Dextros found Mr. Peregrine asleep in the rearmost cell of the Barroom jail. To his left was a neatly folded pile of his favorite clothing. To his right was a cashier’s bell, which he had been instructed to ring when he finally decided to ‘man up’. If he chose to ring this bell, which he certainly would not, he would be released from imprisonment. He would then be fed a hearty meal and allowed one night’s rest. The following day, he would be forced to participate in an exhibition duel with a random member of Gaius’ crew. The duel would be fought to the death, and he would most likely be the loser. Mr. Peregrine awoke with jolt to the sound of Dextros’ panicked voice.

“Wake up! Wake up!” Dextros whispered with desperate intensity. He handed passed Newman’s Eye through the bars.

“What is going on?” Mr. Peregrine whispered in response. The Barroom’s front door creaked open. Dextros brought a finger to his lips. “Tell me, Dextros.” Footsteps described the approach of an unclad man.

“The Eye, this is it. Hide it.” Dextros began to move back away from the bars. If he were found in this room, Mr. Peregrine would surely be discovered. “Get it to the metropolis. The woman you are looking for is Sylvia Marie-Santus. You will be paid.”

Mr. Peregrine forced his nose through the silvered steel bars of his cell.

“Tell me what is going on!” He demanded again.

“Good luck, Saul.” Dextros whispered over his shoulder as he slunk from of the detention room’s back door.

When Ollie entered the detention room, Saul Peregrine was slumped, as he always was, in the darkest corner of his cell. Newman’s Eye had been concealed efficiently in the spare shirts and trousers which were his only remaining belongings. Ollie peered out the back door. He did not notice the scuff marks Dextros’ feet had just carved in the gravel road as he crawled beneath the building.

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Dextros remained beneath the barroom for as long as he dared. It seemed that Gaius had not alerted anyone of his betrayal. Gaius liked to hunt, afterall. It figured then, that Gaius must be roaming the town in search for him. Perhaps, with a stroke of good luck, Gaius would grow bored and Dextros would be allowed to escape. This was wishful thinking, and Dex knew it. Assuming Gaius had not given up, it was only a matter of time until he began checking underneath buildings. Just before midnight, the thief slithered out of his hiding place.

The street was empty. All windows in sight were dark, save one on the second story of The Widow’s Church. Acorn was not a large place. Dextros could be gone in thirty seconds. Had he really managed to thwart the predator that had seized this place? It appeared so. A new choice had arisen. If he could escape, shouldn’t he take with him the artifact he had passed off to Mr. Peregrine? Was returning to the jail worth the risk? It was not. Dextros patted the dirt from his coat, and strolled across main street. He began to jog at the mouth of Bakery Alley, and to run when he reached the north field.

Hope had begun to percolate Dextros’ heart. He did not allow himself to feel it for certain until he reached a mellow swell of hill half a mile from town. It was then that he saw his hunter. Gaius bounded through the north field with the grin of a man fulfilling his life’s purpose. Dextros’ heart sank once more. There was no where he could run where Gaius’ long legs would not catch him. There was no shadow he could hide where Gaius’ enhanced eyes could not spot him. There was no strategy he could employ that would allow him to beat Gaius in open combat. Only one question remained. Would Dextros face his end with dignity, or would he run?

Dex knew Gaius would show him respect if he stood his ground. Perhaps, his death would be easier that way, but his fear was too powerful. He turned tail and ran. It seemed to him his limbs unhinged in their sockets and his muscles were filled with fire. He had never run so fast in his life. He had no destination, for logic had abandoned him. Dextros had always been a lucky man. In his twelve years of larceny, he had only been caught once. Dextros’ luck did not abandon him this night for, when Gaius caught him and seized him by his neck, Dextros tripped. A sharp stone robbed Gaius of the satisfaction of the hunt.

There were only two witnesses to Dextros’ death. One was his hunter, and the other was a shepherd’s boy called Benjamin Wallen. Benjamin watched from his napping place in a lone crovatia tree as Dextros was run down. He watched Gaius roar his frustration at his thwarted hunt. He watched also as Gaius plucked Dextros body from the ground and ripped it in two.