"If she's not a mage, she oughtn't use 'Tse'," says Tse Witwex. "How does it work?"

"Xaari, then, Xaari Deskyl. She can do quite a few things - moving things without touching them, and seeing people's feelings and thoughts, and healing, and seeing what's about to happen, and a few things I don't know how to talk about - she helped me learn Cefaxi a few days ago, but I don't know all the words yet. Her magic is all learned, and she can learn how to do new things, if she can watch what she needs to work with. She thinks she can learn to fix your mages."

"That's what he said." She indicates the guard. "In exchange for what?"

"She was planning on asking for permission to work in the city near here, but if you'd like her to stay, she might agree to it. I expect her to want a metalworking workshop wherever she ends up living, though."

"I can provide a writ of auspice."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, I don't know those words."

"I can give you the paper you'd need to do mage work."

"Ah. Thank you, Ma'am."

"What does Xaari Deskyl need to try to repair a dwindled mage?"

"She's preparing right now to heal the sick ones; she needs to be calm for that technique. To learn to help the other kinds, she'll need to watch them - she might need to watch them do magic specifically, I'm not sure. She won't need to touch them or talk to them or anything like that."

"The goldmages don't do magic outside of emergency situations and will be difficult to observe."

"Goldmages are the ones who lose time?"

"Yes."

"Their problem is easy to see; she might still need to see one do magic, but I don't think she'll need to see it many times."

"Their least costly magic is one she won't be able to watch."

"She might be able to see it anyway, Ma'am, she'll be watching with magic. But I don't know yet what she'll need, I'm guessing."

"They stop time. She won't be able to watch."

"Well, she'll do what she can, Ma'am."

Deskyl open her eyes and signs to DZ.

    "She's ready to heal anyone who needs it, Ma'am."

"Should I just have whitemages paraded by the gate, is that the idea?"

    "She says she'll go in if you like."

"That won't be necessary, but does she need to touch them?"

    "No, ma'am. When they're ready, she'll make a blue light, and they'll need to touch that."

Tse Witwex nods and murmurs to a guard, who trots off.

Whitemages, many of them in arms or on wheels, are paraded by the gate and can stick their arms through or have them stuck.

Deskyl grimaces a little at a few of the ones in the worst shape, but heals them all.