Mirror Gate (Harbinger, #2)

by Jeff Wheeler

At Muirwood, as at other abbeys of learning, we teach truths that will unlock the power of the Mysteries in our students’ lives. A first-year learner is taught that everything begins with a thought. They begin a regimen of study and meditation to gain control of their own minds. Second-year learners are taught that their thoughts, mixed with strong emotions, begin to awaken the seeds of connection to the Knowing within them, and some begin to see evidence of growth in their lives. A third-year student is taught the importance of their interactions with their fellow creatures, how slights and insults can permanently harm others’ thinking, as well as how praise and cooperation can achieve matters of great significance. Some students, especially the proud, are quick to exploit this knowledge for ill. The fourth-year learner is taught the importance of time—the law of the harvest—and how certain powers only unlock after much dedication and effort. Some powers require years to master. Others require a lifetime. But an acorn will never produce an apple tree. All these teachings prepare a student to face the final Test, to learn a Mystery that is concealed from the world at large. In doing so they face a deep fear. It masters them, or they master it. Words are but symbols. Harken then to words of the ancients, words that every first-year learner reads, but only one in ten thousand ever puts to use: “We search the tomes, and we have many insights and even a share of the Gift of Fo...