The Language of Power
by Rosemary Kirstein

Description:
The steerswomen were seekers, collectors of knowledge, and whatever they learned was free for the asking. The wizards also had knowledge-- the knowledge to command nature itself--but they jealously guarded their dark wisdom. The two groups have been at odds for centuries:
They do not agree, they do not converse, they do not associate.

Now the steerswoman Rowan has uncovered evidence that the master wizard, Slado, is conjuring dangerous spells in shadow, devastating the distant lands called the Outskirts and changing the course of the world. Rowan has no choice: Slado must be stopped . . . if he can even be found.

Following a dubious clue, Rowan and her friend Bel, an Outskirter, have come to the city of Donner, seeking answers from the past for a danger in the present. But the secrets go deeper than Rowan had ever imagined, compelling her to wonder: What if all this time she has been asking the wrong questions?