Disclaimer: I do not own Emelean, Winding Circle, and anything else connected to the Circle books by Tamora Pierce.

Chapter One

Lady Cordeline fa Maren, Cordy for short, stood next to the cook, watching her mix batter for cake. "Could you get me the baking pan, Cordy?" asked the cook, Mariana.

Cordy nodded and got the pan. Ever since she was old enough to walk, she had been fascinated with the kitchen. Or rather, with cooking and baking. When ever she could slip away, she would go to the kitchen and watch and help Mariana with the cooking. Whenever her parents took her on their travels, Cordy would find the kitchens of wherever they were staying and watch the cooks there.

It had taken awhile, but Cordy had gotten Mariana to call her simply "Cordy" instead of "my lady" or "Lady Cordy" and to let her help with cooking and baking. Now Mariana saw her as a fixture in the kitchen and didn't try to tell her that cooking wasn't lady's work or ask her politely to leave.

Cordy had just slipped the cake pan into the oven and was helping Mariana clean up when her mother, Lady Drusilla, walked in. "Cordeline! How many times have I told you that the kitchen is not a proper place for noble ladies? If you wanted something to eat, well and good, but cooking is not a suitable occupation for you!"

"I don't care!" retorted Cordy. "Mother, I like cooking and baking!"

"It doesn't matter, Cordeline fa Maren. Cooking and baking are not things ladies should be doing. I think it is time that your father and I sent you to Winding Circle Temple. You are eleven, need to be in the company of other noble girls and you will be well educated there. Tomorrow we will see to the necessary preparations. Now you are going to go to your room and work on embroidery or read."

Cordy made a face, but did as her mother told. Reading was the other thing she likes to do besides help in the kitchen, so she got a book from the family library and went to her room to read.

Kirana watched the stall with minature trees curiously. She felt attracted to them as she did with all plants. However, the trees were beyond her reach. She was just a poor street girl with no possibilty of ever getting the money to buy one or no place to keep it. And even if she was willing to steal it, the owner of the stall would use his plant magic to capture her. She knew that the owner was Briar Moss, famed plant mage. When her parents were still alive, they had told her stories about Briar and his three friends, who were also mages.

Kira bit her lip and quickly thought of something else to keep from crying. Her parents, who had run a inn, had died two years ago, when she was nine. Her uncle, her mother's brother, had taken over the inn. He was not nice at all, forcing Kira into virtually being a slave and beating her whenever he had too much to drink. A week later, Kira had enough. She packed up her few belongings and fled the inn, thereafter making a living on the streets. She had never joined a gang, and did not steal other than what was necessary to keep her alive.

Kira moved closer to the stall and bumped into a lady dressed in simple, but well-made peach-colored gown. She stumbled, but the lady reached out a hand and steadied her. "Are you all right, dear?"

"Yes, my lady," replied Kira, moving back a step and brushing herself off.

"You don't sound like a kid of the streets," frowned the lady. "Yet you look like one."

"I'm am a ch-kid of the-," began Kira, then realized that the lady herself had said "kid" instead of "child".

Mage Briar leaned forward. "Sandry, what are you doing?"

Kira gasped, as she realized that who the lady was. Sandrilene fa Toren was a famed stitch witch and one of Mage Briar's foster-sisters. "Oh! Lady Sandrilene, forgive me for bumping into you."

"It's just Lady Sandry," laughed the lady. "And it's all right. Now, what is your name?"

"Kirana Ellis," responded Kira. "Kira for short, my-I mean, Lady Sandry."

Briar took a good look at Kira, then frowned. "You have magic, Kira."

Kira turned and gasped. "Magic? My parents had me tested for magic when I was five since my father's family has been known to produce a few mages. I was found to not possess any, Mage Briar. What you are suggesting is impossible."

"You have magic," said Lady Sandry. "Briar and I can see magic and we see that you have it."

Briar nodded and pointed at his minature trees. "They've grown buds. Now I'll have to clip them off."

Kira froze. "You aren't suggesting I have plant magic like you? That I'm an ambient mage?"

Briar and Sandry blinked. "How do you know about ambient mages?"

