This reminded me a bit of Brust & White's 'The Incrementalists' - however, I felt this story was better-executed and more meaningful. A secret group of people out-of-time try to use small, indirect magics to shape the flow of history and create a better world. However, their grand plans for revolution do not meet with enormous success. One of their number does not share their grand vision - instead, she concentrates on small improvements judged less than worthwhile by her colleagues... ( )