Trudi Canavan - The Novice

Magic is a useful art, but not without limitations. A magician’s natural area of influence lies within his or her body, the skin being the boundary of this area. Minimal effort is required to influence magic within this space. No other magician may influence this space, unless he or she is Healing, which requires skin to skin contact.

To influence what lies beyond the body, more effort is required. The farther away the object to be influenced is from the body, the more effort is required. The same limitation is true of mental communication, though it is not as taxing as most magical tasks.

Rothen had told her as much, but she continued reading. Some time later, after she had read three of the lessons and was beginning on the fourth, two novices returned to the room. The first she recognized as Gennyl, the half-Lonmar boy who had gained a guardian during the ceremony. His companion was the other tall Lonmar boy. They glanced at her once as they moved to seats halfway down the classroom. She could sense a difference about them, as if their presence was amplified. She guessed this meant their powers had been released. They would soon learn to hide it, as she had. It appeared that achieving the First Level wasn’t difficult or slow. The Second Level, she knew, was harder.

A murmuring conversation began, in the liquid language of their homeland. Another novice entered the room—a Kyralian boy with dark circles under his eyes. Sitting down, he remained silent, rigidly staring at his desk.

There was something strange about this one. She could sense an aura of magic about him, too, but it pulsed erratically, sometimes strong, sometimes fading beyond detection. Not wanting to upset him any further by her staring, she looked away. Until the novices had achieved both First and Second Levels of Control, she might sense all kinds of strange things from them.

A laugh outside the doorway caught her attention before she could start reading again. This time five novices filed into the room, leaving only Regin missing. Without a figure of authority to watch them, the novices lounged around, sitting on their desks and talking in little groups. Her senses buzzed with their magical presences.

No one approached Sonea. She was both relieved and disappointed. They didn’t know what to expect from her, she reasoned, so they avoided her. She would have to make the first attempt to be friendly. If she didn’t, then they might decide she didn’t want to mix with them.

The pretty Elyne girl sat nearby, rubbing her temples. Remembering how Control lessons had given Rothen headaches, Sonea wondered if this girl might appreciate a little sympathy. Slowly, trying to look confident, she rose and moved across the room to the girl’s table.

“It isn’t easy, is it?” Sonea ventured.

The girl’s eyes lifted to hers in surprise, then she shrugged and looked back down at her table. When no reply came, Sonea began to suspect, with a growing sickness in her stomach, that the girl was ignoring her.

“I don’t like her,” the girl said suddenly, in a strong Elyne accent.

Sonea blinked in puzzlement. “Like who?”

“Lady Kinla,” the girl said irritably. She pronounced the name as “Keenlar.”

“The one teaching you Control? Hmmm, that would make it hard.”

“It’s not that Lady Kinla’s a bad person,” the girl sighed. “It’s just that I don’t want her in my mind. She’s so...” The girl’s red curls swayed as she shook her head.

The seat in front of the Elyne girl was empty. Sonea lowered herself into it and turned to face the girl.

“You don’t want her to see some things in your mind?” Sonea prompted. “Things that aren’t wrong or bad, but things you don’t want just any person seeing?”

“Yes, that’s it,” the girl looked up, her eyes wide and haunted, “but I have to let her see them, don’t I?”

Sonea frowned. “No, you don’t have to... well, I don’t know exactly what you want to keep from her, but... well... those things can be hidden.”

The girl was staring at Sonea now.

“How? ”

“You imagine a kind of doorway and put them behind it,” Sonea explained. “Lady Kinla will probably see what you’ve done but she won’t try to get to them just as Rothen didn’t try to get to mine.”

The girl’s eyes widened further still. “Lord Rothen taught you Control? He was in your mind ?” she gasped.

“Yes.” Sonea nodded.

“But he’s a man .”

“Well... he taught me. Is that why you have a lady teacher? Do you have to be taught by a woman?”

“Of course .” The girl was staring at her in horror.

Sonea shook her head slowly. “I didn’t know. I don’t see how it would make any difference being taught by a male or female magician. Perhaps...” She frowned. “If I couldn’t have hidden away all my secret thoughts it would have been better to have a woman teach me.”

The girl had pulled away from Sonea a little. “It would be wrong for a girl of our age to share her mind with a man.”

Sonea shrugged. “It’s just minds. It’s like talking, but quicker. There’s nothing wrong with talking to a man, is there?”

“No...”

“You just don’t talk about certain things.” Sonea gave her a meaningful look.

A slow smile spread across the girl’s face. “No... except on special occasions, I suppose.”

“Issle.” A sharp voice cut across the noise in the room. Sonea looked up to see a middle-aged woman in green robes standing in the doorway.

“You’ve rested long enough. Come with me.”

“Yes, my lady,” the girl sighed.

“Good luck,” Sonea offered as the girl hurried away. She wasn’t sure if Issle had heard, as the girl disappeared through the door without a backward glance.

Sonea looked down at the book in her hands and allowed herself a small smile. It was a start. Perhaps, later, she would talk to Issle again.

Returning to her desk, she continued reading.

Projection:

Moving an object is quicker and easier if in sight. Moving an object outside of view may be done by extending the mind sense to locate it first. This takes more effort and time, however, and ...

Bored, Sonea began to watch the novices coming and going. She listened for their names, and tried to guess what they were like. Shern, the Kyralian boy with the dark circles under his eyes, had winced when his teacher returned and called his name. He had looked up at the magician with haunted eyes, and reluctance had been expressed in every movement as he had pushed back his chair and shuffled over to the door.

Regin had befriended two boys, Kano and Vallon. The shy Kyralian girl listened to their conversation attentively, and the Elyne boy drew little pictures in a paper-covered book. When Issle returned she collapsed in her seat and buried her head in her arms. Sonea had heard the others complaining of headaches and decided to leave the girl alone.

When the gong chimed at midbreak, Sonea let out a quiet sigh of relief. All she had done was read lessons she already knew, constantly distracted by the coming and going of the other novices. It hadn’t been a particularly interesting first lesson.

Lord Elben strode into the room, causing the novices to scuttle hastily to their seats. He waited until they had settled, then cleared his throat.

“We will resume Control lessons at the same time tomorrow,” he told them. “Your next class will be Guild history, held in the second history room upstairs. You may leave now.”

Several sighs of relief could be heard around the class. The novices rose, bowed to the teacher and started for the door. Hanging back, Sonea noted that the Elyne boy had joined Regin’s group of new friends. She followed quietly, handing the teacher back his book as she passed, then lengthened her stride to catch up with Issle.