Most people would be intimidated by the man who was bigger than Renza and wearing well-worn battle gear. They would be perfectly sensible for doing so, but Uzca needed to make an impression, not just be subservient to a threat.

"G'day, Peter. I'm Uzca, and this is my cousin Bezben and our friend Thad. We're just getting into town and heard from the people camped out that there's a new group running things down here. We were hoping to stay in the city for a while, and well, as long I'm here, I figured I'd see if we couldn't make some extra coin."

Peter nodded and looked at Uzca appraisingly. "You're a big guy. We don't see many big guys around here."

He glanced at Bezben, who was an inch taller than the man.

"Are you and your cousin from the highlands?"

Uzca had a good feeling about the question, so he threw a little caution to the wind. As Thad had often said, there wasn't a law against being a highlander. Uzca was beginning to think the prejudice he'd heard so much about was overblown.

"We are. Dragonfang mountains are where we call home."

To Uzca's absolute surprise, Peter's face split with a huge grin, and he pulled Uzca into a tight hug before he knew what was happening."

"Ahha! Welcome cousins! It's been too long since I've talked to some proper folk. Come, come. Let's chat inside."

Peter let Uzca go and turned, walking inside the gatehouse he had come out of. A perplexed Uzca stood there momentarily until Bezben slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Nice one, cousin. How'd you know he was a highlander? He's big, but we're not all giants."

They moved toward the door, and Uzca could just shake his head. Thad pantomimed a question, whether or not he should go in, too, and Uzca nodded at him. If Peter was a highlander, he would welcome any of their traveling companions.

The inside of the gatehouse was cramped, but the bench table was long enough for the three of them to sit across from Peter. He unslung his axe, leaning it against the wall, and unclipped his gauntlets, setting them on the table beside him.

"Dragonfang mountains," Peter began, "whereabouts? I've been through there, but I'm from the Skyridge myself, right at the source of the Comise."

"Dead center. East of Donarin in the lowlands, if you're familiar."

"I don't recall, but I imagine I've been close to your home. That's a long way from here. What brings you south?"

The question brought Uzca up short for a moment. Before, their traveling south would have been unremarkable. They could just say they were heading to Telestria. Now, they were talking to a highlander who knew they were highlanders. The man probably had his own story, but it was a general rule that highlanders didn't leave the mountains without a reason.

Thad, perhaps wanting to make up for botched communications today, jumped in with an excellent response.

"Uzca and Bezben here are escorting me to Telestria, my home city," Thad said. Then, his failures must have weighed on his mind because he added, "It's a long way from their village down to the city by the sea, so I figured an escort would be a good idea."

Under the table, Uzca made a chopping motion on the man's leg to get him to stop talking. Uzca knew the important thing about lying was keeping things simple. Thad wanted to justify why they were doing it to make it sound more reasonable, but it wasn't unreasonable to begin with. Providing details to show how reasonable it was only fueled the potential for suspicion.

Fortunately, Thad stopped talking.

"I see. You two got the itch? I remember when I was your age, Uzca. What are the lowlands really like? Oh, my pa, he threw a fit when I said I was leaving. You look a little young for a sojourn so far from home, Bezben. Have you been through the gifting?"

Oh, right.

Uzca was flying on a plan that barely had any thought behind it and was being ever more improvised as they went. Of course, Peter would know about the gifting. He was a highlander and doubtless had a gift of his own.

Uzca wasn't sure if all the highland regions practiced the tradition simultaneously. All the villages in the Dragonfang mountains did, but this man might think they happened at another time, or he might have been out of the mountains so long that he didn't remember what year the gifting happened.

Either way, their biggest secret was about to be exposed to, Uzca assumed, a member of the criminal organization they were trying to help take down. They weren't off to a great start, but they were doing well enough on balance. If Peter proved to be a friendly enough point of contact, it might make their information gathering much easier.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"I have, just over a month past, I think."

Uzca nodded.

"The gifting just happened? I've been in the lowlands so long I've lost track. What god do you venerate?"

"Vandrias, the Warrior."

Peter smiled. "Aha! I am also a child of Vandrias. Twenty years now, I've had my gift, praise Vandrias. And you, Uzca? Did you just take your gift as well? You look like you might have been an unlucky one. My brother was like that—got his gift the week before he turned twenty-three!"

"I am. It's definitely not fair," Uzca smiled. "I follow Rethkam, the Heart of the Forge."

"Ahh, an old spirit dwells within you. Some say Rethkam is the traditional choice for a proper highlander."

"He has always treated my family well."

"I'm glad to hear it. These lowlanders only have words for their Living God and don't know the meaning of proper veneration. No offense to you...ah, I apologize. I have forgotten your name."

"Thad, and no offense taken! I barely even follow the Living God, so I'm probably more of a heretic than most."

Peter laughed and slapped the table. "I can appreciate a man who knows himself, Thad. Ahh. It is good to speak of things that remind me of home, but we should get to business. Do you truly wish to work with the Blackwater Crew, Uzca? I would not send my cousins to work for them without knowing they are sure."

