They got outside, and Danielle heard Gideon at the back of the group sending a Now Hear This to Peter (finally). Zephyr maneuvered to get close to Danielle, competing with Jordan to get to her immediate left, since Ranger Flo was to her right. “Listen, Danielle – about what happened back there,” he said. “You know you need to avoid pulling anything like that around other Systemists, right?”

  “I don’t necessarily have a choice, but yeah, I know it’s a problem,” Danielle said. “Telling people that God is in control of what they get in their individual – what do you call it, formally? I know a lot of people say instance of the System, but I seem to remember Systemists don’t like that one?”

  “We – the pious ones say an individual’s expression of the System. You know, when they remember to be pedantic about it, and not just say ‘your System, my System, his System’ like they were separate things,” Zephyr said. “I, uh. Given how I spent my early morning today, I’m not sure, um. Never mind. It’s not just that. Proper Systemists teach what they call the Principle of Holy Determination – it’s basically the idea that it’s wrong for anyone to tell anyone else what to do in their System (except awakened Youths, who need parental help for stuff) because those decisions are supposed to be between you and the System, and mundane folk aren’t supposed to stick their noses into it.”

  “Ah – I seem to recall you ranting about that principle, and failures to follow it,” Danielle said.

  “Yeeeeah,” Zephyr said. “I mean, that’s not – look, any group can have it’s bad members,” he hedged.

  “Oh sure. Bad members, confused members, mostly-good members who lose it over a certain issue, people who claim to be members but they’re really just doing it for the social prestige or whatever. Christians have all of those too,” Danielle said. “I’m just saying, I remember you mentioning this principle before, now that you mention it. Seems like it might have something to do with how Decision Day went, too.”

  “Yes! Exactly. In our case, we might’ve been told a little less than we needed to be, but that’s because we didn’t get the general instruction from high school, right? That whole thing about not letting us yell advice or pressure people to move faster or anything, though – that’s an example of honoring Holy Determination,” Zephyr said. “So, um. Even if you just said it was you, saying which option is best, that’s still not OK. You know, like, with the big six and all. I guess after today, I’ll probably have to give in and start calling them the camp’s most elevated six, because the chances of them not spending their gift-bag mana on elevated Classes are pretty much zero.”

  “What about you?” Danielle asked.

  “Well, uh. I give you credit for specifically telling him he could choose, first, and all that – ” Zephyr began.

  Danielle laughed. “I appreciate that – truly! – but I meant, are you taking an elevated Class in a few minutes!”

  “Oh! Well, yeah, but not one of the six,” Zephyr said. “I, uh. I might’ve decided on, um. Well it depends, I guess.” His eyes darted around, but they were well out on the path from the headquarters area to the Dome area, the fence to their right and the concealing trees to their left. “You know how I told you I learned some stuff, experimenting, that might have gotten me called a heretic? By certain factions of Systemists?” he asked in a much lower voice.

  “I remember,” Danielle said, munching on her lettuce roll.

  “When I ran out to the Access Point this afternoon, I confirmed it – I’ve unlocked a whole elevated shaping Class that falls into that category,” Zephyr said. “I’m going to take it. Well, I want to take it.”

  “It’ll cause you trouble,” Danielle said. “That’s no prophecy, just a very obvious prediction.”

  “Yeah, well. It’ll cause everyone trouble,” Zephyr said. “It’s not supposed to exist.”

  “Don’t take it until you’re prepared to keep it out of their awareness, then,” Ranger Flo said. “Systemists have killed over that kind of thing before. That’s why Mana Researcher is a dangerous Career to have active, and a big part of why Bea is so jaded about religion. It turns out the System doesn’t care what the Systemists think it should and should not have in it; but a certain subset of Systemists have been known to eliminate things they don’t think should exist by killing the person whose instance of the System contains those things.”

  “Is that what the ‘Purge of the Corrupt’ was really about, then? With all the System Paladin Orders?” Zephyr asked. “There was always something that sat wrong with me about that bit of history.”

  “Depends on who you ask, but that’s one of the theories, yes,” Ranger Flo said. “Some say the early Systemists invented the idea of corrupted interfaces to justify killing off anyone whose interface language included ideas that wouldn’t mesh with the view of the System they were building.”

