Kay Hooper - The Wizard Of Seattle

"I was foolish, and I paid the price for it. If it hadn't been for these strangers, I would have died."

Showing little interest in whatever Roxanne had suffered, Phaedra frowned. "They are a pair?"

"They-travel together. Such things are done where they come from, Phaedra."

Phaedra looked beyond Roxanne at the strangers, particularly Merlin-at whom Nola had been coldly staring during the conversation. Without speaking to Merlin, Phaedra looked at Serena. "You are not bound in any way by him once you enter the city. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

"If you wish to remain inside the city walls, he cannot compel you to leave. Any claim to ownership he has is meaningless inside Sanctuary."

Serena couldn't let that pass. Quietly she said, "He doesn't own me-in or out of the city."

Phaedra was dearly surprised and not a little disbelieving. "No?"

"No. Where we come from, things are… different." Serena wondered miserably if they really were, but managed to keep her voice cool.

"Interesting." Still doubtful but not overly concerned, Phaedra turned her flat, slate gray eyes to Merlin. "Whatever your customs may be, the laws of Sanctuary are clear and strictly enforced. Within these walls you do not command. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Merlin kept his voice calm and neutral.

"Are you prepared to obey the laws of Sanctuary?"

He inclined his head slightly. "I am."

Phaedra turned her head to look questioningly at Nola. "How does he rank?"

"Powerful. A seventh-degree Master."

Serena was a little startled by that, since she hadn't been aware there were degrees of achievement past the ultimate level of Master. She thought both Roxanne and Phaedra were startled, as well, and wondered how Nola was able to differentiate among amplitudes of power. A specialty, perhaps? It made sense; in primitive cultures an individual's strongest or more distinctive talent was often how he or she was known to others, and frequently determined chores or duties.

If there were wizards with strengths in designated areas, then no wonder Roxanne had accepted Serena's explanation about Merlin's being a gifted healer.

Phaedra was frowning again as she stared at Merlin. "A seventh-degree Master. I know of only two wizards here who have ever achieved so high a degree of power. Why did you come to Atlantia?"

"I'm a traveler, no more," Merlin replied, still neutral. "Atlantis is one stop among many. I have no intention of breaking your laws, or interfering in any way with your society. I give you my word."

Looking sharply at Serena, Phaedra demanded, "Can he be expected to keep his word?"

Serena's slight hesitation went unnoticed by everyone except him. "Yes, he can."

"We shall see." Phaedra shrugged and spoke to Merlin again, coldly. "Make no mistake-no matter how powerful you may be, we in this city have learned to defend ourselves. We will not tolerate any difficulty from you."

"I understand."

"Where is your staff?"

Merlin used one hand to open slightly the left side of his coat, revealing his staff, which was fastened to his belt the way a sword would be worn, with the gleaming crystal uppermost. Only Serena seemed to be aware that the staff had not been there seconds before.

Studying the gem-studded instrument, Phaedra appeared unwillingly impressed by its magnificence and its craftsmanship, but she didn't comment. Instead she said, "No male wizard may pass into the city unless he is willing to bear the mark of power. Is that your choice?"

If he wanted to enter Sanctuary, Merlin thought wryly, then there was obviously no choice to make. He had only an inkling of what this "mark of power" would be, but he answered the question in a dispassionate tone. "Yes, it is."

Nola spoke for only the second time. "Hold out your hand, palm down."

Merlin obeyed, holding his right hand out in front of him, and Nola stretched out her hand without coming any nearer. Watching, Serena felt more than saw Merlin tense as the reddish shadow of an owl etched itself across the back of his hand between wrist and knuckles. It was a highly visible sign.

When it was done, Phaedra spoke again. "Our laws are posted just inside the gates. Study them well. And welcome to Sanctuary."

The two Sentinels stepped aside.

Roxanne immediately led the way past the guards and through the city's gates. She didn't take them down the main road, which wound from the gates through the city, but halted just a few yards inside, where the solid stone wall of a building provided a smooth surface for the laws to be recorded.

"Both of you should study the laws," Roxanne said to Serena. "While you do so, I have a few matters to take care of, including arranging accommodations for you." She paused, then asked diffidently, "Will he be permitted in your house?"

Serena wondered if Roxanne would ever address Merlin directly. "Yes. Will that be a problem?"

Roxanne frowned. "I don't know. I'll have to find out if special permission is required. If you'll wait here, I will return in a few minutes."

Serena looked after her as she headed toward what looked like an official building not far away. Every visible building was very plain and quite solid in appearance, with stone walls and slate or tile roofs. Doors were heavy wood, and windows used a kind of glass that was poorly made, thick, and warped.

From where they stood Serena couldn't see very many people, but those she glimpsed were almost all women. There were two men, both obviously powerless, standing near or walking with women, the couples too far away for her to determine if the women were wizards. And she saw one child, a little girl with carrot-color hair who was playing with a doll on the steps of one of the smaller buildings.

It was a very quiet city.

Despite being female, Serena didn't feel very welcome. She could only imagine how Merlin must have felt.

Turning her head, she looked at the wall and, for an instant, saw nothing but meaningless symbols. But then the writing seemed to shimmer faintly, and she found she could see the laws written neatly in English. Apparently Merlin had considered the possibility that they'd have to cope with an unfamiliar written, as well as spoken, language.

She began reading, not really surprised to find that most of them were specifically designed to restrict powerless men and male wizards.

"A city of women indeed," Merlin said quietly.

Serena glanced at him, saw that he was studying the laws and absently rubbing the back of his right hand with the fingers of his left, and then returned her gaze to the tersely written decrees. They were certainly clear, and quite simple.

No male, wizard or powerless, was allowed to touch any female in public unless she was his legal wife; in private, physical contact by any unmarried male was allowed only by prior arrangement. (Serena found that last bit somewhat unsettling.)

Every unmarried male and all male wizards were required to exit the city before the gates were closed one hour before sunset each day; any discovered in the city after the curfew would be subject to the most severe punishment (unnamed).

No unmarried male or male wizard could enter any private residence without an invitation issued and properly recorded in the presence of at least two witnesses. (The meticulous caution, Serena thought, was terribly sad and not a little tragic.)

And no Master wizard, male of female, was permitted to draw his or her staff inside the city walls.

There were a few more laws, most of them a bit more general and applicable to all the citizens of Sanctuary- the usual rules most societies eventually adopted about not stealing or destroying private or public property or hurting other people.

Serena could feel Merlin looking at her. They hadn't spoken directly to each other since that confrontation by the stream, and she was wary of talking to him now. He'd given her so much to think about, and there had been no chance for her to try to work through it all. All she was certain of was that she had never really known him, or the society of wizards she had longed for her entire life to be a part of.