"Yeah. We've been on the road for much of the past month now. We had a tough time crossing the Meglemen Swamp, and we're looking to stay put for a little while. That coupled with a distinct lack of coin, and I thought, why not?"

"Because doing this will put you on the wrong side of the law, Uzca. You may have noticed that most people do not mind that we are highlanders, but that doesn't mean society is set up to go leniently on us. Eventually, constables from Brightwater will come. Are you prepared to stand against them, knowing if they capture you, the best you can hope for is time in the dungeons below the city?"

Uzca was a little touched that Peter was looking out for them so much, but it raised a question he had to ask.

"Why do you work for them, Peter, knowing the same things?"

The big man leaned back and put a hand under his chin. "You look like a warrior, Uzca, but you have a keen mind. Truthfully, I'm not sure if I will. I've not been with the Crew long, but I have been in Dreggs for many years. I joined them because having some status with them helps me shape their decisions. I care about this city and want to see it taken care of as well as I can, no matter who is in charge."

"Is there any way we could work under you then? I hear what you're trying to do, and I find it inspiring."

Peter turned to his companions. "What of you two. Would you work for me and the Blackwater Crew, knowing that I may choose to leave them, or we may stay and fight against the law from Brightwater?"

Bezben nodded immediately. "I don't pay attention to most stuff, but if there's something my cousin wants to do, that's enough for me. I'm in."

"I've grown quite fond of these two. I'm not much of a fighter, though..."

Thad the mage was, naturally, something of a powerhouse in combat, but Thad wasn't known as a mage here, and he certainly didn't look like a fighter.

"Perhaps, Thad," Uzca began, "you can just have some downtime in the city? Bezben and I can join up."

Peter nodded. "Yes, I think that would be best. I can't say yes to your suggestion right now. As I said, I'm a new member of the Crew, but my battle experience is respected. I think I can swing it. Come back tomorrow and find me here. I'll let you know what the Crew says. For now, I should get to my patrolling. You three head into the city and find a place to stay. It's a little crowded right now, but you shouldn't have trouble. If you do, tell them Peter sent you."

They thanked Peter and departed the gatehouse, heading into the city.

"That was an inspired idea, Uzca! Leaving me free to gather information on my own should be helpful."

"As long as no one decides to beat you up," Bezben said.

"True, but I'm not particularly worried about that. Mages aren't so uncommon that revealing myself would be too much of an issue. Obviously, I won't use magic right in front of Peter, but otherwise, I should be safe enough in the city."

"Good, I want us all getting out of here safely," Uzca said. "You've never been here, right?"

"I have not. So I'm not sure where to find lodging."

"Oh! Do you think we can stay on the bridge?" Bezben asked. "That sounds fun."

Uzca shrugged.

"I guess we can check?" Thad said.

"Yes! Alright. Straight ahead. Bridge, here we come!"

Bezben was eager to lead them forward, and when they got to the bridge, the city's personality changed slightly. The part of the city on the hill was quiet and residential. The bridge was where restaurants, inns, and countless shops lined the streets, and several merchants set up stands to hawk their wares in any available space. It was busy, but not chaotic.

"I feel like people look a little reserved. Know what I mean?" Uzca said.

"Yeah. I think the takeover has probably driven some people to stay home or has maybe just slowed down traffic through the city," Thad said.

"Didn't Peter say the city was crowded right now?" Bezben said.

"Doesn't look crowded." Uzca saw a decent number of people around, but it looked far less busy than Brightwater had been.

When they went into the first inn they liked the look of, they found out where the crowds were.

The first three inns they stopped at were booked up.

"Why are there so many people staying. Wouldn't they have just left?" Bezben asked.

"Leaving is when you need to watch out," someone said. A man leaned against the wall outside the last inn they tried.

"What was that?" Uzca asked.

"The Crew. They check people leaving the city. That's when they collect their dues. Most of the people staying in town are waiting things out. Either they entered not knowing or heard when they set up to trade. Leaving the city is a bad idea if you want to keep your coin."

"Huh, thanks for the information."

"Sure. I've been here four days, and I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't just take the hit and get out of town. Anyway. Good luck."

He went back inside the inn.

They found a room at the fifth inn and booked it immediately. It had two beds and a cot, which Thad had to use since they didn't think it would support the weight of Uzca and definitely didn't support Bezben's height.

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Bezben asked after they brought back some food from downstairs. The inn had kitchens that served what turned out to be pretty decent stew.

"We should get to know the rest of the city a little bit," Uzca said. Just walk around and see if there's anything odd. I'm not sure if we should split up or not. Probably not. Maybe you can go separately, Thad?"

"No, I think you're right. Stay together until you and Bezben report to Peter. I'll come with just to see what happens, but then I can do my own thing."

"Sounds like a plan," Uzca said.

Bezben sighed.

"Bez?"

"It's just not as good," he said, looking down at his stew.

Thad nodded, and Uzca rolled his eyes at the pair.