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class, apprentices, bards, petitioners, and noblemen hurrying to and
from the huge, iron gates of the palace wall to whatever tasks demanded their
attention for the day. Aidric watched them from afar, tightly shielded from
emotion, hidden from view by a convenient clump of trees. He knew that if he
attempted to ride through the palace gates with the young woman in his arms, too
many curious eyes would see. Many questions would be asked, questions that he
had no answers for at the moment.
    Aidric muttered heartfelt curses under his breath. There was no choice.
He would have to use magic if he hoped to slip into his rooms unnoticed,
something he would have rather avoided while the girl was still so raw and
damaged. The shields he had placed around her mind should keep her from
sensing any magical energy, but with the way the untamed power within her was
currently battering against those shields, he feared even the smallest hint of
magical energy would get through and trigger another burst of power and shatter
them just as she had easily shattered his own shields earlier.
    Still, he really couldn’t risk anyone learning of his discovery just
yet, either. Those in power might see her as a threat to the safety of the
kingdom and order her to solitary confinement until they decided what to do
with her. He shuddered, knowing all-too-well how miserable the palace dungeons
could be. Most of the weaker prisoners never emerged alive again.
    I’ll not allow that to happen to her!
    Shadow would have to stay behind. Although the steed was as silent and
well-mannered as a horse could be, Aidric could not take the risk of Shadow
whickering at an inconvenient moment.
    Aidric carefully dismounted and set the girl as gently as he could onto
the soft grass. Quickly, he tied Shadow’s reigns to one of the trees, giving
the horse enough slack to graze as he pleased. He would send one of the stable
boys for Shadow later.
    He then closed his eyes and carefully began the spell that would ensure
all eyes that tried to look at them would see nothing but what they expected to
see, making them for all intents and purposes, invisible. The wave of magic
flowed from his hands and settled over the girl’s body like a thin film of
mist. He did the same to himself and afterwards, gathered her into his arms
again.
     Luckily, the line of people entering and leaving the palace grounds
had thinned somewhat, so the danger of bumping into someone and ruining the
effects of the spell was not as great. He kept to the edges, and after a few
close calls with children suddenly darting in front of him, Aidric was safely through
the gates.
    Not one of the two dozen guards on either side of the gate glanced in
their direction even once. In fact, they eyed the travelers with a bored
indifference. Frowning, he wondered if that indifference was feigned or
genuine. The matter definitely deserved further scrutiny, but for the moment,
the light weight in his arms reminded him that he had more pressing matters to
attend to first.
    It seemed to take an eternity for Aidric to cross the seemingly endless
lawns surrounding the palace before he safely reached the side entrance of the
palace that led to the Mage Hall where his private suite lay. The area was
currently empty.
    Heaving a huge sigh of relief, he prayed to Seni that the main hallway
would also be empty as he awkwardly reached for the door handle, trying not to
jostle the girl too much, and cracked open one of the two tall, golden-bordered
marble doors. He saw none of his fellow mages as he peered down into the gloom
of the main corridor. Just to be extra sure, he sent out a Probe of Inquiry, but
it found no one still within the Hall.
    Satisfied that they were alone, Aidric stepped into the hallway and dismissed
the invisibility spell. He hurried down the corridor to his quarters at the end
of the corridor that lay thankfully unlocked. He seldom spell-locked his door
since none of the mages ever worried about thieves