Weaver's Route

By Melynda Caston

Samantha enters the Citadel to study the natural forces of the universe. As a new initiate, Samantha will learn about the latticework of magic that surrounds and binds all things in the universe, with a refreshed sense of independence, only to find that the path to true freedom is much more difficult than originally expected. Her dreams are haunted by a mysterious man, a secret lover who she had known as a young girl, a man who now holds prestige and power at the Citadel and the keys to unlocking Samantha’s future. As she discovers more restraints, Samantha realizes that she must actively fight for her freedoms within the Citadel while unraveling the mysterious prophecy that may be the only thing truly forcing her life to follow a path she may not want to follow. To break from the prophecy could ensure freedom and destroy everything she loved, but to follow the prophecy could make her a pawn to much greater powers vying for control in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melynda Caston
• Release date: Apr 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301506774

Melynda Caston

As a team Anthony and I have been writing together for ten years. I created my first fantasy world at a young age, incorporating Greek mythology with my own experiences. The elements of my college education, I found most fascinating, always transferred into my writing, whether they came from my Child Development degree from Iowa State University or my History degree and Medieval Certificate from the University of Iowa. Anthony has been a fantasy storyteller for well over twenty-five years, from short stories to elaborate campaigns in various role playing games. He also has experience editing, from being a co-editor of a literary magazine to editing for an online portal called Dragonsfoot.org. He, too, has a B. A. in History, with minors in Anthropology and Ancient Civilizations as well as a Medieval Certificate. review for Weaver's Route at readers favorite http://readersfavorite.com/book-review/4566

Book preview

The Weaver’s Route

By Melynda Caston & Anthony Allen

Published by Melynda Caston at Smashwords

Copyright © 2011 by Melynda Caston with Anthony Allen

Cover design & Art: Juston Caston

Editing & proofreading: Anthony Allen

Acknowledgments

Our gratitude goes out to University of Iowa Professors Glenn Storey and Katherine Kamerick, for their delightful inspirations (and patience while one of us typed this story during their lectures, lectures which encouraged elements of the plot and environment of this lovely story).

Chapter 1

How can you be so calm? Samantha said, querying her traveling companion as she looked out over the rail of the ship. Her auburn hair contrasted against the pale yellow-edged and gray-blue centered clouds, as she carefully watched the vessel near the threshold from ocean to river. We’re almost there. I know you’re tired. I’m sorry I kept you up last night, Pip.

Pip yawned and looked back at her only briefly before closing his eyes again.

Pip, you’ll miss it if you don’t wake up, she pleaded, giving him a playful shove which he tried to ignore. She was too giddy not to look back to the approaching shore. This journey to Myos and the Amber Citadel to receive training in the weirding ways was the start of a new life for her; a new life that threatened to bring a plethora of new experiences and excitements, of which her old life knew very, very little. She could hardly contain herself from the desire to get it started immediately.

Pip yawned again, making Samantha look back to him. This time his tongue curled up as he opened his long, narrow muzzle very slowly and he gave a half wag of his tail. Then he moved up off the deck and stood. Samantha clapped.

That’s right. Let’s face our new world together, as if…

Pip stretched, walked around in a small circle and plopped back down onto his scrap of bedding on the deck, with his head away from Samantha. When Samantha moved by him towards the ship’s rail, he merely pulled his tail in tighter.

Fine, then. Don’t blame me for missing everything on account of your having been asleep. She shook her head at her loyal companion while leaning against the rail to see the water flow by.

Taking this voyage was like traveling to a distant foreign land; only so much more so. In many ways Myos was another world with its own distinct culture. So much of what Samantha had read about Myos and the Amber Citadel was vague in a wondrous, mystical way. And in this new land, with this new life, she was to find answers too many of the questions that haunted and daunted her. Whether these answers were good or bad, whether she had the gift or not, she didn’t know. But at least she would finally have the answers.

As the darker waters of the river drew closer she called her faithful hound to her. There it is, Pip. Do you see it?

The sailors had told her to watch as they crossed into the currents of the river, to see the boundary where the ocean and the river meet, a symbol of the start of her new life. Once they passed into the river they would reach port soon, depending upon the winds, tides and currents.

Pip stood up. Slowly he stretched his lean, mottled gray frame then he walked to join her at the rail, and standing on his hind legs with his front legs upon the railing as if to see where she pointed, he replied sharply and softly, Bark.

Ah, so you are excited. Not long now, boy.

The two stood and watched, enthralled, until the ship had crossed and was out of sight of the ocean. Samantha didn’t want to miss anything, for she had never been on a river before. People from villas on the shore waved as the vessel passed, and she eagerly returned their greetings.

I wonder if I will have my own room at the Citadel, or if there will be shared lodging? she glanced absently to Pip. But, finally, our own life. I really don’t think I’d even care if we had to share a room. Their room on board only had enough room for the hammock above and her trunk below, but it was hers alone. Being the only woman on board, it was necessary for her to have these separate accommodations, but they were hers.

