way the last two fingers on his left hand stayed curled even when the other fingers and his thumb were straight — another legacy of the lightning strike, like the white spot in his hair, and his magic.
He dressed like a northerner in a plain white shirt, frayed a little at the shoulder seams, brown homespun trousers, and calf-high boots that had seen a lot of wear. His belt was nicked in spots, his belt-purse made of cheap leather, his belt knife a fine one that had seen long use. All in all he looked as if he’d once been more prosperous than he was now. If determination were any indication, though, she would bet he would regain his place in society before much longer.
“So where do you come from?” he demanded as the cook came out with a tray of food. She set it on the table, then returned for tableware and plates. “Not around here, any more than your Master Goldeye does.”
“I was born in Ninver, in Anderran,” Tris said, pouring water into their cups. “To a merchant family. They sent me to Stone Circle temple when I was ten. That’s where Niko found me and saw my magic.” She wasn’t about to tell this stranger that her family had passed her from relative to relative, each keeping her only until they grew so terrified of the strange things that happened around her that they couldn’t wait to get rid of her. Stone Circle was her family’s way of washing their hands of Tris. “Niko took me to Winding Circle temple in Emelan, where they specialize in ambient mages. Do you know what ambient mages are?”
“We do have mages in our family,” Keth informed her drily as he cut up a baked chicken and served her. “Sometimes I listened when the big folks talked.”
“There’s only one person on this earth who’s allowed to pull my tail, and you aren’t him,” Tris retorted.
“Let me guess. Your foster-brother.” He watched as Tris added spiced chickpeas to his plate, then hers.
“That’s right. He and I and two others lived in this one cottage. We trained with the mages who ran it and other mages around the temple.”
“And you never went back to your family?” he asked, curious. “You don’t think they’d be proud to have a mage? My parents’ biggest disappointment was that I didn’t have more power than just a seed.”
“They’d be delighted, I suppose,” Tris replied. “And that’s the only reason they’d be happy to have me back.”
“Oh.” Keth looked at his plate. “It was that way for a friend of mine, back home. He said he’d never return.” He glanced at her. “But you have family now, your foster-family.” Tris nodded. Keth went on, “And you look after each other, and study together.”
“Lots of studying,” Tris replied with a smile as she helped herself to the seasoned cantaloupe. “We were all in the same basket with our power, you see — none of us knew we even had any, even though it was breaking out all over the place. It wasn’t until we learned to meditate that we got any kind of control. That’s where you have to start, too. Meditation, the whole thing. Breathing, clearing your mind, exercises to strengthen your grip on your magic.” She held Chime away from her plate as the dragon tried to inspect it for anything edible.
“I know how,” Keth told her, then took a bite of chicken.
Tris pursed her lips. It sounded as if he claimed he could simply to shut her up. “You know how to meditate. And where, pray, did you learn?”
Now he looked up into her face. “We all learned it,” he said impatiently. “In the Glassmakers’ Guild. It helps you get control over your breath, so you can blow long and steady and not swallow molten glass. It was the first thing we learned as ’prentices. Well, that and how to tell what’s good charcoal and what’s bad.”
Tris propped her chin on her hand. “Show me.”
“Now?” Keth demanded. “I’ve been pounding around Heskalifos all the blessed day.”
“If you’re to be a mage, you must control your mind — your power — anywhere, at any time, tired or no,” she retorted. “Now.”
Keth put down his fork with a sigh. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly he inhaled as Tris counted silently to seven. He held the breath for the same count, released it for seven, and held for seven. As he continued Tris closed