Kay Hooper - The Wizard Of Seattle

"The law about Master wizards' drawing their staffs," she said finally without looking at him. "Does it mean using the staffs to focus power?"

"I assume so. Serena-"

She cut him off. "There must be quite a few Master wizards here-relative to the population, I mean. When we first came in, I saw a woman with a staff tucked in her belt."

"Yes, I saw her. With so many wizards in the population, I suppose an unusual number are Masters."

"Do you think being a Master wizard means the same thing here that it does in our time?"

Merlin didn't answer immediately, then said, "In substance, although the wizards here obviously have fewer and less-developed abilities."

She nodded, still not looking at him. "That's probably just as well. We're sort of outnumbered."

"Serena-"

Again she cut him off. "According to these laws, you won't be able to stay here in the city for more than a few hours before you'll have to leave. But I should stay, I think. That way I can find out how the people in the city cope with the night, and the Curtain."

"We probably shouldn't separate," he said quietly.

Serena turned to face him, lifting her chin and meeting his eyes directly. "I need some time away from you, Richard. I have a lot to think about. Maybe a few days on my own here in the city will give me the chance to…"

"To what? To decide if you still trust me?"

"I don't know. All right? I don't know what I think, or what I feel. I just have to find a quiet place and sit down and try to figure it all out."

"Serena, I have to tell you the rest of it. You can't understand the situation until you know all the facts."

Fiercely she said, "You had every opportunity to give me the facts before we left Seattle, and you refused to do it. Why? Why didn't you tell me then?"

"Because I knew this would happen," he told her. "I knew you'd begin questioning and doubting everything I had taught you or told you about wizards. I knew you'd doubt me . Serena, I had hoped we'd be able to observe this society without being affected by it, but I had a hunch it wouldn't be easy-and I wanted at least one of us to avoid being torn to pieces by the conflict here. So I didn't tell you any more than I had to. Was that so wrong?"

She didn't know how to answer that, reminding herself that all this must be as difficult for him as it was for her, if not more so. Serena had been virtually ignored- and discounted as mere property-by the men they had encountered, but Merlin had been viewed with open hatred and suspicion by the women. He was being treated as though he were guilty of unnamed but heinous crimes without being given any chance to defend himself. He had even been marked, branded, to make certain others knew what he was.

She glanced down to see that he was still rubbing the mark on the back of his right hand, and murmured, "That hurt, didn't it?"

"Yes, it hurt. Considering that male wizards are obvious from their appearance, I gather the point of the mark is to make us feel like lepers rather than warn the females. And I got the distinct impression that Nola made very sure it hurt."

Serena started to reach for his hand, but Merlin took a step back. "No, you mustn't touch me on a public street; we can't break any of their laws."

"The law says an unmarried male can't touch a female; it doesn't say anything about the other way around," she reminded him.

"In this case I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, the pain's gone now. I just…" He hesitated, then shrugged. "I just don't much care for the way the mark feels."

"How does it feel?"

"Heavy. Cold. Obvious." He smiled slightly, a bit wry. "Now I have some idea of how Hester Prynne felt in The Scarlet Letter . It isn't a very pleasant thing to be branded a social outcast."

"Especially when you didn't do anything to earn it," Serena agreed. "I'm sorry, Richard, I keep forgetting that. Whatever other wizards do, or have done, I can hardly blame you for their sins. In fact, I think you've probably gone out on a very long limb to avoid being like the others in our time. You weren't supposed to accept me as your Apprentice, were you? That's why you got in trouble with the Council of Elders."

"You… deduced that from what's going on here?" he asked slowly.

Serena thought about it. "Partly. You said something had happened to alter the society of wizards; from the looks of things here, it was some kind of struggle between the sexes. And then, when you said I was the only woman to be trained as a wizard in our time… It makes sense, that's all. We're here because I'm the only female wizard in our time. Aren't we?"

Merlin glanced around and spotted a long wooden bench nearby. "Why don't we go over there and sit down," he suggested. "I'll tell you the rest while we wait for Roxanne to come back."

"I'm not going to like it, am I?"

"No. No, you're not going to like it."

"I thought Merlin would come, as well," Roxanne said as she led the way along the narrow main street of Sanctuary. "I'm sorry I took so long to return, but-"

"It's all right," Serena assured her. "Merlin wanted to explore a bit on his own before he had to leave the city for the night, so he went ahead. I'm going to meet him by the gates tomorrow morning. Are you sure it's all right for me to stay at your house? I mean, I don't want to impose…"

"I'll welcome the company, truly." She hesitated, then added, "Merlin may also enter my house if he wishes; I recorded the invitation properly before witnesses."

Serena regarded the younger wizard soberly. "I think that took a lot of courage, Roxanne. And he'll appreciate your offer as much as I do."

"He saved my life. For that, at least, I owe him the courtesy of admitting him into my home." Her voice was deliberate rather than filled with gratitude, but since she was struggling to overcome the beliefs of a lifetime, it was no wonder she couldn't summon very much enthusiasm.

Serena, struggling with new and complex emotions herself, since she now knew that Merlin could strip her of her powers, managed to sound calm and casual. "He may want to visit your house tomorrow, but if so, it will probably be a brief visit. He's too curious about the city to remain long in one place. Speaking of the city, that building you came out of back there looked like a hospital. Was it?"

Roxanne nodded. "Yes, I wanted to see a Healer immediately to discover if those village men had left me with child."

Shocked, Serena realized she hadn't even considered that possibility. "I'm sorry. I should have asked Merlin to tell you that."

"I wouldn't have believed him," Roxanne answered matter-of-factly. "I would have gone to my own Healer anyway."

"I know it's none of my business, but are you? With child?"

"No, I'm safe," the younger woman said with obvious relief. "And she said… that Merlin is indeed an excellent Healer. All my injuries were skillfully repaired."

Serena nodded. "I'll tell him she said so; it's always nice to get a compliment from a peer. And I'm glad you won't have to worry about a pregnancy."

"Yes. It would have been… difficult."

To say the least . Serena decided to change the subject. "I've noticed signs above some of the doors-are all the buildings public establishments? For instance, that one on the corner seems to indicate a tailor." She used the word hesitantly and felt relieved when Roxanne nodded.

"Yes, it is. And that one, across the way, is an eating establishment."

"What's used for money here?" Serena asked.

"Money?"

"Um… currency? Coin? Legal tender?"

Roxanne's frown cleared. "Ah, I see. We haven't used coin in Atlantia for a long time. There's no need. We simply barter. Some wizards are more adept at creating food, others garments-and still others choose to build new houses or heal."