Samantha couldn’t help but feel a little sadness, for the voyage was ending. Even though her accommodations were small, it was the first time in her life she had had a room all to herself. That’s what growing up in a family of ten children will do to you. And just when the sibling bed was becoming bare, her grandmother moved in. That was what started this long and twisted path to the Citadel.

Grandma Verna had insisted that Samantha was gifted in the ways of magic and needed to be trained by the Citadel. It was unheard of to begin training this late in life; Samantha’s age was now twenty-four, Additionally, Samantha had already attended the Royal Academy in her own province and graduated years ago. This didn’t stop Grandma Verna, though; she began to campaign the Citadel with letters, persistently and insistently, until they gave in.

Samantha muttered to Pip as she waved to someone on the shore, As Grandma Verna always said, ‘a gift without training is like a shovel without a handle.’ It only took six years, she sighed.

Vera’s efforts finally merited the letter that brought Samantha here. It read, Dear Misses V. Devanger. We will receive your granddaughter, Samantha Devanger, with our other newly arriving students. She should report to Watcher Questor upon arrival for orientation.

That was the entirety of the writ, except for the seal of the Amber Citadel, giving authority to the document.

Samantha sighed again as the last person she waved at shrunk out of view. It was not only the journey Samantha was saddened by, but also leaving behind her home. She dearly missed her home life, with its comforting familiarity. Pip licked her face and she smiled and petted her worried companion. I’m alright, Pip. This freedom will be better. I can’t wait to be on our own.

Being on her own was almost as thrilling a concept as training at the Citadel. Her ties to her family were severed, a prerequisite for attending the Citadel. Her status was akin to being dead; she no longer had any obligations to others. In addition, she could claim no inheritance nor support and could not expect to have contact with her family again. Her father had very reluctantly granted her this concession, and it was all she could do to hide her glee from him.

Samantha’s hand drifted to the travel pack at her side and traced the journal she had stored there. In her journal she had several letters of recommendation and character references, just in case things didn’t work out at the Citadel and she needed to find other accommodations.

This journal had been her link to the life she had wanted for the last ten years now, ever since she had met her mystery lover, who vanished from her life as quickly as he entered it. Since then she had written him letters in the journal, for she had no way of sending them to him.

On board with her were three other aspiring students. Two were ten years old and one was fourteen, more the norm for the starting age of a student. The three boys were staring over the rail with her now, at the great city of Myos and hopefully their new home, the Amber Citadel.

With her vibrant blue dress billowing slightly like the sails, Samantha leaned over the rail and caught her first glimmer of the Amber Citadel. Look boys. Isn’t it amazing, the words barely made it across her lips.

Her greyhound gave a soft bark in response that sounded remarkably like a yes to her but she barely heard her canine companion as she became entranced at the sight before her.

The sunlight bounced off two of the three great towers, making them glow like beacons in the distance. These three lofty towers stood tall in a triangle surrounded by a wall and large gatehouses that were made of pure amber, which was how the Amber Citadel undoubtedly got its name. Legend had it that there had been an impenetrable ring of amber that protected and surrounded the immense valley that the Citadel rested in, like a giant amber serpent had coiled itself there and died. The three ancient founders of the Citadel, weavers of legendry power, somehow passed through the barrier and altered it, converting it into the fortified bastion of learning that remains to this day.

Samantha loved the lore of the Citadel, although she figured it was more likely that the ancient builders found a huge cache of amber and then probably used magic to construct its seamless structures.

The three towers appeared to be the same in size and shape but different in color; one an all-absorbing darkness, the others with amazing, unearthly glowing tones.

The black tower was so wondrous, like a shaft of moonless night in the middle of the city. Symbols of the Diviners College adorned the building, the phases of the moon from the full moon in the middle to the waxing and waning phases moving in each direction. The symbol crested the top of the building on each side, so Samantha had read, with the phases joining into each other flowing into the cycle that they emulated and were suspended there as though they floated in midair.

Samantha looked at the red tower beside the Diviners, an equally awe-inspiring structure. The red was a powerful color that seemed to move like a pulsing, swirling flow of blood under a clear shimmering skin of enamel. The pulse beat like a heart of a living creature. Emblazed on the top of all four sides was the crest of this college, the Healer’s College, that of a blue flame that seemed to be held in the palm of a hand. It, too, seemed to be held by nothing physical, only magic.

The last of the great towers stood tall in the front of the others. Although she knew this monument was almost identical in size to the others, it had a greater sense of magnitude, because of the tower’s hue. The surface was a flowing mixture of all colors, iridescent on a pure white surface, like the colors of an abalone shell, which made it look bigger. As the ship moved, the colors changed and swirled. Samantha was completely enthralled at the sight of these great structures that lay before her. This was the Weirding College and its symbol was suspended at the top of each side of the tower, a swirling emblem of metallic chrome colors of blue, red, gold, silver and green.

The majesty and mystique of the Citadel so obscured the surrounding town that Samantha didn’t even notice a single sight or sound emanating from the town, though she knew the town had many of its own intrigues and glories.

