"A fantastical cross between the Beauty and the Beast and ACOTAR."
A prince, a witch, and a wolf are tied together by the sins of their parents. Can they break free of the secrets that bind them, or will the Kingdom of Eidas forever be under a terri...
The Grand Magistrar's shop was not at all what Dal had expected. Sure, it was decrepit in its own right, but there was a particular beauty about the room, that oddly enough, felt familiar. The air dragged thick with staleness. She was sure the floorboards hadn't been dusted in this century. And yet, the Grand Magistrar kept daisies on his mantle.
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She wasn't altogether sure why she decided to follow the rude old man into his study. As he busied himself apparently ignoring her, she began to wonder if she had made a mistake.
"Who is Aragda Leary," She asked, choosing to play dumb.
"You don't know her? There are few in Eatrahan who have not heard of her," he replied.
He had her there. Her mother was renowned for being the least talented Seer in the capital, which certainly boded terribly for Dal in her current situation.
"Oh, we-"
"You can cut the act, child, it is only too painfully obvious who your mother is. If your mother wanted you hidden from me, you would have given me another name than, 'Dalia.'" the old man turned on her, approaching her once again. "We are safe here in the confines of the study - no one else can hear. Now come out of it, and tell me why you're here."
"It was my mother who instructed me to come here," Dal began again, trying to ease the tension after their altercation.
"I'm sure she did."
"What do you mean?"
"There are very few things that the Lady Aragda does unintentionally," he replied, his tone noticeably darker.
Ah, so the cranky old man had returned. Dal had a recent knack for running into old, cranky magical beings, it seemed.
Dal studied the old man, who bustled about his study as if she weren't here at all. Was she supposed to be doing something? Had she gotten the apprenticeship?
If she did, did she even want it? Too much longer with the infuriating old man and she might toss herself off the nearest bridge, and given that the nearest bridge was close to her home, she would hate for Theikuth to be witness.
"So, have I gotten the apprenticeship?"
"Do you ever cease talking?"
"I speak only when clarity is necessary."
Infuriatingly, the old man chuckled. "Yes, you foolish girl. You've gotten the apprenticeship if you don't talk me out of it by the end of the day."
Dal bit her curious tongue. She so wanted to ask the Magistrar why he had taken her on, and how he seemed to be acquainted with her mother. She was certain that there was some secret story to tell between the two, but she had difficulty picturing the two tolerating the other in the same room. The Magistrar seemed no man to tolerate a bold woman, and her mother was certainly not the type to be word whipped by a man in power.
