hoped his friend had been this enthusiastic when taking on
'You're such an optimist, Rothen. You've barely met her and already you're talking as if she'll be the prize of the University.'
He smiled as his friend's expression became defensive.
'Am I?' Rothen replied. 'If I wasn't, would I have had so many successes with novices over the years? If you give up on them, they have no reason to try.'
Dannyl nodded. He hadn't been the most cooperative novice, and had resisted Rothen's early attempts to direct his mind away from bickering with Fergun and his fellow novices. Despite all Dannyl's attempts to prove Rothen wrong, his teacher had never given up on him.
'Did you tell her that we don't intend to harm her?' Ezrille asked.
'I've explained about the death of the youth and that we want to teach her how to control her powers. Whether she believes it or not...' He shrugged.
'Did you tell her that she can join the Guild?'
Rothen grimaced. 'I didn't press the issue. She doesn't like us much. It's not that she holds us responsible for the state of the poor, but she feels we should be doing something about it.' He frowned. 'She says she has never seen us do anything good, which is probably true. Most of the work we do for the city does not affect her or the rest of the dwells. And then there's the Purge.'
'Then it's hardly surprising that she doesn't like the Guild,' Ezrille said. She leaned forward. 'But what is she
Rothen considered. 'Quiet, but defiant. She's obviously frightened, but I don't think we'll be seeing any tears. I'm sure she understands that she must learn Control, so I don't think we'll see any escape attempts just yet.'
'And after she has learned Control?' Yaldin asked.
'Hopefully by then we will have convinced her to join us.'
'What if she refuses?'
Rothen drew in a deep breath and sighed. 'I'm not sure what will happen. We can't force anyone to join us, but, by law, we can't allow magicians to exist outside the Guild, either. If she refuses,' he grimaced, 'we will have no choice but to block her powers.'
Ezrille's eyes widened. 'Block them? Is that bad?'
'No. It's ... Well, it would be distressing for most magicians because they are used to having power to call upon. In Sonea's case, we have someone who isn't used to wielding magic - not in any useful form, anyway.' He shrugged. 'She won't miss it as much.'
'How long do you think it will take to teach her Control?' Yaldin asked. 'I feel uneasy knowing there's an uncontrolled magician living only a few doors away.'
'It will take some time for me to gain her trust,' Rothen replied. 'She might take several weeks.'
'Surely not!' Yaldin exclaimed. 'It never takes more than two weeks, even for the most difficult novices.'
'She is no spoilt or nervous child from the Houses.'
'I suppose you're right.' Yaldin shook his head and sighed. 'I'll be shaking with nerves by the end of a week.'
Rothen smiled and lifted his cup to his lips. 'Ah, but the longer she takes, the more time I have to convince her to stay.'
Sitting on the bed, Sonea peered at the gardens through a narrow gap in the window screen and toyed with a slender hair pin. It was night outside and the moon had risen. The snow edging the paths glowed softly in the subtle light.
An hour earlier, the gong had rung again. As magicians and novices hurried back to their Quarters, she had watched and waited. All was quiet now apart from the occasional servant hurrying by, breath streaming behind in the chilly night air.
Rising, she crept to the door and put her ear to it. Though she listened until her neck ached, she heard no sounds coming from the room beyond.
She looked down at the handle. It was smooth, polished wood. Set into it were pieces of darker timber, forming the lines of the Guild symbol. Sonea traced the pattern, marvelling at the skill and effort spent on a mere door handle.
Slowly, quietly, she began to turn the handle. It rotated only slightly before something blocked its movement. She carefully pulled the door inward, but the latch was still caught.
Unperturbed, she started to rotate the handle in the other direction. Once more it only moved a little before stopping. She tugged the door but it remained in place.
Bending down, she raised her hand to insert the hair pin in the lock, then paused. There was no keyhole.
Sonea sighed and sat back on her heels. She hadn't heard the sound of a key turning any of the times Rothen had left the room, and she had noticed earlier that there were no bolts on the other side of the door. The door was locked by magic.
Not that she
But she needed to test her boundaries. If she didn't look for ways to escape, she might never find any.
She rose and moved to the table beside the bed. The book of songs still lay there. Picking it up, she opened it to the first page. Something was written there. Moving to the table, she lit the candle Rothen had left.
Sonea pursed her lips. So he was married and had at least one child. She wondered where his family was. Considering Rothen's age, his son was probably a grown man.
He seemed a decent sort of person. She had always thought herself a good judge of character - something she had learned from her aunt. Her instincts told her that Rothen was kind and well-meaning. But that didn't mean she could trust him, she reminded herself. He was still a magician, bound to do whatever the Guild wanted.
A faint high-pitched laugh came from outside, drawing her attention to the window again. Pushing aside the screen, Sonea watched as a couple strode through the garden, the green robes under their cloaks shining in the glow of a floating light. Two children ran before them, tossing snow at each other.
Sonea watched them pass, her eyes following the woman. She had never seen female magicians in the Purge. Did they choose not to go, she wondered, or was there a rule that prevented them?
She pursed her lips. Jonna had told her that the daughters of rich families were carefully watched until they married the husband their fathers chose for them. Women made no important decisions within the Houses.
In the slums no one arranged marriages. Though women
Were female magicians cosseted away? Were they encouraged to leave the running of the Guild to the men? It would be frustrating to be magically powerful, but still completely under the control of others.
As the family moved out of sight, Sonea began to draw away from the window, but, as her eyes flickered across the grounds, she caught a movement in one of the windows of the University. Looking up, she saw a pale oval face.
From the neckline of the stranger's clothes, she guessed this figure was a magician. Though she could not be sure in the dark and at the distance, she had a strong suspicion that he was watching her. A chill crept up her spine and she quickly pushed the screen closed.
Unnerved, she crossed the room and blew out the candle, then lay down on the bed and curled up in the blankets. She felt drained, tired of thinking, tired of being afraid. Tired of being tired ...
But as she stared at the ceiling, she knew that sleep was not going to come easily.