As the ship passed though into the mouth of the harbor, Samantha saw the great redwood trees, each one older than either the city or the Citadel. The trees were so tall they looked like they touched the sky as they passed under them. Opening up into the harbor, the Citadel rested on the town like a crown. A lofty waterfall poured down from the great heights of the steep mountain that the Citadel valley was nestled in. Before Samantha could take it all in, the ship had put into dock and the passengers were preparing to disembark.

Miss Devanger, Percy said, smiling sweetly at her, jolting her out of her entrancement by the Citadel, We ‘ave your trunk and are putting it ashore. I’ll be lead’n you to where the students wait. They’ll take your trunk to the Citadel from there.

Thank you, that is very nice of you. Samantha smiled back sweetly.

It’s nuthin’, Miss, Percy replied with a touch of mock bashfulness. We loved ‘avin’ you ‘round this voyage, and we all want to see you safely in the ‘ands of your destination.

Samantha moved up beside him and followed him stride for stride, disembarking from the vessel. The land seemed harder to her than it should, and to be moving as well.

Careful Miss, you’re ‘avin’ a bit of land sickness, that’s all. Take my arm if you wish. The sailor put out his arm so Samantha could steady herself. It will pass quickly, soon as you get your land legs.

Taking hold of his arm Samantha began to walk straighter. Thank you again. Will this last as long as the getting my sea legs did?

Not that long, Percy assured her. It hadn’t taken her very long to get her sea legs.

The group of students that gathered at the appointed spot was larger than Samantha had expected, and they mixed and milled about in such a way that it was impossible for her to get an accurate accounting. An incessant droning emanated from the throng, and in this confused mixture they all looked under ten years old to Samantha.

I feel so old, Samantha whispered to Percy with a smile. But what could I expect starting so late in life? One way or the other it was good to be here and Samantha could hardly wait to take the next step.

Pip had been following at Samantha’s heel and he sat beside her when she stopped. Several children in the group noticed Pip immediately and started to whisper among themselves. Like a ripple-wave through a pond, the whole mass was soon affected, until they all seemed to be whispering. Samantha could see their eager eyes fixed upon her dog and smirked at the common effect her companion had on children. Finally, after the mass shifted and quaked several times, one young girl was ejected out of the group towards Samantha. As the child slowly made her way forward, she straightened up and puffed up her chest to give herself courage.

Ma’am, the girl started, you sure have a strange, pretty dog.

Yes, Pip is quite handsome. He’s a greyhound, Samantha explained to the girl. Would you like to give him a pet? He really likes to have his back rubbed.

The girl’s eyes lit up. Can I really?

Sure, just let him smell your hand first. Samantha told her and then looked over at the other children and smiled a welcoming smile.

As the brave girl let Pip smell her hand several other children started over. Then, as if Pip was a child magnet, all but three of the children were drawn over to him. Samantha explained to each child to not overwhelm Pip, who was enjoying all the attention, his tail beating rhythmically against the ground. One child was completely entranced and amused by Pip’s happy tail.

Samantha let three children at a time engage Pip, let him smell them and them pet him. It was all quite fun.

Percy stood with Samantha while the children swarmed and until the representative from the Citadel was seen coming up the dock. Miss, if you ever need passage, we’ll be ‘appy to ‘ave you along with us.

Thank you, I do appreciate everything you all have done for me. I will see you soon. She smiled and squeezed his hand. Percy turned and departed, and Samantha turned her attentions back to the approaching Citadel representatives.

The handful of people was lead by a young man wearing a green long vest with heavy gold embroidery down the front and sandals. It was so long that came down to his mid-calf. The others, who stood behind him, wore much shorter long vests of different colors and legging, but none had the bold accents of the leader.

The voice of one representative broke the children’s attention from Pip and focused it on him. Welcome, aspirants, he said in a very disengaged tone, I am the Proctor. Please arrange yourselves in groups according to the designation on your acceptance letters, then arrange yourselves in order of birth and place your belongings on your left side to signify that you are ready. Quietly, please, and quickly: there is much to do.

The rustle and crackle of papers and the murmur of confusion echoed off the water, and it seemed to Samantha as if hundreds, not merely fifty were scurrying on the dock. She glanced at her own letter. Designation? she thought what designation? She moved over towards one cluster of youths who were comparing letters, but before she could get a good look the group dissolved like dandelion fluff in the wind, leaving no one still there. The proctor sighed and shook his head. While Samantha turned her attention to the next nearest group she was bumped by a very small boy, and she looked down at him to excuse herself she saw he was almost in tears. His mouth moved, but only a very slight whimper came out. Samantha took the boy’s letter, which he was holding out before him. Emblazoned on his letter, only slightly less bold than the Citadel crest, was a stylized animal symbol: a turtle.

Whaa…. what is my daysig nashun? the whimpering boy was finally able to speak words.

Turtle, Samantha replied warmly. I believe this is a sea turtle.

"Tur tull?" the boy said, trying to emulate Samantha.

Turtle!? Are you a turtle? I’m a turtle! A nearby girl spoke up cheerfully and began to walk over to the boy. The two children compared letters, smiled and giggled at each other.