  Zephyr was silent for a minute, then he asked, “How much would it be worth to you, Danielle, if I was to teach you all the stuff like that, that I’ve figured out so far?”

  “I don’t know. Is it useful stuff?” Danielle asked.

  “Um, well, if you want to do free-casting or free-enhancing like you were talking about at the Access Point camp, when we were talking long-term goals, then probably useful for that,” Zephyr said. “Look, I don’t want to be mooching, but we both know that the whole court, such as it is, knows I’ve unlocked at least one elevated Class, and if I don’t take an elevated Class here, the Rooms will be unlivable for me. Maybe not literally, and having Tom’s room to hide out in will help, but that’s only good for two weeks.”

  “But you don’t want to let them force you into taking a Class just to please them, either,” Danielle said.

  “Exactly,” Zephyr said emphatically. “When it was going to be normal for nobody to have a second Class for months, it wasn’t a problem, but then the Inside dropped exactly a Class’s worth of mana on us, and now it’s a problem. I can at least take a subordinate or hybrid element Class, and that’ll just exasperate everyone, but – so help me, I want Lightning Shaper!”

  “What’s wrong with Lightning Shaper?” Danielle asked. “Is wind/earth a bad combo or something?”

  “What? Wind/earth? Where’d that come from?” Zephyr asked.

  “Isn’t natural lightning supposed to be from the wind blowing over the ground and doing static electricity, but super big?” Danielle asked.

  “Oh, uh, maybe? Electricity has been confirmed to not be an element of the System though. Supposedly,” Zephyr said. “So, it should only show up in non-element Skills. Shaper Classes are officially expressions of the elements, though – again, um, supposedly. Thus, it’s fine for mana caster Classes to make Lightning Bolt scrolls, and it’s fine for a Lightning Bolt Skill to exist, but having Lightning Shaper show up as a Class? That’s supposed to be impossible.”

  “So you’re offering, what, to teach me the unlocks for several Skills of questionable acceptability to Systemists?” Danielle asked.

  “So, um, I already owe you the Wind rune as soon as we get five minutes to rub together. Um, and some privacy,” Zephyr said. “I need to earn or borrow four hundred mana to take a cover-story Class, though, so what if I add four more runes and four Skills? With the value-added that you will almost certainly unlock at least six more shaping Classes in case you ever want more for yourself for some reason.”

  “Runes are useful stuff. Stop walking a sec, we’re about to lose the tree cover,” Danielle said.

  Everyone paused. “You solemnly swear you have four System symbols you can teach me well enough to open shaper Classes for them, using the method we worked out together for fire?” she asked Zephyr.

  “Yes. I can show them to you using that method, and I can show you how to use a very similar method to get the Skills a Systemist would say you should be using to unlock those elements, for each of them. Four elements, rune and Skill and therefore Class. I’ll even throw in the second half of that for Wind, too, because by the time I’ve taught you four other ones I may as well, you’ll have caught on to the principle by then anyhow,” Zephyr said. “I consider that one an investment in continuing our research together, because I know you’re going to keep right on breezing past everyone’s expectations and – and the only thing I’m sicker of than other people’s expectations, is wondering if I’m living a lie. And I mean, with the whole following in my dad’s footsteps thing, not – I don’t know what to think about the actual religion stuff, except that if the System is really deific like the Courts of the Elements say, then everything it creates is holy, not just the stuff the courts like.”

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  “And if it’s not de- uh, deity-ic?” Gideon asked.

  “Deific,” Zephyr corrected dryly. “I know, it’s a fancy religion word, and your religion probably doesn’t use it much. But yeah. If it’s not deific after all, then obviously none of its stuff is holy after all. I’m not sure I’m ready to go that far yet, but I know it’s all or nothing. So for now, I’m going to assume the answer is all, and keep my eyes open, OK?”

  “Were you not there ten minutes ago when – ” Jordan started, but Danielle turned and put her hand on his shoulder.

  “Don’t push right now,” she said. “That’s not our job, it’s God’s job. Remember, Zephyr’s family are all really big-name Systemists, and he’s been surrounded by Systemists his whole life. It would be easy for him to embrace Systemism and refuse to think about anything else because it’s just what he’s always known, or easy to throw it all out at once because of his trouble with his family, but instead he’s seeking the truth. God will honor that. Give it time to grow on him.”

