The cold woke Sage before sunlight had the chance. During the night, the snow had piled on top of the attic's only window, shrouding the sun so that the room was draped in gauzy shadows. Hermes had balled himself on the pillow next to Sage, his feathers twitching irritably when she rolled off the bed.

"I've got to get up," she muttered, tugging a blanket from his beak. "I promised Gillian I'd meet her at lunchtime."

The bird's sigh sounded more like a whistle as he buried under Sage's pillow, leaving her to face the freezing morning alone. A snowdrift was heaped against her kitchen door, and Sage had to shove her way outside when her clock struck eleven. The sky was clear of clouds, but the light was too blinding and the snow too deep for Sage to be able to cycle into the city.

She traipsed along the riverbank on foot, wearing three jumpers beneath her coat and four pairs of socks. The water had iced over during the night, cracks and fissures splitting its surface so that the world was reflected back at Sage in distorted shards. She kept her eyes straight ahead when she approached the bridge, away from the fae village and the song which had ghosted through her dreams.

But as she was about to pass the bridge post, she saw a dark figure poised on the opposite embankment. He stood beneath the snowy boughs of a tree, hair fallen across his face so that all Sage could catch of him were faint glimmers of gold. Yet, even with his eyes hidden, she knew with a chilling certainty that he had been watching her struggle through the snow.

She gasped, gaze flickering back to the river as she forged onwards, her breath puffing away with the wind and the sharp scent of cloves. The tightness in her chest didn't ease until the palace bells chimed midday and she passed onto University grounds. Students scurried across the lawn, leaving grey footprints in the frost as their scrolls tangled with scarves.

A snowball whirled past Sage's ear and she winced at the shrieks of laughter that broke the winter stillness. Peeking across the lawn, she saw Lawrence by the pond with a gaggle of his friends. They were tossing snow at each other, not worrying about the books they had discarded on the ground, and there was no sign that they had noticed her bundled beneath so many layers.

Still, Sage diverted her path to the avenue of trees, avoiding Lawrence and any prospect of arriving at Gillian's office on time. She had to take a moment in the courtyard to catch her breath, knowing her face was flushed from hurrying as she tugged off two jumpers and wrestled her satchel closed. After counting to ten, she knocked twice on her professor's door.

"Come in."

Sage burst into the office, already blurting an apology. "The snow came down so heavily last night, I had to walk up to the University. I'm sorry I'm late, I should've timed my morning better."

"Calm down, Sage. It's only ten past noon, no harm done." Gillian smiled warmly. "But stars above, you walked all the way here? Don't you live on that ancient University property down along the eastern embankment? Why not take the tram—you must be frozen, poor thing!"

It was too many questions and Sage felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to admit that she'd spent the last of her budget on a telegram, especially when she could've simply sent her letter by post. Plus, Gillian had said she'd buy her lunch today; it would be worse if pity was involved.

"I suppose I just like the fresh air," Sage said instead, fussing with the strap on her satchel.

"Well then, I hope you won't mind a little more." Gillian stacked her papers on the desk and pulled on a woolly hat. "I thought we would have lunch at Basil's."

Basil's was a café only a few cobblestone steps from the bottom of the University's lawn. It was the unofficial gathering spot for Students after their lectures and named for the words—Basilius Valentinus—roughly carved underneath one of its pink-shuttered windows. Professor Jansen theorised that the carving referred to a fifteenth-century alchemist, making the café one of the oldest and most notable in the city, though Sage had never been inside before.

Gillian found them a table at the back of the café and ordered a pot of earl grey before they had even sat down. Taking her time unbuttoning her coat, Sage cast a furtive glance around the room, pleased to see nobody she recognised. The raucous conversation surrounding her was the exact opposite to the library's muffled silence, yet oddly, Sage didn't mind. Everyone was wrapped within their own conversations and plush armchairs, not caring about Sage, or her professor, or the steaming pot of tea between them.

"Now," said Gillian after they had ordered their food. "How are you finding your studies this term, Sage?"

"Fine," Sage replied so that she wouldn't have to think about the horror that was the Faustus grimoire.

"And you're working well with your peers?"

"Yes, fine," Sage repeated. "Really well, actually."

Two lines appeared between Gillian's eyebrows. "And how about your thesis?"

It was the one topic Sage couldn't evade with Gillain. As her supervisor this year, she would have a front-row seat to the carnage that would be Sage's Magister thesis. She hadn't even settled on a title yet.

"I think I've been making progress this month."

"Oh? You haven't given me any updates."

"Well, I've been spending a lot of time in the library. Working through ideas." Sage watched Gillian knit her fingers together and babbled on, "I just want to make sure I choose something I'm really passionate about."

Her professor sighed. "I know you like your work to be perfect, Sage. But perfection comes with planning, and you can't plan towards nothing."

"I know." Silence. Sage wished their lunch would arrive.

"Are you still going to write on Sigilism?"

"Of course," Sage said noncommittally.

"Then you mustn't be afraid to reach out to me if you're struggling. I'm sure I can provide you with a few ideas to get you started."

"Ok."

A waiter flitted to their table with two plates. Sage had chosen the cheapest option—a goat's cheese and walnut tartine that was twice the size of her normal lunches. The bread was caramelised and garnished with apple ribbons.

Gillian waited until Sage was finished and feeling drunk on butter. "I don't mean this meeting to worry you, Sage. But this year will pass in a blink if you're not careful with your time. And although it may seem counter-intuitive, it won't help to lose yourself in books all day. The Alchemical Library is a place of past knowledge, not future endeavour."

Sage sipped her tea.

"So I've asked you here with a proposal in mind. There's an opportunity at the palace for a Student to work for experience. And a moderate wage, naturally."

"An opportunity?"

"An alchemical placement," Gillian clarified. "Where you can put your studies to practice outside of the lecture theatre."

"But I already did a placement during my third-year, at the Belvedere Institute doing qualitative alchemical analysis."

"Titrations and gravimetrics." Gillian waved a hand dismissively. "At the palace, you could be an alchemical advisor. It may even lead to an apprenticeship."

"I'm not sure I'll have the time."

Gillian spoke over her, low and level. "I won't mince words with you. How easy do you believe it is for a woman to become apprenticed at the University? How often are women mentioned in the books you read or the alchemical history you learn? I had to fight to become a Scholar, in more frustrating and infuriating ways than any man could imagine. And I will continue to fight so that you can achieve the same. Achieve more, if the Goddess is good. You earned your place on the Magister programme, and this is an opportunity to prove your potential."

The tartine felt heavy in Sage's stomach. "I just don't think I'm the best choice."

At that, Gillian drew a thick, ivory envelope from her pocket. It had been opened, but there was no mistaking the waxy seal of the monarch, glimmering gold in the lamplight.

"Sage, you were requested specifically."

A/N Happy new year!! I hope that every good book comes with a moment of peace for you this year. I have a whole list that I'm counting down the days till they're published!