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resonance with the various fields of magic. Since there are literally
hundreds of types of magic, the testing can sometimes take a long time. We will
try to minimize that time by testing for the most likely first. As your mother
is a heat mage, we will begin there.” He waved his arms to the sides and a pair
of mages wearing orange-red robes stepped forward to the benches on either
side.
    Ailsa resisted the urge to look behind her, sure that there
was now a red-robed mage on that bench as well. She licked her lips and closed
her eyes. She didn’t even know what it was she was supposed to do. No one had
explained anything. She tried to focus on something, anything. A single thought
drifted through her mind. At least, if I’m a heat mage, it will make the
decision about Sav easy. Far Terra has no need for heat mages.
     Her skin prickled at the sense of magic swelling around
her. Was it nerves that made sweat pop out on her forehead? Or was the room
getting warmer? The temperature in the room dropped again and Ailsa released
the breath she hadn’t been aware that she was holding. She opened her eyes so
she could see the master’s response.
    The old man shook his head. “No resonance was detected. You
are not a heat mage.” He waved his hands again and the red-robed mages rose and
faded back into the shadows. “Very well. Your aunt is a water mage. We’ll test
for that next.” He raised his arms and two more mages, women this time and clad
in dark blue robes, appeared from out of the shadows.
    Ailsa swallowed hard. Her hope that she might be a water
mage was about to be tested and might easily be dashed as quickly as her
potential as a heat mage had been. She’d always had the knack of sinking into a
calm, quiet place when her tutors tested her knowledge. She sought that mental
space now, but it eluded her. Maybe that’s the difference between knowing
the answers and having no clue at all what I’m supposed to be doing. She
wished someone would give her a hint. Or maybe I’m just tired.
    The tingling sense of building magic tickled her skin again.
As she watched, a tile in the mosaic floor in front of her slid aside and a jet
of water rose from the depths. Ailsa emitted a small squeak and scooted back on
her bench. The fountain disappeared. She looked up at the master. She was
pretty sure that wasn’t the reaction they’d expected, but she’d really thought
that her reactions during the journey here would mean she was a water mage.
    He shook his head. “No resonance.”  The master studied Ailsa
for a long moment. “Yet you are surprised by this result. Suppose you tell me
why you thought you might be a water mage. Aside from wishful thinking.”
    Ailsa clasped her hands in her lap to keep from wringing
them. Not a water mage, after all. “Coming here, I noticed that I always
felt lethargic while we were crossing the desert, in spite of the green
corridor. But I always felt better when we reached an oasis. And when we came
over the Ring Mountains and reached that lake, I felt like I could have danced
into the inn.” Ailsa’s shoulders sagged. “I suppose that was just the reaction
of a desert girl seeing that much water for the first time.” She frowned as she
thought about what had happened later and bit her lower lip.
    “What else?” the master asked. “I can tell that’s not all of
the story.”
    Ailsa’s eyes darted from side to side. Sitting in this
square of light, she could see nothing in the darker areas surrounding her. No
telling how many people were there, listening to all of this. She really didn’t
want to tell this story to a hall full of strangers. She looked up at the old
man, but there was no reprieve there. His eyes compelled her.
    Ailsa drew a deep, steadying breath and focused on the
mosaic pattern of the floor in front of her. “It happened later that evening,
at the inn.” Once she started, she rushed forward, trying to get through the
story as quickly as possible. She heard