The closer they came to the city, the larger it looked to Serena. The stone wall surrounding it was very high-at least twelve feet-which meant that as they approached, what they mostly saw were rooftops (slate or tile), and what little was visible through the open gate.

Open, but guarded. Four powerless men, armed only with knives at their belts and simple bows, stood impassively on either side of the gate, arms folded. like the village men Serena and Merlin had first encountered, they were dressed in heavy trousers and laced shirts, but wore no coats. They appeared formidable, since they were carbon copies of the Neanderthal villagers, but it was obvious they weren't the true guards-at least not during the day.

The two women evidently were guards; Serena could sense their power and knew both were wizards. Unlike the men, they carried no visible weapons, but their inner force would undoubtedly make them far more deadly than the males until the night and the Curtain sapped their strength.

Both were as delicately lovely as Roxanne. like her, they were blond, a couple of inches shorter than Serena, and appeared almost ethereal-fragile rather than frail. There was nothing weak about the way they stood, hands on hips, and watched Roxanne and the newcomers approach.

"Let me speak to them," Roxanne warned her companions quietly. "Strangers are rare here, and a Sentinel's duty is to be suspicious of everything."

A bit hurriedly Serena said, "Is there anything in particular we should know about the city before we go in?"

"Yes." Roxanne glanced at Merlin to include him in what she had to say, but looked directly at Serena. "You'll be cautioned to obey the laws posted just inside the gates, but no one will mention punishment. It's very simple here. The price you pay for breaking any law is banishment from the city-forever. That's true of wizard and powerless alike. However, because of the fear and mistrust between male and female wizards, every male is watched carefully, and if he's caught breaking any one of the laws, he's likely to be attacked and severely injured before the Sentinels can get him out of the city. Remember that."

Merlin nodded slightly to show he understood, even though neither woman was looking at him. Serena had said very little since their brief but intense talk by the stream; finding out that she was the sole female wizard in their time had shaken her badly, and she had pulled away from him almost immediately. Her face had closed down and was still closed, pale, expressionless, and her eyes were unreadable.

He hadn't wanted the conversation to end that way, so abruptly and with so little explained, but it was dear Serena had absorbed all she was able to for the moment. So now they were on the verge of entering a city where it was clear Merlin could be viewed with open suspicion and hate, and where Serena would undoubtedly be forced to digest even more disturbing information about this splintered and doomed society.

How would that affect them both?

Roxanne reached the guards first, the other two halting behind her, and spoke pleasantly to her fellow wizards. "Good afternoon, Nola. Phaedra."

"We thought you lost, Roxanne," Phaedra responded in the same amiable tone. She was the taller of the two guards by an inch or so, and wore a half smile that didn't reach her slate gray eyes. "Two nights away from Sanctuary?"

"I was foolish, and I paid the price for it. If it hadn't been for these strangers, I would have died."

Showing little interest in whatever Roxanne had suffered, Phaedra frowned. "They are a pair?"

"They-travel together. Such things are done where they come from, Phaedra."

Phaedra looked beyond Roxanne at the strangers, particularly Merlin-at whom Nola had been coldly staring during the conversation. Without speaking to Merlin, Phaedra looked at Serena. "You are not bound in any way by him once you enter the city. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

"If you wish to remain inside the city walls, he cannot compel you to leave. Any claim to ownership he has is meaningless inside Sanctuary."

Serena couldn't let that pass. Quietly she said, "He doesn't own me-in or out of the city."

Phaedra was dearly surprised and not a little disbelieving. "No?"

"No. Where we come from, things are… different." Serena wondered miserably if they really were, but managed to keep her voice cool.

"Interesting." Still doubtful but not overly concerned, Phaedra turned her flat, slate gray eyes to Merlin. "Whatever your customs may be, the laws of Sanctuary are clear and strictly enforced. Within these walls you do not command. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Merlin kept his voice calm and neutral.

"Are you prepared to obey the laws of Sanctuary?"

He inclined his head slightly. "I am."

Phaedra turned her head to look questioningly at Nola. "How does he rank?"

"Powerful. A seventh-degree Master."

Serena was a little startled by that, since she hadn't been aware there were degrees of achievement past the ultimate level of Master. She thought both Roxanne and Phaedra were startled, as well, and wondered how Nola was able to differentiate among amplitudes of power. A specialty, perhaps? It made sense; in primitive cultures an individual's strongest or more distinctive talent was often how he or she was known to others, and frequently determined chores or duties.

If there were wizards with strengths in designated areas, then no wonder Roxanne had accepted Serena's explanation about Merlin's being a gifted healer.

Phaedra was frowning again as she stared at Merlin. "A seventh-degree Master. I know of only two wizards here who have ever achieved so high a degree of power. Why did you come to Atlantia?"

"I'm a traveler, no more," Merlin replied, still neutral. "Atlantis is one stop among many. I have no intention of breaking your laws, or interfering in any way with your society. I give you my word."

Looking sharply at Serena, Phaedra demanded, "Can he be expected to keep his word?"

Serena's slight hesitation went unnoticed by everyone except him. "Yes, he can."

"We shall see." Phaedra shrugged and spoke to Merlin again, coldly. "Make no mistake-no matter how powerful you may be, we in this city have learned to defend ourselves. We will not tolerate any difficulty from you."

"I understand."

"Where is your staff?"

Merlin used one hand to open slightly the left side of his coat, revealing his staff, which was fastened to his belt the way a sword would be worn, with the gleaming crystal uppermost. Only Serena seemed to be aware that the staff had not been there seconds before.

Studying the gem-studded instrument, Phaedra appeared unwillingly impressed by its magnificence and its craftsmanship, but she didn't comment. Instead she said, "No male wizard may pass into the city unless he is willing to bear the mark of power. Is that your choice?"

If he wanted to enter Sanctuary, Merlin thought wryly, then there was obviously no choice to make. He had only an inkling of what this "mark of power" would be, but he answered the question in a dispassionate tone. "Yes, it is."

Nola spoke for only the second time. "Hold out your hand, palm down."

Merlin obeyed, holding his right hand out in front of him, and Nola stretched out her hand without coming any nearer. Watching, Serena felt more than saw Merlin tense as the reddish shadow of an owl etched itself across the back of his hand between wrist and knuckles. It was a highly visible sign.

When it was done, Phaedra spoke again. "Our laws are posted just inside the gates. Study them well. And welcome to Sanctuary."

The two Sentinels stepped aside.

Roxanne immediately led the way past the guards and through the city's gates. She didn't take them down the main road, which wound from the gates through the city, but halted just a few yards inside, where the solid stone wall of a building provided a smooth surface for the laws to be recorded.