It was something he’d been thinking about a lot, actually. In fact, it was one of the few attempts at an answer he thought about between his mother’s death and meeting Loraena and the others. After all, it seemed so close—he couldn’t remember exactly how long it had taken him to get there with Eme, but he knew it couldn’t have been far. The only thing that kept him away was fear.

  He was afraid of what he’d find there, afraid of the disappointment or confusion. Those already had such a strong hold on him; the illusions, the way his magic nearly acted on its own, proved that. There was so much he didn’t know. And as much as there was a fear that he would never know, he was also afraid of what he would end up learning. Eme was doing something she didn’t want him getting involved in, not even in the worst of situations.

  So would this have disappointed her, for him to go out and seek the truth like this?

  A part of him had wanted to tell himself that he was overthinking it. The other part… well, it couldn’t help but wonder. So, he’d stayed paralyzed, unable to do anything more than continue the same circle of thoughts.

  But this time would be different. He was actually doing something, going somewhere. And he wasn’t alone while he did it.

  Loraena was right behind him, with him for every step of the way.

  “Are you sure this is where the cabin was..?” she prompted. Every now and again, she glanced around, and seemed to have gotten more and more nervous with the absence of just about everything. “I mean, I certainly believe that you know what you’re doing. It’s just… it was a long time ago, and you were young. It’s totally possible that you missed a turn or that the path has changed completely since then.”

  “I know where I’m going.” It was also one of the only things he was confident in about the situation, surprisingly. “We can’t be far from it now…”

  Just then, they caught sight of an old man walking in the opposite direction as them. When he noticed them on the trail, he waved to get their attention, then walked up.

  “I don’t see kids like you out in these parts often!” he called. Maybe Astyu was a little sensitive, but he could’ve sworn the man was much louder than he needed to be.

  But that didn’t matter a whole lot, since Astyu also got straight to the point. “Are you the one renting out that cabin?”

  “Well, yes, but I haven’t had anyone in it in a while. I don’t know what you could want in there, aside from… a couple of things I assume your parents wouldn’t agree with.”

  Loraena’s face turned red as she furiously shook her head. “No, nothing like that, sir! See, my friend here used to know one of the people you’d rented it to, and he wanted to find them again. It’s… a bit of a long story.”

  “Her name was Jasmin. I… I think it was Khadi? Jasmin Khadi,” Astyu interjected, hoping that he’d be able to make himself helpful. Anything could aid them in finding the mysterious duo. “And she had this blind woman named Kiara with her. Does that ring any bells to you?”

  The man thought for a little bit. “Yeah, but I don’t know why I should tell you. There’s business confidentiality, you know. I can’t go talking to anyone just because they know somebody. Not unless you can prove to me that you know them and that they’d agree to letting you have any kind of information about them.” He glanced at Loraena. “No matter if you’re somewhat popular in this small town or not. Hate to say it, but that’s just the truth of the matter.”

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  “My mother and them were close friends,” Astyu tried. It was the only thing he could think of. He didn’t want his only lead to end up turning out like this. “If you’re not going to do this just because I asked, then what if I said that I was the son of Eme Takemra? Would that change anything..?”

  “Wait, you’re her son? I knew you were still around and that you were coming back out into the open, but I’d never been able to see you for myself just yet. Guess I should’ve been tipped off by such similar appearances, though. You’re a spitting image of her…”

  Astyu dared to let himself hope for a moment. “So does that mean you’ll tell me about them?”

  “Under normal circumstances, I’d still say no.” There was a long pause, and Astyu had to wonder if the man had intended that at all. Either way, it was certainly annoying. “But, I do remember the two of them saying something about guiding you to the cabin if you ever came asking. I don’t know exactly what for, and they’re lucky that I never ended up renting out the place to anyone else. I figure, though, that that’s what you’re here for?”

  Finally, Astyu really let himself hope for something good. “They’ve left something for me..?”

  “That’s what they said. I have no idea what it is, just that it’s not some dead body or something else big hidden in the cabin. Unless they kept it pretty well hidden. But we’re in the middle of a forest—if they wanted to hide a body, there are far better places for it…” He gestured for them to follow him, as he started walking along the path again.

  Cautiously, Loraena asked, “Why do you sound like you wouldn’t be surprised if they were doing something bad?”

  “You might not be from here, but you’re sure to have heard all the stories. Those old women in the market do love their gossip, even if it’s the same old stuff they’ve been repeating for years. They’ve got all sorts of theories on what those three women were here for—the three that showed up one day, and left just as suddenly a couple years later. Especially Jasmin. Heard she’d been a fortune teller before coming here. Possibly worked with the not-so-safe versions of Truth magic. Who knows what other stuff a woman like her got up to when no one was looking?”

  “So, if you don’t mind me asking… why did you rent the cabin out to them, if you don’t seem to trust them..?”

  “Why does anyone do anything around here? Money, obviously. I don’t know how she got it and, frankly, I don’t think I want to know, but Jasmin might as well have had an endless fountain of coins in her pocket. Anything can be done with the right price, after all, and I didn’t see it as too much of a risk so long as they kept their dark magic away from me.” He shrugged. “I barely knew them outside of a simple professional relationship—and even then, it was only out of necessity. I don’t think you’re going to be getting any grand snippets of information from this old guy.”

  Astyu, however, had already been starting to tune out the conversation. His attention started to waver when he saw the cabin through the trees, and it was almost completely gone by the time they were more or less walking up the front steps.

  Suddenly, he couldn’t stop himself from interrupting whatever Loraena and the man were talking about. “This is where Jasmin and Kiara stayed, I remember it. You said there’s something in there for me? Something they left behind?”

  The man nodded. “Sounded that way, at least.” He unlocked the door and gestured the two of them inside. “Go on and have a look, I’ll stay out here. Just don’t mess with anything more than what’s already out, got that? I tidied this place up good for anyone else who wants to come by and use it. I’m not going to be happy if I see that you kids messed with it.”

  Loraena nodded. “Of course! We’ll keep everything exactly how we left it, and be done as soon as we can. Right, Astyu?”

  And he mumbled an agreement, even if he really wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying. He was so close now. He’d already allowed himself to hope that the fragments of Jasmin that were left behind would be able to show him the answers. Now, though, he was almost certain that it would. He was going to find something here. He knew it.