Up with the dawn, Selena could not remember ever feeling so excited.
It was easy to forget about her estranged relationship with her father and her grandmother’s condition when she was back in Latimer’s newly remodeled room. When she had been learning from Father Wesley and, later, Father Briarbridge, she had shared a table with her instructor. Latimer’s room had a large table, which was almost completely covered in scrolls, books, and a host of other objects whose purpose Selena could not discern.
Though there were two chairs at the table, Latimer took a seat in a cushioned chair in an adjacent corner of the room. The setup reminded Selena of her father’s drawing room.
Selena sat across from the wizard, feeling more like they were on the verge of chitchatting than engaging in scholarly endeavors. The difference in teaching styles did not surprise Selena. Latimer was a creature of comfort. She did her best to restrain her smile as the man fixed them both a cup of tea.
When they were both settled, saucer and teacup in hand, Latimer began to speak.
“To sum up yesterday’s lesson, all magic must contend with probability. The more improbable the change, the more difficult the spell is to cast. The trick is to fight the nature of reality as little as possible and find creative ways to work with it to achieve a desired result.”
“There are many wizards who, in their impatience to get what they want, resort to destructive magic at the expense of their environment or other consequences. The Black Order is notorious for producing selfish, fierce spell-casters. Naturally, the best battle mages are black-robes.
After a sip of tea, Latimer continued. “How would a red-robe contend with the proverbial tree? Sure, she could destroy the tree in the same way the black mage did. The red-robe could use a spell of transmutation and transform the tree into something less obtrusive. Better yet, she might alter the shape of the tree, making it slender enough to squeeze past.
“That is likely what a white-robe would do. Members of the White Order tend to use the most conservative of spells. They prefer to enhance or repair the world around them, as opposed to destroying it.”
Selena took advantage of Latimer’s next sip of tea by asking, “So a spell-caster will join the Black Order if she is interested in becoming a battle mage?”
“Most likely.” Today, he wore a new ensemble, which included a maroon doublet. She wondered where he was keeping all of his outfits, since he had brought only two small bags with him. She also wondered whether her red-robe teacher ever actually wore a robe.
“There are wizard warriors from the other two Orders too,” Latimer explained. “I can think of one white-robe who has quite the reputation for unscrupulous mercenary work.
“When it comes to magic, Selena, nothing is ever as simple as it first appears. Destructive magic, spells granted by Vhestaz, encompasses all of the incantations that bring ruin to the world. The study of battle magic, for example, is comprised almost exclusively of destructive magic. But not all destructive magic is battle magic, and not all destructive spells are practical in battle.”
For the first time in her life, Selena wished she had a quill and parchment. Her mind had always absorbed facts like a sponge, but the thought of losing even one word of what Latimer said worried her. She understood most of it but would have liked to have been able to reflect on it later.
“In order to explain the differences between the three Orders,” Latimer continued, “we must speak in generalities. Black magic is destructive, white magic is restorative, and red magic is a mixture of both. Sometimes red magic is called the magic of manipulation.
“I have already mentioned transmutation incantations. There are also illusion spells. Illusions tend to be easier to effect than actual change. Much like how a dying man is far more likely to see an oasis in the desert than to actually drink from one, illusion spells affect an individual’s perceptions in lieu of the physical world. People see what they expect to see. Inversely, they do not see what they do not expect to see.
“Your invisibility spell is an example of the latter. White- and black-robes can both tap into transmutation and illusion magic, but red-robes have an easier time with such ‘neutral’ spells.”
“And neutral spells are those that are neither innately destructive nor constructive?” Selena asked.
“Precisely,” Latimer said. “There are many categories and subcategories of magic, but some spells are so generally useful that they have become a category all their own. Spells of flight, for example, continue to be an obsession among wizardkind, despite the difficulty of casting them.”
Perhaps sensing Selena’s unspoken question, Latimer added, “Human flight is incredibly improbable. Levitation is difficult to maintain because it is quite unlikely that gravity forgot to keep a wizard fixed firmly to the ground. Some wizards transmute themselves into winged creatures, but convincing reality you have been a bird all along is woefully taxing.”
