Natalia stayed silent, refusing to be baited.

"Go ahead," said the mistress, looking right at her, "unless you don't think you can?"

Natalia pointed her hands at the water bowl and uttered the words of power. They spilled from her lips quickly. Suddenly, there was a cracking sound, and then the room turned noticeably colder.

Mistress Tatiana turned her attention back to the bowl; the water in it had frozen solid, and the sudden change in temperature had cracked it. She held her hands over the ice to dispel it but looked on in surprise when it failed to melt. She turned to Natalia. "Dispel it," she ordered, "immediately!"

The young woman pointed at the bowl, uttering the words that would undo the effects. A moment later, the ice was gone, and water seeped through the cracks to pool on the floor.

"That's enough for today," proclaimed the mistress. "We shall have to see about replacing the bowl. Now, head along to your next class, girls. Mistress Dominique will be lecturing you about battle awareness."

They all began filing out, but Natalia, finding herself at the back of the line, felt a hand touch her arm.

"Not you, Natalia," said Mistress Tatiana.

She turned to her instructor, unsure of what to expect.

"How did you do that?" she asked

"Do what?" asked Natalia. "I simply did what you asked.

"Don't play games with me. Who put you up to this?"

"No one, I swear," she replied. "I let loose with everything I could, just as you said."

"You need to learn control," the mistress said.

"You're the one that told us to release the full fury of our powers," Natalia bit back, instantly regretting her temper.

"Don't argue with me," demanded Mistress Tatiana, "or you'll find yourself in front of the grand mistress. Do you understand?"

Natalia wanted to argue the point but was wise enough to hold her tongue. "Yes, Mistress," was all she could utter.

"Very well," said Tatiana, somewhat mollified. "Now be off with you, and don't cause any more problems."

Katrin sat down at the table, waiting while servants brought food. "She's nothing but a show-off," she griped.

Svetlana, eager to please, gulped down her food. "Yes," she agreed, "who does she think she is?"

"We were only supposed to create a thin layer of ice," said Katrin, "not freeze the whole bowl."

"Perhaps she's thick," offered Oksana.

"Thick?" said Svetlana.

"Yes, you know, not all there in the upper halls?"

"Well, she is a peasant."

"Once a peasant, always a peasant," Oksana said. "I heard Mistress Tatiana use that very phrase. Still, there's little we can do about it."

"I beg to differ," said Katrin.

"Oh?" asked Galina. "You have an idea?"

"Wouldn't it be fun if she was unable to cast?"

"Yes, it would," agreed Oksana, "but how would you do that?"

"That's easy," suggested Katrin, "just dose her with magebane."