The Novice Read Online Free PDF Page B

was gentler. “Though a very important attribute and one we expect from all our magicians.”
    Jerrik continued down the aisle. Sonea turned her head to watch him, but noticed that the other novices were staring rigidly at the front of the room. Feeling uneasy, she copied them, listening for the magician’s footsteps as he moved closer.
    “Elayk?”
    “Talent, my lord?” The boy’s Lonmar accent was strong.
    “No.”
    The footsteps grew closer. Sonea felt a tingling at the top of her spine. What would she say if he asked her? Surely all the possible answers had been offered already. She drew in a quiet breath and let it out slowly. He wouldn’t ask her anyway. She was the unimportant girl from the…
    “Sonea?”
    Her stomach lurched. Looking up, she saw Jerrik standing over her, his eyes growing chillier as she hesitated.
    Then she knew the answer. It was easy. After all, she should know this better than any of the novices since she had nearly died when her own powers had grown uncontrollable. Jerrik knew this, which was probably why he had asked her.
    “Control, my lord.”
    “No.”
    The magician sighed and moved to the front of the room. She stared at the grain of the wooden table before her, her face hot.
    The University Director stopped in front of the desk and crossed his arms. He looked around the room again. The class waited, expectant and ashamed.
    “The most important attribute of a magician is knowledge.” He paused, then looked at each of the novices who had spoken in turn. “Without it his strength is useless, he has nothing to be skilled or talented in, despite his best intentions.” The magician’s eyes flickered to Sonea. “Even if his powers surface of their own accord, he will soon be dead if he does not gain the
knowledge
of how to control them.”
    As one, the class let out a breath. A few faces turned toward Sonea briefly. Frozen by self-consciousness, she kept her eyes on her desk.
    “The Guild is the largest and most comprehensive store of knowledge in the world,” Jerrik continued, a note of pride rising in his voice. “During the years that you spend here that knowledge, or at least some part of it, will be given to you. If you pay attention, listen to what your teachers tell you, and make use of the sources here such as the extensive library, you will excel. However,” his tone darkened, “if you do not pay attention, pay your elders respect or take advantage of the centuries of knowledge gathered by your predecessors, you will shame only yourselves. The years ahead of you will not be easy,” he warned. “You must be dedicated, disciplined and dutiful,” he paused and scanned the faces before him, “if you are to reach your full potential as magicians of the Guild.”
    The atmosphere in the room had changed from relief to a new kind of tension. The novices were so quiet that Sonea could hear them breathing. Jerrik straightened and put his hands behind his back.
    “You are probably aware,” he said in a milder tone, “of the Three Levels of Control that are the foundation of your university education. The First, unlocking your power, you will achieve today. The Second, the ability to access, draw, and contain your power, will be your aim for the rest of this morning, and every morning, until you can achieve all three without thinking. The Third, grasping the many ways that power can be used, will be taught to you in the years between now and your graduation—though, regardless of which discipline you choose to specialize in after graduation, there will be no point at which you will have completed the Third Level. Once you have graduated, it will be up to you to expand upon the knowledge we have given you, but you will, of course, never know all there is to know.” He smiled thinly.
    “The Guild holds more knowledge than you could absorb in a lifetime, probably more than you could learn in five lifetimes. We have the three disciplines of Healing, Alchemy and Warrior