She found other examples. “The new guild in Kigali… remember how the chained wizards decided to offer their services as wizard bodyguards, to take advantage of their strength? That doesn’t even involve devices.
“A man might earn a living as a wizard-guard on a warehouse, and still decide to answer an appeal for help without expecting payment. The two things do not exclude each other.”
Silence from the other bunk. Then a heavy sigh. “What you say is true, Pen-sha, I know it has merit. But I’ve pictured myself having that conversation with Khizuwi, a bikraj I respect. And it doesn’t go the way you might expect. It would be as if, say, you used the Kigali emperor’s sacred flame to light a kitchen fire.”
“I know what the Kigaliwen would do, Naj-sha—they’re a very practical people. Fire is f
