gemma moved to slip out of the parlor, but before she could leave the tea tray behind, stil caught her wrist and anchored her to the spot.

gemma tried to discreetly pull, unwilling to ruin the conversation but eager to leave the delusional stil. his grip was as malleable as iron.

"it gets worse," angelique sighed wearily. "ringsted is plagued by a sea witch."

"what?" stil blinked, surprise and unease coloring his voice.

angelique nodded. "the selkies are trying to take care of her, but the humans are proving to be more of a hindrance than a help," she sighed and sipped her tea. "i ran into a selkie that was forcibly landed-some terrible man stole her pelt."

"what?"

"she feared he would make her use her powers over water for ill and asked me to seal her voice. i didn't want to take it forever, so i gave her the only escape contract i have learned to use."

"true love?" stil asked.

"as usual," angelique said with some bitterness to her voice. "i meant to stay and help her, but i needed to be in sole for the princess's birthday, and i was forced to leave her. i meant to return to ringsted with blanche and rein, but then i received word that you were in trouble," angelique said, offering stil a smile. her eyes flicked curiously to gemma, and stil moved.

"ah, please forgive my terrible manners. allow me to introduce you with great pleasure to gemma kielland, one of the most talented seamstresses in the continent. gemma, this is enchantress angelique-one of the highest ranked magic users in the veneno conclave."

"good afternoon," gemma said, curtseying.

"i am charmed, gemma," angelique said with a smile as caressing as silk. "although, i fear stil has mislead you: i am only an enchantress in training."

stil heaved a disgusted sigh worthy of pricker patch. "everyone knows you have the capabilities. it's is merely that with enchanter evariste...missing, he cannot bring you to the conclave and declare you. you're an enchantress, angelique."

angelique delicately shook her head. "if i was ready to be an enchantress i would know more ways to counter curses besides using love," she said. she watched gemma try to pull her hand from stil's grasp without success. "i received your letter. you said you were being followed?" angelique asked.

"hunted, really," stil said. "by a hellhound and a rider mounted on a nightmare."

angelique's teacup clicked when she set it down abruptly. "what? how can this be?"

"i don't know. i don't understand why, either," stil said. "but it's why i fled to verglas."

"you were smart to do so," angelique said, knitting her fingers together as she thought. "is the rider chasing you as well?" angelique asked, looking to gemma.

"no. absolutely not," gemma said.

"gemma is fleeing the country with me. she's in a spot of trouble with king torgen," stil said.

"ah, him," angelique said knowingly.

"with all respect, craftmage stil, you were going to take me to the border, and then we were going to part ways," gemma said.

"yes, but now we don't have to. angelique will take care of the rider for me, won't you?" stil said, turning to the beautiful enchantress.

angelique sighed. "sometimes you overestimate my capabilities."

"no, i don't. if your learned magic fails, you will just have to rely on your core magic. the rider is no match for that," stil said.

"core magic?" gemma asked, too curious to let the comment pass her.

"enchanters are the highest rank of magic user there is," angelique said.

gemma nodded.

"this is because we are able to use two types of magic: core magic and learned magic. core magic is something all magic users have. it is what decides their focus. stil's core magic is craft related. weather mages have weather core magic, and so on. all enchanters and enchantresses have core magic as well-although the kind and strength varies from enchanter to enchanter. it is our learned magic that gives us a higher rank. learned magic-things like curse breaking, enchantments, working with elements, charms, general magic-are things only enchanters and enchantresses display the ability to learn."

"for instance, no matter how hard i study, i can never control rain," stil said. "but angelique-to a certain extent-can."

"i see," gemma said.

"there are checks and balances of course," angelique said. "as an enchantress, i will never be as powerful in weather magic as a weather mage. and no enchanters are capable of infusing magic into weapons like stil is-although that is to be expected as he is a genius in his core magic," angelique smiled.

the embarrassed smile stil exposed made gemma pause. she looked back and forth between angelique and stil as she realized, angelique is the person who taught him about the obligation to help those in need. she is the magic user that is precious to him.