Serena thought about it. "Partly. You said something had happened to alter the society of wizards; from the looks of things here, it was some kind of struggle between the sexes. And then, when you said I was the only woman to be trained as a wizard in our time… It makes sense, that's all. We're here because I'm the only female wizard in our time. Aren't we?"

Merlin glanced around and spotted a long wooden bench nearby. "Why don't we go over there and sit down," he suggested. "I'll tell you the rest while we wait for Roxanne to come back."

"I'm not going to like it, am I?"

"No. No, you're not going to like it."

"I thought Merlin would come, as well," Roxanne said as she led the way along the narrow main street of Sanctuary. "I'm sorry I took so long to return, but-"

"It's all right," Serena assured her. "Merlin wanted to explore a bit on his own before he had to leave the city for the night, so he went ahead. I'm going to meet him by the gates tomorrow morning. Are you sure it's all right for me to stay at your house? I mean, I don't want to impose…"

"I'll welcome the company, truly." She hesitated, then added, "Merlin may also enter my house if he wishes; I recorded the invitation properly before witnesses."

Serena regarded the younger wizard soberly. "I think that took a lot of courage, Roxanne. And he'll appreciate your offer as much as I do."

"He saved my life. For that, at least, I owe him the courtesy of admitting him into my home." Her voice was deliberate rather than filled with gratitude, but since she was struggling to overcome the beliefs of a lifetime, it was no wonder she couldn't summon very much enthusiasm.

Serena, struggling with new and complex emotions herself, since she now knew that Merlin could strip her of her powers, managed to sound calm and casual. "He may want to visit your house tomorrow, but if so, it will probably be a brief visit. He's too curious about the city to remain long in one place. Speaking of the city, that building you came out of back there looked like a hospital. Was it?"

Roxanne nodded. "Yes, I wanted to see a Healer immediately to discover if those village men had left me with child."

Shocked, Serena realized she hadn't even considered that possibility. "I'm sorry. I should have asked Merlin to tell you that."

"I wouldn't have believed him," Roxanne answered matter-of-factly. "I would have gone to my own Healer anyway."

"I know it's none of my business, but are you? With child?"

"No, I'm safe," the younger woman said with obvious relief. "And she said… that Merlin is indeed an excellent Healer. All my injuries were skillfully repaired."

Serena nodded. "I'll tell him she said so; it's always nice to get a compliment from a peer. And I'm glad you won't have to worry about a pregnancy."

"Yes. It would have been… difficult."

To say the least. Serena decided to change the subject. "I've noticed signs above some of the doors-are all the buildings public establishments? For instance, that one on the corner seems to indicate a tailor." She used the word hesitantly and felt relieved when Roxanne nodded.

"Yes, it is. And that one, across the way, is an eating establishment."

"What's used for money here?" Serena asked.

"Money?"

"Um… currency? Coin? Legal tender?"

Roxanne's frown cleared. "Ah, I see. We haven't used coin in Atlantia for a long time. There's no need. We simply barter. Some wizards are more adept at creating food, others garments-and still others choose to build new houses or heal."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense, I guess. And the powerless people here? What do they do?"

"Whatever is needed. Whatever they wish."

Serena thought about that as they walked, she looking around curiously. The streets were fairly busy with other people on the move, though still quiet. She saw several apparently powerless women (without the telltale elongated ring finger), and they did indeed look very much like the women of power, though a trifle less fair, and their expressions appeared rather vacant. There were very few men, most of whom were with a female wizard, and all of whom were clearly deferential to the women. When the women stood talking to others of their sex, the men waited silently and patiently.

But mostly there were women, almost all slender and rather fragile in appearance, which made them difficult to distinguish as individuals. As far as Serena could see, blonds outnumbered brunets by more than ten to one; the only redhead she had seen was the little girl playing with her doll. The range of ages appeared normal, from elderly women to at least one child, and Serena counted half a dozen obvious pregnancies.

That made her wonder, but before she could frame the question, she noticed something that seemed a bit odd.

"What's going on there?" She nodded toward a small house set apart from those around it. The windows were curtained, which was unusual from what Serena had observed. At each of the house's corners, two women stood talking, occasionally falling silent to gaze intently at the house.

Roxanne looked. "Breeding," she replied.

"What?"

"It's a breeding house. Wizards stand guard outside so that the one wishing to be bred is protected and made to feel safe. She takes her chosen powerless male inside so that he may try to impregnate her." Roxanne frowned slightly. "The males don't perform well unless they have a certain amount of privacy."

"I'm not surprised," Serena said, wondering that Roxanne could speak of this so dispassionately after her own brutal experience. Merlin must indeed have made the trauma seem distant to her. "But why do the women feel a need for protection? The man is powerless, you said, so-"

Roxanne looked at her new friend with something near astonishment. "They're afraid. We're all afraid. Our safety here in the city is very much dependent on our caution. The man who smiles respectfully today and inside these walls may attack any night he chooses."

"But she's safe during the day. It's hours yet until night; surely she isn't afraid now? If she's gone in there to let him get her pregnant, she must feel something for him. Trust, at least. Doesn't she?"

"Here women are never able to trust a man," Roxanne said.

"Then how can she sleep with him?"

"Sleep? Oh, no! If they went to sleep, they could wake in the middle of the night, and then he could hurt her."

Language, Serena reflected, was a tricky thing. So were euphemisms. "No, I meant… have sex. She's having sex with him, and that's such an intimate act. How can she do that without trust?"

"She wants a child. Are such things done differently in Seattle?"

Serena answered the question literally. "Yes. Yes, it's different in Seattle."

Roxanne looked curious, but didn't question. "There are so few children born now in Sanctuary. For a long time there were almost none, because the female wizards were too afraid of men to even attempt to mate. The male wizards increased in number, while we were on the verge of dying out, destroyed by the results of their lies and schemes. Then the laws were written and strictly enforced, which made it possible for female wizards to allow themselves to be impregnated."

Curious, Serena said, "What about the man? He goes in there to… urn… perform, and then he just leaves?"

"When he has succeeded in his task, and a Healer has verified a pregnancy, of course he leaves. He's no longer needed."

"Doesn't he help raise his child?"

"No."

"Then she's using him. What does he get out of the deal?"

Roxanne shrugged. "He probably believes he'll get some of her power, but that's only a myth, as I told you. Most appear to enjoy servicing wizards, even without being empowered. A few of the ones proven to be unusually fertile have chosen to make it their life's work."