Aaspaelwin and Sekafi followed Hiaashaqwi through the city's many crisscrossing streets and alleys. Eventually, they reached a particular section of the merchant's quarter. Many small, specialized and odd shops lined the near-empty street. Some of them only advertised their merchandise through intricate signs dangling above narrow doorways, while others displayed theirs in open windows. Large colourful canvases hung above the street, protecting customers from the scorching sun. Aspen gratefully pushed his hood down, enabling him to breathe easier in the humid, still air. A pair of city guards sauntered past, their eyes looking them up and down. It sent a chill down Aspen's spine, despite the friendly welcome they'd gotten here. However, the guards made no comments and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Hiaashaqwi hesitated in a crossing, looking back and forth, his amber eyes sharp. Aspen watched him, sweating in the warmth. 'Doesn't the heat bother you at all?' he asked.

'Odd thing to ask about,' Sekafi pointed out, then turned to Hiaashaqwi. 'What's up?'

He glanced back at them, then walked to the right without replying. Not exactly the talkative type, Aspen thought. But still more friendly than Sir Hapow was on a good day. Though, to be fair, he had become more amiable lately.

As they walked, Aspen's eyes roamed the shops and signs. Herbalist, rare pets shop, silver and gold smiths, book store, a sign with a crystal ball on it, some unmarked doors, an open doorway revealing many shelves with glass-jars and pots everywhere, a shop selling animal parts. He stared at the furs, leather straps with claws, large bright scales, and teeth attached, mounted skulls, and other things visible through the window and hanging on racks outside.

'We're here.' Hiaashaqwi's voice drew his attention to a small, nondescript abode with a wooden sign above the open doorway. He couldn't read the inscription on it and looked at Sekafi. She shrugged and shook her head.

'What place is this?' Aspen asked.

'This is Salabil Kadaj's thaumaturgist shop.'

'Her what now?'

'Magic shop.' Hiaashaqwi pushed some colourful ribbons aside and entered the place.

'Magic?' Aspen and Sekafi both asked, astounded. She was a mage? Or a talented, or perhaps a potions maker of some kind? He hadn't expected that. What a wonderful surprise. If she decided to help, it could really change things.

Tingling with excitement he entered the shop, eyes wide, expecting to see all kinds of things inside. He almost immediately deflated in disappointment. There were no unicorn horns, magic wands, glowing potions in jars or mystical objects lying around. It looked like a regular place. Plants in large pots crowded around a window in the back of the room, books and scrolls filled the shelves, small stone statuettes of black cats decorated the counter and some covered clay pots filled the shelves behind the counter. A ladder led up through an open hatch in the corner, and a door behind the counter led further into the house. Colourful tapestries hung on the walls, depicting scenes of battle, magical creatures, and what looked like royalty from some fairy tale. A broom leaned against the wall beside the door.

Hiaashaqwi stopped by the counter and rang a small brass bell.

'Be right with you,' a woman's voice called from beyond the door in the back. Moments later a tall, slim woman in colourful get-up entered the room.

Salabil Kadaj wore a snugly fitting yellow and black robe with wide sleeves, a multitude of colourful cloth ribbons encircled her neck like a scarf, and a pink and turquoise veil covered her head, though a few thin, tight, black braids had escaped. As she moved up behind the counter, her many bracelets jingled.

'Welcome. How may I help you?' she asked in a melodious tone, her dark eyes searching their faces, a slight frown landing between her thin eyebrows. Probably at their rather poor appearances. Magic stuff was expensive. Aspen knew that much. Subconsciously, he fiddled with his magical knife.

'So sorry to bother you, lady,' Aspen began, 'but we were sent here to find you. Can we speak privately?'

Her eyebrows rose, and Aspen noticed the red symbols on her forehead. Against her dark skin, they weren't very noticeable.

'Sent by whom?'

Her tone held a hint of curiosity, which was a good sign, Aspen decided. He glanced at Sekafi, who nodded. He brought out a small leather pouch and pulled out the note he'd been given by Sir Hapow. 'I got this. It's from Lady Hennaja.' He swallowed the lump suddenly forming in his throat.

