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.She put on a wheedling tone.“Or you could do my coursework while I play.”Emily gave her a sharp look.Last year, Alassa had bullied Imaiqah into doing her homework—before Emily had nearly killed her, accidentally.“Not a chance,” she said, finally.“Besides, do we have the same coursework?”Alassa shrugged as they entered the shower.“I’ve noticed you reading books on everything,” she said, dryly.“I think you probably know more than I do about some things—and I was born here.”Emily flushed.She had spent plenty of time in the library, just learning as much as she could.There was no shortage of interesting books in Whitehall, although most of them were written on the assumption that their readers didn’t come from a different world.She had already run into several problems caused by her lack of background knowledge, knowledge that any child born near Whitehall would gain instinctively.“Maybe,” she said, as she started to remove her tunic.Three showers in a day—thankfully, Whitehall didn’t have any restrictions on how much water they could use.There were students, she knew, who came from hovels and had to go back to truly disgusting conditions when term ended.It separated them out from their families, creating a gulf that would be near-impossible to surmount.Maybe Master Tor has a point, she thought, reluctantly.They have to get to know their new family, because they won’t have much in common with their old one.She washed and dried herself, then pulled on her robes, wincing slightly as her body started to ache.Between playing Ken and Martial Magic, she had used muscles she hadn’t used in far too long.The sergeant had been right, she realized.She had allowed herself to slip.“Come and eat,” Alassa said.Somehow, she always managed to look beautiful, even after a communal shower.“And then we can plan how we’re going to win the next game.”“Cat was watching,” Emily said.She explained quickly.“He even admitted that he was talent-spotting.”Alassa looked pensive for a moment, then shook her head.“He can’t offer slots on his team to everyone, or he’d destroy it,” she said.“It isn’t really something we need to worry about.”“True,” Emily agreed.Cat’s team probably had three open slots for new players, after the previous players had graduated.He could only steal three players at most, from people who probably wouldn’t be interested.“Let’s see how it goes.”Chapter TenIT IS LAW,” MASTER TOR SAID, “that is the true embodiment of society.”Emily listened, fighting down the urge to rub her eyes.Instead of going to bed early after the Ken game and dinner, she had stayed up with Alassa and the other girls, listening as they brainstormed ideas and tactics for their first formal match.In hindsight, she realized, she should have left them and gone to bed herself, but she’d forgotten that she had an early class the following morning.Thankfully, Master Tor didn’t seem to have noticed her tiredness as he swept into the room and took control of the class.“You will be aware, no doubt, that there are different laws in each of the Allied Lands,” he continued.“One kingdom may forbid something that is enthusiastically practiced in another, which in turn may forbid something that is a vital part of the third’s economy.You are not expected to be familiar with the intricacies of separate kingdoms, at least unless you intend to spend the rest of your lives practicing law.However, you are expected to be familiar with the shared law upheld by the Allied Lands.Can anyone tell me which field that law covers?”There was a long pause.“Magic,” Alassa said, finally.“Correct,” Master Tor said.“Sorcerers are not always bound by local laws, but they are obliged to follow the shared laws of the Allied Lands, which are upheld by the White Council and the Mediators.You are expected to be at least loosely familiar with those laws, as well as a handful of others.Those of you who go on to serve as Mediators will be expected to know the laws thoroughly.Judging will be a vitally important part of your career.”He paused, tapping one finger against his cheek.“When magic is involved, the White Council has the right to take the lead,” he added.“This can include dealing with magicians, but also with magical creatures and magically-binding contracts.If you serve as a Mediator, you will be called upon to create such contracts—or to try to break one, if it was created illegally.Such tasks also require an awareness of both human and magical law.“A secondary aspect of your career will include meditating disputes between the different Allied Lands.Most of you, I suspect, will be aware that there are clashes between the Allied Lands on a regular basis.I might direct you, for example, to the endless skirmishes between kingdoms and city-states, or commercial disputes that threaten to turn into wars.It is the task of the Mediators to attempt to moderate such disagreements and maintain a united front against the necromancers.”For a long moment, he gazed at Emily—and then continued.“For the remainder of this lesson, I will give you a brief overview of the basics and a reading list for further study,” he concluded.“Should you wish to remain in this class, you will be expected to research precedents and cases that date all the way back to the foundation of the Allied Lands themselves—and be ready to quote them when necessary [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]