Disclaimer:  None of the Tamora Pierce stuff that appears in my fic is mine. 

Chapter 5:  Magic School


Tarilenea opened her eyes. She still could not manage to see anything except blue. Her Gift was still working to repair her head, so her gift of Sense was impossible to restrain. She smelled the fierce scent of a spicy hot drink, and the lavender from the pillow on which her head was resting. She heard soft sounds coming from a place to her right--dishes being washed and dried. That was the kitchen, then.


"Here you are," said a loud voice to her left.


Tarilenea smelled the spicy drink coming close to her nose.


"Don't shout at me," she murmured as she opened her mouth to drink.


"I'm not!" said the voice indignantly. "Here's a bit of bread, too. Nice and hot from the oven, a better loaf if'n I do say so meself. Try some after you have 'ta drink, you'll see."


Tarilenea sipped the drink. holding her nose with her left hand so that the smell would not overwhelm her. It rushed down her throat in a hot, peppery bubble. She coughed and opened her eyes wide, spitting a little into the face of the loud voice.


A woman wiped her eyes calmly with a white napkin. She was plump and of middle-age, a common serving person. Her face was doughy and thick, and her hair hung around her head in sparse, white-blonde curls. The rest of it was hidden in a small white cap.


"So you can see now, then?" asked the woman placidly.


Tarilenea gaped at her, nodding slowly. Then she realized that things were still blue--she was only seeing out of one eye. The other still had the blue fuzz in front of it.


"I can see out of one eye," Tarilenea said, "but the other one is yet affected by blue. Can you cure that also?"


The woman looked complexed. "Hmm. I dun't know, my drink almost 'elps every'ting, swear to Mithros. You say you still cen't see out'r one eye? T'is unheard of, t'is!"


She seemed quite offended that her concoction hadn't completely worked for Tarilenea. Tarilenea bit her lip, worried that the woman would be mad at her. But instead she smiled, patting Tarilenea on the hand.


"Dun't you worry none now, li'l one. The Lady will be in here in two ticks, she's just fin'shin up a spell. She was 'ta one done tol' me to give you that drink, she'll be wantin' to know what went wrong too, dun't you know."
She bustled off, leaving Tarilenea with a hot buttery scone and the rest of the drink.


A few minutes later she came back followed by a woman handsomely dressed, in velvet and gold trim. The woman had smooth brown skin, chocolate eyes and large red lips. Her hair was put up hastily into a brown bun at the nape of her neck, and she wore a lot of jewelry. Tarilenea noticed one piece in particular; a pendant on which a blue stone hung. It was small but very bright, and it captured Tarilenea's eye immediately. This did not escape the woman's attention.


"So you like my Pendant of Defense then, do you?" the woman asked, her brown eyes smiling. Tarilenea smiled back.


"It is quite captivating. May I take a closer look at it?" The woman nodded and Tarilenea grasped the stone, holding it up to her face. She looked through it with her good eye and gasped--some things were highlighted in bright gold-yellow. She was outlined in yellow, and the serving-woman's eye was too. The woman with brown eyes was a burst of yellow, especially the many pendants she wore around her neck. Tarilenea then looked through the stone with her eye which only saw blue, and she could see that everything non-magic was yellow.


Tarilenea let go off the stone and it dropped back onto the woman's neck.


"I am Lady Alden, and this is Nanny. She is head cook of this place, formally named Alden's School for Magic. But the student's here call it simply 'the Magic School."


"I am Tarilenea Isabelle of Carthak," grinned Tarilenea. "Your stone is very interesting."


Lady Alden smiled and delicately lifted the Pendant of Defense from her neck.


"You may have this Pendant. I have many others; my students all receive one when they come here. You also look like you need as much help as you can get. Who set the Releasing Spell on you?"


Tarilenea was dumbfounded at the woman's generosity and knowledge of magic. "The what?"


Lady Alden was patient.


"It is a spell which can be sent from afar. The stronger the person is who is making it, the farther it can go. Depending on the strength of the person and the distance, it can inflict damage upon the recipient ranging from a slight head ache to death."


Tarilenea grimaced, rubbing her head. "I think I know who sent it. But why did it not kill me?"


Lady Alden furrowed her brows and looked at Tarilenea quizzically.


"Why, I thought you would know. A normal person would have died from that spell. You must be a strong sorcerer, or you would not have survived that. You do know that you have some sort of Gift, right?"


Tarilenea nodded. "But I did not know I was strong enough to survive a spell like that. I have the gift of Sense," she explained, "so I know I have a bit of power. But I had no idea that I had enough power to fend off a Releasing Spell."


Lady Alden looked shocked. "You have the gift of Senses? That is a very rare and valuable gift. You are in training, aren't you?"


Tarilenea shook her head guiltily. "I am traveling to Corus for that purpose. I have never been trained at all, and I want to become a sorcerer to defend King Alan's empire."


Lady Alden turned to Nanny.


"Would you mind getting us some strawberry drinks and--" she looked at Tarilenea's empty plate-- "some more scones, please. And some meat as well," she called after Nanny's retreating back. She turned gravely back to Tarilenea.


