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As she stepped out into the light of the doorway, Jenna saw the horse approaching The rider rode the horse hard, sitting forward on the ani out behind hiht on through Gudrun the Great and thundered up the driveway Unfortunately Billy Pot was still on his way to his patch of grass He had just started to push the Contraption across the drive when he and the Contraption were forced tohorse Billyanything quickly, it fell to pieces where it stood The lawn lizards ran off in all directions, and Billy Pot found hi at a pile of metal in the middle of the Palace drive

The horseman thundered on, oblivious to Billy Pot&039;s loss and the lizards&039; newfound freedom The horse&039;s hooves kicked up the ainst the dry ground as it rapidly approached the Palace

Jenna and Septimus waited for the horseman to take the usual path around to the stables at the back of the Palace, but to their surprise the rider ignored it and spurred the horse on over the bridge Expertly, without breaking the horse&039;s stride, the horseht through Godric Jenna felt the da fleck of horse spittle, which landed on her tunic She turned to protest to the horse across the hall at full speed With his horse&039;s hooves skidding on the stone flags and sending up sparks, he executed a sharp left turn into the gloo corridor that ran down the middle of the Palace like a backbone

Godric picked himself up from the floor and h me" He subsided shakily back into his chair and closed his transparent eyes

"Are you all right, Godric?" Jenna asked, concerned

"Yes, indeed," host faintly "Thank you, your honor I mean, thank you, your Princess"

"Are you sure you&039;re all right?" Jenna peered at the ghost but he had fallen asleep

"Come on, Sep," whispered Jenna "Let&039;s see what&039;s happening"

The inside of the Palace was dark after the brilliant sunshine Jenna and Septi Walk They stared down the seeht or sound of the horseman

"He vanished," whispered Jenna "Maybe he was a ghost"

"Funny sort of ghost," said Septi to some dusty hoofprints on the faded red carpet that was laid on the huge old flagstones Jenna and Septi of the Walk and followed the hoofprints Once, before the Supre Walk had been full of wonderful treasurespriceless statues, rich hangings and colorful tapestriesbut noas a dusty shadow of its for his ten years of occupation, the Supreme Custodian had stripped all the most valuable possessions from the Palace and sold them to fund his lavish banquets Now, Jenna and Septis of previous Queens and Princesses, which had been rescued from the basement, and soes After three Queens, all of whom looked somewhat bad-tempered, and a cross-eyed Princess, the hoofprints h the wide double doors of the Ballroom The doors were already thrown open, and Jenna and Septin of the horseman

Septi," he said

The Ballrooe When the Palace had been built it was said that the entire population of the Castle could have fit inside the Ballrooest rooher than a house and the lass, stretched fro and threw an array of rainbow colors across the polished wooden floor The lower panes of the ere thrown open in the heat of the su They led out onto the lawns at the back of the Palace, which swept down to the river

"He&039;s gone," said Jenna

"Or Disappeared," muttered Septimus "Like the Ancient said, &039;a Darke horse and a Darke rider&039; "

"Don&039;t be silly, Sep He didn&039;tat the top of that Toith a spooked Wizard and her Shadow Anyway, he&039;s only just gone out through that look"

"You don&039;t know that for sure," Septi called silly by Jenna

"Yes, I do," said Jenna, pointing to the pile of horse dung stea on the step Septimus made a face Carefully they stepped out onto the terrace

It was then that they heard Sarah Heap scream