"Because your aura disrupts the old structure."
Reasonable. Probably. I didn't like the way he avoided looking at me directly when he said it, but there were more immediate problems.
"Will it hurt the Crown Prince?" I asked.
Abi went quiet for a moment. "Yes. Less than leaving him inside."
I looked at the Empress. She looked at the door, then closed her eyes. "Tell me what to do."
Abi moved toward the ward. "Place your hands on the outermost lines. Don't let the silver layer collapse. You're going to peel it away from the inner ward, not break it."
She nodded.
"The physician and the knight stay ready," I said. "The moment the door opens, you take the Crown Prince toward the west receiving room. Not the public infirmary."
The physician looked startled. "Your Excellency, the receiving room isn't equipped for royal treatment."
"It's equipped with walls that don't have palace wards hidden inside them."
He hesitated, then nodded. "Understood."