"This is a very serious issue. The gift of Sense is not a gift to be treated lightly. It can spin out of control at any time and affect the person who has it, or it can hurt someone else."


"How can it hurt someone else? I understand how it can hurt me because when I can't control it every sense starts paining me, but how could it harm anyone else?"


Lady Alden seemed confused.


"Did you not know that a certain amount of power comes with the gift of Sense?" At Tarilenea's shocked face she continued.


"You have magic other than the gift of Sense. You can make small spells or block large ones; if you used this ability more often it would develop. If your gift is out of control, then you might accidentally do something bad. For example, one of my earlier students meant to light a candle and set my hair on fire."


Tarilenea winced. "Ouch."


Lady Alden nodded, smiling. "You must train. Will you stay here so that I can teach you?"


Tarilenea bit her lip, shaking her head.


"I am sorry, but I told my parents that I would travel to Corus in order to find a teacher. Also, one of my friends was kidnapped by a band of men who I must find. I need to rescue him, and I would rather die attempting rescue than live not having tried."


Lady Alden frowned, her thin brows coming together.


"I will not let you go try to rescue your friend. It is too dangerous."


Tarilenea, indignant, was about to respond angrily when Lady Alden grinned, showing pearly white teeth.
"I will go with you."


Tarilenea looked up, her mouth open.


"You will?" she choked out. "But--your school--"


Lady Alden accepted the tray of scones Nanny brought into the room gratefully, handing one to Tarilenea. They were hot and moist, and Tarilenea immediately took a large bite.


"I will come with you, "continued Lady Alden. "You, an untrained magician with wild magic and no fighting capabilities, has no chance against a group of grown men, one of whom is a sorcerer. Besides, I have always wanted to teach in Corus, and I have an assistant who can take over the school here. I think it would be a great adventure. I will take some of my most valued students with me, and we can begin a school in Corus!"


A happy smile took over her face while Tarilenea munched on her scone.


"Sounds great," said Tarilenea through a mouthful. "When do we leave, then?"


**********************


Tarilenea and Lady Alden left the next morning with five other pupils who Lady Alden said were her best. They included Saranna, Baara, Kalama, Raizel, and Dravdid. Saranna was a large girl with bright brown eyes and wispy blonde hair who always seemed to be smiling. Her special talent was her ability to work with animals. Baara was a surly, small red-haired girl of about thirteen years. She worked with flame, Lady Alden told Tarilenea, but had problems with keeping it under control.

Kalama had chocolate-brown skin and deep brown eyes. Her hair was kept in cornrows trailing in long waves down her back, causing many eyes to follow her through the streets. Her talent was with plants, and the weather. So far her magic was fairly undeveloped, but she could already partly stop the rain and create snow from rain. Raizel was olive-toned, with hazel eyes and rather frizzy dark brown hair. Her large, solemn eyes made people think that she was serious, which she was most certainly not. She was always the first in the group to crack a joke, or smile at one. Her gift was in healing people.

The final student was Dravdid, a very small eight-year old boy. Tarilenea had at first been surprised to see such a youngster, but Lady Alden had explained that Dravdid was a special case; his parents had died in a fire when he was young, and she had rescued him from the streets when she saw him Seeing the future. Lady Alden thought that he might have other talents as well, but she had yet to find them out as the boy was still traumatized by his death ordeal. Dravdid at first seemed very shy and small, but when Tarilenea looked into his face his eyes took over and she found herself dropping into them.


She felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked up. Lady Alden was looking at her with smiling eyes.


"I forgot to tell you--Dravdid also has a wonderful ability to make people trust him."


At Tarilenea's surprised look, she continued--"he can meet anybody on the streets, look at them, and convince them to do almost anything." She chuckled. "Fortunately, he does not use this talent for bad purposes. But you will see, he will get us out of many a bad situation with those awesome eyes of his. Just don't look too much or you might get lost."


She smiled softly at Tarilenea and nudged her horse away. Tarilenea looked around. Saranna and Kalama were natural friends, and they made a nice pair. At the moment, Saranna was showing Kalama how to reign in her horse properly without hurting it, and Kalama was watching carefully. Baara was, as usual, sulking off in a distant part of the group, almost at the back. Everything about her was red, from her eyebrows and long lashes to the bush of fire she had on her head. Even her freckles looked dark to Tarilenea. Raizel was very quiet, and busy healing a scrape on the neck of her horse. She was riding alongside Dravdid. It seemed that the two had taken a liking to each other, and Raizel was very protective of the boy. She had been the one who had cured most of his burns when he had come from the streets.


Dravdid, his floppy black hair falling into his eyes, pointed a grubby arm to the right, at the town square.


"Look," he breathed softly.


The small company all looked up obediently, and a small collective gasp went up.


"That wasn't there before," said Kamala indignantly. "Where did that come from?"


In the center of the square was a maze, green and tall. Its soft leaves were coated in the afternoon sunlight, making it seem like a fire-bush. Baara's eyes glimmered slightly.


