Effran has a talent for magic. He is also a teenager and has trouble keeping his mind on the job. When some disastrous accidents keep him from entering college, his parents turn to another solution. Is Magistra Solstra just a teacher, or does she have a sinister plan? Why is her library full of snakes? Why does his fellow student carry a skull around? A story of learning magic and exploring the Wild.

This novella joins the other Tales of the Wild by Peter Thomson: A Walk in the Wild, The Servant's Story and The Forked Path, available on-line and in print.