I could hear a commotion behind me but kept running carefully through the eerily silent halls. Poe was doing her job well, as there were no guards to be found. When I reached Valentin's chambers, I paused. I had not been in that room since he had smashed my head against the fireplace. I placed my hands on the door to press it open and was thrown across the hall.
"Ah, ouch." I gasped. My hands burned red. I realized Valentin had put some sort of magical protection on his door, but I had no idea how to get around such a spell.
"Looking for something?" a relaxed, but strong voice asked.
Spinning around, I stood face to face with a mage in black and purple robes that seemed to move in an unseen wind. He regarded me with undisguised interest, but no malice, under a large hood.
"What are you
