"I don't know, Meg. I'm not very good at it yet."

"So you'll practice. We've got a few hours. Calen, I've seen the kind of things you can do. I don't think you give yourself enough credit. Half of achieving anything is just believing that you can do it. So tell yourself you can do it, and then show me."

He took a long, shaky breath. "All right. But it's a lot harder if you're already looking at me. It works best when I'm not seen to begin with." He considered a moment. "Wait here. I'll turn the corner, then start the spell and come back. If you don't see me return, that means it's working." He waited for her nod, then got up and ran to where the hallway turned. He looked back and gave her a wave, then disappeared around the bend.

Meg kept her eyes on the spot he'd last occupied. She wished she could make herself invisible. How useful such a skill would be! Not just for sneaking away when she wanted to be alone but for finding things out, listening to conversations . . . She frowned, realizing where her thoughts were leading. Not exactly n.o.ble goals, those. She wondered if Serek ever used such a spell to spy for her parents. Or on her parents. No. Surely these vows he made to the order of mages would prevent him from using his talents against those he was sworn to serve. She began to see why it was so important for mages to be marked and bound by rules. If she couldn't even trust her own impulses with such power, how could she be sure anyone could resist such temptations?

A startling thought occurred to her. Had Calen ever a"? But no, he was still just learning this spell. And she trusted him, even if he wasn't yet bound by the same rules as his master. Sen Eva, of course, was another matter. Meg went cold at the thought of that evil woman walking unseen through the castle, possibly lurking anywhere, anytime. She swallowed nervously. She'd have to ask Calen if there was any way to protect against something like that.

Speaking of which, where was he? "Calen," she called, "come on. Just give it a try. You can always try again if it doesn't work the first time."

"I guess I'm better than I thought," he said from the empty air beside her.

She gave a little scream before she could stop herself. As she watched, Calen suddenly popped back into visibility. There was no gradual fading; he wasn't there, then he was. He smiled apologetically, but she could see that he was rather proud of himself as well. She couldn't blame him. He was better than he thought. She hadn't even suspected that he'd come back around the corner, and he had walked right past her!

"Perfect," she said. "Will you be able to extend the spell to include me as well?"

"I think so. I don't know. I've never tried that before." He sank back down to the floor beside her. "I think that's the first time I've ever gotten it to work correctly. And it's impossible for me to tell from the inside whether it's working or not."

Meg pondered this. "Well, that means we'll have to test it someplace with other people around, to see if it's working."

Calen nodded unhappily. He looked frightened. Meg's conscience twinged, but she reminded herself firmly that they didn't have any choice. Without proof, no one would do anything to stop Sen Eva before it was too late. Technically Calen wasn't just helping her as a friend; he was acting to protect his patron family in the same way he would once he became a full mage. If you looked at it that way, it was his duty to help her. So there was no need for her to feel guilty about dragging him into danger like this. No need at all.

"The kitchen?" he suggested. "There's always someone there, and if we are seen, no one will comment on it."

"You're right, except . . . Wilem was there earlier."

Calen stared at her in alarm. "You saw him? Did he see you?"

"I don't think so. Or at least, if he saw anyone, it was Mellie, not Meg. He was a" he was with someone. A girl. He seemed fairly engrossed in their . . . conversation." She looked away. Calen, bless him, didn't say anything. "It's been some time. He's likely gone by now." Back to the kitchen maid's room, probably.

"All right. The kitchen it is. We might as well get started." He hesitated. "Have you thought of another time to go to Sen Eva's rooms?"

Right. "We could try going in while she's asleep. . . ."

"No," Calen said firmly. "I think that's a bad idea, Meg. Too dangerous. I think she should be someplace else when we go. Someplace far away."

"Well, then, let me think. There are several formal events tomorrow in preparation for the wedding, but obviously we want to get in there as soon as possible. . . ."

"Obviously," Calen muttered.

"So if not during breakfast," she went on, "then perhaps . . . Oh! I've got it. The Intention Ceremony. Not as early as I'd like, but I think it's the safest choice. She'll have to be there, since she'll be part of the formal wedding procession. Wilem, as well, for that matter. And there's a banquet afterward, so that gives us a little extra time to get safely away before she returns."

"But a" aren't you supposed to be there as well?"

