The long apprenticeship was over. Yan was certified in the light magics, and warned to avoid the dark. He had won the right to wear his 'claviarm, ' the amulet that was the tool, weapon, and sign of every mage.But did he really want to stay in this provincial backwater, mixing herbs for old ladies? Yan wanted adventure, or at least, a life. So when a wandering mage died leaving a strange 'claviarm, ' Yan seized the opportunity to sail for Sharmhurin, the imperial city of commerce and learning.