The Circle Opens

1 - Magic Steps

Sandry can weave magic like thread. Her incredible skill leaves others in awe, but controlling and channeling her power is second nature by now. Which is why she's both intrigued and horrified to find that an untrained boy is dancing complex magic - with no idea that he's doing it ...

Pasco is a Provost's Guard - well, he will be if he can get his mind off dancing for long enough to learn his family's profession. Dancing? Acalons don't dance - even when they're frighteningly good at it ...
 

2 - Street Magic

Briar is a plant mage - he can distil medicines, grow a garden in the blink of an eye and persuade a tree to trap a criminal. Learning how to channel your power is vital. Briar's empathy with nature can heal - but it could kill just as easily.

Evvy is just a street rat. She doesn't even know she has stone magic, let alone how to control it - and she doesn't want to learn anything. Why should she care if people get hurt? None of them has ever cared about her ...

3 - Cold Fire

Daja is a metal mage - iron speaks to her senses and fire is her friend. She is incredibly powerful - more powerful than a student should be, some think. Staying the winter in snow-locked Namorn, Daja is determined to enjoy herself, and her host's twin daughters are good company. But there's more to the pretty pair than meets the eye - the twins may be destined for more than just the marriage market ...

It's not only the twins who need Daja's skills - she wants to help Ben Ladradun, the heroic firefighter. Desperate to control the blazes that regularly devastate his wooden city, Ben is fascinated by this girl who can make fire dance between her hands ...

4 - Shatterglass

Tris is one of the most powerful mages ever born, her lightning magic flows through her veins and her bones. When a series of brutal stranglings desecrate the fragile peace of Tharios, Tris is infuriated by the attitude of the city-fathers. No one seems to care about the dead girls. But Tris knows she has to keep hold of her magic - she can't let anger take her over ...

So when she feels a mage pulling all the power in the neighborhood into his working, Tris is deeply disturbed. That mage, Keth, is completely unaware of his magic. Left a shell of his former self after he was struck by lightning, he thinks he's useless. Tris is sure his magic could help her to find the killer, but can she and Keth unravel his powers in time?