Sea turtles over here, Samantha called out in her best bold tone. She repeated it several more times as several children looked up and drifted her way. As they got closer, she checked their letters to confirm them. One of them was definitely not a turtle, but a lizard of some sort.

Lizards over here, she said as she moved a few feet down the pier, bringing the boy with the lizard seal letter along with her. She displayed his letter as she turned and called out again. The lizards were fewer and quicker than the turtles she thought and couldn’t help but chuckle. Before the last turtle joined the group, the lizards were gathered and had their belongings properly placed. She called out an encouragement to the turtles, reminding them about the next instruction. She glanced at the proctor, who seemed unimpressed and almost disinterested in the gathering. She felt a tug on her dress and found a thin girl beaming at her, holding up her rolled-up letter.

Dog, the girl proclaimed proudly.

Samantha took the letter and opened it up. The symbol was a very odd dog. She couldn’t help but strain to decipher the rune, but her mind was clouded with the suggestion of dog, and she couldn’t quite grasp a better interpretation.

Ummm…ah, shaggy dog? Samantha said tentatively, and again held up the seal, though not with such a sure hand, and she cringed a little when the proctor scoffed. But a cheer rose from the students: obviously the dog designation held certain thrill for the children, and all the dogs held their letters up and barked as they assembled. Dog was not only the most vocal group, but the largest over the turtle group by just a few.

Samantha looked around the pier and saw three other groups forming. These were very distinct, small groups of only a few members. One was obviously a group of children of the nobility, and a second was older children. The last group was only two children, and they seemed so different as to defy direct association. Perhaps a catch-all group, she thought.

The proctor then spoke out sharply: Now, Lizards, march! Up the hill and through the gate, follow the road. Turtles: follow after Lizards!

The two largest concentrations of children began to walk, following the proctor’s directions. But he didn’t even watch them, giving attention to the buttons on his ill-fitting vest, the only symbol of his authority. He turned to one of his cohorts and grunted.

Mountain goats, march! Up the hill and through the gate, follow the road.

No one moved.

Mountain goats! he barked, pointing at the Shaggy Dog group. There was an audible sigh of discontent from the cluster, but the children began to head up the hill. As the group marched up, looking to Samantha so much like a group of slave miners returning to the shafts, one of the group mumbled, Goats smell icky.

Falcon, Bear, and Salmon, march! Up the hill and through the gate, follow the road.

With all the children now on their way, the proctor started to turn and leave. Wait, Samantha called out to him. My letter only had the seal of the Citadel on it. What group am I in?

Only the seal? Let me see that. He put out his hand to take her letter. Samantha closed the gap and handed the letter to him. He hurriedly scanned the page: You’re one of Questor’s projects. He rolled his eyes and grunted in irritation. You’re not one of the new students. Come with me."

What of my trunk? Samantha pointed back at the trunk on the dock.

Fine, I’ll arrange to have it brought up. What am I now, a carter and a goat herder? Is your name on it?

Umm… Samantha paused, still trying to decode his previous question. Yes, my name is embossed on it.

Good, come along now, he grunted, turning and starting up the hill to the gate. Then he mumbled, Why can’t Watchers take care of their own business? Samantha with Pip at her heel followed close behind.

Samantha saw so much as they walked up the hill. The road was a direct path from the dock to one of the amber gatehouses, about a couple of miles walk. People were everywhere, doing business and milling about, and the clothing was brightly colored with yellows and red yet made of common cloth. These colors were normally designating the higher ranks of society but here they were worn by all. She wondered how the nobility distinguished itself from the masses, for they always did.

Most of the buildings had three or four white plastered stories, and with many large open mosaic tile archways that surrounded the top floors of the building like wrap around porches. The dwellings consisted of families living above their businesses or apartment houses as well as what had to be storage houses. She was sure they had to be for storage since they didn’t have the upper story porches.

Samantha had done years of study, with an honored Professoré back home, on languages, cultures and histories. Understanding how communities function economically as well as politically was essential. She had tried for years to work for the court with her extensive education but it wasn’t possible in the end.

The taverns came next, and the closer Samantha got to the gatehouse, the more there were. All had daily specials written on boards outside their doors. Samantha kept slowing down and lagging behind, then having to catch up every few seconds.

The road, which had gradually grown steeper on their walk through town, suddenly shifted to a sharp incline as the wall and gatehouse of the Citadel drew up before them. The amber that encased outer battlements seemed to glow in the midday sun, a single, seamless block with a few small windows and doorways cut into it. Do you know how they actually did that? Samantha asked the proctor, who ignored her.

Samantha rejoined the aspirant groups on the other side of the gatehouse, where each group had been met by some other older students. These students seemed much closer to Samantha’s own age. By a rough estimate Samantha guessed there was one older student to every five initiates. Once the proctor arrived, the groups continued their journey up the rest of the road towards the three towers.

The closer the towers got the more awe-inspiring they were. All the children had the same trouble of keeping their attentions on where they were going as did Samantha.

