Bain handed me one of the Theobroma pieces and he gave the other to Gelsi. Then he told us to sit in the two chairs that faced each other. While I would have enjoyed eating the mouth-coating sweet, I thought it unnecessary.

“Can we try without it first?” I asked.

Bain’s bushy gray eyebrows rose as he considered my question. “You don’t need it to make an initial connection?”

I thought about the different people and horses I had linked with. “So far, no.”

“All right. Yelena, I want you to try to connect with Gelsi.”

Dredging some energy from my tired body, I pulled a thread of power and directed it to the girl, projecting my awareness to her. I sensed her apprehension about working with this strange woman from Ixia in her mind.

Hello, I said.

She jumped in shock.

To help her relax I said, I was born in the Illiais Jungle. Where did you grow up?

Gelsi formed an image of a small village wrapped in fog in her mind. We reside in the foothills of theEmerald Mountains. Every morning our house is enveloped in the mist from the mountains.

I showed her my parents’ dwelling in the trees. We “talked” about siblings. A middle child, Gelsi, had two older sisters and two younger brothers, but she was the only one in her family to develop magical powers.

Bain watched us in silence, then he interrupted, “Break the connection now.”

Sapped of energy, I dragged my awareness back.

“Gelsi, it is your turn to make contact with Yelena.”

She closed her eyes, and I sensed her seeking my mind. All I would need to do was tug on her awareness.

“Do not help her,” Bain warned me.

Instead, I kept my mind open, but she failed to reach me.

“Not to worry,” Bain consoled her. “The first time is the hardest. That is why we use Theobroma.”

Bain’s gray eyes studied me with kindness. “We will try again another time. Gelsi, go unpack and get settled.”

After she left Bain’s tower, he said, “No doubt you wore yourself out yesterday. Hayes mentioned something to me. Tell me what happened,” he instructed.

I told him about the pain and the power. “It seems I don’t have full control yet,” I offered, waiting to see if he would chastise me. If my actions had truly been an uncontrolled burst, I knew the other Master Magicians would have felt it. And certain that Roze would have acted without hesitation on that knowledge.

“A lesson learned,” Bain said. “Repairing injuries takes immense effort. Enough for today. I’ll see you tonight at the feast.”

The feast! I had forgotten. Again. “What should I…” I stopped, feeling awkward and silly to be asking about clothing.

Bain smiled in sympathy. “No expertise in that matter,” he said, seeming to read my mind. “Zitora will enjoy helping you. She’s at loose ends this year and will welcome some company.”

“I thought she was busy with Council business.”

“She is, but she’s transitioning from five years of being a student to being on her own. Having no time to be a mentor doesn’t mean she won’t have time to make a friend.”

I left Bain’s tower and headed toward Zitora’s in the northeast corner of the Keep. Lively groups filled the campus walkways and people hurried past me in every direction. My quiet walks through the Keep were at an end, yet I felt energized by all the activity.

Zitora greeted me with a bright smile that only dimmed when we discussed Tula’s condition. Talk eventually turned to the upcoming festivities, and I inquired about appropriate dress.

“The formal robes are only for the boring school functions,” Zitora said. “Do tell me you have something pretty to wear.”

When I shook my head, she transformed into a mother hen and set about finding me some clothes.

“Thank fate you’re my size,” Zitora said with glee.

Despite my protests, she dragged me up two flights to her bedroom and loaded my arms with dresses, skirts and lacy blouses. Zitora propped her hands on her hips, considering my boots. “Those will not do.”

“They’re comfortable and I can move easily in them,” I said.

“A challenge then. Mmm. I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared into another room, while I waited in her bedroom on the third floor of her tower. Soft pastel paintings of flowers hung on the walls. Oversize pillows graced her canopy bed. The room oozed comfort like open arms wrapping me in a hug.

With a triumphant shout, Zitora sauntered into the room, a pair of black sandals raised high for admiration.

“Rubber soles, soft leather and a small heel. Perfect for dancing all night long.” She laughed.

“I don’t know how to dance,” I said.

“Doesn’t matter. You have a natural grace. Watch the others and follow.” Zitora added the sandals to the top of my pile.

“I really can’t take all of this.” I tried to give the clothes back. “I came for advice, not your entire wardrobe.” I planned to go to the market. With the return of the Citadel’s residents, the shops remained open every day.

She shooed me away. “Hardly made a dent in my armoire. I’m a collector of clothes. I can’t pass a dress shop without finding something I must have.”

“At least let me pay—”

“Stop.” She raised her hand. “I’ll make it easier for you. Tomorrow I’m leaving on a mission for the Council, and—much to my chagrin—I will have an escort of four soldiers. Irys and Roze can gallivant all over Sitia by themselves, and they’re assigned all the fun, secret missions. But the Council worries about me. So I’m limited to escorted missions.” She huffed with frustration. “I’ve seen you practicing with your bow near the stable. How about I exchange my clothes for some lessons in self-defense?”