Father Garshom was still sitting on the steps, wrapped in his cloak despite the nice weather.

* Father, I have some questions for you. * I laid down next to him. * I know very little about wards. What are they like? How would they work at the palace in Tammerhof? *

"Those are some big questions, Fuzzy," he pondered his answer. "Wards are spells designed to alert someone if those wards are disturbed. More sophisticated wards might even trap an intruder. Others can act like explosives if someone gets too close."

* What about gardeners, maids, and other domestic help? How can they do their job with wards in the way? *

"There are two ways that I know of," Garshom's hand once again found that spot between my ears to scratch. "The easiest is to give everyone who works inside a ward a magic token that allows them to pass through. Tokens have the problem that they can be lost or stolen. The second way is to leave holes in a ward at gates and doorways. The catch is that those gates and doorways now require guarding."

* Are there no spells that allow a person to pass through without detection? *

"I've heard rumors of such spells but I've never met anyone who knew one or had seen one used. Based on that, I conclude there are no such spells, just rumors and tall tales."

* Just like the existence of spirit beasts are a peasant superstition? *

"You got me there, Fuzzy. How does that saying go? Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence? It's a shame you're a mountain cat because you would have been one scary lawyer in court."

* I'm not aware of any Nordweg law that would prevent me from becoming a lawyer based on my identity as a mountain cat. I would need to pass both a written test and oral examinations, which are the only requirements. *

Garshom laughed.

* What about a magic detection spell or device? Could a person use either of those to find where wards were placed? *

"I'm not sure. I don't have a lot of experience with wards. Why don't I make a ward around this school and you can try to detect it."

I jumped off the porch and onto the lane that circled the green. * It's your turn at the butts, Father. *

"Μεμ Ματαδεε, μειτσjε μ ἰν ἑκ, δατ ἰκ σιλ ιττε ἀς ἰμμεν ἰτ οἐρστεκκε!"

I could feel the magic gather and then explode as it took effect. I walked forward to see if I felt anything when I crossed the ward.

"I didn't feel anything when you crossed the ward, Fuzzy," Garshom frowned. "Did I do the casting correctly?" he asked himself.

* I did not feel a thing, so I could cross a ward and never know it. That's disturbing. * I turned and walked back into the lane. * I'll try a detection spell now. Μει εασιλλι μ ἰτ σιχτ jααν ὀμ δε μαγ τε σjεν δ'τ νετ βεδοελδ ἰς ὀμ τε σjεν *

Colors shifted and traces of thaumic energy showed up as bright red to me. The ward was easy to see using this spell. I could see Father Garshom's aura too. I was surprised to see that there was a thin red glow surrounding me. Was that because I was a divine beast? I turned to look at Father Wyvern napping on the cheese factory roof. He also had a thin red glow surrounding him. Fascinating.

* Magic detection reveals the ward, Father. I can see the thaumic energy of the ward with my third eye. *

"You just crossed the ward two times and I felt nothing from the ward," he scowled. "Did I cast it incorrectly?"

* Let's go see if we can spot any wards at the palace using the magic detection spell and Cat Rider's scrying stone. *

"That shouldn't be possible, Fuzzy. It's not possible to cast magic through a stone."

* Really? No one ever mentioned that to me because I cast a spell through the scrying stone just a little while ago. Come and see. * I bounded up the steps and stopped, waiting for Garshom to open the door.

"You really cast a spell on something you saw in the stone? I've got to see this. This overturns everything I know about scrying," he opened the door and we went in to where Cat was still scrying.

Cat heard us and looked up, "Hello, Father."

"Fuzzy here tells me she cast a spell through the crystal ball."

"Yes, she did," Cat laughed. "Have a seat. I've been tracking that spell and watching all the fun. And before you ask, I tried to cast a spell through the stone right after Fuzzy went to talk to you. It didn't work."

Garshom sat down cross-legged next to Cat, "show me what Fuzzy did, please."

Cat dropped into his scrying trance as Garshom and I watched. The scene inside the quartz ball showed chaos in the Regent's bedroom. Griselda was pacing with several towels draped over her head. The miniature blizzard followed her every step.

Queen Griselda screamed at her maids, "what do you mean, you can't find the magus? He can't have disappeared. Go ask the gate guards if he's left the palace, you imbecile!"

"Is that a snowstorm over her head?" Garshom smiled malevolently.

"Yes, it's a spell I invented a while back to tease Wren," Cat admitted with a grin. "It's what Fuzzy cast through the scrying stone."

"That's evil," Garshom returned the grin. "How long will it last, Fuzzy?"

* I have no idea. It's a spell without a passive ending. We've always ended it with γενεγ. *

"When do you plan to stop the spell"

* I didn't. Griselda can stay like that until the end of her days, which will be too short if I have any say in the matter. *

"The spell will run down eventually," Garshom pointed out. "I wonder how long it will take. So, in the meantime, where's this Magus Keleher that the Regent wants to find?"

Cat busted up laughing when Garshom asked after the magus. It took more than a moment before he recovered. Blotting the tears of mirth with his sleeve, Cat explained: "Griselda and Keleher are lovers but he isn't faithful to her. She does not know this. Right now," Cat changed the scene to a room with the curtains drawn, "he's boffing one of the chambermaids. It will be a while before he can visit Griselda. Fuzzy, do you think he can stop the spell?"

* I'm not sure. All we can do is wait and see. Can I drive the scrying crystal, please? I have another experiment I want to try. *