The thieves all sat around the dinner table with anticipation. Twelve sacks tied off with various colored ropes sat at the focal point. The anticipation of opening the bags and counting the loot inside made everyone giddy with excitement.

"Okay, before we start, I need a volunteer for the ledger," Reese announced. "Put your hand down, Bird. I don't know how you did things in Thannon, but we don't have points or baggers take ledgers on their own bags."

Benj lowered his hand.

Lucia raised her hand.

"Bash, go ahead and take station." Reese pointed her toward a writing desk.

"Who wants to go first?" Reese asked the table. "Bird, if you raise your hand one more time, I'm going to use it to wash Draiden's chest hair."

"No need for that, I'll go," Draiden volunteered. He stood up, picked up a bag, placed it in front of Reese, and sliced the brown rope off with his knife. The bag contained four bronze candle holders and a box full of silver cutlery.

"Mark him down for…" Reese inspected a silver cheese knife, "Five and a half talents."

Lucia dipped a quill into ink and made an entry.

"You can melt those down and get at least Seven," Draiden argued.

"It'll cost one to melt them down, and it will barter down at least one more," Reese explained. "The candle holders are worth half a talent at best, and that's me being generous. Next."

Draiden tossed another bag on the table and cut the rope. Inside were four rolls of silk and the coin purse from one of the robbers.

"Nice," Reese said, after counting the coins and feeling the fabric, "A royal and eight talents. Next!"

Lucia continued to scribble entries into the ledger as Draiden opened his sacks.

Priest went next and sliced his black ropes. Opening his bags, he revealed Swords, boxes with pipe leaves, wines, and spirits.

"What's the tally?" Reese asked, "Fourteen royals and about two talents for Draiden, and Thirteen and Three for Priest."

Reese began to announce the winner as Draiden when Priest interrupted him.

"Oh, silly me," he said, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a crystal bottle with gold inlays. He set it gently on the table. "I almost forgot this."

"What is it?" Reese asked, reaching for the bottle.

"It's a bottle of Elden Spirits, and if I'm not mistaken by the markings here, this bottle is remarkably old."

"That's not fair," Draiden grumped. "It has to go in a sack!"

"Oh, sure, let's put this priceless and fragile artifact in a burlap sack and see how long it takes for you to break it. Especially with you tossing these things around like you do. I'm surprised any of my other bottles made it at all."

"I'll accept it," Reese declared, picking up the bottle and scrutinizing it.

"I call a vote," Draiden demanded. "It's not in a bag, so it's cheating. If you agree that Priest is cheating, raise a hand."

Draiden sat there with his arm in the air, looking around the room awkwardly before Priest chimed in.

"All opposed?" he said, and the hands went lazily into the air around him. Draiden sat frowning with crossed arms.

"It's settled then," Reese said, "how much can you sell it for?"

"I'll have to ask the consultant, but I would venture to guess at least four gold royals," Priest guessed.

"We'll still need a buyer. Mark him down for two royals. And it looks like we have a winner."

"This is bollocks!" Draiden exclaimed, "That cheating son of a fairy was going to keep it if he beat me."

"You realize if I was going to keep it, I could have easily lost our bet, paid you two talents, and still made out ahead," Priest asserted.

"But you would have to avoid running into Darius for the rest of your life," Reese said, placing the bottle with the rest of the loot. "No one seems to be able to manage that."

Draiden threw two silver talents at Priest.

"Why would he have to avoid running into Darius?" Benj asked.

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"He has three relics that come with the position," Priest said, picking up his coins, "One of them makes it so you can tell if someone's hiding something from you. It's a way to ensure we are honest criminals. Basically, whatever you do, don't lie to him."

Benj tucked that last piece of information away. He had a lot of lying to do, so it was probably better to avoid Darius altogether.

"Bird, you're up," Reese said, pushing a blue roped bag towards him.

"Uh, can I borrow a knife?" Benj asked.

"By the looks of it, I think you'll need to borrow one of Priest's bags as well," Jafa scoffed at him.

Reese pulled out a knife and cut the blue rope. Benj reached in his bag and pulled out the book called, 'The Dark Magicks' and set it down.

"This is fantastic!" Reese affirmed, picking up the book.

"Really?" Benj asked.

"Yeah, for a wizard," he said and threw the book at Priest's head. "For us, it's completely worthless."

Priest ducked out of the way, "What was that for?"

"Just practicing. One of these days, I'm going to hit you."

"Fair," Priest shrugged.

"Uh, next, I have some of these." Benj pulled out four daggers.

Reese looked over them and handed the plainest looking one back to him. However, it was anything but plain. The dagger was as long as his forearm, point to hilt of folded metal with silver decorations. The sheath itself could have been completely silver with a woven pattern and a single green gem at the point.

"Now you can cut your own ropes," Reese explained, "Put him down for five royals.

"Here's this," Benj said, dumping out a coin purse on the table. Nine Marks rolled out of the bag.

