2: The Novices

Ten children waited outside the Guildhall, some with their families. Half of them were Kyralian: a boy and girl from the Houses, a boy from the lower classes, and Yilara and Lorlen. Of the rest, two were Elyne (a boy and a girl), and there was also a Lonmar boy and a Vindo boy.

Lorlen and Yilara stared at the last girl, with their father's penetrating stare, for the girl was Sachakan.

No, not Sachakan, Yilara corrected herself, only part Sachakan. She has the Kyralian nose and eyes. Lorlen had noticed the girl too, and was thinking much the same.

The other new novices were all staring at the three of them. A Sachakan girl, of course, attracted attention, but most of them were looking at Lorlen and Yilara. They were wearing black, and had their parent's features. It was quite obvious whose children they were.

"Are the stories about them true?" whispered the Elyne girl. "Do you think they're going to blast that Sachakan into dust?"

"Shhh," whispered the Elyne boy back. "They'll hear you, and then we'll be blasted instead!"

"Shut up," said the Kyralian girl. "They won't do anything, but their mother might, if she hears you saying that."

Yilara gave Lorlen a smile that only he could see. Clearly they were an object of gossip already.

The new novices formed a line and filed into the Guildhall behind the Administrator's assistant. Lorlen and Yilara remained outwardly calm at all the stares they received, but Lorlen was twisting his ring anxiously around his finger.

Yilara noted the names of her fellow novices as they were called. The Kyralian girl was Wendola of House Tellen, and the upper-class boy Solen of House Paren. The other Kyralian boy was called Garin. The Lonmar boy was Alyk of Greater Clan Koyhmar, the Vindo boy Teno of the Shipbuilder's Guild, the Elyne boy Rayand of Ladeiri and the Elyne girl Eleni of Arralade. The Sachakan girl, who had taken the place at the end of the line, was Inava daughter of Savara.

The ceremony was completed quickly, as no one claimed guardianship of any of the novices. Lorlen noticed Solen looking surprised at this. Presumably he had assumed that Lady Sonea would claim one of her children. Lorlen knew she hadn't because it wouldn't have been fair to the other – the two of them were equal in strength. Clearly this hadn't occurred to Solen, though, for he continued to look puzzled as the new novices left the Guildhall.


"I never thought we'd be a source of gossip," said Yilara that night in Lorlen's room in the Novices' Quarters.

"I did," admitted Lorlen. "But I expected it to be because of the things we'd done, rather than the things our parents did."

"We'll probably give them plenty more to gossip about when we've had a few classes," pointed out Yilara. "Right now all they know about us is our heritage."

"Let's not draw attention to ourselves," suggested Lorlen. "Gossip about our heritage will die down, but our skills…"

The evening gong had sounded a few moments before, and now Lord Ahrind knocked on the door of Lorlen's room. "Who are you talking to?" he demanded. "No visitors –"

"– after the evening gong," Lorlen completed. "Yilara was here earlier, but she's gone to her room now. I wasn't talking to anyone just now."

Ahrind didn't look convinced, but after pushing open the door to Yilara's room and finding her sitting at her desk reading, and finding no one else in Lorlen's room, he had to leave the twins in peace.


The next day all the novices (except Solen, who was late) were waiting in the classroom for their teacher. Lorlen and Yilara were sitting together, near Inava, who the rest of the novices seemed to ignore or dislike. That had already provoked some gossip – Akkarin's children, sitting with a Sachakan! – but the presence of the teacher prevented the novices from openly discussing it.

Solen skidded into the classroom seconds before the gong rang. Presumably he had overslept. Then Director Jerrik entered the classroom and looked sternly at the novices. He began giving an obviously well-practised speech. Lorlen half-listened, until Jerrik looked up at the class and asked: "What is the most important attribute of a magician?"

Jerrik began to ask the novices in turn. Wendola suggested "Skill?" and Rayand offered "Talent," but both were incorrect. Then Jerrik called on Yilara.

For a moment Yilara didn't know what to say, but then something her mother had told her ran through her mind: "Magic is about intent. There is no such thing as good or evil magic, only good or evil magicians."

"Intent, my lord," she offered.

"No," said Jerrik, "but it is important. Solen?"

"Strength," said Solen confidently.

"No!" snapped Jerrik. His eyes roved the room, and settled on Lorlen. "Lorlen?" he asked.

"Knowledge, my lord," said Lorlen promptly.

"Correct!" exclaimed Jerrik. Yilara realised he was surprised. Probably no one ever answered the question correctly. She slipped her hand into her pocket and began fidgeting with her ring. Novices did not wear jewellery, so she kept it in the pocket of her robes as a sort of talisman.

"The most important attribute of a magician is knowledge…" Lorlen began to tune the speech out again, when something strange happened.

A mental voice recited, – The Guild is the largest and most comprehensive store of knowledge in the world. During the years that you spend here that knowledge, or at least some part of it, will be given to you.

The voice continued to recite Jerrik's speech, slightly ahead of what Jerrik was saying. Several of the novices tittered. Jerrik faltered and looked around, trying to work out whose mental voice it was.

The voice was faint, with a whispery quality, and there was no hint of personality to it. There was not even a slight hint as to the sort of person whose voice it was. It could have belonged to anyone.

Use this knowledge well, novices of the Magician's Guild of Kyralia, the mental voice concluded. Jerrik had stopped halfway through the speech, but the voice had continued without a pause. Jerrik looked around, confused, then hurried out.


"So much for not drawing attention to ourselves," said Yilara gloomily, sitting down on Lorlen's bed. "Did you see Jerrik's face? No one ever gets that question right."

"Well…perhaps Mother told me," offered Lorlen. "After all, that speech hasn't changed since he first gave it. You proved that, with the reciting."

"That wasn't me!" hissed Yilara. "Walls have ears, remember?"

"Sorry," said Lorlen hastily. "And speaking of ears, if Ahrind hears your voice in here again after the gong…"

Yilara quickly slipped through the door of Lorlen's room and back into her own.

Be careful, warned a mental voice that only the two of them could hear.