"Yes. But when Morgan realizes I've gone, I'm sure she'll just say that I'm ill. Sen Eva thinks we're dead, or at least elsewhere, so certainly my absence won't seem strange to her. I'm sorry to have to miss the ceremony, but then of course I wouldn't be able to attend anyway. Not now." She shook her head, surprised by a sudden wash of sadness. "Oh, I wish none of this had happened, Calen. I wish I could just be excited for my sister and caught up in all the fun and planning and celebration. Do you realize we missed the tourney? I know it sounds stupid a" there are such bigger things at stake now a" but I can't help wishing it all the same."

"I know, Meg," he said quietly. "I wish that, too." He patted her hand awkwardly, making her smile. She took a breath and pushed everything else aside. "All right," she said. "Let's go. Do you want to start the spell now, or . . . ?"

"I probably should. I need the practice casting it, and holding it, not to mention including someone else in the circle." He sighed. "I hope this works, Meg. This is a crazy plan. I really don't want to be responsible for getting us both killed." He tried to smile as he said it, to make it a jest, but didn't quite succeed.

Meg looked at him seriously. "You've already saved our lives more than once. If something happens, if we don't survive . . . well, it won't be your fault. We've only gotten this far because of you."

He blinked at her in surprise, then dropped his eyes. "No, that's not . . ."

"You know it's true, Calen. Now shut up and start working your magic." She grinned to hide her own nervousness as much as to take the sting from her words. "Will I feel anything? When you cast the spell?"

"Nope. Or at least, I don't think you will. I know I don't feel anything. That's what makes it so difficult. No way to tell whether it's working until someone sees you. Or, you know, doesn't." He got to his feet and reached down to help her up as well. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Stay close to me. The spell works kind of like a sphere, surrounding us, but if you step too far away, I might not be able to keep you inside it." He laughed nervously. "Of course, I might not be able to keep you inside it anyway, but, uh, all right. Here we go."

She nodded, then took his hand for good measure. Calen closed his eyes. It was very quiet in the corridor.

"All right," he said. He opened his eyes slowly. Nothing seemed different.

Meg thought for a minute. "Let me try something," she said. She took a giant step to the right, stretching her arm as far as she could without releasing Calen's hand. Then she turned to look back at him.

He wasn't there. Neither was her hand, which was startling, even though she had half expected it. Her left arm stretched out into s.p.a.ce and then disappeared at the elbow.

"It's working," she said softly. "Let go of my hand for a second."

He did, and as soon as she felt his fingers release hers, her hand popped back into view. She stared at the place where Calen must have been standing, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't see anything there. "Important bit of information," she said. "The spell only includes me if I'm touching you."

"Ah. Good to know."

"But the good news is that even though I know you're there, I can't see you."

"That's good to know, too."

Meg giggled. "It's strange, to hear you speaking from the air." She reached out, trying to find his hand again. He let her grope blindly for several seconds, and then she felt his fingers close around hers. Her forearm vanished, and she watched, fascinated, as she moved slowly closer to him and more of her body disappeared. And then she must have pa.s.sed the boundary of the spell, for suddenly Calen was there, and so was she.

"Not a very big sphere, I know," he said.

"No," she said. "I'd better stay close to you." She considered a moment, then stepped behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Do you think we'll be able to walk this way? I'm not sure how else to do it."

They gave it a try. It was awkward, to say the least. They could only manage several steps before tripping over each other. Finally Calen shook his head. "This is silly. It must be possible to increase the spell area." He took her hand again. "Stretch out your arm as far as it will go." She complied, and he did the same. He closed his eyes, concentrating, and then he was gone, along with her hand and wrist. And then, slowly, more of her arm began to disappear.

"It's working!" she said. "Keep going!" Soon she had to lean her head out as far as she could to keep it outside the circle of the spell.

"Do you think that's far enough?" Calen's voice asked. "It's getting hard to push it any farther."

"I think it should be okay." She stepped closer to him again, fighting the absurd urge to hold her breath as if she were going underwater. "We should still stay close together, but we should be able to at least walk side by side now."

He took a deep breath. "Ready to test it out?"

"Yes," she said. "The kitchen?"

He nodded, and they began to walk. As long as they kept their legs in step, it was easy enough to stay close together. The stairs were difficult at first, but after a few steps, they got the hang of it. As they reached the landing on the ground floor of the castle, Calen hesitated. "Remember, we can still be heard," he said. "And touched, so we need to be sure we don't get too close to anyone. Anything important to say before we get going?"

"Just *good luck,' I guess. And try not to sneeze or anything."

