A College of Magics

by Caroline Stevermer

  “You fool. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I meant to. I did. Then in the presence chamber, you confided things to me that took my breath away. What could I do? I had to let you go.”

  “Coward.”

  “Oh, yes. But remember, I had finally done my duty. It took me a few tries, but eventually I managed to do what Hilarion intended me to do. I saved your life.”

  “That’s not all you did.”

  “Perhaps not, but my duty was clear, even though I had a hard time carrying it out. At Greenlaw, Menary fooled me completely. In Paris, Jane did all the hard work, and on the Orient-Express too. Remember Copenhagen? It was no fault of mine you lived through the first day at Galazon Chase. Lord Brinker saved you that time.”

  “Even if he hadn’t, it wouldn’t have been your fault.”

  “Oh, no? You don’t understand. Do you go to sleep at night thinking, ‘Well, that’s that. I was warden of the north today.’”

  Faris laughed.

  “Of course not. I’m different. Guarding you didn’t leave much time for sleeping, but when it did, I slept sound. I could tell myself, ‘There’s another day gone and she’s still alive.’ Another risk run, another vigil kept, another danger averted. You were my vocation. Don’t laugh, I’m quite serious. When I began the job Hilarion gave me, I didn’t know what to make of you. Were you a spoiled heiress? A neglected brat? I couldn’t see you as a ruler—let alone a warden. I thought you were much more likely to finish up on a scaffold. With me beside you, of course.”

  “That’s curious. I would have said a guillotine, not a scaffold. With you beside me in the tumbrel, naturally.”

  “You are insanely careless of your safety. It never occurred to you to wonder what would have happened if that bomb had gone off in Paris, did it? And you are insanely responsible about what you’ve decided is yours. I am yours, apparently. Well, you are mine.”

  “At last we agree on something.”

  “At the Twelfth Night ball I finally saw you as you are. Not Smoke. Not the Queen of Swords. Not even the Queen of the Night. When I looked at you, I could see the warden of the north. For the first time, I truly believed you would close the rift. I saw the life you were going to have without me. Or with me only as some distant figure, a valet, a steward … someone you felt responsible for. I couldn’t bear to look ahead.”

  “You saved my life on the water stair. And you freed me from Graelent.”

  “Trifles. By the time the king gave the order to fire, I had no interest in surviving you—or even surviving the rift. I did my job. As a reward, Hilarion gave me another. I have no idea how to go about this one. How does one become a king? I’m not used to having no idea how to go about doing something.” He mocked his own plaintive tone. “It is not at all what I am accustomed to.”

  “Are you quite sure you want to change jobs? I’m not sure I can spare you. Who will protect me now?”

  “It took twenty-three lions to do it, but I think my old position has been filled. No, it’s your turn to protect me. I don’t know anything about being a king. I need you.”

  “I don’t have the credentials to be a king.” Faris answered him soberly despite the small bubble of hilarity lodged at the base of her throat. It took her a moment to identify the source of that unaccustomed feeling. Oddly, it was the prospect of responsibility. At the first hint of new responsibility, her heart lifted.

  Entirely in earnest, he continued. “But you have the training. It’s even in your best interest. Galazon’s independence is assured if we manage things properly. If I have a few good years left in this carcass, we ought to be able to make a considerable difference.”

  His gravity amused her. “You’re too young to make such statements.”

  “Be serious.”

  “I am quite serious. Lambkins, we will live. That’s from an English play.”

  Her levity made him impatient. “Faris, I’m old now.”

  She drew herself up with all the dignity she could muster, which, between relief and giddiness, was not a great deal. “I don’t care how old you are. I care still less how the world thinks of you. I know you, Tyrian. And I’m the warden of the north. I can love whomever I please.”

  “Precisely. You can have your pick of husbands. You deserve better than this old crock.”

  She did not need to counterfeit indignation. “Husbands? Who said anything about husbands? How many times must I say it? I shall never marry.”

  “My turn to say it, and I’m serious: You’re too young to make such statements.”

  “So I am constantly told. Listen to me. I don’t wish to marry.” She surrendered her exasperation long enough to add lightly, “Even if I did, I could never marry you. That would make Uncle Brinker far too happy. No, I’ll work with you instead.”

  Her cheerfulness roused his suspicions. “Work with me at what, exactly?”

  “You’re the king of Aravill now. Together we will set Galazon free. We will do what we can to make Aravill what it ought to be.” She grinned evilly. “And we will get every concession we possibly can from the British ambassador in return for the harbor at Shene.”

  On Candlemas, Faris stood on the windy heights of Aravis and beheld her wardency. The north lay before her, flawless and brilliant. From her vantage point she looked long in all directions. But last, and most lovingly, she turned westward to Greenlaw.