  She fished two 300-mana tokens out of her token purse. “I can pay you 400 in advance for your instruction in elemental symbols and Skills if you can make change for 600,” she told Zephyr.

  “Deal,” he said, fishing in his own bag and pulling out the token caddy. The Skill and Career tokens were already missing; now, he pulled out two of the 100-mana tokens and traded them to Danielle for the two 300-mana tokens. “You’re still going to have what you need for your own stuff, right?” he asked with a frown.

  “Today’s all about tier 1 stuff, but the Rangers have me selling them tier 2 tokens whenever they’re allowed to buy,” Danielle said. “The supply isn’t infinite, but I’m not spending thousands on Skills today. I’m more than fine.”

  “Let’s keep moving. I approve of people being able to take the Classes they actually want, and I appreciate Sent putting value on their Skills when they teach each other, but we are in a hurry and time’s a-wasting,” Ranger Flo said.

  “Right, sorry,” Danielle said, getting herself moving again. She popped the last, slightly oversized bite of lettuce roll into her mouth.

  Behind her, she overheard Ezra saying, “I wish I knew something worth selling for 400 mana!”

  “You’ve already got the only Class you really want anyway,” Gideon reminded him.

  “Figure out how to unlock your Class Skills without taking the Class, and you can probably sell that to her,” Heather said. “Danielle seems to be developing a whole a thing about collecting Skills.”

  “All right now, no talking about subjects you’re supposed to be keeping discreet beyond this point,” Ranger Flo said as they approached the line of staff-wielding Rangers from behind. “I need a gate!” she called out to them.

  Once again, the ‘gate’ took the form of two staves lifted up horizontally so they could walk under, less like opening a gate, and more like lifting up part of a long curtain. Ranger Flo walked them all past the long serpentine line of Sent lined up in the field, almost like they had been on Decision Day, to a much shorter line along the fence on the other side of the main gate. Ranger Michael was overseeing this line, which was also marked off with poles and ropes, unlike the larger line that was being managed entirely by Rangers and Sending Authority agents.

  “Hey, Michael. I’ve got a few more of the lucky campout crew for you here,” Ranger Flo greeted him. Danielle looked at the line more carefully, and was somewhat dismayed to see that most of the line were people from Thursday’s Access Point trip and campout. Belle wasn’t there, but several of her Systemist friends were, as well as Angela and her roommates. Angela looked decidedly nervous, but she gave Danielle a resolute nod as the SHAD party arrived.

  “Wow, looks like another couple of room groups,” Ranger Michael said. “Is this another ‘one person has symptoms, everyone got checked’ case?”

  “Partly that, partly a case of a special petition to get members of the same hunting party special access to one of their rooms for a couple weeks so they could take care of each other, and not rely on hostile roommates when actual friends are available, and have open beds to share. That got them separated from their roommates in line, though, so they’re using this line just to simplify the explanations to drivers and other Sent and so on,” Ranger Flo explained.

  “Huh. How does anyone in Constanza have open beds to share?” Ranger Micheal asked.

  “You remember that one corpse-call I was ranting about early on?” Ranger Flo asked. “Where only one roommate survived long enough for me to arrive, and a Sent Healer took care of him?”

  “Oh, the room fight. Yeah,” Ranger Michael said. “I guess that guy would need someone to join him almost as much as someone with hostile roommates would need an out.”

  “That’s us,” Zephyr said, getting in line behind Tina. “They talked us into taking something besides just Boost Recovery while they were at it, because half the reason we took it was that we didn’t trust our roommates to help us out if we needed it.”

  “Really?” Angela said, raising an eyebrow at Gideon.

  “I’m not one of the ones with the hostile roommate problem,” Gideon told her with a roll of his eyes. “I was involved in the petition because we’re in the same hunting party is all.”

  “Speaking of which, Danielle here isn’t actually done with her business, but we told her she had to get through the line and get that out of the way before she goes back to it. Would you all allow her to move to the front of the line, please?” Ranger Flo asked.

  Danielle frowned at her. “What happened to being discreet?” she asked.

  “You’re the one who’s trying to affect the catalog,” Ranger Flo said. “You can’t blame me if people notice you coming and going from here separately from your roommates, going through the staff line multiple times, etc.”

  “What are you trying to do with the catalog?” Tina asked.

