• "You said the golden dragons were shape-shifters?" Jana asked. Gihan nodded.
    "Yes, that is true," he said. "I have heard of only a handful of golden dragons that were unable to shape-shift."
    "So what will happen if I'm unable to change into any other animals?" she asked.
    "If you are unable to shift into an animal other than a dragon, then that means that you are a true dragon," Gihan said. "However, I do not think that is the case. You have only just begun your training, and you have not tried to shift into another animal as of yet."
    "So when should I try to shift into another animal?" Jana asked.
    "Let us wait for another week, until you have had a bit more training, before you try shifting into another animal," Gihan answered. "Most changelings are unable to shift again for several weeks after the first shift."
    "I don't even know how I shifted the first time," Jana said, half to herself.
    "No changeling knows how they shifted for the first time," Gihan told her.
    "What did Briar mean when he said I must not learn of the prophecy?" she wondered. Gihan blinked.
    "I do not know," he said. "I have not heard of any prophecy, either spoken or written, that has to do with changelings."
    Before he could say anything else, a young man walked into the inn's dining room and paused, looking around the room slowly. Gihan noticed the young man, but he didn't say anything, not knowing whether the young man was a friend or an enemy. The seer gave no indication that he'd noticed the young man, but continued eating in silence. The young man apparently didn't find what he was looking for, as he turned to leave. Before he could begin walking, however, he caught sight of a young woman sitting with a middle-aged man.
    Surely Jana's not here in Cabana, he thought, as he began walking toward them.
    "Jana?" he asked. The man sitting with the young woman turned to look at the young man as he spoke.
    "Who are you?" he asked.
    "It's of no matter to you who I am," the young man said, his voice cold. "I was speaking to the lady, not to you."
    Jana froze when she heard the young man's voice, not certain if what she was hearing was real or not. When he spoke again, however, she turned to look up at him.
    "E-Evon?" she asked. "Is it really you?"
    The young man smiled at her, nodding as he did so. Jana pushed her chair back and rose from the table, moving toward the young man and hugging him tightly.
    "I can't believe it!" she said, pulling back a moment later. "How on earth did you find me here?"
    "I spoke to Luke and Jona a little over a week ago, and they told me you had left, although they didn't know where you were headed," Evon said, returning the hug. "All they told me was that you had headed west with a middle-aged man, and I headed west, as well."
    "But how did you know that I would be in this particular inn?" Jana asked.
    "I didn't," he said. "I asked around when I got into town, and--"
    "I do not mean to interrupt, but we should return to our rooms to continue talking," Gihan said, rising from the table as he spoke. Evon and Jana both turned to look at him.
    "I agree," Jana said. "Lead the way, Gihan."
    The seer led them to his room, closing and locking the door behind them once they were inside the room. He turned to face them, indicating the bed while he sat in a chair next to the bed.
    "Now then, who are you and what is your purpose for coming here?" Gihan asked.
    "I am Evon," Evon said. "I am one of Jana's brothers. Who are you?"
    "I am Gihan Mohamo," Gihan said.
    "It's been far too long since we saw each other the last time, Evon," Jana said, and Evon nodded.
    "It's been nearly eight years, right?" he asked. She nodded.
    "You and Joel never did finish high school, right?" she asked, and he nodded again.
    "Aye, that's right," he said. "You and Jany did, but Joel and I didn't. Truth be told, I kind of regret not finishing high school now, but I'm not sure Joel feels the same."
    "Where are Jany and Joel now?" Jana asked. Evon went quiet for a few minutes before answering.
    "I'm not really sure," he said. "They haven't been answering my calls or coming by to see me for several weeks now, and honestly, I'm starting to worry that something's happened to them."
    Jana didn't see any flashes of red while he was speaking, so she knew he was telling the truth.
    "I wonder if anything did happen to them," she said, half to herself.
    "I don't know for sure, Jana," Evon said. "I hope nothing did happen to them, but the way the world is now, I'm not getting my hopes up."
    "What do you mean by 'the way the world is now'?" Gihan asked.
    "With so many people disappearing, it's not safe to stay in one place for very long," Evon said. Jana and Gihan exchanged a concerned look before turning back to Evon.
    "How many people have disappeared?" Gihan asked.
    "I don't know for sure," Evon said, "but there have been several from Dilrod, which is where we moved after our parents disappeared."
    "Correct me if I am wrong, but your parents disappeared ten years ago, right?" Gihan asked. Evon and Jana both nodded.
    "Yes, that's right," Evon said. "Jana was ten when they disappeared, and none of us have seen or heard from them since."
    Jana opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, not wanting Evon or Gihan to know that she had spoken to her mother via telepathy earlier that very morning. Neither of them seemed to notice this, as they continued speaking.
    "Evon, I have a question for you," Gihan said, and the younger man nodded.
    "What is it, Mr. Mohamo?" he asked.
    "First of all, Mr. Mohamo is my father," Gihan said. "Please call me Gihan. What I would like to know is if you have heard who is behind these disappearances you have spoken of?" Evon shook his head.
    "The only thing I know is that they happen at night," he said. "I don't know who's behind it, or where the people go after they disappear."
    "Hmm," Gihan said, stroking his chin with one hand. "This is definitely a problem. If we do not know who is behind these disappearances, we cannot avoid them. Therefore, the only thing we can do is continue to travel, and hope whoever is behind this does not catch us."