There was no doubt that we had completely left the realm of the mages. It was a train station surrounded by a sprawling urban human settlement named Helene.
I stared in awe at the bustling train station, teeming with carts filled to overflowing with all manners of bright, colorful flowers, and an abundance of luscious ripe fruits.
There were fancy frilly ribbon lacy things that girls like me loved to linger over and admire. There were also more utilitarian things that looked like tools and weapons of various types which would probably attract the attention of the males in my group.
The vendors pushed their carts up and down the main strip shouting out their sales pitch in loud gusty voices.
Meanwhile, the food stalls were doing a brisk business offering all sorts of noodle dishes, rice dishes, sandwiches, meat wraps, sausages on sticks, and barbecue pork on bamboo platters.
The beer and wine was flowing and so was the music coming from several street musicians up and down Market Street.
A fiddler at one corner was sawing away at some fast and furious tune which got a group of boisterous people dancing about. They looked happy and drunk on the loose beer tap nearby.
Behind the fiddler, a slow barbecue pit had been set up. The vendor was roasting a whole pig and offering roasted corncobs for cheap. Across the road was the fried chicken stall and beside that, a covered area with plenty of seating for people to sit and eat.
The scent of hot food was so strong and we had been so poorly fed for over two days that my first instinct was to run out and find a way to purchase some food for the group, but I held myself back for one important reason.
There was no delicate way to skirt around the issue that a bright orange orangutan, although quite a normal sight in the land of the mages, was not something to be found among humankind.
Until we could figure out what to do with an orange orangutan in our midst, we were stuck behind the hedge.
I was about to say something about this dilemma when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find a boy I had never seen before.
He was rather on the portly side, with orange hair and dark brown eyes which met mine and crinkled in a smile.
"Tarzan?" I sputtered.
He bared a toothy grin in acknowledgement as I whooped with laughter. "How on earth were you able to change into a human?"
"He didn't." Simon chimed in from behind me. "It's not Transmutation or anything that complicated. Connor and Corwin put an Illusory Command on him so he looks like a regular boy, but if you get close and touch him, he's still the same orangutan."
Wow! I mouthed an O shape of fascination.
Simon presented the new Tarzan with a proud hand. "Here's our new boy. All he has to do is not grunt or growl and he can keep the illusion of being human."
"Wow. Good job!" I said as I inspected the twins' handiwork.
"Thank you. We try our best to please you." Connor said with a smile.
"We were discussing it last night, right before you fell asleep." Corwin laughed.
Simon grinned. "Rather than try to transmute or shape-shift him which is much more magikally intensive not to mention physically intrusive, we were going to take turns keeping a solid illusion over him."
"Ah, so that was the tech talk that bored me to sleep." I laughed.
Simon pounded his palm with his fist. "The inner workings behind magik is never very thrilling, but it's the results that count. Now, he can accompany us without attracting too much attention."
The tracks we had been following came out of the southwest, but the train station had other tracks splitting off northward, as well as east-bound, all converging at Helene station.
There were several trains still at the station, but there was no way for us to know if one of them was the one that had transported the primates, along with Tory.
With Tarzan well-camouflaged by the twins' clever ploy, we decided to split up into two small groups and co-mingled with the crowd of travelers and vendors clustered around the station entrance.
Simon, Tarzan and Max took one end of the station and the twins and I walked the length of the other end.
What surprised me most was that it wasn't Tarzan who stood out, but the twins!
In disguise, Tarzan looked just like any visiting student traveling around the countryside with his buddy Simon and their dog.
Corwin and Connor on the other hand were tall, ripped, brutally handsome redheads with the added drama of looking like mirror images of each other. They would have stood out from the crowd no matter what they did and who they were with.
We had barely made our way out onto Market Street when several girls dressed in school uniforms came out of hiding behind a book store to our left. It was obvious they had seen us and were waiting to make their move.
The girls completely ignored me and went straight for the two studs walking beside me. Within seconds, they had successfully made eye-contact with the twins and were giggling into their hands with coy delight.
In a normal environment, I would not have cared in the least how much attention the twins garnered but out here in an area where potential danger lurked everywhere, we were attracting too much attention.
"Rangdatahnhaokan."
I mumbled and waved an Anti-Glamour Command over the twins in an effort to weave a dulling magik on them so that they would seem less attractive to the girls.
Unfortunately, they caught on to my attempt and began messing with my Command, twisting and warping its effects so that sometimes they would look hideous and other times, they would be devastatingly handsome.
"Stop clowning around!" I scowled and walked away as they burst into peals of helpless laughter.
They turned the girls down with magnanimous gentleness and continued to follow me through the crowded throng of people.
As we walked among the crowd on Market Street, I kept my ears tuned to the crows overhead. They led us towards one of the last trains on the track, but it looked cold and devoid of any passengers, human or otherwise.
"This was the train they were on." I said as I motioned the hulking beast to the twins.