The buildings are so much farther apart than they seemed from the ship, Samantha stated absently to Pip. Before she knew it the groups had gathered in an outdoor auditorium. A circle of columns surrounded the area with a marble stone relief that ran atop it. At one end was a fountain on a platform with statues, and plants dotted the inside of the ring. The place looked like it could hold a thousand or more people, but today it would be where the new students would be indoctrinated.

The proctor, along with another student wearing a blue long vest and black leggings, approached Samantha, who stood in back of the rest, taking in the surroundings.

Since you are not a student, you cannot attend this orientation. Aurora here will assign you a room and explain things to you. With that said the proctor turned and left.

Don’t mind him, Aurora rolled her eyes watching the proctor leave then turned back to talk to Samantha, her short, straight brown hair just touching her shoulders as she turned her head. He’s grumpy because this is the third time he’s been assigned to do this.

Samantha nodded understandingly and smiled at the girl who stood only a little shorter then herself. Samantha was close to the height of her brothers, nearly 5’8 the last time she was measured. This girl was definitely younger than her, closer to one of her younger sisters, Samantha figured. I’ve been there, but I didn’t mind. Back home at the Royal Academy I was assigned many of the jobs no one else wanted, like orienting the incoming students, especially the foreign ones. I was one of the few who could speak their languages."

The girls turned and walked further into the complex. So what brings you here? Aurora guided her away.

I received a letter from Watcher Questor to come with the newly arriving students and report to him. So I was under the impression that I was a new student, but I have found that that isn’t the case. So I’m not sure why I’m here now, but it is an adventure at least. Samantha smiled, enjoying the idea and not really caring if she stayed up here or in the town.

Oh, one of Questor’s undertakings, probably. He’s always involved in one odd project or another, Aurora said as she turned a corner toward a set of five-story buildings. You will be staying here, she stated, pointing to the structure on the right. There aren’t very many places where new students, visitors, and special projects like yourself, she murmured, winking at Samantha, can go. So try to stay around them. There is the courtyard where we just were, as long as there are no demonstrations going on at the time. The town is fine, just keep your letter with you, bearing the seal on it, in case you are stopped coming back in. There is the library….

Oh, the library, Samantha exclaimed excited. That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to find that. I frequented the one at home so much that many thought I might live there.

Walking into the building Aurora led her to a room about in the middle where the halls connected. What is your whole name, or what do you wish to be called while you are here?

Well, my name is Samantha Devanger. What do you mean by what do I wish to be called while I am here?

Students who devote themselves to the weirding ways are to shed their old lives and begin anew. This normally starts with a new name. Most new students will change names three or four times before one sticks, Aurora explained. Did you want to start with a new name?

Samantha thought for a moment. Butterfly was all that came to mind, the name her mystery lover gave her so long ago. She did like that name, but she queried, How would Questor find me if my name changed?

Good point, Aurora said. We should stick with your old one until they decide what to do with you. With that settled, Aurora wrote quickly with her finger on the door, saying something Samantha couldn’t understand. Here put your hand on the door…no, here in the center. Samantha felt a tingle as well as the well-worn wood of the door. There, now this is your room. The door will unlock for only you now. Your trunk, I think that’s what he said was coming, will arrive here sometime later today. I’ve got to get back to the meeting. You’ll be fine. Aurora gave a quick wave as she turned trotted back to the orientation, I’ll see you later.

Alone again with Pip sitting at her feet, Samantha’s mind whirled at the day so far. So shall we see what the room looks like? She turned the knob to reveal the small room, windowless with a drab interior. As her eyes adjusted, she noted a bed big enough for her and Pip, just barely, and a table with a lamp in one corner and a wardrobe in the other. Pretty plain, really. But all mine. Or ours, I guess. At least until they kick us out, eh, Pip? She smiled and left the door open behind them and tossed her pack on the bed. Then in an excited burst she danced around the room in small circles until she twirled herself over to the bed and fell into it. With a little kick Samantha relaxed and patted the bed, signaling for Pip to come over.

Moving from his place by the door Pip walked to the bed, put his head under her hand, and rested his head on the bed. Turning on her side to face him, she spoke, bursting with excitement: Isn’t this wonderful? Pip licked her face as if to answer her. Giggling, she spoke more calmly: Well, let’s check this place out. We have a library to find and daylight’s a-burning. I won’t want to be lost in the dark here. Oh, and we’ll find a place for you to have a good dash, but don’t catch anything until we’ve settled in and know what’s what.

Samantha hopped up, stashed her pack under the bed and headed for the door, Pip right behind. Out the door they went. Around one building then another she went, distracted by the grandeur. She touched and studied everything she came across. But no library, at least that she could tell. When she rounded one corner, she saw a beautiful grove of trees. She was about to go in, but a voice from behind yelled out: Hey, you! What are you doing there? STOP! A hand grabbed her shoulder.

Turning to the voice, she saw a tall, handsome young man whose cross expression was encircled with long but fine, dark brown hair. What are you doing? How did you get in here? You can’t go back there.

