The Novice by Trudi Canavan Page A

production of heat is easier when…”
    Relieved, Sonea focused her will on the candle. She could almost hear Rothen’s voice as his instructions repeated in her mind.
“Draw a little magic, extend your will, focus your mind on the wick, shape the magic, and release it…”
She felt a sliver of her power jump to the wick and a flame spluttered into life.
    Lord Elben blinked at it, his mouth still open. “...thank you, Sonea,” he finished. He looked around the rest of the class. “I have candles for you all. Your task this morning is to learn how to light them, then practice lighting them quickly, with as little thought as possible.”
    He gathered candles from the box and set them in front of each novice. At once they began to stare at the wicks. Sonea watched, her amusement growing as she saw that no candle, not even Regin’s, began to burn.
    Elben returned to his desk and took out a sphere of glass filled with blue liquid. He brought it to Sonea’s table and set it down.
    “This is an exercise that will teach you subtlety,” he told her. “The substance in this container is sensitive to temperature. If you heat it slowly and evenly, it will change to red. If you do not, bubbles will form, and it will take several minutes for them to dissipate. I want to see red, not bubbles. Call me when you have achieved that.”
    Nodding, Sonea waited until he had moved back to his desk, then concentrated on the sphere. Unlike lighting a candle, this needed only a warming energy. Drawing in a deep breath, she shaped some magic into a gentle mist so that it would heat the glass evenly. As she released it, the liquid darkened to a deep red.
    Satisfied, she looked up and found Elben in discussion with Regin.
    “I don’t understand,” the boy was saying.
    “Try again,” Elben said.
    Regin stared at the candle in his hand, his eyes narrowing to slits.
    “Lord Elben?” Sonea ventured. The teacher straightened and began to turn toward her.
    “So it’s like focusing magic into the wick?” Regin asked, drawing Elben’s attention back to him.
    “Yes,” Elben said, a note of impatience entering his voice. As Regin stared at his candle again, the teacher turned to look at Sonea’s sphere. He shook his head.
    “Not hot enough.”
    Looking down at the sphere, Sonea saw that the liquid was cooling to a purple. Frowning, she focused her will on it again, and the purple brightened to red again.
    Regin jumped in his seat, and uttered a bark of surprise and pain. His candle was gone, and his hands were coated with molten wax, which he was frantically trying to peel off. Sonea felt a smile pulling at her lips, and covered her mouth with her hand.
    “Are you scalded?” Elben asked, concerned. “You can go to the Healers if you wish.”
    “No,” Regin said quickly. “I’m fine.”
    Elben’s brows rose. He shrugged, then collected another candle and set it on Regin’s desk. “Back to work,” he snapped at the rest of the class, who were staring at Regin’s reddened hands.
    Elben moved to Sonea’s desk, then looked down at the sphere and nodded.
    “Go on,” he said. “Show me.”
    Once again, Sonea concentrated on the sphere, and the liquid warmed. Elben nodded, satisfied. “Good. I have another exercise for you.” As he returned to the box, she saw Regin watching her. A smile pulled at her lips again, and she saw his hands clench. Then Elben rapped on the boy’s table as he passed.
    “Back to work,
all
of you.”

    Leaning back on the deck railing, Dannyl breathed in the salty air with relish.
    “Sick belly not so bad outside, yai?”
    He turned to find Jano approaching, the little man walking along the rocking deck with ease. As Jano reached the railing, he turned and braced his back against it.
    “Magicians not get sick on boats,” Jano observed.
    “We do,” Dannyl admitted. “But we can Heal it away. It takes concentration, though, and we can’t keep our minds on it all the time.”
    “So…you not feel