He hoped that Loraena was proud of him and the amount of restraint he was showing. Maybe she didn’t notice, but there were definitely some impulses that he was fighting back. For one, if he could, he knew that he’d completely scour the entire place for something—leave nothing left unchecked, and probably leave things in a much worse state than what they’d been in when he entered. But he suppressed that urge.

  And, instead, just wildly looked around in hopes that whatever it was would be in plain sight.

  “Do you have an idea of what you’re looking for..?” Loraena prompted. “Everything seems pretty normal to me, at least right now, but I don’t know what I should be paying attention to. Is there anything specific about them that you think we’d be able to find here?”

  “Well, he said there was a message for me, didn’t he? We should focus on that. I don’t think there’s anything else that’s going to be worth looking for.”

  “I… don’t think I can really help, then. I don’t know what Jasmin’s handwriting looked like and there’s probably no good way to describe it, if you even know. We’re just going to have to keep an eye out for anything that seems a bit unconventional, I suppose…”

  “Then just let me look for it. It won’t take me long. I’ve just got to figure out what it is…” He shot her a small smile, in the hopes that she’d understand he’d be alright on his own.

  He couldn’t blame her for doubting it, though. There was more than just the urge to turn the palace upside down that he was fighting with—he also had to make a conscious effort to make sure that he didn’t end up creating any illusions around them. Probably just a glance of one of them, and she’d be trying to convince him to take a break and come back later.

  But he couldn’t get distracted here.

  Not like being distracted or not was really going to make a difference. The most he found were fragments of old memories; his mother talking to her friends about thinly-veiled topics, the promises Jasmin made to her about keeping her away from the worst of it… of keeping Astyu safe. Of course, like everything else, it never turned out to be true. Maybe they weren’t meant to be lies. But to him, given how it all ended up turning out, they felt no different.

  He was dragged out of his thoughts by Loraena touching his shoulder.

  “I think this might be able to help,” she said, and handed him a small note. He didn’t really recognize the handwriting—he’d never seen it before—but he knew that it belonged to Jasmin.

  Astyu quickly took it from her but, in order to try to stay somewhat grounded, forced himself to ask, “Where did you find this?”

  Honestly, it felt like it took forever before she answered. But that’s what happened, when the only thing he could think about was finding out what Jasmin had left for him.

  “It was right over there. I honestly thought it was a grocery list or something at first, but… I thought that it was odd that it was left here, so I got a closer look at it, and I think it’s what you’re looking for.”

  “I know it is.”

  Then, he went to read it. He couldn’t stop himself from waiting any longer.

  ‘Dear Astyu,

  I knew it was only a matter of time before you started seeking answers. Whatever Eme tried to tell herself, I believe all four of us understood that having even the vaguest connection with others will lead to them wondering about the path we took. And, well… wondering is not so far off from wandering, all things considered. I can only hope that you do not want to know of our path because you hope to walk it yourself—that you have found yourself seeing it only in passing. That is what she would have wanted.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Just like I know she would have wanted you to have all of those unsolved mysteries of yours finally make sense.

  I want you to come and find us. There will undoubtedly be much more to discuss by the time you read this, so I will leave all of that for when we meet again. Just know that, unless worse may happen, you will only find Kiara and I there. Though perhaps I am getting a bit ahead of myself—I have not yet told you where ‘there’ is.

  We have moved to a town within the Lower Rhodes Region known as Revarius. It is a rather well-known town within the area, and you were always a smart kid, so I have no doubts that you will find it. I have left a few extra instructions on the other side of this paper.

  I hope this finds you well and that we will meet again soon,

  Jasmin’

  …

  “I’m so sorry to intrude like this, but I thought if anyone around here knew, it would be you!”

  If there was one thing that Astyu would truly never understand, it was why Loraena was making this sound like they interrupted a funeral. Or maybe a birthday party? Definitely something that she wasn’t supposed to be a part of.

  When, in reality, Regind’s grandfather had been quick to open the door, gesture them both inside, and gladly announce their presence. From there, Regind’s grandmother started preparing them a cup of tea and giving them some sweets, and Regind and Lynette poked their heads in to see what was happening.

  “It’s not a problem, dear!” Regind’s grandmother sat a cup down in front of Loraena and Astyu, then gestured Regind and Lynette inside. “Oh! You two should come in, too. I could use your help anyway. Were you able to get that thing ready for that thing you had to do for the visiting nobles?”

  “We were just finishing some things, actually! Hopefully we’ll be able to get it done soon,” Regind responded. “But we heard someone come in and we knew we should come and see who it was.”

  Lynette nodded. “Our work can wait for a little bit longer. What was that town you mentioned? Revarius?”

  “Do you know where it is?” Astyu prompted.

  Of course she’d be able to help! Loraena had mentioned that Lynette traveled before she ended up in Yllvamel. That had to be what she was talking about, right?

  Except there was a flaw in that—a flaw that Astyu repeatedly forgot, because it never seemed like anything even slightly worth remembering.

  “Kind of…” She shrugged. “More like something I heard from someone. I don’t know how useful it’s going to be. I don’t want to bring your hopes up if you’re already looking for something specific.”

  “I think anything you have will help,” Loraena remarked. “We… really weren’t given much to go off of. If we could get something like an important landmark or a nearby noble, then we should be able to figure something out.”

  “Someone that I used to travel with mentioned going there. I… don’t think I remember hearing anything about where it was, though. Just that it was by this river or lake, and she complained about the locals enough that it was probably in Qizar. All she did was talk about how amazing the view was from her hotel, as if any of us really cared since she wasn’t even bothering to hide the fact she wasn’t doing anything…”

  “Wait. You said a river or lake?”

  “I mean, yeah. But there are plenty of those all over the place, and it’s not like building a town near one is unusual. I don’t think just knowing something like that will—ohh.” Realization dawned on Lynette’s face. “I just remembered who I’m talking to. Someone who is literally part siren…”

  “Is that what you’re planning, Loraena?” Regind prompted. “Do you think your mom’s going to know anything about it?”

  Loraena nodded. “If she doesn’t, then one of my aunts will know. It might take a little bit to find which one, but if it’s a body of water in Qizar, I’m sure I’ve got family around the area somewhere. Ah! Could you let everyone know that I’m going to need to talk to my mom tonight? I know it’s still on short notice, but I’d really like to get it done sooner…”

  Regind’s grandfather came up to pat Loraena on the shoulder. “If it’s something you’ve got to do, then I’m sure everyone here will understand. I’ll talk with the church and get it all sorted out for you.”