  Even on a winter day, the sea was silver. In the distance, the hills of Normandy were blue. The rising tide came in across the shifting sand like a myriad of rivers running in from the sea. Above the perfect flatness of the bay, the seawalls of Greenlaw rose like a sand castle.

  A tidy garland of slate-roofed houses, gardens, and shops marked the village wreathed around Greenlaw’s base. Above the village the college rose, gray stone faceted into towers. Above the college rose the spire, and on that height of heights, St. Margaret and St. Michael stood back to back, ready for new battles.

  TOR BOOKS Reader’s Guide

  A College of Magics

  By Caroline Stevermer

  ABOUT STARSCAPE BOOKS

  The richly imagined worlds of science fiction and fantasy novels encourage readers to hold a mirror up to their own realities, exploring them in a way that is secure yet challenging and demanding. Whether surviving in a complex alternate universe or navigating life on Earth in the presence of a strange new discovery, the characters in these works help readers realize, through comparison and contrast, what it truly means to be a human being. Starscape strives to encourage such critical discoveries by making the very best science fiction and fantasy literature available to young adult readers. From David Lubar to Orson Scott Card and from Caroline Stevermer to Jane Yolen, Starscape books provide numerous unique universes through which young readers can travel on the critical journey to the center of their own identity.

  ABOUT A COLLEGE OF MAGICS

  What is magic? This question drifts mysteriously through A College of Magics like the clouds which surround Greenlaw College, the storied school for witches intended to be the home of turn-of-the-twentieth-century teenager Faris Nalaneen until she reaches the age of majority. Then she will be able to return to her beloved homeland, Galazon, to replace her devious Uncle Brinker as its rightful ruler.

  But a simple life at the college is not to be Faris’s fate. The appearance of a mysterious and handsome guardian, Tyrian, results in a bewildering magical battle and expulsion from the school Faris has begun to love. The Dean sends Faris to Paris to meet Hilarion, who reveals that Faris is destined to become a warden—one of four magical individuals who hold the forces of the world in a delicate balance. As the novel draws to its breathtaking conclusion, Faris comes to an understanding of the power of magic and its very real ties to perception and will, commitment and responsibility and, above all, to love and friendship.

  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

  The information, activities, and discussion questions which follow are intended to enhance your reading of A College
of Magics. Please feel free to adapt these materials to suit your needs and interests.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Caroline Stevermer grew up miles from anywhere on a dairy farm in southeastern Minnesota. After high school, she attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where she earned a B.A. degree in the history of art. She knew she wanted to be a writer when she was eight years old. She began by writing stories in her school notebooks. (They were not good. Many were not even finished. She persisted.) By the time she graduated from college, she knew she would need to earn money in other ways, but she kept on writing. Her first professional sale was The Alchemist: Death of a Borgia, a paperback mystery published by Ace in 1980. In the years since, she has had a variety of jobs and kept on writing. She likes libraries and museums. Her favorite painter is Nicholas Hilliard. Her favorite writer is Mark Twain. She lives in Minnesota.

  WRITING AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

  I. A Parallel Universe

  A. A College of Magics is set in a world that is in many ways similar to the real world of the early twentieth century, yet in other respects definitively fictional. Create a two-columned chart noting the realistic (e.g., horse-drawn coaches, taverns) and fictional (e.g., a kingdom called Galazon, a school for magic) elements of the story. If desired, briefly research the early 1900s to add detail to your chart. Use the chart as the basis for a discussion of, or a short written report about, the ways in which the blending of real and fictional elements affects your understanding of the characters and themes of the story.

  B. Go to the library or online to create a reading list of science fiction and fantasy titles that take place in a parallel universe or world that resembles, yet is still significantly unlike, the real world. If possible, read one or more of the novels from your list. Compare and contrast this novel with A College of Magics.

  C. Create your own unique story setting by blending elements from the real world with fantastical ideas, characters, buildings, landscapes, or other features. Begin by creating a chart on which you list both realistic details for your story and unique fictional elements. Then write two or three opening paragraphs for your story in which you establish your parallel universe.

  II. Greenlaw College

  A. Create a brochure describing Greenlaw College to prospective students and their families. Include illustrations, a “letter from the Dean,” and descriptions of the coursework and lifestyle at Greenlaw. The brochure should be designed in a style appropriate for the time at which A College of Magics takes place.

  B. Make a list of the students who frequent “number five study.” Beside each name, note the influence, if any, the student has upon Faris. If you could design your own “number five study” to share with friends and classmates, with what furnishings, refreshments, favorite books, or other objects would you fill the space? Display your “number five study” design on a large sheet of cardboard. Include sketches, photographs of furnishings and decorative items cut from magazines, fabric samples, a reading list, a snack menu, and any other information you feel helps to convey your design.

  C. Imagine it is the night of Faris’s vigil. In the character of Faris, Jane, Tyrian, or Menary, write a journal entry describing what happened to you on that night.

