Free The Magic of Recluce by L. E. Modesitt

shelves.
    A braided and multicolored oval rag rug perhaps three cubits across covered most of the blue floor tiles between the door and the bed, which was nearly against the outside stone wall. The half-open single casement window was in the middle of the wall, just short of the foot of the bed.
    I pulled my cloak from the pack and hung it up, as well as my single spare set of trousers and tunic. The order-locked purse was there, with my apprentice wages, as was another I purse I did not remember. I opened it. Inside were ten more \ gold pennies, worn, nothing more. I swallowed.
    For some reason, I had trouble seeing for a minute, perhaps because I recalled the gold penny with the small clip out of it. My mother had remarked on it as coming from the buyer from the Emperor of Hamor. She refused to let me see her tears, but left me what she could. I grasped back in the ; bag for something . . . anything.
    There was also a short-sleeved summer shirt, but I left it folded and put it on the second shelf. My leather case with the razor and soap I put on the top shelf. The few other underclothes I had fit in with room to spare, as did the small ; book my father had clearly tucked into my pack.
    The Basis of Order ... of all things. Who knew? I figured reading it might be something to do. Especially if the training got boring. I didn't leave it out in the open, but tucked it under the shirt. The purses I put back in the pack, which I i folded and put on the top shelf. They would be safe-that I knew. I took ten coppers and a silver penny.
    None of the rooms had locks, just bolts that could only be closed from inside. Then again, who was going to try to steal anything with the Brotherhood around? Even Myrten would hesitate ... for now.
    I shook my head. The hour was early, and even if it were kays down to the harbor, a good walk, and even if my feet were blistered, I intended to try it, just to see if I could get a better idea about what Nylan really represented. And I didn't want to sit around and think about either the book or the extra purse.
    The staff stayed in the wardrobe along with the cloak.
    With a last look at the small room, I closed the door. Outside, the central hallway was empty, although I could hear voices in the neighboring room-Wrynn and Krystal. Their words were low.
    The pathway toward the harbor was easy enough to find, since there were stone pedestals every hundred rods or so along each of the paths, with names and arrows pointing out the way.
    Harbor-3 kays
    North way Depot-2 kays
    Administration-1 kay
    I kept following the arrows until I reached a black stone wall that ran north and south from one side of the peninsula to the other. It was low, a little over two cubits. Nor was it really a barrier, since there were no gates at the openings where the paths went through it. On one side were the almost park-like grounds that had stretched for more than a kay, with scattered low buildings.
    From where I stood at the top of a long set of wide steps, I could look over the central part of Nylan-or the commercial district, whatever it was called. Behind and over the building tops, I could see the blue of the harbor and the tops of several masts.
    Right beyond the wall, the ground fell away, in a grassy slope that dropped a good fifteen cubits in less than a hundred. On the other side of the downslope, the buildings began-all black stone, roofed in black slate. Each stood separately, set back from the black stone-paved streets and the shinier black curbs. Unlike Enstronn or Mattra or even Wandernaught, there were no hitching posts. Despite the width of the streets, they did not seem to be designed for horses or wagons.
    People walked the streets, some carrying packages, some carrying nothing, some in black, some in all colors of the rainbow.
    No one even looked up the hill. So I headed down.
    Halfway down, I looked back up. The wall that had looked so low from the uphill side appeared at least fifteen cubits high from