He smiled and she smiled back. "Same to you." He took another deep breath. She took one, too, and then they stepped forward through the doorway.

The first test came almost immediately. A washwoman was walking toward them, her arms stretched around a huge tub of laundry. They both froze, but her gaze remained vacant and distant, her eyes soft and unfocused, probably staring inward at some early-morning daydream. If she sensed anything in the hallway before her, she gave no sign. Meg relaxed and felt Calen do the same. Then Meg began to edge to the right, to give the woman room to pa.s.s. Unfortunately, Calen simultaneously began to edge to the left. Meg realized this as soon as she felt the tug on her hand, and jerked back to follow Calen, but she must not have been quick enough; the maid was suddenly alert and still and staring at the s.p.a.ce where Meg had just been.

"h.e.l.lo? Is someone there?" she whispered.

Meg squeezed as close to Calen as she could, and the two of them flattened themselves against the wall of the corridor.

"h.e.l.lo?" the maid said again, her voice shaking. Finally she began walking forward again, staring fixedly ahead. As she pa.s.sed, Meg could hear her muttering, repeated like a kind of charm: "Not a ghost, not a ghost, not a ghost." It might have been funny if the woman hadn't looked so terrified. Meg could guess what she might have been thinking. This hallway was only one floor up from the one leading to where Lysetta had been found.

They waited until the maid was through the doorway and they heard her steps on the stairs. "Okay," Meg whispered finally. "We need to avoid that happening again."

Calen nodded. "Any ideas?"

"You lead, I'll follow," Meg said. "You could try giving me a signal before you change direction . . . maybe squeeze my hand or something?"

Calen thought a moment. "I don't want to make it too complicated. How about I'll just try to move your hand in the direction I'm planning to go? One squeeze can mean stop; two can mean go."

She guessed that was probably the best they could do in short order. "All right," she said. "Lead on, then."

He lifted his foot to take a step, then gave her hand an exaggerated double squeeze before moving forward. She smiled and shook her head, stepping to keep up.

Another washwoman pa.s.sed without incident, as well as a pair of scullions who must have been late by the way they tore down the hall. When the kitchen was in sight, Calen squeezed her hand and then paused. "Should we just walk through and then back out?"

She shrugged, then nodded. "That would probably be enough of a test, wouldn't it? We don't want to spend too long wandering around and push our luck. Besides, if we're quick, we might be able to catch a little bit of sleep before going up to you-know-where."

"All right, then," Calen said. "Here we go." Meg swallowed nervously as they stepped forward. Certainly Wilem would be gone by now. She tried not to brace herself for the sight of him. A few more steps, and they were pa.s.sing through the kitchen doorway.

It was crowded, more so than she'd expected. Did servants always have to start their days this early? She thought of how busy she and her sisters kept their maids each morning from the moment they rose through breakfast and often after. Probably this was their only chance to eat something before heading out to begin their daily service. She felt a twinge of guilt that she had never before wondered about it. So much happened in the castle, every day, that she was not aware of. Did her parents think about these things? Her sisters? Surely a good ruler needed to think about all that went on within the castle as well as outside of it, and yet how could there be enough time in a day to consider all these things? She shook her head, frustrated. This was not the time. But she filed the thought away for closer examination later, if later ever came and she was still around to experience it.

Right now she had to focus on staying close to Calen as he moved forward, constantly having to shift direction to avoid b.u.mping into anyone. It was like a sort of dance, she thought as they strove to move together across the noisy room, although one in which both partners had to learn the steps as they went. She focused on Calen's hand holding hers, trusting him to tell her which way to move and when. She glanced around for Wilem a" she couldn't help herself a" but he didn't appear to still be there.

They reached the far wall. Turning around took a moment of negotiation; her first instinct was to release Calen's hand and simply turn about, but of course that wouldn't have been very wise. They had to circle around in place together. As they were about to set off again, Meg had a sudden idea and squeezed Calen's hand to get his attention. Slowly, she edged over toward the nearest table, pulling Calen along beside her until they were right up against it. When no one was looking a" G.o.ds, she hoped no one was looking a" she reached out and grasped a knife from the table, slipping it back within the fold of her sleeve and desperately hoping the spell would include things they picked up after the sphere had been created. Best to find out now, in any case; if they ended up having to remove anything from Sen Eva's rooms, she didn't want to discover too late that the object could be seen floating down the hall by anyone they happened to pa.s.s by.