Samantha, surprised at the hand grasping her shoulder, turned to look at the man, not much taller than her since she was tall for a woman. She gave a signal to Pip to keep him relaxed. She guessed the young man to be very near her own age. Sorry? No. I was just looking for the library which I was told was here.

His tone was still firm but less emphatic, and with his hand keeping its hold on her he continued: Your dress tells me you are no student here and you are errant in where you wander. If you are no student then how is it you come to be here?

I only arrived this day, having been sent for by the Citadel itself. Here I have the letter with me that brought me here. She took the letter from the pocket fold of her dress and handed it to him. Upon my arrival I was given a room and no instruction. I meant no disobedience. Samantha couldn’t help but take a liking to him. He was certainly attractive enough, had strong hands, but he also seemed a little awkward. She decided she liked him, but in more a brotherly fashion than a suitor.

So you have not been informed of the rules or even shown the campus? What were they thinking? These words he spoke more to himself than to her, as he opened the letter and let her go. Questor: what is he doing now? I wonder why he sent you with the incoming students. Well, you’re here now and we, or I, can’t let you just wander about so, or you will get hurt.

Hurt, how so? Samantha said, hiding her amusement from this perplexed young man.

Not every place at the Citadel is safe, for girl or hound. Many of these places are mystical, and not always in the most pleasant ways. The new students are not even allowed away from their surrogate until after their first year. This strictly obeyed rule is imposed in order for them to be familiar with the grounds and to learn some basics to keep out of trouble.

Oh, but I wasn’t allowed to participate in the orientation due to my status, so what am I to do? I was just looking for the library, and my dog isn’t able to pick up the scent of the books.

You’d better keep this with you at all times while you are here, he said, handing the letter back. As for Questor, he only sees people in the mornings, so this matter will have to wait until tomorrow. By the stars. Where are my manners? My name is Alexander. What is yours?

She smiled at him now, happy to make his acquaintance. Samantha Devanger, she said and gave him a small, formal curtsey.

Alexander looked at her a bit cockeyed: Is that your birth name?

Yes.

Didn’t they tell you anything? Even a guest needs to know and follow the proper etiquette at all times here. If you’re going to use your birth name at all, only use the first and never the last. Alexander sighed heavily and stared at her a few moments. So, Samantha, you were looking for the library, was it?

Yes, I was looking for the library. I’ve heard it is one of the biggest in the world. She smiled and became excited again. Do you know the way?

As a matter a fact, I know it well-- it is where I work and do my research.

Really!? That must be so interesting, to get to work with all those old books all the time. What a wonderful job, Samantha said with complete sincerity.

Alexander offered Samantha his arm. This way.

With a short trip back and around a corner, they were there: a three-story building with an open courtyard on top. Each floor had an open, columned porch wrapping around it, and every fourth opening was a door with all the others glass windows.

This is the library? When I passed this building before I figured that there was no way that this could be it. It’s too open. The elements would damage the books.

Maybe in the outside world, but here the books are enchanted against the elements, infestation and age.

Wow! That’s amazing. If I learn how to do that, think of all the books I could preserve.

Now, Alexander mildly scolded, Citadel knowledge stays with the Citadel.

Well, what good is that? she retorted and smiled teasingly at him. Can you show me around? She hoped to spend more time with her new acquaintance. She was enjoying his company.

Of course, come on. I’ll give you the official tour…well, the semi-official one anyway. Taking her and Pip inside, Alexander began the tour by introducing her to the Watcher and Elder in charge of the library and some of the others who worked there. The first floor harbored window seats, tables and chairs, big comfortable chairs and a few rows of bookshelves. The second and third floors were much the same, with rows and rows of bookshelves and stairs to the roof courtyard.

After a brief walk around the library, Alexander explained, I was on my way to eat dinner with my friends. Do you know yet where you are eating tonight?

Food? No, I guess I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I’ve been so caught up in everything going on here that I’ve missed lunch and now it’s time for dinner. Where do students eat?

Normally the new students eat together with their surrogate in the dining halls. The older students either eat at the dining hall, but they are pretty few really, or eat in town.

That accounts for all the taverns on the road to the gatehouse.

Yes, and the food is better at the taverns, too. The older students, who are given allotments by their families, find this to be a good thing, but others need to find jobs to support themselves. This along with their studies can be a lot. Oh, and as a Weave-scholar like me, the Citadel pays you a yearly stipend.

Since I’m not an official student here, I am not sure they will let me eat at the dining hall. I don’t have a lot of money. But the taverns appear to be my only choice. Do you mind if I eat with you?

Sure, I can introduce you to my friends. I’m sure they’ll adore you gray friend, here, and they love a good tale, and I have a feeling you’ll fill the bucket and spill onto the floor.

……………….

Pip was comfortably stationed on a cloak that had fallen onto the floor underneath while Samantha was sitting at the heavily knotted table in a tavern when she was introduced to two of Alexander’s friends: Alissa and Kenya. These two certainly exemplified the diversity of those attending the Citadel. Alissa was shorter than Samantha, a more typical height for the women Samantha had encountered, while Kenya was noticeably taller than Samantha and most other women. Alissa was pretty in an average way, such that her attraction grew upon a person, while Kenya was immediately noticeable like Samantha too, in part because both their features looked a bit like a carved statue.