  D. Imagine you are an experienced tutor at Greenlaw College helping Jane Brailsford prepare for her new teaching position. Write a short speech in which you explain your role and responsibilities, the pleasures and perils of your job, and the reason you believe you were chosen for this important task, to Jane.

  III. Galazon and Aravill

  A. In the character of Faris, write a letter to the Dean of Greenlaw in which you describe how you feel upon returning to your homeland. Or, in the character of Uncle Brinker, write a letter to your soon-to-be wife Agnes explaining the plans you have made for Galazon in the absence of your niece.

  B. Using clues from the text, create a map of Galazon or Aravill. Include such elements as landscape details, palaces and other buildings, farmlands or cities, bordering nations, and climate notes.

  C. Curious castles, sky-high towers, and underground passageways are important architectural and thematic elements in A College of Magics. Create a chart listing key structures in Galazon, Aravill, and at Greenlaw College. Note the magical features contained within each place and their effect upon Faris and her mission. Present your chart to friends or classmates as a basis for a discussion of the relationship between the buildings and themes of the novel.

  IV. Friends and Enemies

  A. In Volume I, Chapter 3, Faris begins her friendship with Jane under somewhat inauspicious circumstances. Create a chart on which you track the relationship between Faris and Jane from Greenlaw to Paris to Galazon to Aravill. Note the things Faris learns about Jane’s character and station in the course of their journey and the ways in which their friendship changes.

  B. On separate sheets of paper, write character descriptions of Tyrian, Istvan Graelent, Uncle Brinker, and the King of Aravill. At the bottom of each page, note whether you believe each of these characters is predominantly a friend to, or enemy of, Faris and why.

  C. Can someone be both an enemy and a friend? Cite examples from the novel and from your own experience in a short essay answering this question.

  V. Balancing Magic

  A. Write an essay describing what you think the Greenlaw College course entitled “The Structure of the World” is truly about and what it might teach Faris.

  B. Make a list of moments in the novel at which characters work magic. Use this list as the basis for an informational poster depicting different types of magic and the individuals who possess these magical talents.

  C. What is “the rift”? Sketch, sculpt, paint, or collage an art object that shows your interpretation of, or feeling about, the rift that Faris must mend.

  D. How has the rift affected Aravill? Are the claustrophobic city streets, the strange world beneath it, the shimmering Aravill rug brought to Galazon by Agnes, and Menary’s strange prison evidence of the rift? In the character of Hilarion, write a letter to Faris listing the things in the story that have been disturbed by the rift and suggesting how they would be different if she were to repair the rift.

  E. Write the script for a scene taking place a year after the end of the novel, in which Faris is talking to Tyrian/the King about her role as Warden and what she now realizes about magic. If possible, perform your scene for friends or classmates. Or create a movie storyboard laying out the action for this scene.

  F. The notion of restoring balance permeates A College of Magics as landscapes and characters seem to balance each other, from Faris and Menary to Galazon and Aravill. Consider your own definition of balance and its role in your daily life. Then, go to the library or online to learn more about the term and its applications in science, art and literature. Write a short essay or informative report entitled “Balance.” Present the report to friends or classmates, followed by a discussion of its impact on your understanding of Caroline Stevermer’s novel.

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  1. How does Faris feel about being taken to Greenlaw College at the beginning of the story? How does she feel about her Uncle Brinker? How do her feelings change in the course of the novel?

  2. How is magic taught at Greenlaw? Does this seem like a useful method? What might be the reason for this approach to teaching magic?

  3. Describe the chain of events that result in Faris’s expulsion from Greenlaw. What do these events teach Faris? Do you think the Dean was right in expelling both Faris and Menary?

  4. Is Faris capable of magic? How are Faris’s and Jane’s magical abilities related to each young woman’s sense of self and understanding of the people and events surrounding them.

  5. What is the rift Hilarion sets Faris to mend? What might be some of the imbalances that must be restored? Cite examples from the text to support your answer.

  6. How do Faris and her party escape from Paris to Galazon? What character or characters are most
responsible for the group’s safe passage? How does Faris feel when she finally finds herself at home in Galazon? How does she feel about re-encountering Warin Woodrowel?

  7. How has Galazon changed during Faris’s absence? What strangeness does Faris perceive in the carpet Agnes brought to Galazon? How does this perception reveal Faris’s larger sense of things being out of balance?

  8. What is the real reason Brinker brings Faris to Aravill? What is the real reason Faris agrees to the journey? How are these two deceptions similar and/or different from each other? Is either individual right to deceive the other?

  9. How do the physical characteristics of Aravill, and particularly Aravis, reflect the themes and internal conflicts of characters in A College of Magics? Cite other examples from the text where architectural, geographical or climate descriptions mirror or counterpoint themes in the story.

  10. In the process of repairing the rift, what does Faris do to Menary? Could Faris have repaired the rift without the presence of Menary? Why or why not?