To my annoyance, he closed the door on us instead of letting us in to wait in the hall. Sighing, I tapped my foot as I looked around, wondering where the strong magic smell was coming from. Did Ballos keep a lot of magical artifacts in the house? Or was there some kind of spell set upon the grounds? I wondered if there was a spell that would magically keep a garden trimmed. If so, this guy seriously needed to learn it.

Nearly ten minutes went by, and I was about to explode in frustration when at last I heard the butler’s footsteps shuffle back down the hall. Was he only capable of walking at a snail’s pace?

“I’m sorry, but Master Ballos is in the middle of an important research project and cannot be disturbed,” the butler said. “You may feel free to call another time when he might be more available.”

“I’m here by order of the Chief Mage of Solantha,” I said through gritted teeth, even though that wasn’t strictly true. If I had to suffer through this yearlong engagement, I was at least going to throw around the Chief Mage’s title every once in a while. “He will be very displeased if he has to come down here himself.”

The old man hesitated. “I will relay this information,” he said reluctantly, moving back inside again. “Please, wait here—”

“Oh, hell no,” I growled, planting my foot on the threshold. I wasn’t going to wait another ten minutes to get another bullshit answer! “I’ll just come with you—”

A loud buzzing noise sounded as the air super-heated around me, raising the hairs on my arms as a ward activated around the perimeter of the house. Before I could get clear of the threshold, an unseen force threw me back, and I went flying. I grunted as I hit the ground, hard, the overgrown grass cushioning my fall somewhat.

“Oh, dear,” the butler said as Rylan hurried over to help me up. “Master Ballos has set a spell on the house that bars access to all individuals he has not given express permission to enter. You cannot get inside.”

“A little warning would have been nice!” I shouted, accepting Rylan’s offer of a hand up. I dusted off my leather pants and straightened my jacket, then approached the man again. “If not for your overgrown lawn, I might have broken something!”

“I do apologize,” the old man said, bowing stiffly. “I’m afraid I am not as young as I used to be, and we are terribly understaffed here. Please wait just a little longer, and I will get the Master for you.”