Instructing the Novice Read online

  “Oh, Lone—no,” she began but Lone shook his head firmly.

  “Don’t worry about me. I know you must want to see the view as we get closer to the Tower.”

  “Well…if you’re sure you’re okay.” She edged reluctantly away from him, putting some distance between them, Lone saw. His heart burned within him but he said nothing—only watched as she went over to the far window-wall of the train and drank in the view of the great blue-gray castle growing larger and larger as they approached it.

  Seven

  “You must be Mistress Lizabeth Paige. Welcome—welcome to the Tower of the Higher Mind.”

  The Mistress Superior, Lady Verlandah, was a tall, imposing woman who must be over six feet in height, Lizabeth thought. She was wearing a long white gown which brushed the gray-blue flagstone floor and a black vest of equal length over it. The vest—which looked like a cape with arm holes to Lizabeth—had the most intricate embroidery all over it in golden thread. It was fastened in front with a golden broach in the shape of some flying creature that looked a little like a cat with wings.

  On her hair—which was iron gray and swept up into an elaborate coif—was a thin circlet which was also gold. It wasn’t exactly a crown, Lizabeth thought but then, it wasn’t quite not a crown either. Clearly Lady Verlandah had the authority here and she wasn’t above using not-so-subtle visual cues to show it.

  The Mistress Superior looked to be in her mid-fifties to Lizabeth but her face was remarkably smooth and her skin was almost glowing. Her age showed more in her expression and her eyes—which were iron-gray to match her hair—than anywhere else. She must have a wonderful skin-care routine. Lizabeth wondered what it was.

  “Hello, Lady Verlandah,” she said, stepping forward and essaying a short, respectful half-bow, which Lone had told her was the correct way for Mistresses or Wise Ones to greet each other. “I am so pleased to be here. Thank you for accepting my application and allowing me to study with you at the Tower of the Higher Mind. It’s beautiful.”

  She looked around the entry way which was vast, with stone walls and a high, arching ceiling. There was a long purple carpet which led from the broad front doors, (made of some thick black wood bound in bronze,) where the train had let them off. Mistress Verlandah stood on the rich carpet like a queen come down from her throne to welcome new subjects to her kingdom.

  “Yes, we have spared no expense to make it pleasing to the eye,” the Mistress Superior said. “But I understand that in addition to your Novice…” She looked at Lone who bowed low. “You have brought another visitor to see us.” Here she nodded at Anya, the Friezen woman who ducked her head and crouched in a subservient posture of fear.

  “Please, great lady,” she whispered. “Please don’t send me back! They were going to cut me—please!”

  Mistress Verlandah exchanged a significant look with Karx, who stood to one side glaring blackly at the Friezen woman. For a moment Lizabeth was certain she was going to throw poor Anya out. But when she spoke, her words were—if not exactly gracious and welcoming—at least not completely unkind.

  “Of course we would never send you back to those savages, my dear. I cannot let you live here for free but if you’re willing to do a good day’s work, you can stay on as one of the under-maids. And in time you may work your way up, if you are diligent in the tasks assigned to you.”

  “Oh yes, great lady! I promise I can do that. I’ll work hard for you,” Anya exclaimed. “Thank you—thank you a thousand times and may all the Gods rain blessings on your head.”

  “That would be lovely, I’m sure,” Mistress Verlandah said dryly. “You may go with Tilly, here—she will oversee you.” She snapped her fingers and a woman in a plain, gray-blue dress came forward and led Anya away.

  “Thank you for your kindness, Mistress Verlandah,” Lizabeth said gravely.

  “Yes, well I had no choice, did I?” The Mistress Superior raised one iron-gray eyebrow at her archly. “Karx called ahead and told me you were very, ahem, set on having her stay.”

  “She was going to be raped and mutilated, Wise One,” Lone said, his voice soft but very deep. “We could not allow that to happen. I hope you understand.”

  “What I understand is that an unwashed Novice is speaking to me as though he were my equal!” Mistress Verlandah frowned at him and then at Lizabeth. “How long have you had him?”

  “Lone has been my assistant, er, Novice for the last two years,” Lizabeth said. “But—”

  “And you still have not trained him properly? Well, we shall have to remedy that. No, no—do not apologize,” she said, holding up a hand to stop Lizabeth from speaking, though an apology was the last thing on her mind. “We have Initiates to Knowledge come here all the time with untrained Novices, more’s the pity. Which is why we hold classes on the proper training and deportment of one’s Novice here on a regular basis. I’ll see that you’re enrolled in one as well as the legal studies you wish to undertake."

  She sighed. "Now, then, we must get the two of you cleansed and robed properly. But first perhaps you’d like to meet the one who will guide you in your journey to knowledge?”

  “Yes, please,” Lizabeth said, swallowing down her anger with some difficulty. She didn’t like to see Lone treated like a second-class citizen just for speaking his mind but it also didn’t seem like it would do any good to make the Mistress Superior angry.

  “Very well—this is the Wise One, Mistress Anarrah, the Teacher of Law. She is in her seventh decade of life and five of her decades have been devoted to the law—I think you will find her an excellent teacher.”

  Mistress Verlandah made a graceful motion and a small woman came forward. If what the Mistress Superior had said was correct, she was somewhere in her seventies but she certainly didn’t look it to Lizabeth. She looked to be in her mid fifties and was also wearing a white gown and a long black cape-vest, though her vest was much plainer than Mistress Verlandah’s. It only had a bit of silver embroidery on the edges and was held closed by a silver broach.

  Her hair was also silver and swept up in a soft cascade of curls at the nape of her neck. Like the Mistress Superior, her skin was remarkably smooth and glowing—even the flesh of her neck and exposed arms was firm and wrinkle-free. Once more, Lizabeth thought that her age was mostly expressed in her eyes and she wondered again what kind of skin-care routine they had around here.

  “Greetings, my dear,” she said, smiling warmly at Lizabeth and holding out her hands. “I’m so glad you’ve come to study with me.”

  “Thank you, I’m eager to learn,” Lizabeth said. “And we already met your Novice, Joren, on the way up. He removed an arrow from Lone—from my Novice’s arm,” she added.

  “Did, he now?” Mistress Anarrah smiled.

  “That I did, my Lady.” Joren came over and bowed low before sinking to his knees before his Mistress. “I have missed you, my Lady Anarrah,” he murmured huskily, looking up at her. “I would give you the kiss of obeisance if I may, so I would.”

  Mistress Anarrah let out a tinkling peal of laugher.

  “Ah, Joren—after so many years together you are still so eager!”

  “Because you are still so beautiful, my Lady,” Joren murmured. “Please, may I greet you properly?”

  “Very well, but come away a little—our new Initiate to Knowledge, Lady Lizabeth, is still unused to our ways.”

  Mistress Anarrah turned her back and Lizabeth thought she saw her opening the long black vest that covered her white gown. Joren was still kneeling in front of her and he seemed to be doing…something, though Lizabeth couldn’t tell what it was since Mistress Anarrah’s back was to them. But she heard the other woman murmuring soft, caressing words and she seemed to be stroking Joren’s hair. His arms were locked around her waist and he seemed to be very into whatever he was doing.

  Lizabeth wondered uneasily what the two of them were up to. What exactly did the “kiss of obeisance” involve? And would she have to make Lone perform it on he