The mealymouthed sorceress was about as likeable as a squashed toad. The Keeper herself had said that there was no harm in a girl romping with a boy if she wanted to . . . but of course the cryptic specter Thaile had met might not have been the Keeper. It could have been a wraith of Evil sent to tempt her. She had not discussed that encounter with anyone.
“You all have a great deal to learn,” the mistress continued, ”the ways of power itself, the history and purpose of the College, its workings and organization, the whole edifice of law and duty that the blessed Keef decreed for us a thousand years ago. You must start by learning to read and write.”
“Today we begin your education. Normally we prefer to wait until we have six or eight in a class, but for reasons that I may not disclose, we have decided to proceed immediately, with just the five of you.” Her muddy dark eyes flickered momentarily to Thaile, without expression.
“You were selected because you all come from Gifted families—”
Doob spoke for the first time, in his boyish treble. “My uncle Kulth’s a sorcerer! He’s an analyst.”
“But you are only a novice!” Mearn snapped. “In class you speak only when spoken to!”
Doob turned white, and Thaile winced at the intensity of his fright.
“If you have a question, raise your hand,” Mearn said, and then continued, paying him no more attention. “All of you have learned one word of power, and all of you have displayed Faculty. In case any of you still do not understand the distinction, I shall explain. Listen carefully, because I do not intend to tell you anything more than once. Everyone has some sort of native ability. A good ear for music, for example. When a person learns a word of power, that ability is increased, sometimes very greatly. How much it increases depends on two things. One is Faculty. Faculty is a talent for magic itself, and it tends to run in families. We know of many such Gifted families, like yours. Any questions so far?”
Five heads shook in denial. Woom added, “I knew all that.”
Mistress Mearn eyed him coldly, but made no comment. Thaile decided that she disliked the sorceress almost as much as she disliked Woom. The timorous little Doob might be the best of the entire odious company. At least she could feel sorry for a frightened kid.
“The other factor,” Mearn continued, “is the strength of the word itself. The words you learned are all known very widely. Each one is shared by scores of people. We call those ‘Background Words.’ Do you understand so far?”
The four youths nodded. Thaile did not. She disliked being treated as a halfwit.
Mearn shot her a calculating glance and went on with her lecture. “When several people know a word, its power is not divided equally between them. People who have Faculty get more of the power than others. Or else they manage to use their share more effectively. Most people show no results at all when they learn one of the background words, or very little. You all showed an increase in talent, and so we know that you all have Faculty.”
Jain had told Thaile all this a year ago.
Woom raised a hand as high as he could, as if reaching for the rafters.
“Yes, Novice?”
“Which is it?”
“Which is what?”
“Do they get more of the power, or do they just use it better?” The sorceress pursed her lips, making her little mouth even tinier. Then she said, ”No one knows. Even the Keeper does not know. It doesn’t matter.”
“Thought it didn’t,” Woom said with satisfaction.
Thaile decided he might have some good points she had previously overlooked—he was obviously annoying the mistress of novices. She sighed. She was not usually so crabby about people.
“Here in the College,” Mearn continued grimly, “we keep careful track of the Gifted Families, and which persons know which words. That is the task of the recorders, and also the archivists. I will explain the rankings to you another day. We also know many other words of power, much stronger words. We keep track of those words also, of course. Normally each is known by only two people—no more, and no less. Can any of you explain why we take that precaution?”
Thaile sighed again and looked out at the streaming rain. Even on a day like this, there must be better ways of passing the time.
“Well? Why two? Why not one, or three?” Mearn pouted at the lack of response, then picked on the dim-witted Maig, who of course could not answer the question. She ought to let him go off and practice juggling sharp axes, Thaile thought—he might put himself out of his own misery. Even after the obvious reasons had been explained for him several times and he was nodding and mumbling that he understood, she could Feel his incomprehension. A sorceress must be able to Feel it, also, but eventually Mearn pretended to be satisfied.
“Very shortly, all of you will be told another word of power!” she announced, and peered around for reaction. “Yes, Woom?”
“Does that mean I have to watch some other old bag die?” The sorceress’s guard slipped for a moment, and Thaile Felt her irritation, like lightning on a dark night. “Not usually. If not, at least one of the two people who know that word will be elderly. Under those circumstances, of course, there will be three people who know that word.” Her ugly brown eyes narrowed dangerously. “Go ahead and ask it!”
For once the brash Woom seemed taken aback. In an unusually meek tone he said, “Do you kill them off, then?”
“Of course not! If you prove to have real Faculty, you will probably be promoted to sorcerer one day, but not for many years. By that time, the third person will have died naturally.”
“And if I don’t have real Faculty?”
“You remain an adept. Two words make an adept. Now, who can tell me the powers of an adept?”
The rain roared on the roof and the grass. Mearn pouted her little mouth again.
“Novice Mist?”
“A superman?” Mist said hopefully. “An adept can do anything?”
“More or less,” she agreed reluctantly. “Anything mundane. Sometimes, if an adept had very strong Faculty, he may also display some occult power. A second word allows us to confirm the strength of your Faculty. It also lets you become useful.” Her manner implied that she had rarely seen a less useful collection of candidates. “Reading and writing, for example. Teaching those skills to you now would be a long, painful business. As adepts, you will learn very easily—most of you.”
Thaile did not want to know how to read and write. She did not want to be a sorcerer, or even an adept. She wanted Leeb, and the life that had been stolen from her.
Mearn studied her disagreeably with her ugly, mud-brown eyes. “You are all wondering why these things are expected of you. I assure you that life in the College is very pleasant, once you become used to it. You will never wish to return to the lowly peasant existence of your upbringing. However, you are not required to take my word for this. Tomorrow is the full moon.”
She paused, while five young novices puzzled over her last remark.
“At this time of year, of course, the moon is not always visible. Fortunately, the exact full moon is not necessary. Tonight will do, or tomorrow, or the night after. You will meet me here tonight at sundown. If the weather is fair, we shall proceed to a place called the Defile.”
A knot of fear tightened around Thaile’s heart. Mearn frowned, as if she had Felt it.
“If you’re a sorceress,” Woom demanded without bothering to raise his hand, “howcum you can’t just make the weather good?”
“I could.” Mearn’s expression suggested that she could do much worse than that, if provoked far enough. “But we do not use power of that magnitude without the Keeper’s permission. In time you will understand why we have that restriction. Your education will begin at the Defile, as I said. Once you have walked through there by moonlight, you will understand why you have been brought to the College. You will understand why the College exists, and why what we do here is necessary.”
“Is this some sort of ordeal?” Suddenly Woom sounded much less brash.
The sorceress nodded smugly. “Yes, it is. But all of us here at the College have undergone this ordeal. It is not pleasant, I admit. It is not without risk, but I do not think any of you will be in much danger. “ Again her eyes flickered briefly over Thaile, who began to feel a rising trickle of anger.
“Once you have passed through the Defile, therefore,” Mearn said, ”you will understand much better. Until then, there is no use trying to teach you anything practical. However, I shall now outline some of the behavior expected of you. Then I shall dismiss you, and you may continue to enjoy our facilities insofar as the weather permits—” Another glance at Thaile. ”Within certain moral limits, of course.”