Either Latimer had reached the end of his point or he was content to wait for Selena’s thoughts to catch up because he said nothing for a span.
After a few minutes, Selena said, “I think I understand why transportation spells are so difficult…and why a wizard cannot use magic to take him to a place he has never been.”
“Do go on.”
As she spoke, Latimer poured himself another cup of blackbean tea.
“I suppose it is true that the farther a wizard transports himself, the more draining the spell is.” He did not correct her, so she went on, “And yet it is much more probable that a wizard is where he has been before than a new place he cannot envision firmly in his mind.”
“Too true,” replied Latimer. “If the destination is not within sight, the magus must depend fully upon memory, which can be a tricky thing because environments change, and it is widely believed transporting oneself into the same space as, say, a wall is a fatal error of judgment.
“A wizard should not transport himself to a place he has never been, though there are exceptions. A magus could siphon an image of a destination from someone else’s mind. This also can be dangerous, since the image often gets diluted in the process.
“It also is incredibly illegal if accomplished without the other person’s permission.”
Selena glanced out the window. “Does everyone follow the laws of the Assembly…even the black-robes?”
Latimer swirled the dark liquid inside his teacup. When he spoke, his tone was more serious than it had been before.
“All three Orders are expected to obey the Restrictions of Magic.”
“What about those who have not yet joined the Assembly?”
“Or those who refuse?” Latimer added. “According to the Mastermage, the Restrictions are mandates passed down by the Goddesses themselves. Every magus, whether a member of the Assembly or not, must heed them.”
“But what about those who are ignorant of the Restrictions?”
Latimer shrugged. Selena waited for him to explain himself, which he did, after another sip of tea. “I am an emissary. It is not my job to enforce the laws.”
Before Latimer could change the subject, Selena said, “If the Goddesses forbid the casting of certain spells, why do they grant wizards access to them in the first place?”
Latimer’s smile grew, and then he began to chuckle. “Why, Selena, are you implying that the Goddesses cannot stop a wizard from casting restricted spells? Or is it that the Assembly’s laws were designed for man by man himself?
“Pray be careful, my dear. You would not want to be branded a heretic!”
She could not decide how much of what he was saying was sarcasm and how much was genuine. He had dodged the question, though, and she sensed she would get no further on the subject.
As for the Restrictions themselves, Selena had learned only one to date—do not use spells that invade another person’s thoughts. She probably should have asked what the other Restrictions were, but she did not. Latimer would tell her when the timing was right. Until then, she would be happy to avoid the discussion.
Who knew how many other Restrictions she had inadvertently violated before she met Latimer Lanthrop?
Latimer put his hands behind his head and leaned back. “You already know a bit about the three Orders. Let me add this. Life is comprised of a series of choices. At every juncture, man is able to choose good, evil, or neither with his action or inaction. Some would go so far as to say that man is defined by what he does.
“Red-robes are perhaps the most curious of the three classifications.”
Latimer made a great show of adjusting the ruffled collar of his doublet and straightening the multihued ring on his finger. Selena was scarcely breathing. This was the part she had been waiting for all along.
“Red-robes tend to approach moral dilemmas with an objective perspective. Some red wizards choose the path of righteousness as consistently as white-robes or the way of self-advancement as often as black-robes do, though not necessarily for the same reasons.
“To put it another way,” he said, “the red-robe always does what he sees as the wisest course. Evil deeds can lead to positive results, and good deeds can lead to horrible results. The red-robe realizes this. More importantly, he is at peace with it.”
Selena suddenly found herself thinking of Sinner the Saint. The moral to that story, Celeste had taught her, was that knowledge and strategy were often more powerful than swords and spears.
But Selena had always found a second lesson in the story of Sinner the Saint. King Jarlen had sacrificed many lives—rebels and loyal soldiers alike—to purge Lorecca of the chaos that would have followed in a war’s wake.
“The ends justify the means.”
Selena did not realize she had spoken aloud until Latimer started clapping. “Bravo, my pupil. I could not have put it better myself. Have you decided, then, which Order you will join?”
She smiled back. “It is not a matter of choosing. I have been a red-robe all my life.”