  Danielle intensified her frown at Ranger Flo to a glare. “The Ranger and Sending Authority woman who came to our room told us that not nearly enough people in camp were taking Sterilize Object or the proper medical Skills,” Danielle said. “I’m trying to get them to make them available on catalog day – it says to inquire in advance, and this is in advance! She doesn’t have to tell people about it, though. They were supposed to just do it quietly. So people won’t gossip about it, Ranger.”

  “If you really convince a Skill Sharer, even the newest, youngest one, to give your whole town a discount? They’ll be gossiping about it from the arctic circle to the tropic of Cancer,” Ranger Flo said.

  “Ugh, don’t help it along!” Danielle exclaimed. She did see what the Ranger was doing, she thought; establishing an alibi for Danielle’s time in the headquarters, and setting up for the half-truth Agent Bea had agreed to put out as the cover story. She still didn’t approve of it, though, and she couldn’t stop her face burning with embarrassment at the very idea of people talking about her from the northern to the southern reaches of the nation Firmitatem belonged to. “Do – do the other parts of the Unified States really pay that much attention to each other’s Sendings?” she asked.

  Ranger Michae gave an unhappy laugh. “Only when those Sendings are fouled up beyond all reason, with laws and customs ignored with equal abandon,” he said.

  “Usually, Sendings are only big news in the state that is sending them out, and even then only when they’re new like yours is," Ranger Flo said. "Individual Sent can end up famous when they Return, if they come back with rare Skills or brilliant new Skill unlocking paradigms or strong Careers that are hard to get Inside. Occasionally even diplomatic contacts; our current ambassador to the Lumi nation started off as a Sent from Firmitatem who traded with their Outside communities. Anyway. Front and center, please, we need to get you back to HQ. Your roommates and the guys from the medcheck and room access petition can go through the line normally, and you’ll meet them back in town when you’re actually done.”

  Just then, Birch came out of the Dome on the side facing the great fence, and the girl at the head of the line darted inside. Birch walked over to the post-and-rope setup and leaned on one of the posts, swaying slightly. “I’m done,” he said. “Do I use it now?”

  “Wait until you get home, and get your dinner,” Ranger Michael said. “Use it when you eat dinner every day until you stop running a fever. Flo, can you watch the line while I get this young man to a truck? He just barely didn’t qualify for an overnight in the clinic.”

  “Can do,” Ranger Flo said. “Danielle, front of the line. You’re next.”

  Danielle edged awkwardly past the people lined up near the front, where they were close to the ropes. “Sorry about this, sorry, I didn’t mean for her to – sorry,” she told everyone as she passed. Not all the people in line were familiar from the campout, but many of them were. A glance toward the back of the line revealed Peter, moving back in the line to confer in whispers with Gideon while her roommates lined up in front of them. Zephyr, Tom and Jordan were discussing the situation with Tom’s room at the very back.

  The girl who was at the very front of the line glared at Danielle. “You just better hope Melissa can manage OK if we get separated,” she said threateningly.

  Danielle gave her a rather blank stare. “Who’s Melissa?”

  “My roommate, duh!” the girl said with a huff and turned away from Danielle.

  Danielle looked to Ranger Flo for a clue, but the Ranger just shrugged. “If whoever that is turns out to be sick enough that she can’t be left alone, we’ll make sure someone stays with her until she gets back to your room,” she told the girl. “You saw how Michael stuck with that boy just now, rather than letting him wander toward the trucks on his own. We’re watching out for people who are sick right now. Your friend will be fine.”

  “She’d be more fine if you didn’t shove this lunatic in between us,” the girl grumbled.

  “Oh, Melissa’s the one in the Dome right now? Maybe they can just let her wait for you then,” Danielle said. “I’m not going to stand there making a bunch of – wait, I’m supposed to take a Class. Well, I’m still not going to stand there agonizing over a bunch of complicated decisions while there are sick and exhausted people in line behind me. In and out as fast as possible.”

  “Danielle, you are not going to put off Class decisions,” Ranger Flo said. “I know I warned you about that.”

  “It can wait long enough to get out of the dome and let, uh, this person, catch up with her roommate!” Danielle said. “Anything that doesn’t need the Access Point can happen outside the Dome.”

  “No,” Ranger Flo said severely. “You make all decisions immediately. You already have the worst case of mana inflammation anyone here is likely to see, I do not want to see you making it worse.”

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