their wombs." If I hoped to embarrass her by my frankness, I should have known better; this was the same woman who had been whispering to me at dinner about the queen's attempts to have a baby. "It would be too dangerous to link wizardry with that kind of creation. Witches are always teetering, about to go over into black magic, unless they know so little magic at al that their spel s are useless. If you've heard of witches, you must have heard that some of them are said to create magic monsters in the womb."
Maria paused for a moment; she clearly had heard something of the sort. "But that wouldn't apply--" She broke off. That wouldn't apply, she had been starting to say, to someone already forty-eight, but she wasn't going to say it. Instead she said, "In that case, wouldn't it be better to train the women properly, so they would know how magic should be used? Isn't that training why the wizards' school was started original y? That's what we were told when we started looking for a new wizard."
This argument too I had heard in the City. But instead of answering I changed the subject back to my question. "So how did you learn the Hidden Language?"
"Is that what it's cal ed? When I first came to Yurt, I was terribly excited at the opportunity to learn magic, when I found there was a Royal Wizard here; there was no wizard in my brother's castle. And then, at most, he let me be there while he worked some spel s! But I found out I had the ability to say spel s myself, if I'd heard them even once, and then I started making requests of my own!"
"Requests?" This sounded dubious. "What were you requesting?"
"Don't ask a girl al her secrets!" she said with a smile which was indeed positively girlish.
She seemed, I thought, to be one of the rare persons born with a flair for magic. This was why, weeks earlier, she had been able to hear my voice speaking within her mind.
"The old wizard wouldn't teach me anything. Could you, might you, teach me wizardry?"
There was actual y no reason why I shouldn't. But I hesitated. Magic was a powerful tool, and the old wizard had been right in cal ing her flighty. But no one would have cal ed me sober and stable either when I first came to the wizards' school.
"You'd have to learn the Hidden Language first," I said at last. "You can do a few spel s by saying the words, but to create your own spel s you need to understand them thoroughly." I reached for the first-grammar from my shelf. It was heavy, and the cloth binding was starting to fray badly. "Take this if you want, but I wil need it back again. Start studying, and if you're stil interested I can help you further."
She took the volume eagerly, but her face fel as she leafed through it. "But it doesn't tel how to do spel s."
"As I said, you can't create your own spel s unless you understand the Language first. But tel me," as a thought struck me, "how you've been able to make magic 'requests' without knowing magic."
There was no doubt now that she didn't want to answer me. She stood up rapidly, clutching the first-grammar. "I'l try to work through this," she said. "I'd better go now. But wasn't it fun that it was my telephone that worked?" She rushed across my room and was gone before I could answer.
I sat down again and leaned my face on my fists. I had imagined being a Royal Wizard was exciting, mysterious, and awe-inspiring. So far, I had actual y promised to teach wizardry to a woman, one who was positively flirting with me; another woman, who came to ask my wizardly advice, left thinking of me as a rather dim-witted uncle; and I was in love with a third woman, this one married already.
Part Three
Return to C.. Dale Brittain's home page.
PART THREE - CARNIVAL
I
I came up the hil toward the castle on the white mare, exhausted and exhilarated. It was mid-morning, and I had again spent the night at the old wizard's house without intending to do so when I arrived. But this time I had known the night was passing (and it was only one
Maria paused for a moment; she clearly had heard something of the sort. "But that wouldn't apply--" She broke off. That wouldn't apply, she had been starting to say, to someone already forty-eight, but she wasn't going to say it. Instead she said, "In that case, wouldn't it be better to train the women properly, so they would know how magic should be used? Isn't that training why the wizards' school was started original y? That's what we were told when we started looking for a new wizard."
This argument too I had heard in the City. But instead of answering I changed the subject back to my question. "So how did you learn the Hidden Language?"
"Is that what it's cal ed? When I first came to Yurt, I was terribly excited at the opportunity to learn magic, when I found there was a Royal Wizard here; there was no wizard in my brother's castle. And then, at most, he let me be there while he worked some spel s! But I found out I had the ability to say spel s myself, if I'd heard them even once, and then I started making requests of my own!"
"Requests?" This sounded dubious. "What were you requesting?"
"Don't ask a girl al her secrets!" she said with a smile which was indeed positively girlish.
She seemed, I thought, to be one of the rare persons born with a flair for magic. This was why, weeks earlier, she had been able to hear my voice speaking within her mind.
"The old wizard wouldn't teach me anything. Could you, might you, teach me wizardry?"
There was actual y no reason why I shouldn't. But I hesitated. Magic was a powerful tool, and the old wizard had been right in cal ing her flighty. But no one would have cal ed me sober and stable either when I first came to the wizards' school.
"You'd have to learn the Hidden Language first," I said at last. "You can do a few spel s by saying the words, but to create your own spel s you need to understand them thoroughly." I reached for the first-grammar from my shelf. It was heavy, and the cloth binding was starting to fray badly. "Take this if you want, but I wil need it back again. Start studying, and if you're stil interested I can help you further."
She took the volume eagerly, but her face fel as she leafed through it. "But it doesn't tel how to do spel s."
"As I said, you can't create your own spel s unless you understand the Language first. But tel me," as a thought struck me, "how you've been able to make magic 'requests' without knowing magic."
There was no doubt now that she didn't want to answer me. She stood up rapidly, clutching the first-grammar. "I'l try to work through this," she said. "I'd better go now. But wasn't it fun that it was my telephone that worked?" She rushed across my room and was gone before I could answer.
I sat down again and leaned my face on my fists. I had imagined being a Royal Wizard was exciting, mysterious, and awe-inspiring. So far, I had actual y promised to teach wizardry to a woman, one who was positively flirting with me; another woman, who came to ask my wizardly advice, left thinking of me as a rather dim-witted uncle; and I was in love with a third woman, this one married already.
Part Three
Return to C.. Dale Brittain's home page.
PART THREE - CARNIVAL
I
I came up the hil toward the castle on the white mare, exhausted and exhilarated. It was mid-morning, and I had again spent the night at the old wizard's house without intending to do so when I arrived. But this time I had known the night was passing (and it was only one
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