The lord of the house left Ruyo alone with Elly and Nusina in a borrowed bedroom, with three Witch Hunter guards posted outside. The fourth had been ambushed and badly hurt but would recover. They confirmed that her other followers were all right; the attack had been specifically against Ruyo.

Ruyo said to Nusina, "Well, you saved some lives. Possibly including me and Elly."

"Would you have had them killed?"

Ruyo grumbled. "At least the mage. But you're right to hold me back from unnecessary killing, even if I want it sometimes. Thank you."

"Loruna would be proud of you."

"We need to get a report to Brotherhood, with any relevant observations you've got about my magic status."

Nusina floated around her, giving Ruyo a prickling sensation of being scanned. The spirit spoke silently. "Your personal mana is beginning to recover but only just. It seems there's a serious vulnerability for at least a few minutes after the smashing of a second-tier shrine, and lingering weakness for hours. The fact that you advertised the special prayer day made it obvious that you'd be spending all your mana at once, adding to the window of danger."

"It didn't seem worse than the first time, when the minor shrine at Sor's Hill was broken as a test."

"You have more followers now so it was a small share of your total network. If our 'friend' has just one big temple somewhere, then breaking it would be a bigger loss."

Ruyo turned to Elly. "We really ought to find a way to get you in on these conversations."

"I know what you're talking about at least. Will you be all right?"

"Within a day, praise be to the Night God. How's the arm?"

Elly rubbed it. "Healing quicker than it should. I'd prefer to stop being shot and stabbed. Guess I have to thank the guards too."

Nusina examined the wound. "I think you're beyond the point where Ruyo can directly heal you, but overall that's a good sign of your progress. Concentrate on the wound and how it ought to look."

"Wish I had a night elemental guide of my own to warn me when I'm doing something dumb."

Ruyo offered, "I can pour some soot into Nusina so she can play the part."

Nusina razzed her. "By the way, you didn't properly finish your work in the meditation."

#

So, Ruyo sat quietly again, under guard, and focused inward. There was no temple to work with anymore, so it was difficult, but the bulk of the work was done already. Eventually her mind returned to the strange water-world, which looked disturbed as though frozen at one instant during a storm. "I left it a mess," she said.

With Nusina's guidance she began flowing what little magic was currently there, back into a calmer pattern. To do that she floated up above the sloshing sea as though swimming in midair. "The laws of physics seem to be whatever I want in here."

"That's right. Remember to fix the elemental design we were working on."

The water-dolphin thing was still there as a prototype jostled badly out of shape, and an icy spell pattern with the same jagged flaw. Cracked and refrozen. Ruyo scowled and studied it from all sides including above and below. Her view wavered from the trouble of concentrating. "I haven't got proper focus right now, but can I pull my Sorcerous Initiation along to grant the fifth tier of magic?"

The spirit drifted around, pointing out pattern errors to correct. The major branches of Ruyo's magic had transformed into a more flexible design, but the new elemental one still had the rigidity of something she hadn't mastered. "I don't think so, yet. Best to focus on making sure everything here is sorted out properly. Although... That's interesting."

"What?"

"You've unintentionally sloshed the various branches slightly into each other, like streams knocked out of their proper course."

Ruyo laughed, though she was a little worried. "Just how far does this water-as-magic metaphor go?"

"What this means is, a bit more of a connection between your various spells. You may find it possible to combine effects more easily."

"Interesting. But can I smash some sunken ships?"

"You focused on finesse rather than raw power this time, but it should be possible."

Ruyo nodded, pleased, and made sure nothing was mystically broken. When Nusina approved, she leaped into the hazy sky and let her mind rise back to reality.

Elly saw her stir. "How was it?"

"Think I've got everything sorted out." She went over what she'd done, and added, "I have a sort of dreamscape now that I can move around in."

Elly nodded. "Based on everything I learned from you, and from the Shroud's instructions, I can enter a void like what you saw inside the Shroud. I see my powers there like tiny stars and storm-clouds."

"I wish I'd gotten to see more of the Shroud," said Ruyo. "Do you think you can bring other people..."

Ruyo blinked. Elly opened her mouth but didn't speak, and they both turned to Nusina.

Elly checked for eavesdroppers at the door, then asked, "Nusina, are we creating an afterlife?"

"I wasn't sure. I remember too little of the past era. But now that I've seen what you're doing, that might be what happens as you continue to grow."

"When were you going to tell us?" said Ruyo.

"When I was more sure," the spirit said. "You two are under too much pressure as it is. Please, don't try to rush toward that. You haven't got the skill or the knowledge to take on that kind of responsibility and do it well, yet. Do not beat yourself up over this, milady. I can guess you're already doing it. Stop."

Ruyo pushed aside her train of thought about saving souls and making real the promises of the Steadfast Church. About how many people might die before she could create a paradise for them. She shook her head. "I... will try not to. Besides, the way to eventually get that good is to continue developing my powers in other ways, right?"

"Yes! You both still have a lot to learn. I don't even know what all of the possibilities are. You're clearly reaching the sixth tier on my ten point scale, Ruyo. And Elly, you've climbed quickly to maybe a three. Not that I'm a judge of night magic."

"I had good teachers," Elly said.