Racing out of the castle, Hailey grabbed her cloak. The stables were not warm, but they were sheltered from the rain. They smelled of rain and hay and horses. Hailey shivered at the thought of riding out in the downpour. It had become cold, but not cold enough for snow. She wished it were snow. At least that didn’t soak into your skin, freezing you to the bone. Hailey climbed on her horse, wishing she were better at this or just had portal glyphs all over the kingdom. That may not be a bad idea, she thought to herself.

“Be careful in the rain, miss,” the stable master told her. He was an old man who looked like he never got enough to eat. A puffy white beard covered much of his face, and his hands were gnarled, but he was good at his job. He had taught Hailey to ride and had been patient with her. She had never had the opportunity to be around horses, much less ride them. She was still a bit sore from her last lesson, but she knew she would need to keep practicing. It was a valuable skill and riding in the morning helped to clear her head. Still, she had never ridden in such a downpour. She hoped that the lightning had passed. If the horse spooked, she would have trouble controlling it.

Aaron was more confidant on his mount. He sat on patiently waiting while she was still climbing up and adjusting herself.

The sun would be setting in a couple of hours, but it felt much later. It had been dark and stormy all day. The roads were going to be difficult to traverse. Still, she climbed up on her horse. She had gotten into the habit of wearing riding skirts. She never knew when the next possibility would come and so she was ready.

They stepped out into the cold and instantly, Hailey’s face was covered in icy cold rain. This was not going to be a pleasant ride. They had only begun and she already worried that they might not get there in time.

Her breath clouded in front of her and she blinked constantly, pushing the rain off of her face at intervals. They headed east, out of the city and into the trees. None of the trees provided any shelter. The firs, while tall had branches all the way to the ground and the beech trees had dropped almost all of their leaves.

Hopefully the rain would slow her opponent as well. The horse seemed sure footed enough until they rode down a path and slid. Her heart was in her throat. A moment later, her mare caught her footing. What would happen to her if it tripped? Still, they couldn’t slow. This was a risk worth taking.

The trip seemed to take forever. The rain finally let up, slowing to a trickle. It helped her see better, but it did nothing for the roads. It would be muddy for days now. The clouds overhead still threatened to let loose another downpour and it was getting dark. Hailey began to shiver, a never ending shudder, that tightened her muscles almost painfully. The cold had soaked her through. Aaron rode ahead of her. He had become so much more confidant in himself. She was proud of what he had accomplished. The soldiers seemed to accept him now, and some of the younger men even looked up to him.

Finally the muddy road branched out to reveal a small village. Everyone was in doors. She could hear voices, but saw not a single person as they made their way through. The windows shone yellow from the small houses. This village had been built on the edge of the shimmer. Hailey could just make it out in the rain, a waving wall of green and blue magic that had been there as long as she could remember.

They headed straight for the largest house. It was set on a hill and ten times the size of the buildings surrounding it. That had to be it. It was a large building, beautifully built with four columns covering the porch. A woman shooed a lamb back into its pen, and Hailey realized she recognized her. “Esmerelda!” She called, but Esmerelda didn’t turn. Hailey frowned. Maybe she didn’t hear her.

A man sat on the porch, despite the cold, smoking a pipe and presumably waiting for them. He was a nobleman, dressed in a well fitting jacket and trousers. He stood when he saw them, coming forward into the mud, despite his fine clothes. Hailey dismounted and held onto her reigns.

“Thank you for coming all this way,” he said, bowing to her.

“Of course, she is still here isn’t she?”

A look of confusion crossed his pale face. “Where else would she be?”

“Looks like we finally got here soon enough,” Aaron said, dismounting. Then he took the reigns from her hands. “I’ll see to the animals and keep an eye on the shimmer. You deal with the girl.”

The manor was a welcome relief to the cold from outside. She handed the butler her wet cloak and he took it outside to shake it off, frowning at her as he did so. She should have thought of it, but she was so excited that she had finally gotten here in time. It was a well lit room, a fire crackled in the hearth and a large mirror was hung on one wall. Long draperies framed two windows and a pair of chairs were tucked into one corner. Hailey avoided looking in the mirror. It would just make her nervous. The last three places she and Aaron had run to had been peasant’s homes.

A well dressed woman greeted hurried toward her, she picked up her heavy green skirts as she walked. The woman had high cheekbones and dark skin. Her hair was piled high on top of her head, as was the current fashion. “Thank you so much for coming. They didn’t say why we should be worried about children with headaches, only that we should inform the king.”

“Your daughter may be showing signs of becoming a mage.” Hailey said.

“Come with me,” she told Hailey, stepping out of the foyer.

She followed, hoping that that was exactly what was happening to the girl and that Hailey could get her to the castle, and keep her safe.

The girl was lying in a bed on the second story of the manor. She was flipping through a book and moaning occasionally. She had taken on the darker skin of her mother, but not as dark and was a beautiful child. She was dressed in a warm, light green dress. “Have you come to help with my headaches?” The child asked.

“Juliana, you have not even introduced yourself. This is the royal mage to the king.”

“It’s quite all right,” Hailey told her. “I came as quickly as I could.”

Juliana frowned at her. “You rode through the rain?”

“Yes. It was important that I get here as soon as I could manage.”

“I’m glad you came. My head hurts all the time lately.” Hailey sat on a chair across from the bed and Juliana’s mother stood with hands clasped at the end of the bed.

Hailey glanced out the window. Night had not quite fallen yet. She could make out the shimmer. Aaron and Juliana’s father were pointing at it. She could not make out what they were discussing, and she felt her heart speed up. She had not been completely honest with these people. The girl was in danger of being stolen away. Hailey had come to prevent that, and to steal the child away to the castle.

She had no idea who or what her foe might be, but children had been disappearing all over the kingdom. Not many, but enough to make Hailey suspect that these were the young mages that Taivalon should have had, and they were being taken away before they even came into their powers.

“Is there anything else that has been bothering you lately?”

The girl shrugged. “Mama says it’s just my imagination.”

“I would like to know anyway. Maybe it isn’t your imagination after all.”

She hesitated. “You promise not to laugh.”

Hailey smiled. “I won’t laugh. I promise.”

“I see strange things moving in the shimmer, like the shape of something that I can’t make out and sometimes I see a fairy almost make it out. I think they are trying to get to me and I don’t know why.”

It was enough for Hailey. This girl would definitely be a mage. “You didn’t imagine it,” she told the girl. “What you’re seeing is definitely real.”