Adam listened to the two Mages' conversation, only half following it, when the somewhat noisy hall suddenly went silent. Every full-fledged Mage bowed toward the high platform, then withdrew from the hall without a word.
Adam looked up and saw a female Mage walk in at the head of the procession. She said nothing and wore no expression; ether, mana and the elements circled her in orderly ranks, forming an energy field of her own. The only word Adam could find for her was harmonious.
She lifted a finger and pointed behind her. A curtain of light fell, and within it hung a vast island alone in the sea.
"I am the examiner for this war trial. You may call me Priscilla the Transdimensional." She did not open her mouth; her voice seemed to rise straight from inside Adam's mind, and in an instant every emotion in him settled flat.
At the Mage's introduction, every apprentice present bowed respectfully and waited for the Transdimensional to continue.