It took Therelin a few days to find the Hall of Three Winds. Brother Iun had told him to speak with Master Nolicrin there, and it seemed as good a place as any. Therelin didn’t think he was ready to undertake admission tests for Lord Allakra’s academy, especially after he had failed Allakra’s trial.
Since his arrival in Saanazar, he had explored the various districts of the city to familiarize himself. While the southern side of the city had followed a grid-pattern, the northern regions wove across one another without semblance of order. The buildings were older—many were decrepit or recently renovated—and many streets were bordered with trees, vines, or invasive moss. According to a Grey Brother he stopped and spoke with, the southern half of the city had been rebuilt after the fall of the Orrish, nearly 1500 years ago. The northern portion predated that.
Vayao had set out on the Crimson Highway after the first week. The healed man had thanked Therelin profusely for his help and had even offered to stay and try to work off his debt to Therelin in some way. Therelin had assured Vayao that he owed nothing more than the information he had given.
Therelin found the Hall of Three Winds at last, in the older streets of Saanazar. Overlooking a small residential district from a hilltop, the shrine was only large enough for a dozen people to visit. When he arrived, Therelin found only three. One was meditating in front of a vine, likely practicing control over its growth. Another read from a several-hundred-page tome.
The third rose from her reading position to speak with Therelin. “Welcome,” she said. “I am Maia, one of Master Nolicrin’s apprentices. Have you come to rest and reflect?” She waved a hand toward a handful of empty sitting cushions.
“I’m looking for information, actually,” Therelin replied. “I’ve come to Saanazar to study magic. A Grey Brother in Kedar recommended me to this Hall.”
Maia smiled familiarly. “Oh yes. And how is Iun?”
“He’s doing well for himself in Kedar.”
Maia nodded. She pondered Therelin’s arrival for a moment and then said, “Well, Master Nolicrin is gone on business for a few weeks. Do you need help finding a place to study?”
“I’ve been recommended to the Academy of Ular Graan,” Therelin replied, “But I’m not certain what the application process would entail. I don’t know anything about it beyond the name.”
“Ular Graan is one of the largest scholarly organizations in Saanazar,” Maia replied with a smile. “Men and women travel from all over Radregar to study or research at that Academy. It’s not the only one in Saanazar though, and it’s not entirely focused on magic. You can gain permission to research there, to enroll in classes, or to apprentice with one of the Masters. The latter would be the best course for an aspiring magician, but is exclusive and requires trials be passed. I’m sure you can learn more from their main office. It’s down the street from the Grey Temple.”
Therelin listened attentively. “Thank you,” he replied. “I will seek it out. Before I go, do you know when Master Nolicrin will be available here?”
“Try back in a month,” Maia suggested. She adjusted the yellow and grey robe she wore and returned to the bench where she had been reading.
It was easy enough to find the administrative office for the Academy of Ular Graan. A large wooden sign was mounted over the door and painted with the institute’s moniker. The interior was a dusty and cluttered area; ten clerical workers sat at various desks. A few were speaking with citizens, while others worked quietly with record-books.
One of the clerks was appreciative of Therelin’s long journey, but spoke frankly on the process of becoming involved. To gain access to archives and knowledge resources of the Academy, Therelin would need to enroll in a tiered financial system.
“Our resources are arranged by collections,” the middle-aged man explained to Therelin. “For example, the New Torma House is full of rare titles. Each codex is invaluable financially and in its historical context, and we only allow the highest paying researchers to access them. And, apprentices to the Masters, of course.”
“Of course,” Therelin replied. He reviewed the numbers that the clerk had given him. He could only afford the least expensive tier, but it would quickly drain his finances. He had already begun considering means of earning coin in Saanazar—now his ideas were a necessity. “Do students of the Academy have access to most of the research materials?” he asked. “Also, what about accommodations?”
The clerk nodded. “They are privy to the second highest tier of our collections,” he explained. “And only students are offered dormitories.”
“Of course,” Therelin repeated. He had been asking the wrong questions. “What’s required to become a student?”
The clerk smiled frankly and rubbed his grey-flecked beard. “Students are only admitted after providing an application fee and a letter or appearance from a sponsor.”
Therelin sighed. “A sponsor… And the fee?” He was shown the price on a page of financial numbers. He raised an eyebrow—it was more than twice the research fee. He certainly could not afford it right now. Instead he looked up the margin of the page to the nominal research fee. With some of his herbalist experience to supplement his income, he could handle it. “Sign me up for the lowest research tier,” he said. It was only to keep him until he learned enough to pass the trials of apprenticeship.
The clerk grinned and searched his parchment-laden desk for the proper document. Therelin waved a hand in front of his face to protect from the cloud of dust. He was quite certain that there was nothing in Keth quite this filthy. After he counted out the proper payment from his coin pouch, Therelin was given a stamped receipt and a brochure listing libraries he could now access.
The street seemed a lot less grandiose when Therelin left. It could have been the angle of the sun, blocked out by the Burnt Keep, or it could have been the impending storm of work that Therelin would soon embrace. To justify his spending, he would try to read everything he could get his hands on; and to pay for his room at the Skyfire Hearth, Therelin would be working hours each day. First, he would need to harvest what he recognized in the forests around Saanazar, and then he would need to learn what he didn’t know about Raderan plants.
Therelin glanced at the list of libraries. He chose one he thought would have a good map of the surrounding rainforest—Histories of Saanazar—and then set off down the street.