I was the last person to appear for breakfast. Totally not my fault.

  "You're up late," said Cormac.

  "You could have warned me about this damned breast band," I said. "It’s the most sadistic garment I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  Summer walked up and examined me critically.

  "Oh dear, this won't do at all," she said, and led me down the hall to our room. I pulled up my dress, and she shook her head in dismay.

  "The laces are all askew," she said. She began to tug and pull until she had the band free and then re-tied the laces. “If you're doing this yourself," she said. “it's better to do up the laces at the front and then rotate the band afterward.”

  She looked down. “At least you have the loincloth on properly."

  "It's not much different from its male counterpart. Except you don’t have to deal with the dangly bits.”

  Summer giggled. "One other thing," she said. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a stack of cloth-covered rectangles.

  "Oh Goddess,” I said. "I forgot about that part.” I examined one briefly. “I assume these just slide into the loin cloth?”

  “Yes" said Summer. “They’re quite straightforward. You should have no problems at all. Just remember—”

  “—to wash them in cold water." I completed for her.

  She nodded and looked up at my head. "I'll find a brush,” she said. “Go back to the kitchen.”

  Ranish took over serving breakfast while Summer combed my hair. Based on her mutterings, it was not an easy task.

  “Why is it so tangled?” asked Cormac. He was trying not to smirk and failing.

  “I’m just not used to the length,” I said.

  Rory grinned at me, and I facepalmed.

  “We need to test your capabilities again,” said Elandra, trying desperately to gain control of the conversation. “You will both need to focus, so I hope you slept well.”

  “Not so much,” said Cormac. “The screaming kept me awake.”

  I glared at him. “Be careful with Rory today,” I said. “I need him in one piece this evening.”

  “No, you be careful. You almost broke him last night.”

  Rory turned a deep shade of red.

  Summer pulled the brush through my hair one last time and surveyed her work critically. “That will do,” she said. “We’ll have a lesson this afternoon so you can do this yourself from now on.”

  “Thanks, Summer,” I said. I looked over at Elandra. “On the plus side, the connection between us—” I indicated Cormac and myself “—is so muted I can hardly see it.”

  Elandra looked startled. “You can see the spell?”

  “Sure.” I frowned at her. “Can’t every Mage?”

  “None of us can.” She stared at me. “What about the other spells I’ve cast?”

  “Oh yeah. They’re all clear.”

  Elandra looked around the table. “None of this is to leave this room. Do you all understand?” Everyone nodded. She looked at me. “If this became general knowledge, you would be an object of intense scrutiny. Most of it unpleasant.”

  I nodded. “Hecate said something similar.”

  Her jaw dropped. “You spoke with the Goddess herself?”

  “Yes?” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and sampled a piece of some blue fruit. It was delicious. “She served tea. We talked. She, uh, coached me about how to break the connection.”

  Cormac was grinning like a wolf. I flipped him the bird.

  Elandra gave a long gusty sigh and leaned back in her chair. “I have communicated with my Goddess twice, now,” she said. “Both times it was painful, confusing, and unclear. And you. Had. Tea.”

  “Why so surprised?” asked Cormac. “I chatted with Athena. We had mead. It was delicious.” Rory was leaning forward, hanging on every word. “Also, she said to use the axe she gave me. When I told her I only knew the sword, she said that I would know how to use an axe and shield.” He looked at Rory. “You have any problems with that?”

  Rory stroked his chin. “Do I have any difficulty with following the instructions of my Goddess? No.” He stood up. “Shall we start?”

  He headed for the door. I stepped in front of him, reached up and pulled his head down and kissed him on the lips. He hesitated and then ran his hand down my back to cup my buttocks. I made a little growl of satisfaction, let him go, and walked out to follow Elandra.

  We stood on the other side of the house away from my original practice area. If I focused carefully, I could hear Rory's voice.

  “The first thing to do,” said Elandra, “is to try to visualize your mana pool so that we can determine its size. I must know how much reservoir you have so that you don't develop mana exhaustion again. Remember how dangerous that is.”