Salabil Kadaj reached out a delicate hand for the note and studied it for a while in silence. Her lips thinned for a moment, and Aspen wondered what she was thinking.

'Come with me,' she said and beckoned for them to follow. She vanished through the door behind the counter again, and Aspen and his friends followed. They entered a narrow hall, lined with shelves covered in all kinds of things. Mostly small, polished, flat rocks, dried herbs, and small statuettes.

Wasn't she a mage after all? Aspen wondered. Maybe someone selling charms or something? He had hoped for more, but who was he to judge? It wasn't like he could do more. Or maybe it wasn't her they needed? She could have a lot of contacts or something.

They passed a small workroom with a central table covered in rough-cut stones, chisels, and hammers in varying sizes, a large glass jar with yellow oil, and several leather rags. Some barrels lined the walls. A young man stood by one of them, filling it with pebbles. The loud rattling followed them as they continued through another door. An all-purpose room with beds, a fireplace in the middle, and a corner with a couch and three chairs surrounding a table, covered in colourful cloths and occupied by round pillows. On a shelf beside them, stood an object of interest. As they stopped and Salabil invited them over to sit, he sidled over as close as he could to study it. An open, satin-lined, black wooden box held a fist-sized crystal ball. He stared at it, admiring the shiny surface and the swirling depths of clear glittering purples and milky white tones.

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'Please, don't touch that,' Salabil's voice came from right behind him and Aspen jumped. 'It's my most priced possession. An imported crystal ball from Terador, by the scrying master K. Hood.'

'Uh,' Aspen said and backed away from it. He had no clue what importance that held, but he assumed it was worth a lot and a creeping terror that he might knock it down and break it tightened his stomach.

Salabil chuckled. 'Don't look so frightened. Just don't touch it.'

'I won't,' he quickly asserted and sat down on the couch beside Sekafi.

'Some tea?' Salabil asked, then went to make some without waiting for a reply.

'What do you think she does?' Aspen whispered to Sekafi. 'Is she a mage? Or does she just make trinkets? Is she a fortune teller? There're so many weird things here, but only one I would assume to be in a magic user's home. So I'm really confused, but-'

'Aspen.' Sekafi chuckled. 'You're on a rant again. Calm down. I'm sure she'll tell us in due time.'

Aspen smiled guiltily but settled down. His thoughts raced, but she was right. The woman would probably tell them soon.

A short while later she returned with four cups of bright red tea and a small bowl of honey.

'All right. Tell me who you are, and why you're here.'

Aspen introduced them all and thanked her for taking the time to listen to them.

'I assume you're friends with Lady Hennaja since she sent you?' Salabil asked.

'Yes.' Aspen said, a tightness closing his throat. 'I'm sorry, but, were you close friends with her?'

Salabil watched him for a moment, her thin brows furrowed. 'Were? Yes.' She paused. 'I take it you have bad news?'

Aspen nodded and explained their situation (Hennaja dead, non-humans exiled, lost their jobs) and what had happened in Toin Caas over the past few months.

'I heard things were unruly and getting worse in Toin Caas,' she mumbled, 'but I hadn't guessed it was this bad. That's truly terrible.'

'It is,' Aspen agreed.

Salabil sighed heavily and looked down into her cup of tea for a while before meeting their eyes again. 'So, you need my help?'

'Yes. I mean, we think so. What can you do?' Aspen said.

'I'm a rune-mage,' she said offhandedly. 'I can do a lot of things if I am prepared and know what I'm up against.'

Aspen stared, glanced at Sekafi to confirm she was as surprised as he, and then back to Salabil. He looked again at the red paint on her forehead. Strange symbols. Were they magical?

'Yes, they are magical,' she said, as if reading his thoughts. 'Protective runes.'

'That's amazing,' he breathed. 'So, you can help us against another mage then?'

She raised an eyebrow. 'I don't even know what the issue is yet exactly. And whether or not I can help depends on what you need help with.'

