Magic Steps (The Circle Opens, Book 1)

Magic Steps (The Circle Opens, Book 1) by Pierce, Tamora. mass_market edition. ISBN: 9780590396059.

The first book in an extraordinary new fantasy quartet by acclaimed fantasy author Tamora Pierce. Lady Sandrilene fa Toren knows all about unusual magic - she herself spins and weaves it like thread. But when she witnesses a boy dancing a spell, even she is confounded. To her dismay she gets news of a mysterious murderer stalking a clan of local merchants. The killer employs the strangest magic of all: the ability to reduce essence to nothingness. As the murders mount and the killer grows bolder, Sandrys teaching takes on a grave purpose. It becomes clear to everyone that the killings can only be stopped by the combined magic of two people: the young teacher and her even younger student.