Now that Cartaphilus has chosen to enter a long slumber, peace has finally returned to the little cottage west of London. But it's not long before a message arrives for Chise: an invitation to join the college, a society of alchemists. Deep beneath the British Library, the curtain rises on a new story set on a new stage. There, human children learn, think, and grow...but what of those who are inhuman?

Her name is Chise Hatori, a penniless orphan troubled by visions. Sold as a slave to an inhuman mage, she is about to begin a strange new life, filled with magic, fairies, and other beings of a fantastical nature.

As the College continues its desperate search for The Testament of Carnamagos, the danger has grown so dire that the Vice-Chancellor has decided to put the College in lockdown until Christmas.Through their shared plight, Chise and her classmates come to know more about each other. Thanks to their experiences in the Abandoned Hall, they all begin to change, whether they like it or not. Some grow closer, while others begin drifting apart.

Chise is gradually learning how to understand both human nature and the whims of the fae, as well as how to balance them and walk her own path. Suddenly, she receives a mysterious letter from bustling London. What could an alchemist's apprentice want from her...? Find out in this long-awaited sixth volume, in a dark fairy tale romance between the human and the inhuman!

As Chise and Elias settle into their new roles at the College, old and new allies alike have lessons to teach them both inside and outside the school's walls. The Church, the Seven Shields, and a motley array of students... Each has mysteries to uncover.

Elias hoped to break the deadly draconic curse that weighs upon Chise--but his methods have created a rift between them. Now Chise prepares to make a gamble of her own: What could she possibly hope to gain from a bargain with Cartaphilus? It is a time of curses cast and forks in the road. Will the paths of master and apprentice soon diverge...?

Her name is Chise Hatori, a penniless orphan troubled by visions. Sold as a slave to an inhuman mage, she is about to begin a strange new life, filled with magic, fairies, and other beings of a fantastical nature.