other hostile power from appointing a new God of Night."

Several of the nobles looked horrified. "This is not a subject to discuss in the open!" said Anemos.

"Why not? We have a new Night Goddess now: Elanor of Brotherhood. And since you're here already I assume you didn't get my note late last night. A Council member's son tried to murder her last night to take her power." Ruyo gestured to Baris beside her. Baris unwrapped a cloth bundle holding Veilpiercer, stained with Elly's blood.

The newcomers recoiled, slapped with this new information. Vissio said to the guard captain, "Is this true?"

"Yes, milady. We have him prisoner now. Shall we bring him out?"

They fetched the sullen, exhausted man. Ruyo stood with her arms folded and let the nobles interrogate him. He repeated his claim that he was saving the god's power for Averell and not trying to take it for himself.

Vissio said, "This proves that if Ruyo had brought the Shroud back, there's a chance it would have gone to this gentleman by force or fraud. Lady of Waters, we can't allow you to punish him yourself."

Ruyo conceded, as planned. "I'll leave him to your authority. The new Night Goddess has been chosen by the Shroud itself, and you should consider it an honor that one of your allies was found worthy. Even now, she's being prepared to begin her duties."

"Where?" asked one noble.

"Brotherhood. You're welcome to send them a message from here if you like. And if I haven't yet granted anyone my usual magic blessings, I can do that today." She frowned. "Although I sense that I'm not quite at my usual power level. Is there a problem at the shrines in Averell? I have the others, so it's not too much of a problem to cast whatever spells I need today."

Invisible to most of the group, Nusina said, "They'll cave. You have at least two of them on your side."

"We need to confer," said a noble in firey red.

Ruyo let them back off and talk privately. Nusina didn't try spying on them; a few could see her even while intangible.

Finally the group came back wearing a mix of expressions, several people sullen and stone-faced. Madame Vissio was hard to read. Anemos spoke: "Our agreement stands, pending a meeting of the full Council. You will hand over your prisoner for trial in the city. We will end the restrictions on worship at your local temple, and in fact you should visit soon to assure our people victory is almost here. When the girl is available, we will examine her and learn about her powers."

Ruyo said, "I can't make promises on her behalf, but I'll relay that and suggest she cooperate. The rest is fine. Ladies and gentlemen, we are on the verge of driving the last invaders out, and the Church has good reason to celebrate. Are there more problems to resolve, or can we all relax a little?"