Nothing happened. No one screamed, or stared, or seemed to notice anything amiss. After a glance to make sure she was ready, Calen gave her a double squeeze and set off. The kitchen entrance drew ever closer, and with every step Meg felt herself relax a little more. It was going to be all right. Calen's spell worked, and they'd be able to visit Sen Eva's rooms undetected, and they'd find something that would prove her evil intentions, and then everything would be okay again.

They had almost reached the corridor when Wilem stepped into view.

Meg froze, fear and hatred fighting for dominance within her. Calen had frozen as well but recovered almost immediately. Tightening his grip on her hand, he pulled her slowly but firmly toward the wall, out of Wilem's path. Meg let herself be led, but her eyes remained locked on Wilem's approaching face. For the second time in several hours, he was nearly within reach while she held a knife in her hand. Maybe the G.o.ds were trying to tell her something. It would be so easy to kill him as he walked past. And if she was quick, no one would know what had happened. She could plunge her knife deeply into his throat, and as he fell, clutching at the gaping wound, she and Calen could run safely and invisibly away. His mysterious death would become another castle legend to frighten children and chambermaids, and no one would ever have to know she had been the one to kill him. The knife felt so solid and friendly in her hand. Like a part of her, as if instead of useless polished nails she had razor-sharp talons with which to slice and tear and rend her enemy into b.l.o.o.d.y ribbons of tattered flesh. . . .

With an effort, she pushed Jakl's influence out of her mind. He must have awakened; she could feel him more strongly than when he'd been sleeping. Calen was crushing her fingers, trying to hold her back from what she had been almost ready to do. Wilem walked past. They stood silently in place for several seconds, letting him get farther away before they dared to move again toward the corridor. Calen gently took the knife from her hand and slipped it onto an empty table on the way out. Meg took a shuddering, quiet breath as they finally turned the corner. She felt tears on her face but did not know if they were for Wilem or her sister or only for herself.

THEY WERE STANDING OUTSIDE SEN EVA'S rooms. Calen had trouble getting his mind around this astonishing fact. Sure, this had been the plan, and yes, he had agreed to it, but now that they were actually here, facing the door, about to abandon all pretense of sane and rational thought and actually go inside . . . He kept hoping he would suddenly wake up safe in bed, with all of this nothing more than a late-night-sweet-induced nightmare.

But of course it wasn't.

He had already checked the door for wards. At least, he had tried to. Either Sen Eva hadn't set any magical protection on the door or she had and he just couldn't see it. He was terribly afraid it was the latter. He hoped if there were any wards that he couldn't see, they were the alarm type, which would simply notify her that someone had opened her door, and not the death type, which would kill him and Meg instantly. He hoped that very much.

Meg was waiting for him. He knew that she knew he was terrified. It was nice of her to wait that way, giving him a chance to pull himself together on his own. She didn't seem scared at all. That couldn't be true, of course, because she wasn't an idiot and she knew how dangerous this plan was, but if she was afraid, she kept it well hidden. Perhaps it was Jakl's influence. If so, he almost wished he had a dragon of his own to fill his cowardly heart with fire and courage. Almost.

He felt Meg shift beside him and spoke before she could; he didn't want her to have to drag him through that door. He had to be able to get ahold of himself. "Ready?" he asked, for lack of anything else to say. He couldn't say what he really wanted to, of course. Something like "Run!" or "Let's get out of here!" or maybe just a mindless scream of terror as he took off down the corridor on feet made fleet by fear.

She smirked. "You asked me that already. Twice."

He made himself smile back at her. "Well, still ready?"

"Yes, Calen."

"All right, then." He took her hand. Her fingers gripped his tightly. He tried to imagine they were sending rivulets of strength and bravery up through his arm and into his heart and mind. He could almost feel it. He closed his eyes and brought the sphere of invisibility back up around them. It came easily, now that he knew he could do it. Something had definitely changed within him a" the events of the past few days, the successful magical experiments, thinking he might be able to do something, and then really doing it . . . there was a confidence to his spellcasting that hadn't been there before. And it worked like a circle: the more confident he felt, the better his spells seemed to work, and the better his spells seemed to work, the more confident he felt.