  “I looked at my pool when I was meeting Hecate,” I said, "It's large enough that we don't have to worry."

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  "How large?" asked Elandra.

  "Large," I said.

  She spread her hands about a meter and a half apart, "This size?” she asked.

  "Larger,” She raised an eyebrow, “Quite a bit larger."

  “Is this one of the things Hecate asked you not to mention?” she asked.

  I shrugged.

  "I see." She shook her head slowly. "You'll let me know if you have any fatigue at all, yes?"

  “Of course,” I said.

  “Now,” she raised a finger, “Examine me carefully and see if you can detect my mana.”

  I scratched my head and thought. When I saw spells, they manifested as blueish strands that emanated from the caster’s hands or body. Where did they originate from? I stared at Elandra and willed my sight deeper, past her skin, into her core. I began to detect a fine network of fibres that coursed through her body. They seemed to originate from a central nexus in the lower chest. As I considered the image further, it resolved into a blue sphere about the size of a melon that slowly pulsated.

  “You should feel a slight vibration or throbbing,” she said.

  “Actually, I can see a central core, and then a mesh that extends to the surface of your skin.”

  She closed her eyes. “Of course you can. Why should you be the same as any other Mage?”

  “I’m going to try and see my own network,” I said. I focused on my own chest, and my core popped into view. It was little larger than hers, but much brighter and denser. My fibres were aligned somewhat differently, with some extra arcs and twirls. I said as much to her.

  “Yes,” she said. “The mana cores and channels are very different for separate races. Orcs and Elves, for instance, vibrate distinctly from humans. And since you are—” she hesitated “—touched by the Goddess, I would expect yours to differ as well.

  “So, this is what I draw upon to cast a spell? I’d like to try now.”

  "Very well," she said. "Do you remember the fireball?"

  “How could I forget?" I raised my hand, palm up, focused, and a blue sphere popped into view almost immediately. The heat was like standing next to an open stove. I winced and dialed back the flow of mana into the construct. The heat dropped to a tolerable level.

  Elandra stood, stock still. Then she turned to face me. "You can put that away now."

  I collapsed the spell.

  "Most students need between two to six months to master that," she said. "This is your second time. “And the first did not count.”

  I shuffled my feet. "It seems pretty straightforward.”

  She shook her head and pointed away from the house. About twenty meters away, I saw some upright wooden posts surmounted by octagonal slabs.

  “These are targets," she said. “The object is to send a fireball into one of the wooden barriers. Watch me.”

  This time she pointed her arm behind her shoulder, palm up, created a fireball, and then flung her arm forward in an awkward circular motion. The sphere floated through the air and struck one of the panels on its side. There was a flare of light and the wood crumbled into ash. She nodded at me.

  I called up a medium sized ball of light and compressed it down until it fit into my grip. I wound up and snapped off a throw as though I was pitching a baseball. As I released, I fed in another jolt of mana. The fireball struck another target dead centre and blew the panel and the adjacent post to pieces. Scattered embers soared up and out, then settled to the ground.

  Elandra looked downrange and walked over to the posts. She examined the ruins of my target and then came back to our firing line.

  “How did make your spell so destructive?” she asked.

  “I fed in mana after I released the fireball. I thought it would be too dangerous to amplify the potential while I was still holding it.”

  “That should not be possible at your level,” she said. “Apprentices need a direct connection to their spells to manipulate mana.”

  I shrugged. “It just felt right.”

  She studied me. “Are you tired at all?”

  “Nope. I could go on like this all day.”

  “I see. Well, let’s take a break for a couple of minutes, just in case.”

  “Sure,” I said. “So, tell me, how was Cormac?”

  She colored. “Are you always so…forward?”

  I considered her question. “Actually, no. I seem to have grown more brazen. I used to be quite retiring.” I looked at her. “Not trying to blame anyone, but could this be Hecate’s influence?”

