Once they returned to the resort and changed out of their disguises Jerath contacted the staff about Merila. The meeting was arranged with surprising ease and speed in a private meeting room in the resort. Tianna entered the room, filled with unexpected nervousness.

“Now that you have contacted me, how would you like to start?” Merila asked.

“The more I think about it, the more I realize I don’t know much about magic,” Tianna admitted, “I would like you to start with the basics, if possible.”

“Very well, but remember I can only teach you magic theory, not magic itself,” Merila warned.

Tianna nodded and waited eagerly.

“Let us begin with the basic divisions of magic. All magic will follow these forms. Starting from the rarest we have magicians, wizards, gifted, elementals, and sorcerers. Have you already learned what separated these divisions?” Merila asked.

“Yes. It is the way magic is used,” Tianna answered, “but I am really only familiar with gifted and sorcerers. Gifted are people who have very specialized magic commonly known as powers. They can use no magic outside of their gift.Sorcerers are people who can use all kinds of magic without any need for tools, but their power is generally weaker in comparison.”

“Correct,” Merila affirmed with a smile, “In contrast, wizards and magicians can use most kinds of magic as long as they have the correct tools. Wizards only need one tool while magicians rely on charms to create spells. That leaves elementals. Elementals are found often in magical creatures such as fairies or dragons. They can use any magic that falls under their element, though element is a rather broad term and no longer refers to the elements themselves.”

“Right. My father is a storm fairy,” Tianna agreed, “I never thought of it that way, though.”

“Just understanding the divisions of magic and where you stand can help you a great deal in learning magic,” Merila continued, “Your problem lies in the fact that you are a rare case that is both a sorceress and an elemental. You will have to master each of your powers separately, but considering how similar they are, they should merge over time.”

“So I will probably end up as a sorceress who is particularly strong with certain elements?” Tianna guessed.

Merila nodded. “That being the case, you need to think of a goal to aim for while your magic is still budding,” she suggested, “It’s not very often that people have the opportunity to do so, and if you focus on that goal there is a high chance that no matter how impossible, it will come true.”

Something immediately came to mind, but Tianna pushed the thought back for now. “Thank you. That will help a lot. How do you suggest I go about learning to use my magic? Should I learn from a sorcerer or an elemental?”

“I recommend learning from an elemental. Perhaps more than one,” Merila decided, “Sorcerers tend to focus too much on variety and never teach any one thing properly. However, you should seek whoever can help you achieve your goal.”

“Someone who can help me achieve my goal,” Tianna repeated as she sunk deep into thought. Still, the magic she thought of was something impossible. Something that had become a mere legend because no one had been able to master it. Even with this opportunity she found a hard time believing she would be any different.

“Is there anything else I should know before I start searching?” Tianna asked.

Merila hesitated. “There is one thing, though it will be incredibly difficult. No matter what, if you come across someone who can teach you how to use the Queen’s magic, you must seize that chance. The Queen’s magic is unique and cannot be taught by anyone but the line of Queens.”

“Why?” Tianna questioned.

“I am afraid I know nothing more,” Merila replied, “Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Tianna told her again before leaving the room.

Jerath had been waiting right outside the door. “Did it go well?” he asked.

“It did,” Tianna replied, “I think I know what to do now, so we should leave soon.”

“Alright,” Jerath replied. He seemed like he wanted to ask more but decided against it because of the public setting, “I will go out for a bit to check the roads. Tell me more when I get back.”

“Be careful,” Tianna said.

“No, you be careful,” Jerath shot back, “Go back to the room and don’t leave until I return. Last time I left you unsupervised you got into all sorts of trouble. Consider this a second chance.”

“Nothing will happen,” Tianna promised, “Besides, you said yourself that Belleas is safe.”

“Mostly safe,” Jerath corrected and sighed, “Just wait for me, alright.”

“I will,” Tianna said to appease him, “but if you take too long to come back I might get bored.”

Jerath shook his head and left. Once he was out of sight, Tianna obediently headed back to her room. Since they would be leaving soon she started to pack up all of her things. After some deliberation she decided to hide the portal device in her bag so she didn’t get pickpocketed or something

Just as she was finishing packing up she heard a soft clicking noise. Was Jerath back? She went out to look, but realized too late that the sound was wrong for a door. It was the window that had opened. A man and a woman looked down at her from the windowsill.

“Is that her?” the woman asked.

“Without a doubt,” the man replied.

“Perfect. Princess, I am afraid you need to come with us. The Black Wolf is waiting for you,” the woman said in a smooth voice full of confidence. She stepped down from the window ledge and approached Tianna slowly.

Tianna took a step back. “This seems rather abrupt. Doesn’t the Black Wolf avoid causing trouble in Belleas?”

The man laughed. “I see. So your mistake was believing that there was anywhere in Althaedor that could possibly be out of his reach. Just because he often avoids it does not mean he cannot touch it.”

“So, are you going to come willingly?” the woman demanded.