Isa settled back on the outer wall to wait her turn to speak to Mimay. The rough wooden boards were cold against her backside. Cassie had disappeared, and there was no one behind Isa in line. She stared at the floor and tried not to overhear Gil’s conversation with the cleric.

From the corner of her eye she saw a flash of bright light as Mimay pulled a silver-backed mirror from a drawer. She held it down so that both she and Gil could peer into it. Mirrors. What spell uses a mirror? Isa tried to think if Felix had ever employed a mirror during one of their table top sessions. She felt certain she’d have remembered that. There would have been endless jokes about the vain cleric who carries a mirror.

Maybe Gil wanted to see something in his future. Maybe a magic mirror would do that. Maybe that’s what Isa needed, too. She shifted ever so slightly closer to the pair.

“Last time we failed, remember?” Mimay’s voice was gentle. “I don’t want you wasting your money.”

“It’s mine to spend.”

Mimay’s only response was to sigh. She bent her head over the mirror again. Finally she sat back and said, “I don’t understand.”

“What did you see?” Gil leaned forward and so did Isa.

“Tracks. In the sand out near Onyx, if I’m not mistaken. Small tracks like someone poked at the sand with a stick. Several sticks. I don’t—”

“But you didn’t see her?” Gil leaned forward. “The Onyx Hills, dangerous country, Mimay. Is she alone?”

The cleric leaned closer to the mirror. She breathed on the surface and waited. Finally she said, “She doesn’t want to be seen.” Mimay put her hand on Gil’s arm. “Let it go, son.”

“But the tracks – do you think she’s being followed?”

“I think Dockma Nimnor goes where she will, and if someone is fool enough to follow her – that includes you – then they get what they deserve.”

The mention of the gnome mapmaker made Isa jump. Both Gil and Mimay looked up at the sound. “You’re back,” said Mimay.

“Did you say Dockma? The woman who makes maps? You know her?”

Gil answered with his own question. “How do you know her?”

Isa licked her lips. If that double-crossing gnome still had the mummy’s crown…. well that would buy a gate spell for sure. And technically the crown belonged to Isa – to the group. They’d found the tomb; they’d killed (eventually) the mummy, not Dockma.

“She sold me a map of this region, actually. And then, well, our paths have crossed a few times since.”

Gil stood quickly. “When did you last see her? Where was she going? How did she look?”

“Gil.” Mimay caught his arm. “Let the woman speak.”

“It was a few days ago,” Isa told him. “Half a day’s walk from here. Maybe more. I was, I was injured, and my friends—” Isa stopped short. They were her friends. They’d fought beside her, healed her, carried her when she couldn’t stand. And what was she doing running away like this?

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At that moment Isa decided to see the Shimmer quest through to the end. Not for Ysel, not for any personal gain, but for her friends.

“You’re a guide? We need – my friends and I – need to get to the Shimmer, and we want to find Dockma. She has something of mine. We could help each other, right?” She stuck out her hand.

Gil grabbed her hand and shook it. “Meet me at the docks in an hour. I just need my gear.”

“Docks?” Isa said to Gil’s back. “Docks?” she said to Mimay. “But this is a desert.”

“Where there’s wind, there’s sailors.” The cleric shrugged. “That’s the way of it. Besides, how do you think you cross the vasts of the Hinter, on foot?”

“Well, I—”

“So you came back. And why? I told you I can’t take away the years. You’ve earned them, just not in the usual way.”

“I have this quest. It’s about the Shimmer.” Isa reached for her notebook and remembered that she’d left her bag with the others. Rather dramatically left her bag with the others. Fuck. “Can you come with me? I can explain it all once you’ve met my group and seen the quest log.”

“Consultations aren’t free.”

“Here.” Isa handed her the coin pouch from her belt. “Your fee.”

Mimay opened the pouch, took out five silver coins, cinched the bag and handed it back. “And buy me an ale. I’m ready for one after dealing with that Cassie Whitsel.”

Lund, Marissa, and Mery were still sitting at the table. Isa’s bag was sitting on the table where she’d left it. “Where’s Alice? Didn’t she come back yet?”

Mery shrugged. Marissa said, “We thought she might be with you.”

“Well she’s clearly not with me.” Isa tried to keep her voice even.

Lund stood up. “I’ll go look for her. Stay here.”

“Lund!” Isa grabbed his arm and leaned to his ear. “I saw Joth Windbane. Be careful.”

Lund looked at Isa and raised one eyebrow. “I don’t know why he’s here,” she said to his unspoken question. “Just be careful, right?”

Isa snatched her bag off the table and dropped it to the floor. “This is Mimay. She’s a cleric.” Isa dropped into a chair. “I got us a guide, and I thought Mimay could give us some, um, insight into the Shimmer before we leave.”

“Talking is thirsty work.” Mimay touched her throat.

“Don’t I know it.” Mery poured a mug from the pitcher and handed it to Mimay. To Isa she said, “You didn’t just say that Joth Windbane is here, did you?”

“Who?” asked Marissa.

“He’s a guy I met—”

“He’s an outlander, like your girl, here,” said Mery. “And an outlaw, perhaps. What’s he doing here, did he say? And could you even believe him if he did?”

“I didn’t talk to him. I saw him, and I think he saw me, but then he disappeared.”

“The name isn’t familiar,” said Mimay. “He’s not been here long then.”

“Do you know the name Vernal Fedru?” Mery asked Mimay. “Old man, brand on his forehead.” Mery tapped the space above her nose.

“Circle and star? Not by that name, no.” Mimay cocked her head. “Friend of yours? You’re meeting in Mefal? You have some business with the Shimmer?”

“Hardly,” Marissa took a drink from her mug. “I can’t begin to tell you the things I want to do once I get my hands on Fedru’s scrawny neck.”

Isa leaned her elbows on the table. “To answer your question, no. We’re not friends. I guess we’re enemies, or at least Ysel is enemies with Fedru. Maybe me and Joth, maybe we’re caught in the middle. Pawns.”

“You’re not treasure hunters?” Mimay looked from Mery to Isa.

“No, why would you say—”

“You got a map from Dockma, and all that woman cares about is treasure.”

“You know Dockma?” Mery laid her hands on the table.

“I was getting to that,” Isa muttered. To Mimay she said, “Dockma’s a long story. But we’re not after treasure. We have a quest; I told you. A quest to heal the Shimmer.”

“Heal the Shimmer? What foolishness is this?”

“That’s what I wanted to show you.” Isa pulled out her notebook and flipped to the quest log. “See? Heal the Shimmer, heal the shield between the planes.”

Mimay leaned forward and squinted. “Such a strange….” In a low voice she went on: “Woven shadows. Shadows and sounds and tracks in the sand.” She sat back, drained her mug of ale and stood up. “Best of luck to you.”

Isa snagged Mimay’s sweater and said, “You haven’t told us anything! Sit down.”

The halfling struggled to break free and then sat down. “There’s nothing to tell! The Shimmer is the Shimmer. It’s not a creature you can heal! It’s a—”

“It’s what?” asked Marissa. “Our quest clearly says—”

Mimay waved a hand to quiet Marissa. “Wait. Wait-wait. All creatures great and small…. Great? He did say great, but that’s something beyond….” She gripped the edge of the table, shaking her head. “It’s dangerous, Father. A dangerous crop.” Mimay cocked her head as of to hear better. “Yes. Yes, that’s true – who else is there?” She looked at the group in confusion. “Bywick says— Bywick says, I’m coming with you?”