There was only one prison cell. It was large enough for five people with a bench that seated two. The rest of the cell was a droll combination of bricks, bars, and an old drunk sleeping it off on the bench. When Fin and Brando were ushered in, the cell door opened and shut without so much as a grading screech.

"I'm going to kill him," Brando said as soon as they were alone. He sat on the cold stone floor, folded his arms, and fumed.

Before Fin could reply, a voice startled him from behind.

"Water?" The man asked, tinging the atmosphere with the smell of fermented berries.

Fin, nearly to his feet, stood up the rest of the way and called for the guards. "Hey, this guy needs some water."

From the lack of response in clear view of the lantern light outside the bars, Fin could tell no one was in the building. "Sorry, I don't think anyone is coming," he broke the news to the drunk, who was already sleeping again.

"You know, I have been detained more times in a week than I have my entire life," Brando considered out loud. "Kind of makes me feel like I've fallen in with the wrong crowd."

"Hey, we're the good guys here." Fin said with the same breath, "How long are we waiting until we break out of here and beat Eugal's face in?"

"I just hope we don't break into the wrong house," Brando considered, leaning back on the cool brick wall.

"This guy might know," Fin threw his thumb over his shoulder to the sleeping figure on the bench. "Let's just ask."

Brando got up and moved towards the bench. "Hey," he reached out and shook the man's shoulder, "Where does Eugal live?"

"I'm not allowed," the man lamented. "He seems to think I owe him money."

"His house is the big one, right?" Fin asked. "Lots of property?"

"Yes, now leave me alone," the man grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Last question, and we will go away," Brando promised. "What does he have in front of his house?"

"I don't know," The man rolled over, opened his eyes, and squinted angrily at the too-curious strangers. "A walkway? A bunch of trees? A pissing dog? This is the one night I have without my nagging wife yapping my ear off, but now you two are asking me basket case questions about landscaping! Can I please have peace for one night in my entire life?"

"I'm sorry," Fin offered a solemn apology. "We'll leave you alone."

Without another word, the man rolled over and huffed.

Brando walked toward the gate and waved Fin away from the man. "I think we have the right house. I'm so mad I don't know what I'm going to do. Eugal is going to pay for this."

Just to be safe, the two waited and listened in silence. After a sufficient period without hearing any voices or sounds, they agreed it was time to leave.

Fin stood up and inspected the lock. A basic skeleton key-operated latch was lowered between the frame and the gate. Fin didn't necessarily want people figuring out his secret, so he tried to keep the damage to a minimum this time. He activated Caustic Breath and briefly blew the golden mist onto the latch. He then tried pushing on the gate.

"What are you doing?" Brando asked, watching Fin's attempt at escape fail.

"Just trust me on this one. I'll explain later," He said and gently blew again on the lock. After the fourth time, Fin pushed, and the gate opened with a snap. They both paused and looked at the sleeping stranger in unison. He didn't stir, so they opened the gate the rest of the way and walked out.

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Exiting was easy; the door leading outside was unguarded, and the night was sufficiently dark to hide their escape. They took the lantern with them and used it to retrace their steps. Brando followed Fin at a distance. They decided they would be less recognizable in the dark if they weren't directly next to each other.

The empty streets eventually led them to the house they saw Eugal enter earlier that night. The myriad trees cast uniform shadows as they stalked through them. The soft crunch of grass masked the sounds of their heartbeats as they approached the front door.

Brando tried to open the door, but it was locked. A few hand gestures later, they walked around the house for a different entrance. They found a side door and a back door, both locked.

Brando left to investigate their surroundings. Fin stayed and looked around for another option. There was a balcony at the back of the house. He covered the lantern to the best of his ability. Still, he knew that if anyone looked out from that balcony, they wouldn't have a problem finding him sneaking around, half glowing.

Brando returned sometime later with a ladder in both hands. It looked well-built, but the wood squeaked and rattled as they leaned it against the balcony.

"We should hurry," Brando said, knowing that if the sound of the ladder drew any attention, the best thing they could do was get out of sight. So, he went first, climbing quickly and as quietly as the ladder allowed. Fin followed behind.

On the balcony, Brando was already trying the door. When it cracked open, he faced Fin and nodded. He tried opening the door quietly, but he might as well have opened it with a hatchet. The door groaned as it opened.

"Who's there?" A tired and concerned voice asked.

Brando ran in, and Fin followed, closing the door on the way inside. Shuffling noises twisted around like sheets, and a voice was stifled mid-exclamation. Fin uncovered his lantern to see he was standing in a bedroom. It was Eugal's bedroom. By the looks of the face, Brando had his hands around.

"Is there anyone else in the house?" Brando asked in a deep whisper.

Eugal shook his head. Or at least he tried to, considering the hands encompassing his face.

Fin closed the curtains and inspected the room with the light. There was a messy bookshelf holding just as many trinkets as books, a large closet, and a writing desk with a written letter of some sort. Upon further inspection, it wasn't a letter but the statement Eugal had promised to deliver in the morning. He picked it up and began reading.

"Brando," Fin interrupted. "This is the witness statement. It says he saw us following young women around and overheard us saying, and I quote, "These girls will be perfect for the slave pits." It also says he saw us robbing people on his trip to Clive Rae but didn't recognize us until after we left."

Brando let out a huge sigh. "Eugal, I'm going to release your mouth so you can explain why you wrote these things about us. I really hope you scream, I really do, because if you try to weasel your way out of this when I was giving you a chance to explain yourself, I'll kill you."

He slowly removed his hands, and Eugal began talking. "I'm sorry, I've been under a lot of pressure lately. I made a mistake, and I was wrong. I'll never do it agai-"

Brando put a hand back on his mouth. "What are we going to do? If we were found guilty, they would have hanged us for slavers and all for what? These blatant lies? Not to mention the damage to my reputation. Our reputations. Fin, how are we going to make this right?"

Fin lowered the parchment and considered the question. "As far as our lives go, there's no making that right. I mean, I wouldn't trade my life for all the gold in the world, but he ultimately tried to get us killed with this statement. Let's ask him what he would do."

"Well, Eugal, what would you do if you were in our position?" Brando asked, lifting his hand off the man's mouth.

"I would understand that sometimes we make mistakes, and I would forgive you," Eugal made his best effort to put on angelic features. "If you forgive me this grave error, I understand that your lives are priceless, so I will give you a priceless gift. I will also swear my loyalty to you from now until forever."

Fin sighed. "I don't know, this is a pretty nasty letter. I guess I just need to think about it. Eugal, do you have any rope to tie you up while we consider this?"

"In my storeroom," he said helpfully. "Downstairs, first door on your left."

"I'll be right back," Fin said, alighting the lantern on the desk and leaving the room. He followed the staircase down and found the door. Inside, he found tools, gardening equipment, and the rope he was looking for. Before exiting, he noticed six crates filled to the brim with green apples. It reminded him about the apple pie.

He left the storeroom and searched the house until he found what he was looking for. On a wooden shelf stacked to the ceiling sat rows of the apple pies Heidle the Hammer had told them about. Some sat on receipts showing they were already sold, awaiting delivery. Fin took a pie and a receipt and ran upstairs. He had an idea.