By all indications they were genuinely thrilled to meet her. Women were very scarce at the Citadel. This lent itself to quick bonding within this minority, in part due to a sense of sisterhood and in part due to the default masculine slant that often clouded events and activities at the Citadel. Whether a woman was nurturing like Alissa or precise and driven like Kenya, or something else between, confederation was necessary to success and long term survival. Women were in theory equals here at the Citadel, but occasionally the men had to be reminded.

The mostly informal network of women began to enlighten Samantha in the same way that many generations of women at the Citadel had been taught. They advised her of some of their own experiences, to help her know what to expect and what to avoid. They told her about their instructors, other Citadel regulars and associated townsfolk, what quirks they had and how to get along with or around the difficulties. They also warned her about the factions, quasi-formal groups that formed around charismatic scholars, who disliked whom and who to stay away from. Her new girlfriends each warned her to be careful about her reputation and advised her on what the male students might try.

Samantha soon discovered that Alexander wasn’t in charge of the group he had introduced Samantha to; he was just the one who held the highest position outside the group. Alexander, Alissa and Kenya tried to explain some of the rules around the Citadel, at least the ones they could remember. So much had become second nature to them that the rules they were given at orientation seemed distant and vague in their memories.

You aren’t allowed to use your skill, offensively that is, against another member of the Citadel, Kenya said, suddenly remembering. Kenya was engaged at the Citadel in the study of what she called weaving, the largest contingent of those studying at the Citadel. Everyone started with weaving, a few moved beyond or to other specialties. Kenya warned that at times the pressure and competitive nature of Citadel erupted into conflict involving the general spell-weaving population.

That shouldn’t be a problem as I don’t know any, Samantha giggled.

What?! Alissa exclaimed causing her wavy brown hair to bounce. She was involved in the healing arts as studied at the Citadel. The students of the healing arts were rarely involved in violent conflict, but were, of course, always involved in mending the damage. You can’t be at the Citadel without being able to defend yourself from others.

She’s right, Kenya added. What if a spell goes wrong and she’s nearby? What is she going to do? She has no surrogate to protect her. Kenya paused and thrummed her long fingers on the table as she pondered, which obviously annoyed Alissa. That’s it! She needs a surrogate: someone to teach her and show her how to get by. We can tell her who to look out for, and the places to avoid, but if no one shows her where the places are and who the people are, it won’t do her much good. I’m too busy to do it. How about you, Alissa?

Me either, Alissa replied after putting her small hand down on top of Kenya’s to stop her fingers. My studies and responsibilities keep me busy too often and too irregularly for that kind of attention.

All three girls turned their gazes toward Alexander at the same time. He began immediately to get fidgety and even blushed slightly at their stares.

Now wait a minute. I’m busy too, you know, Alexander protested.

But you have time here and there at the library on a more regular basis than we do. And she can hang out there while you’re working. She can follow you around and see how things really work, Kenya explained.

Yeah, and in your free time you can teach her the basics. It would work, Alissa chimed in as triumphantly as if she had just discovered the cure for a serious illness.

No, no, I can’t. I can’t. Really. No, Alexander said, but his protest was feeble, as if he just didn’t want to seem too much of a pushover. No, come on now. Fine, fine, fine I’ll do it. But I state for the record that I accepted this post under protest. With that he gave Samantha a smile and a wink.

Good, now that is settled. Samantha, you have to tell us where you got that gorgeous greyhound. I thought dogs of that breeding were reserved for the nobility, and you said that you were from a more genteel household, Kenya said.

Yes, that’s right. My father is a Professoré at our Royal Academy. He and my mother raised and educated all ten of us. Pip here was a gift. Samantha leaned over and patted her old friend on the head while he slept at her feet.

Ah, a gift of a well-bred dog, Alissa said. That is some gift. What did you do to get a gift like that? Alissa leaned closer resting her face on her hands as if thinking of a great love affair.

It’s not want you’re thinking. Samantha shook her finger at her three new friends. It was much more innocent than that. At least to start with, she smiled a crooked smile. Basically I had been following this man I had danced with a few nights earlier and had bumped into a few times since. I was hiding in the bushes of the manor house he was staying at. Samantha put up her hand to try to stop the others as she saw them cutting in.

What! Hiding in the bushes? Alissa blurted out with glee. Who was this man, the one you followed? You’ve got to tell us.

He was striking in a very well-balanced way, not too much or too little in any of his features, obviously from my homeland but with the touch of foreign experience that lends sophistication. He danced well, but more from having grace and not scads of experience. He seemed out of place, like I felt, but he was doing a much better job of looking like he was supposed to be there. I didn’t get his name, Samantha said.

How could you not… Kenya asked with a tone of exasperation, …have gotten his name?