  “Without doubt. She is well known for her—” she blushed even deeper, “—lustful nature.”

  “That makes sense.” My lips curved up.

  “He was kind to me.” Elandra suddenly smiled. “I have little experience with men, and he knew that, and—” she took a deep breath, “—and things were very good. Now, show me that fireball again.”

  We stopped when all the targets were destroyed. Elandra insisted on having me check my pool. With a bit of effort, I was able to visualize the sea and beach on my own. They were unchanged. The horizon was a distant line, and the water level was identical to my first visit.

  “How much did your mana decrease?” she asked.

  “There’s no difference.”

  She bit her lip and stared at me. “You’ve been tossing fireballs all morning, with almost no pause. And nothing has changed?”

  I shook my head.

  “Goddess.” She raised her nose and sniffed the air. “Let’s have lunch. Summer will be annoyed if we’re late.”

  “How did he do?” I asked Rory.

  “Terrifyingly well,” said Rory. He was limping slightly, and there was a bloody patch on his outer left thigh.

  “Sit down,” I said. I waved Elandra over. “Does your expertise extend to healing?”

  “Much more so than combat,” she said. She looked at his leg. “We’ll need to have these clothes off to treat this.”

  Summer bustled past us with a plate of vegetables.

  “In our bedroom,” I said.

  Rory was still grumbling as I pulled his shirt off.

  “Be quiet,” I said. “I don’t care if you think this is ‘just a scratch’. It needs seeing to.” I looked at his right forearm. “You have a nasty abrasion here as well. What were you two idiots doing?”

  “I was playing the deflections too close. That axe is heavy. It just cleaved through my blocks.”

  I turned to Elandra. “Show me, please.”

  She stood over Rory and laid her hands above and below the injury. Her eyes narrowed, and I watched as a wave of green ribbons arced from each hand and coiled around the wound. They began to glow brighter, and the damaged skin retracted as new tissue grew in from the edges of the wound to cover the abrasion. The bruising surrounding the area faded, as did the swelling. Rory gave a gasp and then opened and closed his hand. Elandra swayed slightly and was pale. I helped her sit in a chair.

  “That feels much better,” he said.

  “Good.” I looked at Elandra. “Did you just drain your mana?”

  She licked her lips. “Much of it. I must rest before I move on to the next wound.”

  I examined her mana pool and shook my head. “Nope. I can see how low it is. You’re done.”

  I turned to Rory. “Now let’s look at your hip,” I said. I began to tug his pants down. Elandra averted her eyes.

  “I will step out,” she said.

  I nodded. “We’ll meet in the dining room.”

  “Are you sure you can handle this?” she asked.

  “Absolutely.” The door closed behind her, and I turned my attention to the wound. It was a nasty gash that extended from the hip downwards for at least 15 centimetres. I called up the spell and fed mana into the damaged area. The healing began at once.

  “You’ll let me know when you start, won’t you?” said Rory.

  The wound closed as he spoke.

  “We’re done,” I said.

  He looked down and gaped at his leg. It was unblemished. He poked at it gingerly, and then firmly.

  “Are we finished?” he asked.

  “Not quite,” I said, as I lifted my dress over my head.

  “This is the second meal you’ve been late for,” scolded Summer.

  “What can I say? Healing takes time.” I shrugged and lifted the lid from a casserole dish. “This looks lovely. What is it?”

  Summer beamed. “Spiced challi with greens. My mother used to make this.” She walked over to the side table to pick up a carafe of some purple juice.

  I leaned over to Cormac. “What’s challi?”

  “Some kind of lizard, about the size of a turkey. They run around on two legs. Very fast. Rory got a couple yesterday with his bow.”

  I paused with a spoon halfway to my mouth, then tried a bite. “Summer,” I said, “this is delicious.”

  “You took your time healing Rory,” said Cormac.

  “Well, you know, I wanted to get it right.” I looked at him. “Watch the control, okay? I’m starting to get quite fond of him.”

  “Yeah,” said Cormac. “It shows.”