"Let's go in," she said with a thick accent. "I want to see what is inside."


At the entrance to the maze was a sign—


Test Your Memory and Sense of Direction--Only 5 Nobles!


Lady Alden looked around at her pupils. All of them stared at her with uncertain looks except for Tarilenea , whose lips were pursed and eyebrows drawn down. She did not like the way the maze had popped up just when Nigel had. She also felt uneasy, like there was something wrong. She couldn't place it, but she could feel something in the bottom of her stomach which was warning her not to go farther. She also felt a slight tug, making her want to step into the maze. This feeling she did not like at all. She raised her eyebrows at Lady Alden, intending to signify that she did not want to go in. This was instead mistaken as a glance of uncertainty, and Lady Alden clapped her hands happily.


"Let's go then! But stay together--I don't want anyone getting lost!"


Tarilenea was behind all the other horses as they clopped slowly towards the maze. They each paid their five nobles to a box at the entrance to the maze, and Tarilenea was about to follow the other six horses in when she remembered her Pendant of Defense which was hanging around her neck. She fished it out of her many layers and held it up to her good eye.


She gasped. The entire maze was a blaze of yellow. Every single leaf was gold, and even the air enveloping the maze was tinged with bright yellow. Closing her eyes tightly, she felt for the magic surrounding the maze. Finding it, she discovered that it was a Silencing Spell, tinged with a slight Summoning Spell which could almost not be felt.
Tarilenea dropped the Pendant and shouted loudly, "Lady Alden! Come back!"


There was no answer. A few townspeople looked at her oddly as they bustled by, but other than the normal sounds of a city at work Tarilenea heard nothing. Only a deep, perpetrating silence sounded from the maze. She closed her eyes and winced, toning her hearing to its full capabilities. She held Moonshine's mane hard, for the sounds of the town around her were shattering. She could hear every footstep, every breath, every cough, every word spoken within fifty feet. She closed out these sounds slowly, one by one. Soon all that was left in her ears was the silence. But even this did not seem natural. She decided to try a trick she had discovered a while back.


Tarilenea reached down into herself, into her source of magic. It was bright blue, and overflowing in the darkness of her inner-self. She grasped it with one hand, and swimming back to the top, grabbed the Silencing Spell with the other. She forced the two strains of magic together, bonding them as they fizzled and tried to back away. The effect was astonishing. Suddenly, she could hear all of the sounds in the maze as clearly as if she were standing right next to them.


Lady Alden's voice echoed through her mind.


"Let go of me! Where did you take Dravdid and the others?"


"That is none of your concern," Nigel's voice said. "We will do what we want with all of you. For the moment, you will stay in this room with the other captured sorcerers."


Tarilenea heard weeping, and the muffled sounds of bodies crunched tightly together. Listening carefully and tuning Lady Alden out, she heard Dravdid whisper, "Tarry? Tarry where are you?"


Tarilenea was too involved in what he was saying to realize that he was saying this in her mind. She whispered back silently, not expecting him to hear.


"I am with you, Dravdid. Have no fear, I will find you."


To her great surprise, Dravdid's voice spoke again within her mind. Shocked, she realized that he must have her power of mind-to-mind communication.


"I'm scared, Tarry. I'm cold. And they took Lady Alden away somewhere, I don't know where she is."


"Is she still in the maze, Dravdid? Is she still in the maze?"


"I don't know."


"Don't tell anyone you speak with me, or they might hurt you. Is everyone else all right?"


"Yes. Saranna and Kamala and Raizel are sitting next to me, and Baara is trying to make fire so we can be warmer."


"Did the big man say why he captured you?"


"He said that his master needs magic people, and he is taking us to his master so that we can help fight. I don't want to go, Tarry!"


Tarilenea tried to calm the little one down.


"Do not fret, Dravdid. I will get you out of this. I will find you and when I do, I will make the bad guys go away."


She could almost feel Dravdid smile.


"Ok. I am going to sleep now, I am tired."


"All right. Wait--" Tarilenea realized with a start that they might be putting a sleeping gas over her friends, and tried frantically to keep in touch with his mind. But it was of no use. He slipped away from her slowly, into a deep sleep. She would have to try later.


Turning her attention back to Nigel and Lady Alden, she heard Nigel comment softly to someone,


"She is asleep. Good work, Sebastien. Your Sleeping Spell is very nice."


"Thank you, m'lord," said a high nasal voice.


Nigel continued. "Carry her back to the others. We can get nothing out of her now, we will have to let Deleterious deal with her." He chuckled unpleasantly, and Tarilenea could hear heavy footsteps walking away.


Tarilenea opened her eyes, to see little blurry spots all over her vision. This was what happened when she overspent her magic. She had to get out of sight; Nigel might come out at any moment.


She lead Moonshine over to a small alley between a bookshop and a bakery. She pulled her cloak tight around herself to keep out the cold. With a quiet sigh, she lay down on Moonshine's back and resolved to keep a vigil on the maze.

A/N:  **gasp** what happens next?  Review if you want to know lol