I know, but just bear with me and I will start over. Samantha paused, becoming lost in the memory of the event: His name just didn’t come up. I don’t remember if mine did either. It was a few days after the dance when I met him. I had found out where his brother lived. I ventured to the residence of his eldest brother, an enormous manor, and slipped onto the grounds. I was so nervous as I searched, looking around the grounds and into the windows. I had never done anything like that before. Suddenly I froze when I turned a corner and heard his voice. ‘Go home, little brat. Quit bothering me,’ is what he said. "It was then I saw him, with his short but thick, dark hair, neatly trimmed beard and slightly sun-darkened skin. He was tall but not towering in stature, but he definitely had a commanding presence in my mind. He was right in front of me, scarcely twenty feet away, but apparently unaware I was there as he continued to scold and gesture. Although I couldn’t see his enchanting eyes, I could remember them well enough to feel like I could. I finally saw whom he was addressing: a greyhound pup, sitting another twenty feet away. The pup seemed anxious to catapult himself towards him, but wary of his tone. As the man sighed, one of the household staff came from behind the dog and snatched it up to carry it back to the kennels. Even though I was unseen by my mystery man, the dog-handler however could see where I was. He gave me a wink and I turned to go back to the front door.

"I walked resolutely back to the door, and with hand raised to knock on it I started thinking to myself, ‘Why am I here? I didn’t even bring a gift. What if he does answer the door? What if he doesn’t? How will I ask for him when I don’t know his name?’

I sighed, the spirit of the moment waning and I laid my hand on the door. Feeling so close but so far, I decided to leave. I lingered a few minutes longer in hopes that he would come back out. But the minutes passed and my spirit evaporated and I walked away from the door, away from the manor house and away from the estate.

This is so sad! Alissa broke in. I can’t imagine how you bore it.

Kenya hushed her friend. Shhh, let her finish.

I’m getting to that, I promise. Samantha smiled at her new friends. She’d never told this story to anyone before. It felt freeing to finally be able to share the experience. Out on the street, I walked aimlessly, lost in my own mental conflicts. Suddenly, I stumbled over something, and it yipped. Almost falling to the ground I caught myself on a wall. Having moved a short distance away, the culprit was waiting, whining softly. It was the pup, the same one I had seen the man with earlier. In timely fashion Pip raised his head and Samantha patted it affectionately.

"I looked around, but no one was with the wayward pup. ‘You’re a long way from home, little one,’ I told the pup and put my hand out to coax him to me. Picking him up, I looked back along the way to the manor house and sighed: ‘I guess I’ll have to take you home so you don’t get in trouble.’ As I carried him back to the manor I told the content puppy about the man, whose name I didn’t know, how much he intrigued me, and how much I had been thinking about him. By the time I got back to the manor I had forgotten how nervous I was, until I looked at the manor door. Then it all came flooding back. I thought about how my enigmatic man had been upset with the puppy, and I wandered off in the direction the pet handler had gone, in order to return to the pup.

"As I approached the kennels I saw several children of a wide variety of ages, scouring the area near the kennels, as well as the dog-handler and his wife. His wife was the first to become aware of my presence, and smiled at me as she walked over. She told me, ‘He’s quite the little roamer. Where did you find him?’

"‘I fear he was following me home,’ I answered her and handed the small puppy to her. ‘Why are all these children here?’

She told me, ‘Looking for this little rascal. They’re my children, all eleven of them. Some are from my first marriage, some from my husband’s first marriage, and two from our own blessed union.’ There was a sudden cry from one of the children, and they all swarmed at me, like you would imagine a pack of wild dogs would. About four of them introduced themselves all at once, and several asked who I was. I began to answer their questions. One at a time, I told them my name and each told me theirs. I explained where I found the pup, and I listened to where they had looked for him. After a while the woman headed her children off to their home as I waved. When they were gone I asked the handler if I could stay and play with the pup a while, trying to waste a little more time before I had to leave, still hoping I would see my mystery man. He agreed and soon I was drawn fully into play with the frisky puppy. While I played I saw several people moving about, but all seemed to be servants or trades-people.

"Then, I heard his voice again, ‘If you choose to be difficult, I shall loose the hounds upon you!’ As I turned to discover his location, the pup started a long series of short barks.

"He proclaimed, ‘There, I have summoned the vilest of the pack,’ nodding in the direction of the kennels, but not really looking. At the end of his fully extended arm, a limp cat dangled, and softly loosed a very long but unconcerned meow. The cat was very large and almost entirely gray, with some white-tipped toes and a spot on its chest. I watched curiously, holding tight to the puppy, trying to quiet him so as not to be discovered, yet at the same time wanting to be discovered. Not able to speak I watched the scene unfold in front of me.

"The pup began to squirm and gyrate, bark and whine. At first, the man seemed distracted with the cat, but the commotion of the pup interrupted and he began to walk towards me, bringing the cat down and putting her on his shoulders. I still didn’t know if he had seen me.

"‘Well, Old Barth, you are safe for now: the little devil is stuck in the shrubbery,’ he said as he moved closer, scanning for the pup, and softly calling to him. Then he had obviously seen someone holding the pup, for he said sternly, ‘Your father will be ill-tempered with you. You should not be out here playing with one of the Master’s