A gloomy silence settled over the cabin, and we didn’t speak for the rest of the flight, too caught up in our respective thoughts. Once we landed at the Parabas airport, Iannis ordered our luggage delivered to Parabas Palace, where we would be staying as guests of the Chief Mage. But true to his word, we did not go along with our bags. Instead, our carriage took us straight to Nika, a ride of some two hours, we were told.

From what we had learned so far, Nika was a small town, perhaps only eighteen thousand strong. That seemed insignificant compared to Solantha’s nearly half a million citizens, and I wondered what it was like to live in such a community. From what I could observe as we drew close, it was a thriving place, mostly comprised of sprawling, one- and two-story homes on big lots, with winding roads to connect them to each other as well as the small clusters of shops and municipal buildings. We’d passed some farms on our way in, bursting with cattle, sheep, and fruit-laden orchards. The map Iannis and I studied during our ride told us that industrial buildings were located on the outskirts of town, away from residential homes. We picked out a canning factory, a sawmill, a tannery, and a shoe factory.

“Where do you think the Resistance is most likely to be hiding out?” I asked.

Iannis frowned as he studied the map, which I’d spread across my lap. His long forefinger traced the main road that wound through the town, then drew a semi-circle across the northern end, along the edge of the wilderness.

“I suspect that it might be behind one of these factories, or perhaps even part of one,” Iannis said. “We could question the townsfolk to see if they’ve noticed any suspicious activity, but that would draw unwanted attention. Let’s hope Elnos will provide more information.”

He folded the map up. “Time to disguise ourselves, I think. A middle-aged human couple should not attract too much attention, don’t you agree?

“I guess so,” I said, closing my eyes as he reached for my face. It didn’t take too long for him to transform me, and then himself. Judging by the thin, nondescript form he’d chosen as a disguise, I was glad I couldn’t see my new disguise in full. I was having a hard enough time with the checkered blouse and tweed skirt he’d put me in.

The carriage pulled up outside the Black Lion Inn, where Elnos had instructed us to meet him. It was a two-story, stacked-stone building, with dark grey curtains in the casement windows, and four chimneys jutting from the slate rooftop. Not a particularly cheery-looking place, but a sturdy one that could withstand the rainy weather Osero was known for, and the heavy winter snows.