The doorbell tinkled again, announcing the arrival of Elania Tarrignal, Comenius’s girlfriend and the owner of The Black Curtain, a witch shop that was quietly known for its under-the-table hexes. She was a tall, voluptuous woman, her face always perfectly made up, her mass of black hair piled atop her head in an elaborate do. As usual, she wore one of her curve-hugging black dresses that made me secretly envious of her figure.

“Why hello, Sunaya!” she exclaimed in her exotic, slightly musical accent as she caught sight of me. A covered basket dangled from one arm as she used the other to shut the door behind her. “I believe this is the first time I’ve seen you in weeks.”

“I believe you’re right.” Smiling, I closed the distance between us, then took the basket with one hand as I gave her a friendly hug. “You’ve been taking care of Comenius for me?”

“As much as I am able to.” She sighed a little, her dark eyes instantly going to Comenius as we broke apart. “He is worried about Noria, and wonders constantly if he could have done anything more to stop her from joining the Resistance.”

“I’m worried too,” I admitted, bringing the basket over to the small coffee table in the sitting area. I sat back so Elania could set out the food and plates she’d brought, and tried to ignore the scent of seasoned pork, cabbage rolls, and cheese. “In fact, I came here hoping you’d received news from Annia and Elnos. Surely by now, they must have caught up with Noria.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything,” Comenius said, worry tightening his voice. “I’m not certain if that’s cause for alarm—if they managed to find their way to Noria within the ranks of the Resistance, it’s quite possible they simply haven’t had the opportunity to send me a message safely. New recruits will be carefully watched, after all. Even so…”

“You’re worried they may have been compromised,” I finished for him.

“Yes.”

“Here.” Elania handed me a paper plate with a cabbage roll, a wedge of cheese, and the diced, seasoned pork. “You should eat.”

“Oh, I couldn’t.” I tried to hand the plate back. “I had breakfast not too long ago, and I didn’t mean to come here and eat your food. I know you didn’t make enough for me.”

“Well, I would have if I’d known you were visiting, but never mind that.” Elania sat with her own plate, refusing to take mine. “It would be rude of me not to offer you some food, especially since I can hear your stomach growling from here.” She winked at me.

My cheeks heated, and Comenius grinned a little despite the heavy atmosphere. “She’s right, Naya. We know you’re always hungry. Eat something.”