"The crows just told me that the train has been here since yesterday. Its cargo isn't completely unloaded yet, but the passengers have all left."
I paused, frowning as I concentrated on the crows' distorted signals. Sometimes, when the birds were excited, it was hard to separate the pertinent information from random crow-chatter.
"The crows are tracking them," I continued. "The primate group is a full day ahead of us."
"Where?" Corwin asked.
I pointed eastward.
Connor frowned. "There's nothing in that direction but the Wastes."
I stared into the distance as I tried to make sense of the crows' images. "They all got on a convoy of caravans and went due east, through the Wastes. Two days ride out, there is a small city on the edge of the Wastes."
"Let's get some supplies and head out." Connor suggested.
I shook my head. "We won't be able to follow on foot, Connor. We wouldn't make it more than a few hours before we died from heat exposure and dehydration."
He curled his fists in frustration. "Uncle Blackstone was very clear about not losing track of them. Whatever it takes, we have to find Torrence."
"Then we need to hire a caravan to take us through." Corwin interjected.
"We can't leave today." I interrupted firmly.
Corwin scowled and was about to say something when I held up a finger in protest.
"Stop and listen to me. We need to rest and wash up. We also need to eat before we faint from hunger. It will also take some time to get supplies if we're going to be heading out into the desert."
I glanced back and forth between Corwin and Connor.
"The two of you are as strong as gorillas and may be able to go without food and sleep for days, but I'm dead on my feet and Simon is too young to be pushed this hard."
"Gorillas?" Connor said with a laugh. "Why do I feel as if I've just been insulted?"
"So what's your plan?" Corwin asked, crossing his arms and staring down at me.
I stared back at him. "Since Tarzan can't talk, Simon's a minor, and the two of you stick out like two red thumbs," I arched an eyebrow, "how about you guys hang out here and buy whatever supplies you think we may need while I find us lodging and transportation?"
"You're going to need human money." Connor reached out and tickled the air with his fingers.
Within seconds, he had magiked a fat packet which he handed to me. "This should be plenty to get whatever we need."
"Where did you get all this?" I asked.
"We get sent out sometimes to do work for Blackstone." Corwin jammed another packet into my hand.
"People out here pay exorbitant amounts of human money for common ores like gold and platinum, and easy to find colored crystal gems like diamonds and rubies and sapphires."
He waved his hand. "Don't worry about using all the money. There's plenty more where that came from."
I shoved the money packets into my messenger bag and left them wandering around the periphery of the train station while I meandered back to the hub where the throng of people were concentrated.
The marketplace was a perfect place to blend in and effectively become invisible.
The train station had only two inns, one on the right side of the track, and the other on the wrong side of the track.
The one on the right side looked expensive and well-mannered. I had nothing against expensive and well-mannered, but the last thing I wanted to do was to call attention to myself.
My Overlord bodysuit was smelly and dirty and I looked like a homeless vagabond; certainly not the kind of person who would be frequenting a more upscale establishment.
I walked across the tracks and went to the other inn. Above its wide double doors was a weather-beaten sign proudly proclaiming its name.
Willow Inn.
From the outside, Willow Inn looked a bit grungy and in need of some serious renovation.
The three-story green-and-white victorian building was peeling and mottled and looked like it could use a new coat of paint. The sidewalk that led to the front porch was cracked and uneven—a major tripping hazard.
There were no doormen or bellmen standing out front. It was very much a self-service affair, and exactly what I wanted.
As I approached the doorway, a sad, soulful pair of eyes looked up at me and my face broke into a huge grin.
Willow Inn did, in fact, have a doorman.
He was a huge wrinkled basset porch hound with long velvety ears and a drooly face that was mournfully grinning up at me.
I reached out with my mind and gave him a gentle friendly greeting.
Well hello there! My name is Nana. What's your name?
Immediately, his ears perked up and he raised his nose into the air, sniffing at me with interest.
Mr. Bones. I am Mr. Bones. Mr. Bones, I am.
"Well, hello there, Mr. Bones," I greeted him with a cheerful voice.
Hearing his name called out by a stranger, he woofed his greetings at me.
Hello Nana! Nana! Nana! Nana! Nana! Nana! Nana!
He continued woofing my name until his master appeared through the doorway.
The hotel owner was an older man, with a head of white hair and a grizzled appearance, but his light blue eyes were kind and he had a friendly smile.
"Good morning!" The man called out to me. "I see you've met the resident guard dog." He laughed.
Mr. Bones slowly rose from his reclining position and shuffled towards me. With another sniff at my shoes, he began rubbing his head on my leg.
"Well looks like he's found a new friend." The man laughed. "If Mr. Bones likes you, then who am I to argue with an insistent basset?"
I grinned. "I'm looking for a couple of rooms. Do you have any vacancy?"
"I do! Come in! Come in!" He waved me into the Willow Inn.