He also felt more free to improvise, and that was important, too. The variant of the invisibility spell he'd practiced with Meg was more complicated than the original spell he'd learned a" stronger, he hoped, and more resistant to discovery a" and the colors involved were different. Black instead of gray, for concealment, with threads of orange to nullify attempts at perception, and just a touch of blue-white to soothe the observer into believing there was nothing to see. One he had the sphere of magic firmly fixed in his mind, he let the colors fade, trusting the energy to remain in place.

They had rested for several hours in a lower-level storage room, waiting for Sen Eva to be safely engaged in the Intention Ceremony. Meg had managed to sleep, but Calen found sleep impossible. Even so, he felt replenished by the time spent sitting quietly in the darkness, Meg's head resting on his shoulder. He had listened to her soft, slow breathing and tried to guess what dreams played behind her closed eyelids and tried not to think about anything else.

His concentration had benefited from the break, and with a final effort he was able to push his fear aside and focus on the energy flowing from him to keep them hidden. He made himself hard and cold like a stone, at least on the outside. If somewhere deep inside his terror still boiled, what did it matter, as long as it stayed tucked away? Slowly, as if in a dream, he reached out with his free hand, lifted the latch, and pushed open the door.

Nothing happened.

Calen let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He gave Meg's hand a double squeeze for good measure, and together they stepped into the room.

If they'd expected to find some clear sign of ultimate evil, they were disappointed. There was no arcane altar smeared with the blood of the innocent, no dark forbidden spellbooks left open on the desk with incriminating pages bookmarked, no small animals sacrificed and hanging dead from the ceiling. The bed was neatly made. A pitcher of water sat beside a clean bowl on a side table. The room was restful and decorated with soft colors and vases of lush greenery.

"So, now what?" Calen asked quietly.

Meg looked around, biting her lip. "I suppose we should start looking through her things. I mean, obviously, if she does have something here that could prove what she's been up to, it won't be sitting out in plain sight."

"Do you think it would be safe to split up? We'd be visible again, or at least you'd have to be. But maybe if we close the door . . . ?"

Meg nodded reluctantly. "That makes sense. It will go quicker that way."

Calen released the spell. Meg stepped over and pushed the door shut. Then she walked over to the desk and began opening drawers. Calen looked around for another target. If I were undeniable evidence of evil, where I would hide? He considered the paintings and tapestries on the walls, then approached the closest one and looked behind it. Nothing. He moved to the next.

They searched everywhere. They were both acutely aware of the time pa.s.sing, and their efforts grew nearly frantic as the sun inched across the sky. Still, they tried to be careful to put things back exactly as they had found them. Calen had a moment of panic when he remade the bed after checking under the mattress. Had the pillow been positioned quite that way when they came in? He turned to ask Meg if she remembered. And suddenly they heard something in the hall. Meg's face went sick with dread. Calen felt his own do the same. No. Oh, please, no. They looked in horror toward the door.

The latch began to move. Calen launched himself across the room, nearly tackling Meg in his effort to grab her hand. They fetched up against a wall, and Calen thrust the protection of the magic sphere up around them. A vase toppled from its place beside them, and Calen's heart turned to ice. He braced himself for the sound of it a" the vase, his heart a" shattering, but then Meg's free hand shot out and caught the vase before it hit the ground. There was no time to replace it on the table, however; Meg s.n.a.t.c.hed it to her breast and froze as the door swung open. Together they watched in silent terror as Sen Eva Lichtendor entered the room and closed the door behind her.

She seemed agitated. Calen's first thought was that there must have been an alarm ward on the door after all and she had returned to discover the intruder. But she didn't pause or look around to see who might be there. She tossed her small purse and an expensive-looking shawl onto the bed without breaking stride and crossed to the jewelry box atop the vanity. They had examined the jewelry box already and found nothing suspicious, but now it was clear they had missed something. Sen Eva reached around the back of the wooden case, and a hidden panel in the side snapped open. She pulled out a drawer that lay concealed within the base of the box. In the drawer Calen could see a polished blue crystal and what looked like a small book.

Sen Eva picked up the crystal in her left hand and began to speak softly under her breath a" an incantation? Calen couldn't make out the words. After a moment Sen Eva turned and extended her right hand, tracing an arc before her in the air.

A glowing portal shimmered into existence in the s.p.a.ce her hand had defined.

Meg's hand grew tighter on Calen's, and he glanced down to see her eyes wide in fear and amazement. He had a sudden mad urge to reach over and place his free hand across her mouth to prevent her from making a sound that might give them away again. He managed to resist; he had to trust her.

A figure appeared in the portal.