Then it occurred to me that while so much magic was in use during the lessons, they might not notice a little more. This was my opportunity to learn how to shield myself. I headed straight for the library, where I hoped to find a basic treatise on the subject.

It wasn’t easy to concentrate with waves of magic making me reel. Every so often, I had to lean my forehead against the bookcase and take deep, steadying breaths. At last, I found what appeared to be the right book. I carried it to a table and hid it behind a history book.

I quickly skimmed the text. What I knew of magic, I’d learned by instinct or imitated from novels, so this was the first authoritative information I’d read. It seemed that the ability to use magic was a talent for channeling and directing power from the ether. “Spells” were merely step-by-step procedures for doing this, and once someone had internalized the process, it was no longer necessary to consciously follow each step. I was rather pleased with myself for having learned this on my own. Hand gestures and contact were helpful for directing power in certain circumstances. Gestures were also among the tools used to help students learn to channel power, and they became a habit even for magisters who no longer needed them.

Finally, I found a chapter that pertained to my predicament. According to the author, magisters were affected when others excited the ether nearby, but the excited ether could be deflected to diminish these effects. Following the instructions, I visualized a bubble around myself, the magically excited ether flowing around it. But then a wave of magic more powerful than ever nearly knocked me out of my seat. Gathering my wits, I made another attempt. This time, the tingle eased. I was still aware of the presence of magic, but it didn’t distress me so badly. I allowed myself a smile of triumph, and then another wave hit me as my concentration faltered.

“Oh, this will never do,” I said, sighing. A shield was of little use if it took constant effort to maintain it. However, after another half hour of practice, I was able to deflect the excited ether and maintain the shield without intense concentration. To test myself, I tried reading further in the book while continuing to deflect the magic. I knew I was successful when I became so engrossed that I forgot entirely about the shield, and yet I wasn’t overwhelmed by any surges of power. I didn’t think it would be long before maintaining the shield became second nature to me.