than once. Hen sim Miran give him no trouble, however, perhaps considering his own complicity in the matter. Mik finally moved to one of many empty rooms nearby, but his friend Charn insisted on accompanying him. Mik’s restless sleep kept Charn awake as well, but Charn worried that Aleya or another sorceress might catch the Dragonrider alone.
The instructor continued. “Many—perhaps most—are the type of character one would associate with the word rogue : one who uses his or her Talent for unlawful ends. In rare cases, their mentors were rogue as well. More often, mentors simply turn a blind eye to their apprentices’ activities. If caught early enough, apprentices can be brought to the Conclave, taught some self-discipline, and reassigned to a more suitable mentor.”
“What happens to rogue mentors?” one apprentice asked.
“In the long term, the problem is often self-correcting, usually when local authorities get involved. In rare cases, the Conclave itself must act.”
She paused, perhaps waiting for someone to ask how the Conclave acts. Nobody asked, and she continued. “The second kind of rogue is the self-taught mage, who discovers his or her Talent and attempts to employ it without the guidance of a mentor.” She smiled. “When all concerned are fortunate, as is the case with a few of our first-year apprentices, the budding mage seeks out a mentor and all is well.”
Mik was now fully awake, face burning. Next to him, Sura smirked and winked.
“But in these latter days, it can be difficult for an accidental sorcerer to find a mentor. Innocent rogues, unaware of the Three Principles and working from preconceived notions, often come to as bad an end as the criminal kind. There are so many ways that an untrained Talent can wreak havoc: spells not properly closed, attempts at Chaos magic, and simply trying too much too soon. If the Conclave gets wind of such, we attempt to bring them here to learn the essentials and find them a mentor. Since many sorcerers have no apprentice, that is usually not a problem.”
“I feel a little better now,” said Mik, outside the class with Sura. “Discovering our Talent on our own isn’t so uncommon after all.”
Sura squeezed his hand. “True. But most of us don’t attempt something so flamboyant as awakening an ice dragon!”
Mik sighed. “I was lucky to live through that.” He put an arm around Sura. “But I’m more lucky to have you to learn alongside.”
She grinned and leaned into him. “We’re both lucky. Oh, here come Isa and Charn.” Sura waved, and Isa quickened her pace, pulling Charn along by the hand until he caught up.
“Learn anything useful?” Mik asked.
Charn shrugged, but Isa began chattering. “Oh, I was so disappointed, I was hoping they could teach us a way to at least talk to each other if not see each other, but it was only about scrying and that only works over short distances… I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”
“It’s all right,” Sura assured her.
“Well, how was your lecture?” Charn asked.
“Possibly helpful,” said Mik. “They talked about how the Conclave deals with rogue mages. We’ve already run into a couple—one on the way here, in fact—so I guess anything that gives us a leg up for the next one will help!”
Charn laughed. “You two are first-year apprentices, and you’ve already faced more dangers than most grown sorcerers ever do!”
“Sura and I were just talking about how lucky we are.” Mik grinned.
Sura snorted, and Isa giggled.
“Things are so civilized now,” said Isa. “If you have the chance at an adventure, you should take it, right?”
“Being an apprentice sorcerer is an adventure in itself,” said Mik.
“Speaking of adventure,” said Charn, “I think I found the way to the Sunset Tower. After supper, we should skip the baths and see if I’m right.”
“Our mentors will be watching,” Isa warned. “You know, it’s so unfair, it’s like they don’t trust
The instructor continued. “Many—perhaps most—are the type of character one would associate with the word rogue : one who uses his or her Talent for unlawful ends. In rare cases, their mentors were rogue as well. More often, mentors simply turn a blind eye to their apprentices’ activities. If caught early enough, apprentices can be brought to the Conclave, taught some self-discipline, and reassigned to a more suitable mentor.”
“What happens to rogue mentors?” one apprentice asked.
“In the long term, the problem is often self-correcting, usually when local authorities get involved. In rare cases, the Conclave itself must act.”
She paused, perhaps waiting for someone to ask how the Conclave acts. Nobody asked, and she continued. “The second kind of rogue is the self-taught mage, who discovers his or her Talent and attempts to employ it without the guidance of a mentor.” She smiled. “When all concerned are fortunate, as is the case with a few of our first-year apprentices, the budding mage seeks out a mentor and all is well.”
Mik was now fully awake, face burning. Next to him, Sura smirked and winked.
“But in these latter days, it can be difficult for an accidental sorcerer to find a mentor. Innocent rogues, unaware of the Three Principles and working from preconceived notions, often come to as bad an end as the criminal kind. There are so many ways that an untrained Talent can wreak havoc: spells not properly closed, attempts at Chaos magic, and simply trying too much too soon. If the Conclave gets wind of such, we attempt to bring them here to learn the essentials and find them a mentor. Since many sorcerers have no apprentice, that is usually not a problem.”
“I feel a little better now,” said Mik, outside the class with Sura. “Discovering our Talent on our own isn’t so uncommon after all.”
Sura squeezed his hand. “True. But most of us don’t attempt something so flamboyant as awakening an ice dragon!”
Mik sighed. “I was lucky to live through that.” He put an arm around Sura. “But I’m more lucky to have you to learn alongside.”
She grinned and leaned into him. “We’re both lucky. Oh, here come Isa and Charn.” Sura waved, and Isa quickened her pace, pulling Charn along by the hand until he caught up.
“Learn anything useful?” Mik asked.
Charn shrugged, but Isa began chattering. “Oh, I was so disappointed, I was hoping they could teach us a way to at least talk to each other if not see each other, but it was only about scrying and that only works over short distances… I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”
“It’s all right,” Sura assured her.
“Well, how was your lecture?” Charn asked.
“Possibly helpful,” said Mik. “They talked about how the Conclave deals with rogue mages. We’ve already run into a couple—one on the way here, in fact—so I guess anything that gives us a leg up for the next one will help!”
Charn laughed. “You two are first-year apprentices, and you’ve already faced more dangers than most grown sorcerers ever do!”
“Sura and I were just talking about how lucky we are.” Mik grinned.
Sura snorted, and Isa giggled.
“Things are so civilized now,” said Isa. “If you have the chance at an adventure, you should take it, right?”
“Being an apprentice sorcerer is an adventure in itself,” said Mik.
“Speaking of adventure,” said Charn, “I think I found the way to the Sunset Tower. After supper, we should skip the baths and see if I’m right.”
“Our mentors will be watching,” Isa warned. “You know, it’s so unfair, it’s like they don’t trust
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