It was like falling into deep water. All of a sudden the world ceased to exist. She was surrounded entirely by Charter marks, brilliant, shining, blinding marks that swirled and swam all around her, through her and inside her, marks that she did not know and felt she could never know, thousands, tens of thousands, millions of Charter marks –

Clariel gasped and stepped back, breaking the connection. Kargrin lowered his hand and looked at her thoughtfully.

‘It has been a long time since you joined with the Charter,’ he said, his voice a deep rumble from the cave of his chest. Clearly he had seen a great deal in Clariel’s connection with the Charter in the moment of their exchange. ‘And you do not practise the little magic you have been taught.’

‘No, I don’t,’ admitted Clariel.

‘Hmm,’ said Kargrin. ‘Roban?’

He raised his hand again, and he and Roban reached out at the same time, almost like a salute, reassuring each other that their forehead Charter marks were true, and not some disguise of Free Magic. At one time all those who bore the Charter mark would have greeted each other this way, but no longer. Clariel belatedly realised that she had not seen anyone perform this traditional greeting since she had come to Belisaere.

‘Do you have any news, Roban?’ asked Kargrin.

‘Nothing beyond my earlier communication, Magister,’ replied Roban, with a sideways glance at Clariel, so slight she almost didn’t notice it. ‘If I do, I will send word at once, or come myself.’

‘Speaking of messages,’ said Clariel, ‘Mistress Ader at the Academy asked me to tell you, “None have yet passed by, but I will keep watch.”’

‘Thank you,’ said Kargrin. He nodded at Roban and made a slight gesture with his hand. The guard stood at attention, inclined his head, whipped around in a parade-ground-perfect about-face and marched out. The magister turned his gaze back to Clariel, who suddenly felt shorter, younger and more vulnerable.

‘Conjure me a Charter light,’ said Kargrin. ‘A small one, on your fingertip.’

Clariel nodded, took a breath and reached out for the Charter once more. It was a little easier this time, because she could kind of sidle into it, rather than being inundated via Kargrin’s own immersion. But even so, she found it difficult. Starting with a few very familiar marks, she thought of more, visualising them as a chain reaching back into the full flow, but all too quickly there were more marks than she could cope with. So many marks they threatened to swamp her, and it took all her concentration to just select the one she needed, a minor mark for light, pull it out of the swim and coax it to her fingertip.