"Begin," is Xenograg's command.

The three girls — the princesses Erwyn, Amanda, and Mystic — move in unison, dropping into the first combat stance. The three are wearing lamellar armor and wield wooden swords. Xenograg is also wearing armor, a hauberk of elven mail under his usual topcoat. A wooden sword is in his right hand while his left is tucked behind his back. Xenograg walks in a circle around his three students as they move through the assigned kata. His eyes watch all three at once, noting strengths and weaknesses.

"Third form...switch!" The girls have come to expect such impromptu changes and adjust with only a little hesistation. It will be many more months before any of them will be able to act without conscious thought. Xenograg completes his second circle and stops in front while the girls finish the third form. All forms end with a salute, and Xenograg returns it. He does not always, though; not if a significant mistake is made by any of them.

"Good. First form again...begin."

The training session continues. Two to three hours a day, six days a week. The girls are young, but each knows the world is not a friendly place.

"Remember: a spell is a process, not a thing," Xenograg tells his students for the hundredth time. Today, the three girls sit and practice carving runes into wand-sized wooden dowels. It is delicate work with a very sharp knife; each girl has nicked her finger at least once this morning.

"Preparation is everything," continues Xenograg's lecture. "Magicians are people who pay attention, think ahead, and get ready for things before they occur. The spell or skill that may save your life someday in the future will be begun here today. All learning is preparation."

Erwyn finishes a carving and adds the dowel to her work pile. She takes a moment to look up at her teacher to show she is paying attention to his words, then takes up a new practice wand. Each girl works through a pile of a dozen sticks at her own pace.

"The first magic comes from within," Xenograg explains to his three students. "All living things generate energy, however limited in quantity. This Personal energy can be utilized by a sentient being with practice."

The girls sit cross-legged on the floor facing their teacher who sits likewise. They are not meditating but are in a period of contemplation. Xenograg continues the lesson in a soft voice.

"Before you can use this energy, you must know it — become aware of it, learn its rhythms. You focus your awareness on your body, feeling every little thing it does and why. With this knowledge, you begin to establish better control over your body and its actions. You eliminate wasteful movements and refine the rest."

"Naturally, I am talking about a high level of physical fitness. Sorcerers are akin to martial artists in this regard. The latter apply their knowledge and awareness in different ways for different purposes, but the results can sometimes be very much like magic."

"Emotion is the heart of sorcery. No one can doubt the power of emotion. Emotions summon and release one's energy — anyone's, sorcerer or not. Sorcerers are aware of their own emotional state at all times: what they are feeling and why. Certain spells require a specific emotional state. A sorcerer knows how to change what he is feeling to create the effect he desires, or prevent an effect he does not. I speak of control, not suppression. Suppression leads to losing access to all your energy; you cripple yourself."

Watching from the door, Erwyn was awed by both her tutor and her mother's ability with the sword. Amanda and Mystic stood next to her, but seemed unphased by this. They had seen her father in both training and even attacked.

"Oooh...I want to learn how to fight just like my mother."

"Father will teach you such things." Amanda reassured her.

A voice sounded behind the girls. "She is quite the warrior is she not?"

Turning they see Philippe watching with admiration in his face. Erwyn smiles and slips her hand in his. "Aye that she is."

Xenograg stops to wipe the sweat from his brow. The beylik of Xenodar is a new holding, and is very underpopulated. Consequently, and despite his age, Xenograg has been driving a plow team of oxen from sunrise to sunset everyday for the past month. He does not feel his age, though. Both his renewed vigor and devotion to his new land have him feeling tired but also very alive.

His three students, princesses or not, are also helping with the planting. Erwyn and Amanda work with rakes while Mystic sows seed. Amanda has been given an extra task, as well. This is her land, too, and she is to energize her labor with the passive magic of conscious intent. Xenograg is doing likewise, though with different power. The elemental Jinzaggin that are part of him (and yet not) can be used to great effect this way. Xenograg takes pleasure in giving to a process of creation. He has used them to kill and destroy far too often.

It is Midsummer's Eve and all is ready. It has been over a week since Amanda, Xenograg's daughter and apprentice, made her first adult decision: asking for early advancement to the next stage of sorcerous training. Despite his reservations, Xenograg decided to grant her request. He believes Amanda's assertiveness should be encouraged. The past week has been spent making preparations.

Following Xenograg's instructions, Erwyn and Mystic dress Amanda in a plain gown of white linen and slippers. Amanda is nervous, and the other girls hug her for comfort. They then escort Amanda to their teacher who awaits them in Nom's Tower. Amanda's eyes widen when she beholds her father dressed in an ornate, blood-red robe.

"Thank you, Erwyn, Mystic," he says to them in a formal tone. "From here, Amanda must walk alone." The two girls bow and withdraw. Amanda reminds herself to breathe.

"Follow," he instructs his apprentice. Without another word, he turns and walks through the already-activated portal mirror. Amanda hurries to catch up. She steps through into a room she has never been before. Any thought of questions is superceded by the need to keep up with Xenograg. They move from room to room until they come to a stone stairwell. Xenograg takes a torch from the wall and descends. Amanda holds a hand to the wall while she walks down into the darkness below. She begins to smell mustiness and dampness.

Down and down they go, the corkscrew stair beginning to make Amanda dizzy. Finally, they reach the bottom. There is a faint light coming through a narrow stone archway. Xenograg walks through into that other chamber, leaving Amanda in almost total darkness. She steps through the archway to find another person is already here. He, too, brought a torch which is fitted in a sconce on the wall. Xenograg places his torch into a sconce on the opposite wall. In the far wall is a rough cavelike opening into the rock. Xenograg turns to Amanda.

"You are in Demodar, in the Monastery of Arra," Xenograg informs her. "I told you the next step was a big one. It is the Rite of Initiation." Amanda gasps, this being more than she was expecting. He ignores her reaction and continues to speak. "You still have a choice, Amanda. You can return home and leave this for another day, or you can enter the Grotto and be Transformed."

Amanda looks from her father to the other man. He appears to be in his twenties, and is dressed in a plainer red robe. The man meets her gaze but remains silent and unmoving. Silence fills the whole room as Amanda weighs the choice. She stares into the grotto's opening. Xenograg has told her that the Initiation Rite changes you, and you are never entirely the same person again. Did she really want this now" Right now" She closes her eyes and takes deep breaths.

She opens her eyes and straightens her back. Without a word, she walks forward. She passes between the two sorcerers and stops before the mouth of the grotto. Taking a moment to check her footing, she places a hand upon the threshhold and steps into the darkness beyond.

"Time for adversarial training," announces Xenograg. Erwyn and Amanda both give little smiles; adversarial has become their favorite training method since Amanda's initiation made it possible. The two girls have a friendly rivalry going, as well. They walk to opposite sides of the dojo and stand at attention.

"Your choice, Amanda," Xenograg says. She nods and raises her weapon. In an uncommon choice, Amanda wields a sword-spear almost six feet long — half blade, half handle, with an endcap instead of a pummel. She reverses her grip and slowly swings the butt up vertically while whispering the mnemonics over and over. After an initial flicker, a mirror image of herself appears in the center of the room. Amanda slowly lowers herself into a fighting stance while concentrating upon the illusion. The illusionary Amanda salutes Erwyn before setting into the same stance as its conjurer.

Erwyn brings her short sword up into a guard position and steps forward to face her illusionary opponent. Both for safety and comprehensiveness, one student practices magic while the other does sword.

"Begin," orders their teacher.