"Chosen by whom?" "The Hidden Shield," Jory says, as though it's obvious. "And they are magic users?" "No, they're the ones in control. They choose who to recruit, they direct the training and the form each patterner's magic will take." "What do you mean by 'form'?" Inric asks intently. "The shape of the patterns - their intent and mechanism. They all have to work together." "Who designs them?" "The Hidden Shield!" "There are no other magic users? Nobody else tries using the patterns?"