'Right. We're a bit uncertain about that. You see, there's this mage in Toin Caas, Master Owadro, and he's taken over the Council. We believe he might be behind a series of attacks and threats against certain groups. We don't know why though, or if it...' Sekafi's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

'Maybe we should take it from the beginning?' she suggested calmly.

'My apologies,' Aspen said. 'I have a tendency to get ahead of myself sometimes.' His cheeks burned annoyingly hot.

Salabil gave a slight laugh. 'Don't worry about it. Just take it from the start, please.'

Aspen proceeded, in a calmer tempo, to explain what had happened in the council as far as they knew, the rumours about a group of people in brown and grey robes making people ill and the failings of the Heldest temple to heal them, the monster in the forest and how it appeared to be in the city under Master Owadro's control, and the sudden changes in citizenry laws. They also said they had a hard time doing anything about it as they couldn't get into the Council to affirm any of their suspicions, or spy on the Council mage to see if they were correct. He didn't mention the involvement of the goblins since he was unsure how she'd take that part.

'Well. That's a lot to take in,' Salabil said after a moment. 'I will help you, mainly because I'd like to know what happened to Lady Hennaja. And to do that, I think I have to help you find out what this master Owadro is up to. And if possible, stop him from doing it again.'

Aspen and Sekafi cheered, and even Hiaashaqwi looked pleased.

'But from what I understand, Master Owadro is a spellcaster. That makes it harder for me to counter if he should find out what we're doing and decide to attack us directly. But, with a little help from you, I can spy on him.'

'That would be amazing,' Aspen said and had to restrain himself from jumping up and down. Then his thoughts caught up to what she had said. 'How can we help you with that?'

'You saw the crystal ball. I can see what he's up to.'

'That sounds almost too good to be true,' Sekafi pointed out.

Salabil nodded. 'For me to be able to do that, since I don't know him or have been where he lives often enough to be familiar, I'll need something of his to help me scry.'

Aspen's happiness plunged down below the carpet, weighed by sudden despair. 'How will we get something of his? We can't even get into the Council anymore.'

'Doesn't Sir Hapow work there sill?' Hiaashaqwi whispered from the chair he sat in. He sipped on his tea,

'Yes, I think so. But he'll never listen. It's too dangerous and he won't do that for us,' Aspen protested.

'He'll listen to me.'

Hiaashaqwi's amber eyes held a hardness Aspen hadn't seen in them earlier. He supposed the lizardman wanted revenge for being thrown out. He probably wanted to get back to his best friend as well. Aspen nodded. 'You're coming with us then?'

'Yes.'

'That's settled then,' Salabil commented and stood. 'When do we have to leave? I'll need to prepare some things before we go.'

'As soon as possible, please.' Aspen hesitated. 'Today?'

'Of course.'

He breathed a sigh of relief. 'Can we help you get ready?'

'Certainly.'

She wasted no time ordering them about to pack necessary items into small crates and carry them to her carriage. While they did, she spoke to the young man in the other room, her apprentice and assistant apparently, and did something to the three cat statuettes on the counter. She placed small metal trinkets in grooves on the cats' chests and said something. At first, nothing happened, then the cats grew, their shiny black stone surfaces sprouting soft, lustrous fur. They kept growing until they became too big to fit on the counter. Then, to Aspen's astonishment, they opened bright yellow eyes and leapt gracefully to the floor. When their size reached that of large dogs, they positioned themselves around the house. The group stared in amazement at the transformation.

'I didn't know they were alive!' Aspen said when she passed him by, carrying the box with the crystal ball.

'Oh, they're not technically alive,' she laughed, 'they're animated objects. Their mission is to protect Bakal and the shop from intruders.'

'Well... that's still just as impressive,' he said, still eyeing one of the large cats sitting in a corner of the room. It blinked slowly.

She smiled warmly, then continued readying for the journey.

In just a few hours they were ready to leave, all things packed and loaded, Salabil and Aspen seated in the carriage, drawn by a sturdy, bay horse, while Sekafi and Hiaashaqwi walked beside them.

They set out from Yaarpa early in the evening, and as if on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance as soon as they escaped the shadow of the tall gate.

'Really? Again?' Aspen protested, and Sekafi laughed.