The Magic of Recluce Read Online Free PDF Page A

masters . . . was Magister Kerwin misleading us? Do the masters act like the armies of the Outer Kingdoms? Isn't that a form of chaos?"
    My father chuckled. "Yes, and no, to the first. No to the second, and, if true, yes to the third, although it probably wasn't intentional, which would mitigate the impact."
    "But-"
    "Kerwin let you think what you wished, which is a form of deception, particularly to an agile mind such as yours." He held up his left hand and took a brief sip of his wine.
    I'd never liked the wine and still preferred cold water.
    Mother continued to pick at her meal.
    "Some of the masters deal extensively with the Outer Kingdoms, and counter chaos on a daily basis. We seldom see them, but they're properly called the Brotherhood. They wear scarlet and black. Then there are the masters, who wear black when undertaking their official duties, and whatever they please at other times. There are others as well, whom you will come to recognize in the days ahead.
    "While each group has specific duties, all their duties revolve about maximizing reasonable order in Recluce. You remember the baker-Oldham?"
    I nodded wearily.
    "Who took him away?"
    "The masters."
    "What did they do with him?"
    "Dumped him somewhere in the Outer Marches, I suppose. Or killed him."
    "Do you know what he did?"
    I drained the rest of the water from the tumbler before answering. "What difference does it make? The masters are powerful, especially the hidden ones."
    "Hidden ones?" asked my mother.
    "The ones no one knows about. How else would they know about people like the baker?"
    "I take it you do not believe in magic, then, Lerris?" asked my father.
    "How can I believe or disbelieve? The practice of chaos-magic is prohibited, and I've never seen anything that would be called good magic that could not be explained by either chance or hard work."
    My mother smiled, a rather strange smile, almost lopsided.
    "What point were you trying to make? What about the baker? Why was that important? Or was it just to show that the masters control Recluce?" By now I was as impatient as I had been when I had left for my apprenticeship.
    "I'm not sure, Lerris, except to show that the masters affect everything in Recluce. By the way, the baker is still living, and doing fairly well in Hamor. That might indicate the masters are neither cruel nor vindictive, but only protective of us."
    "Then why are they so secretive?" I was beginning to regret even getting into the argument. My parents hadn't changed at all, still talking around things, hinting, but never saying anything outright.
    My father sighed. "I'm not sure I can answer that."
    He hadn't been able to answer that question before I had left, either.
    "Dear," added my mother, "right now we can't tell you everything, and you want explanations that require experience you don't have."
    "That means you aren't going to explain anything."
    "Hold it. You asked about defenses. I can answer that." My father practically glared at me.
    I ignored him and speared another slice of duck.
    "The Brotherhood does act as our army, and as a navy, too. As part of the dangergeld choice, you could choose to serve as a border guard with the Brotherhood, assuming the masters agreed. The masters themselves maintain a sort of watch against chaos-magic, even in its subtler forms, such as shown in the case of the baker.
    "The coasters belong to the Brotherhood, although they fish as well as watch the offshore waters, and each ship that flies the flag of Recluce carries a member of the Brotherhood as well as a junior master."
    "How many are there?"
    "Enough," answered my father. "Enough."
    I could tell that was all I was going to get, just from his tone, and, on my last night, it seemed stupid to refight a battle that would only end up frustrating us all. So I had some more duck, and slathered another slab of the dark bread with the cherry conserve.
    "Any new neighbors?"
    "There's a young couple building a place on the empty lane, the