"But a powerless woman couldn't hurt them, could she?"

"Not the way a wizard could-although I suppose she could cut his throat if he trusted her enough to sleep in her bed." The idea seemed an interesting one to Roxanne, her eyes going distant and thoughtful as she considered it silently.

"They don't ever do that? Sleep together in bed?"

With a shrug Roxanne said, "I could hardly know for sure, but according to powerless women who were once concubines, the males always leave the bed once their needs have been satisfied."

"Oh." Trying not to feel appalled-this was not her time or her society, Merlin had been right to remind her of that-Serena probed for more information. "You said the male wizards kept concubines partly because they wanted sons; do the mothers raise their children?"

"No, never. Their babes are taken from them immediately after birth. The sons are suckled by older powerless women, and raised by lesser male wizards in a separate house near their fathers' palaces."

Serena shook her head in disbelief. "Those poor women lose their children? God, that's not just cruel- it's inhuman."

Roxanne seemed a bit puzzled by Serena's words, but she merely shrugged. "The males fear their sons' being influenced by any female, so they take care to avoid it."

Realizing only then what she was hearing, Serena frowned. "Wait a minute. Sons. What about the daughters?"

"They are killed at birth," Roxanne replied matter-of-factly.

"What? Just automatically slaughtered because they're female?"

"Yes."

Her thoughts whirling and nausea churning in her stomach, Serena couldn't bring herself to say a single word. It was one thing to tell herself this was not her society, but the knowledge that any society could practice or condone the practice of murdering innocent newborns deemed the "wrong" sex was simply horrifying. And that wizards could commit such a dreadful act tore at Serena.

Unaware of the blow she had dealt, Roxanne returned to her original point. "You and Merlin are something out of the ordinary. Aside from your oddity as a pair, he doesn't really behave-so for, at least-like any of the male wizards I've encountered. And you don't act like a powerless woman."

Serena forced herself to respond casually. "How do the powerless women here act?"

"Subservient."

Startled, Serena frowned. "What, all of them?"

"Outside the walls of Sanctuary, yes. In the city, of course, things are different; the powerless women are never threatened or abused, and they seem content-if somewhat simple and pliable. But out here I suppose they've learned that a bowed head is less likely to anger their men."

Serena cleared her throat. "We encountered a few village men when we first arrived, and I can see how the women might have a great deal to fear. The men looked rather brutal, even though one of them was smiling."

"A powerless woman's lot is no better than a wizard's here in Atlantia," Roxanne said broodingly. "If she escapes being taken into the mountains by one of the male wizards, she is still liable to endure a hard and wretched life under the domination of some man who is as likely to knock her unconscious as he is to throw her down and take his pleasure."

Serena shivered.

Noting the reaction, Roxanne reassured her. "As long as you're paired with a male wizard, you have little to fear from the village men, during the day or night. Very few of them would dare touch you even if they caught you out alone. They couldn't gain any power from you, and fear of punishment would be stronger than any desire for brief pleasure. Male wizards have been known to destroy powerless men for such an offense."

"That's all very well, but how would the men know I was Merlin's… companion, if they found me when he wasn't around?"

"He hasn't marked you?" Roxanne asked in surprise.

"No. That is, I don't think so. Marked me how?"

Roxanne studied Serena carefully, then shook her head. "I guess I assumed you were marked under your clothes, on a shoulder or your back; some wizards do it that way, although you're far safer if the mark is instantly visible-"

"Roxanne. What kind of mark?"

"His mark. Merlin's. Every male wizard chooses how he'll mark his women, and all who belong to him wear the same sign."

"Sign? You mean a symbol of some kind?"

"Yes. For instance, some of the marks I've seen have been in the shape of animals, letters, or birds. One wizard even marks his women with a constellation-tiny stars."

"Which constellation?"

"Orion, I think. Why?"

"Just curious." Serena sighed. "So how will I wear this mark? I mean, is it stamped into my skin?"

"Yes, I suppose. The marks can't be washed off, I know that. They're created in different colors, and worn in different places. Most are here." Roxanne touched the base of her own throat, just below the hollow. "Instantly visible."

Branded for all the world to see. Sighing again, Serena said, "I think I'll wait until we reach the city before I talk to Merlin about these marks. I'd rather not wear a brand until I absolutely have to. Unless… will not being marked there, in Sanctuary, matter?"

Roxanne was gazing at her rather curiously, but shook her head in answer. "No. You won't be harmed by anyone in the city. Wizards and powerless women alike are treated with respect."

"That reminds me… When Merlin and I encountered those village men, they knew right away that I was powerless. Was it only because I was traveling with a male wizard, or does some physical sign distinguish a wizard from a powerless woman?"

"Merlin's being a wizard told them, of course, but they probably checked your hands to make sure."

"My hands?" Serena lifted her hands and looked down at them, puzzled.

Roxanne held her hands out near Serena's. "Outwardly a powerless woman looks just like a wizard, except for this. All women of power are born this way in Atlantia, and have been for centuries. It isn't so in Seattle?"

"No, it isn't." Serena hadn't notice anything odd until then, probably because the difference wasn't obvious until all ten fingers were held stretched out. But there was a deviation from the norm. On each hand Roxanne's ring finger was slightly longer than her middle finger.

Before Serena could say anything else, Roxanne murmured, "He's returning," and let her hands fall to her lap. Her face closed down, eyes shuttered.

"Serena?"

She got up and went to meet Merlin by the stream. "No better place to cross?" she asked abstractedly.

"No. What's wrong?"

"Atlantis gets weirder by the minute. We were wondering why those village men assumed I was powerless? Take a look at Roxanne's hands when you get a chance. She says all the female wizards have been born that way for centuries."

"I have already noticed her hands," Merlin told her, "but I assumed it was an individual trait."

"No, just inherent to female wizards here. She said it was the only outward difference between wizards and powerless women. God knows what the internal differences are."

Merlin looked at her steadily and, keeping his voice low, said, "Something else has disturbed you."

Part of Serena didn't want to tell him, but a stronger part did. She watched his face carefully when she spoke. "According to Roxanne, one of the reasons the male wizards keep concubines is because they want sons. They murder their female children at birth."

He didn't look surprised, but rather as if she confirmed something he had known or guessed. "I see."

"It's horrible."

"Of course it's horrible." His voice was level. "It's also unnatural, and we have to find out what caused them to adopt such a practice. Another question to be answered, Serena."

She tried to remain calm, but it wasn't easy. "I'm having a hard time looking at it as just another question we have to find the answer to. If even half of what Roxanne's told us about the male wizards is true, they're monstrous-inhuman. That isn't the way wizards are supposed to be." The final sentence was almost whispered.