Finding Tahira

The group of shady-looking characters looked up as Tahira and Sophie approached, their eyes narrowing suspiciously. Tahira could sense a mixture of curiosity and hostility emanating from them, but she also detected a hint of something else - a subtle, almost imperceptible vibration that seemed to hum with magical energy.

One of them, a burly man with a thick beard, spoke up, his voice low and gravelly. "What do you want?" he growled, eyeing Tahira and Sophie warily.

Tahira took a deep breath and tried to sound confident. "We're looking for a place to hide," she said. "We're being pursued by...some people. We need a safe place to lay low for a while."

The group exchanged skeptical glances, but the hooded figure sitting in the shadows seemed to be watching Tahira with an intensity that made her skin prickle. She couldn't see its face, but she sensed a piercing gaze that seemed to bore into her very soul.