I wake up with my neck hurting, I fell asleep sitting down in a cart. Before me sits a woman in a red and black dress with flowing black hair, big curves and a stare that could kill a man. Truly a femme fatale. I did not understand the reason for my being here, how is a beggar like me supposed to help anyone? Let alone what seems to be the most bible woman in the land.

"You awake, huh?" She says looking at me with her narrow eyes while shuffling a deck of cards. "Want me to read your fortune? I'm pretty good at it."

"Umm ... I don't really... " Seems she only asked to be polite, she already spreads the cards without my answer.

"These are 21 of the major cards, let's see... The past has... The hat. The present with... Drowning man. And the most interesting one, the future... Rocks. Hmmf"

She ends with an odd look, it seems she read it too herself.

"Ummm... What does it say?" I have never had my fortune read, nor have I ever seen or heard of these cards. their backs look plain, but their faces feature such paintings with styles that makes a church mural come to mind.

"I'm not sure, very much up to interpretation. The hat represents mistakes, you must have made a mistake that seriously affected your life. Drowning man represents the strength to struggle, and rocks signify friends." sounds like made up rubbish... although it does... "You're so sweet to come with me to help your friends." I find it quite rude to prod into my business, and her tone seems belittling. I can't help but look away as she tries to look for more clues in my eyes.

"How do you know that even works?"

"Oh wow, a complete sentence out of you, I almost thought you couldn't do it." She says with the annoying voice again. "I know magic, it's not even accurate but it seems that with you it hit the nail on the head."

"Meredith, Jonah, look alive, we got something in the road." The cart driver calls loudly. "Seems we found the missing man."

Shortly after the cart stops, we get out and the the of us stand In front of a body of a man. Meredith looks in his pockets and Rodney, the cart driver, looks around, I can't help but look aimlessly, I have never done this before.

Rodney wears cloths that look like the cheapest set of a formal cloths, one that would be in noble parties, but only on the butler that handles coats. together with me it looked as though a noble woman and her driver picked a beggar off the street. The man who had been 'missing' lays on the floor, wearing clothes fancier that Rodney, if Rodney was the coat handler, this man was the man whose coat Rodney handled. Motionless he lays on the floor while Meredith moves him around, checking his pockets, and rolls him over a bit.

"Is he...?"

"Dead, yes." Meredith answers me as she checks inside his sleeve. "He was supposed to bring a message over from the other town, the location of a buried stolen treasure, but we did not hear from him and decided to look for him ourselves." She suddenly jumps up and speaks loudly. "Found his wallet, the flip kind, looks fancy. And... Yuck." She tosses the the wallet at the body.

"Nothing on the ground here, nothing buried or dropped." Rodney tells us.

"What killed him?" I ask, they both look at me with open eyes. "Good question" Meredith says. There isn't blood, not on him or the anywhere around, no wounds or weapons either.

"On no! Look up ahead on the road" Rodney says, we see a big carriage with running horses and a few cavalry men galloping towards us.

"Let's get out of here." I call to them and take a step towards our cart but Rodney tells me not to.

"We can't outrun them, act nice, they might be more forgiving. Besides, they need us."

What? Why? What would they need us for?

Before long they arrive and surround us all, horseback riders with real armor and real weapons pointed at us. I can't help but shake, my arms can't be still and no word exits my mouth even when it's open.

"Don't worry, sweety, they just want to talk." Meredith whispers to me silently.

"Don't move, tell us what you have been doing here."

"Ohh, we just saw this poor man at the side of the road and decided to stop and help him, good sameritans that we are." Rodney answers the horseback rider, the intense silence continues until the carriage the riders escorted arrives.

From within the carriage exits a man in a finely tailored suit, and gems and rings all over. No doubt he is no coat handler nor is he a simple guest but probably the owner of the venue in which the nobles ball would be held, perhaps even the one for whom it is would be dedicated. "What a coincidence to have run in to a pack of travelers just happening to run by its dear departed friend." He looks into Meredith's eyes "Did you happen to find anything on his body?"

"Not even a name, his wallet is as empty as my interest now, we were just about to leave-" raises her leg to step towards our cart but the riders all point their weapons at her.

"Search their cart! You two, stay and guard them, they mustn't leave yet."

"Two of them... That's a problem. You think you can do it?" Rodney whispers

"I'll need a bit of a distraction, Jonah, you need to dance." Meredith whispers too... What?! What are they talking about.

The riders and the suited man search the cart while two riders stand in front of us, pointing their sword at us, with their gaze they it seems they already did. Meredith and Rodney whisper things, I'm frightened beyond what I have ever been, I can't even listen, what will happen to me? what will they do? is this the end?. "Jonah, dance." Rodney whispers at me, but I can't move my legs, I can hardly move anything, voluntarily at least, my body shakes all on it's own. Only my eyes erratically stir, not able to focus on anything, and thoughts of the end... of what would happen to Bjorn after I die, and would he ever forgive me, and Siedgir who gave me a chance to redeem myself.

The loud thoughts stop when a warm hand touches my back from behind, Meredith's voice echos in my ears. "Dance, sweety, you can do it." I don't think I can but suddenly I can control my feet, and I can think clearly, the fear is gone, and my eyes can focus clearly. "Now dance for us, save us." yes, if a performance will save us then I shall do just that.

I look into her eyes and with a nod I walk forward. "Hey, you, hey, what are you doing?" The man on the horse points his sword at me, I look back at him and strike a pose, then continue to move my feet.

The look he gives me makes me uncomfortable "We are wondering performers, even if we're arrested, we would love to preform for you." I lie instinctively "We are supposed to dance for a lord tomorrow and we would love more comments about our performance." I tell them while twirling and moving. "Vyarma es ten tut Vashil dat ruma" I start singing in nonsense language.

Honestly, they look quite impressed, until they fall off their horses lethargically. Behind them Meredith stands with an arrogant pose. "Hop on, my sweets, no time to waste." Behind her a red explosion erupts from our cart. The men and horses are blown back and most of them are on the floor. Some rise slowly and tend to their wounds or to others. Rodney gasps for air, as if he hadn't taken a breath since the beginning of my dance "Took your time, did you really liked the performance that much?" He angrily asks Meredith who smiles at him and nods her head towards the horses, signaling him to get on the horse quietly.

We leave the two men on the floor and ride on the two horses, smoke from the exploded cart can be seen from afar still. Rodney rides his horse, Meredith rides the other one with me clutching her back. This is not the first time I ever rode a horse, but the first time I ever rode one this fast. "What happened there?" I ask them both, although I doubt that with the current speed Rodney can hear anything but the gushing wind.

"You're singing sent them to a trance, hwohwohwo" Meredith laughs. "Just joking sweety, I used magic to make you brave, I had no idea you would be so good, then I sent them both to sleep and Rodney blew up the carriage ."

"That doesn't explain much, why? How?"

"It's magic, sweety, that's all you need to know... Rodney can tell you how he did his carriage explosion, he doesn't use magic."

I did not know this would be such an endeavour, what did these riders want? What did we want? "You're good for this job, sweety, you could tell the body was a trap, and the singing, I'd ask you to come with me on more adventures if we finish this one." What did she mean by 'if'? why not 'when' or 'if you would like to'?

"I don't know what this adventure even is, where are we even heading?"

She hands me a note that says 'Alfin street 23, two in the afternoon, sunday.'

"I found this in his nose." Instinctively I drop the note between me and her. "Did you just do this to touch my bum when you pick it up?"

"Umm... No I-"

"Howhwohwo" she laughs again "I'm so happy you could join us, I'll read your cards again when we arrive, alright?"