Evening was beginning to fall. Zetch stretched his arms.
"Shall we postpone the search until tomorrow?"
"That would be reasonable," Bella said. "We've been running around quite a bit today."
The old woman, standing there, looked at them for a moment longer, thoughtful.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
"A man named Maël," Caden replied. "Uriel told us he's in a monastery, not far from here."
At the mention of the name, the old woman's eyes widened.
"Maël? Oh... I know him."
Everyone froze.
"He used to live here. A quiet, wise man... but he withdrew when the mages started disappearing. He took refuge in an old monastery, just outside the village. The path leads there through the woods, to the next village."
A silence fell over the group. Something invisible, like a surge of hope, moved through them.
"Thank you," Aletha murmured.
"You're saving us precious time," Caden said.
"Pff, it's the least I can do. After what you did for me... I'm just returning the favor."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, her step suddenly lighter.