"I have an aunt who told me about ambient and academic mages the last time she visited Summersea, which was three years ago," answered Kira patiently. "She studied at Lightsbridge. And my parents told me all about the two of you and Mages Trisana and Daja."

"Then why are you dressed like a street rat?" asked Briar blunty.

"Because I am one," said Kira, losing patience. "My parents died two years ago and I ran away after my uncle took over their inn. Would you stay someplace where you were forced to work like a slave and beaten every time your uncle got drunk, which was every night?"

Sandry and Briar blinked again, then Briar asked, "What about your aunt?"

"She's a traveling mage," replied Kira. "When my parents died, she was off in Capchen or the Namorn Empire or someplace. In any case, she wasn't in Summersea, or I would I have gone to her. I have no idea where is now."

"Well, do you believe us when we say that you have magic and with proper training will become a good mage?" asked Sandry.

"Yes," responded Kira. "I have wanted to be a mage like Aunt Ariane. Well, not exactly like her, because she's an academic mage and according to you I'm an ambient one."

Sandry exchanged looks with Briar, then after a moment, turned to Kira. "I'll take you Winding Circle where you will educated in your magic, Kira. Briar's busy with his stall at the moment." After a few seconds, she added, "Discipline will be the best place for you. Discipline cottage, I mean. That's where the four of us lived while we learned our magic, Kira."

Kira nodded. "May I get my cats and things first?"

"Cats?" asked Briar. "You have cats like Evvy did? She was my first student."

Kira nodded. "Three of them. Rosemary is the one my parents gave me for my eighth birthday and Peach and Pine I adopted after I became a street kid."

Sandry smiled. "Of course you may get them. Shall I go with you or should I wait here for you?"

"Maybe you should wait here," said Kira. "The place where I live isn't any place for a lady."

Sandry replied, "My clothes are made by me, so they won't get dirty. At least, I only have to brush them off and not wash them the way ordinary clothes have to be. And if anyone tried to attack me or steal from me, I could simply use my magic to unravel their clothes or have their clothes bind them."

Kira looked awed. "Then if you want to come with me, Lady Sandry, you may."

Matrim Person frowned as he and his father rode into Winding Circle. For all his short life of almost eleven years, Mat had thought he had no magic, though peculiar things concerning stones happened whenever he was angry or worked up in some way. Then a great mage known as Niklaren Goldeye told Merchant Person that his son had ambient magic. As Winding Circle Temple was the best, as well as the closest, place to learn ambient magic, Mat found his belongings packed up and himself readied for the trip to Winding Circle.

He frowned even more, knowing the only reason that his father had been very kind to him the past couple of weeks was precisely because he had magic. Before his father was stern, complaining about how his second son had no head for the merchant business, liked to spent his time reading or playing with rocks, and possibly was dangerous if he made stones fly about.

Mat now dismounted and followed his father into the office of Dedicate Moonstream, the head of the temple. After a quick discussion, Mat found himself in a dormitory with other boys his age and a promise that arrangements would be made for a stone mage to teach him.

Prisandra Alderscroft looked up at the man standing in front of her. "You do realize you can't stay here, Prisandra," he said gently. "Not with your parents gone."

"It's Pris," she corrected. "Why can't I stay here, Master Niko? My parents left me this house and their money when they died. I have a governess here to look after me and my aunt and uncle can look after Papa's business."

"Because, well, Winding Circle Temple is a better place for you, Prisa," said Master Niko. "You would be educated there and there many mages. There is one dedicate who has magic with thread."

"Are you referring to Dedicate Lark?" asked Pria. "I know you can't be referring to Lady Sandrilene because she is not a dedicate there."

"So you are knowledgeable about things concerning magic," said Master Niko in some surprise.

"Well, my grandmother was a mage," pointed out Pris. "But why do you want me at Winding Circle? "My governess has been teaching me ever since I was six."

"I suppose I have no choice but to tell you," sighed Master Niko. "Your aunt and uncle thought it best, and I agree since I see that you have some magic in you."

"Is that why I like sewing and weaving so much?" asked Pris, being a very perceptive girl.

"Yes," answered Master Niko.

"All right then. I suppose I can go to Winding Circle and be trained in my magic. I'll have Miss Stenson help me pack." With that, Pris left the room.