had to stop for a moment
to think about his answer. This feeling was mysterious, and for the
most part it was unfounded, but it affected him all the same.
“There's something wrong with the palace,” he said finally, “with
the knights...with Lovisa!” Then he darted ahead. His lanky legs
proved difficult for Leana to keep up with, but she followed him as
best as she could. When the princess brought the boy to her, and told
her of his troubled history and the immense but mysterious power that
he harbored, she had expected him to be more than a little strange.
Now, he was darting off in the direction of the Palace of the Jewel
as if he had always known the way, in hot pursuit of some unknown
threat that had made its way into his mind.Is
he psychic as well as magical? Leana
wondered. Nothing about Magus could surprise her anymore.

In
the distance, Leana heard the all-too-familiar sounds of magical
combat: sudden bursts of flames, the crackle of energy spells, the
abrupt strike of a bolt issued forth from a mage's hand, and
explosion after explosion at the points of impact. Mages were
clashing in the area, and even if it had been silent (as so many
spells were), she could sense the magic as if it was calling out to
her. “Magus!” she cried out. “Magus, stop! It isn't safe!
Magus, come back!”
But the boy was too driven by his impulse. The only way to stop him
was to catch him, and he was far too quick for that.

These
sounds were just as familiar to Magus as they were to Leana. He
recognized them from