"Nine Marks," Reese said unenthusiastically.

"And nine more royals," Benj said, reaching into his bag and slapping the heavy gold coins on the table. Benj reached inside the bag to see if there was anything left and pulled out the heavy gold ring.

"Very nice!" Reese said, approvingly, "Looks like my brother wasn't wasting his time after all. Anything else?"

"I almost forgot. I also found this," Benj said, holding up the ring on his middle finger and moving it towards Reese.

The table burst out in laughter.

Benj took it off his finger and set it on the table. Patterns of waves splashed around him. He looked to where the Soundsight was still on his wrist and then took it off.

"Have you been wearing that this whole time?"

"I guess so," Benj admitted. "I hardly noticed."

"Hardly noticed?!" Reese exclaimed, "Any normal person would have tossed up last week's dinner if they wore it half as long as you!"

"I get sick just looking at it," Lucia interjected.

"I kind of like it," Benj lied and tossed it across the table to Reese.

"You are a crazy person," Reese said, placing the relic into a pouch. "Let me see the rings."

Benj slid each ring across the table toward Reese.

"Put him down for another royal for the sheep ring. This other one isn't silver," Reese said, looking at it distastefully. "Put him down for two Marks."

"I'll buy it for two marks," Benj offered, interested in experimenting with it more and certain it was priceless.

Reese tossed the smaller ring back to him and said, "Sure. Minus two marks."

Lucia made the entry.

"You did good," Reese said, looking over everything on the table. "Priest, take him to get some ink. Make sure he gets the royal treatment."

Before Benj had the opportunity to ask what Reese meant, the room grew uncomfortably quiet. He had noticed the heavy footsteps stop outside the door. It seemed everyone else had noticed it, too by the pensive looks on their faces.

The door swung open, revealing the largest man Benj had ever seen. He had to slightly duck to get through the door. Turning to shut the door, he revealed a single, long dreadlock hanging from the back of his bald head that hung down, alongside a double-sided war axe strapped to his back. Thick eyebrows that curled upward to a point on either side of his brow gave him a Nepharius look. He wasn't thin, but his face seemed to outline skeletal features.

"What do we have here?" he asked, moving toward the group of them.

"Just tallying it all up," Reese reported with an edge of discomfort. "Is there something I can do for you, Darius?"

"Has there been any word from your brother?" He asked, eyes scanning the room and landing on Benj. "His absence is beginning to make me feel uncomfortable."

"I haven't seen him," Reese stated, annoyed. "But we have a new prospect. His name is Bird. He was the last person to see him."

"Then I will ask him," Darius said, motioning to Benj to come closer. "Where is Gallows?"

Benj momentarily froze; Priest had talked about Darius and had said not to lie to him. How do I not lie to him? He asked himself. "I'm not exactly sure," Benj said. It was the truth.

"You did not travel with him?" Darius asked. Showing two lower teeth on either side of his jaw that were longer than the rest. It looked like the opposite of fangs, but unlike fangs, these were thick and straight.

"No," Benj answered.

"Do you know where he might be?" Darius asked, looking at Benj with a concentrated stare. It was as if he was looking for something.

"I'm certain he is still east," he answered, relying on the fact that he was certain he was, in fact, in that direction.

"Very well," Darius said and moved his attention back to Reese. "Make sure to address his absence at the council meeting tomorrow. Oh, did you find anything of... interest at the job tonight?"

"Yes, in fact," Reese said, "Benj, show him the ring you showed me."

Benj held out his hand.

"Show him how you showed me," Reese said, smiling.

Benj slowly lowered his other fingers. Darius stood for three heartbeats with grim features. The room fell silent.

Darius reached for this axe and held it up in a jerking motion, causing the whole room to flinch back. Abruptly, Darius let out a large barrel-chested laugh and slapped Benj on the back, nearly knocking him to the ground. The tension in the room shattered as everyone else laughed along.

"I do enjoy our little visits," he said before stepping out of the room.

The room waited until his footsteps diminished down the passageway before anyone spoke.

"As I was saying, take Benj to the Spitting Serpent tomorrow. He drinks on me, so make sure he tries everything." Reese held out his hand and took the ledger from Lucia. "I'll schedule a meeting with Archer and Carmello."

Priest stood up and scanned the room, "Pots and Jafa," he said, "You're coming with."

"What about me?" Draiden asked with mock hurt. "I want to go to the Spitting Serpent."

"Then take a bath. I don't want any of your stench keeping any of the barmaids away. Benj needs a bath, too. Take him with you and give him something nice to wear.

"He really doesn't smell that bad," Benj defended him.

"Thank you, Bird!" Draiden celebrated, ushering Benj out of the room. "Finally, someone who appreciates tree resin-based oils and soaps. Just for that, I have something I would like to give you. Do you know how hard it is to turn pine sap into a usable oil? Let me tell you...."