Everyone in the room pretended to be someone else. The old servant and the advisor to lord of Abeneewy was masquerading as a tyrsenoi merchant. In the corners stood four fully armoured warriors, their faces hidden behind visors, their features hidden under their armour. Those were all seasoned crewmen from Isary and not drevlyani mercenaries, as their equipment suggested. Finally, there was a man prominent in Velmytop, stalking circles around wares on display. He touched expensive pieces of cloth, sniffed at rare spices, ogled trinkets of precious metals. Nothing seemed to satisfy him.

Many customers came since the day that Lulaton’s caravan arrived in the city and rented a massive house in its very heart. There the old man was visited by men, women, and whole families who were willing to spend their money on exotic goods. Ymdaton saw the false trader to unveil hidden yearnings of most people, even those who did not understand their needs themselves.

While doing so, he also seamlessly extracted the facts on city’s affairs from his clients. They confirmed many assumptions already: gathering of troops, meetings of warlords, hoarding of food and weapons. Lulaton did it with such skill, that no living soul suspected anything. Except for the latest visitor, who refused to answer questions stubbornly.

The man was obviously a warrior. He was not wearing the armour, yet his movements, posture, and scarred face were obvious signs. Crewslayer had a faint feeling of recognition, as if he saw the customer at least once before.

The visitor stopped in front of the bronze statuette of Pae, the giant with seven eyes and ten nostrils, who lived in the north-eastern parts of the great sea and breathed out southern winds. The man was looking at it with interest for some time, then turned to Lulaton.

“Can you please tell me if there are any strangers in this house?” asked he.

“No, only my warriors and servants,” answered the false merchant.

“And what about the outside?” said the man thoughtfully.

“None,” told him Lulaton, then, after gazing at the visitor for some time, he added, “I also have three armed men patrolling around the building. No one unwelcome will come. No one unwanted will hear our conversation, is this what troubles you?”

The customer nodded.

“I might want to buy something...” he paused, choosing the word, “unpopular in our city.”

“I have some really strange things hidden in chests for men of most refined tastes,” Lulaton gave him a smile of understanding.

“I came to acquire choice,” said the man.

Lulaton looked at him with interest, one of guards shrugged.

“I also do not think that you are truly a merchant,” continued the man.

Two out of four warriors reached for their weapons.

“Easy,” glanced at them the old one, then returning his look to the visitor, ”You should know one thing. We are ready to pack up and leave Velmytop before sun falls. Will someone notice your absence during such a short time?”

The customer smiled and wholeheartedly laughed after a moment.

“No need for extreme measures, my friend,” said he, “I came to tell you of important things, not to unveil your masquerade. I can follow you to the city gates bound, with my mouth staffed, if it will make you feel more secure.”

“There is no need for this,” replied Lulaton, “If you answer three question: Who am I? Who are you? Why would I want to hear you?”

“I don’t know who you are exactly,” the visitor slowly walked across the room as he spoke, “some trickster from the court of so called knez. I am Zelobit, the one who was humbled at the gates of your city not so long ago. I want to tell you about plans of my kin to drive ostrovyani out of Khladnetz.”

“This is interesting,” the old man stroked his beard, “I suppose that you should be quite angry with lord Azytenisar. You were defeated by him in front of your men. Why would you want to help his cause now?”

“Oh, I was in anger, trust me,” smiled the warlord, “Ever since that day I thought about you ostrovyani, you stole my sound sleep. I constantly imagined the ways to end your master. Needless to say, that I came eagerly to the war council where your demise was to be planned.”

“That is the part where you tell how everything have changed since then,” chuckled one of the bodyguards. Lulaton gave him a scorning look.

“Indeed,” the drevlyani warrior nodded with all seriousness, “I came there and listened to my brethren talking about your evil that plagued Khladnetz. And that was when I doubted my desires.

You see, everyone talked the same thing in almost the same words. That you are fiends from over the sea, who teach coldblooded kinslaying to those you have subdued. That you are murderers, ruling by force, turning our people into murderers as well. Every single warlord that I knew told this.

It felt so wrong. The nature of men is to be different. No three humans should have had thoughts that similar. And I had a full meeting before me, speaking in one voice. I pondered that. I came to the conclusion that their opinion was not theirs at all.”

“Whose then?” asked the false merchant when Zelobit paused.

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The drevlyani man looked around warily, as if afraid of being heard.

“I told you, there are only us in this place. No man is allowed without permission.”

“That is the point,” whispered the warlord, “No man. I am afraid of no man. But the thing that I talk about,” he seemed to force words out of his mouth, “The protector. It is far beyond men.”

Ymdaton focused his attention, upon hearing this. The protector, this mystical creature scaring even the bravest.

“So you believe, that city protectors enforce their will on the people, and their will is for us to disappear?” furrowed his brows the old one.

“Exactly,” said Zelobit, “And then I thought: men gathered there called you overlords, while the protectors lorded over them in the same manner. It was either hypocrisy or utter blindness on their side.”

“Probably both,” nodded Lulaton.

“I recollected memories of meeting with your master,” continued the warrior, “I saw his warriors in action. Yes, they are murderers, and are quite impressive at what they do.”

Ymdaton smiled under his aventail. All the five kinani men were listening closely to the warlord now.

“And they do teach their art to militia of Khladnetz. But is this really the end to it? I was not as sure as my comrades. The city under your rule prosper, the people of it fended off the horrors of the forest successfully thus far. They achieved it without the protector watching over them.

You teach our kin to be ruthless and destructive as means, not the end. The end is freedom. I read ancient scriptures. Unlike most of my kind I know, that we were not always as we are today. We were proud people of the steppes once, ruled by many knezes. Men ruled by men, not by otherworldly beings. It was so until kings of the south, who style themselves heavenly, came and drove our kind into the forest.

We were lost here for many hundred years, hunted by demons and spirits, oblivious to our splendid past. You’ve made the people of Khladnetz remember it. I’d join the cause of your knez just for the hope that my kin may stand tall and mighty once again.”

There was silence in the room after the drevlyani warlord finished his speech.

“Perhaps blood of your ancestors helped you to put it into words better than I ever could,” finally said Lulaton, “So, in the name of Lord Azytenisar, Master of Abeneewy and knez of Khladnetz, I accept your assistance. What form will it take?”

“Obviously, I will not be able to lend armed support, at least not from the beginning,” Zelobit began talking without the thoughtful look from moments ago and much quicker too, “I will be executed If I tried now, our people are not yet ready for such a drastic change. Anything else, however. Intelligence: details on our troops, commanders, logistics, planned routes, and such. I also promise to keep my own forces out of combat as long as it is possible without raising suspicion.”

“That will be excellent, indeed,” the old walked around the room and opened one of chests , “Now I will tell you how we will communicate,” he produced a fist sized ceramic looking ball out of it. It appeared as if eyeballs were etched into its surface, “This weird thing is an armour of a sea urchin. It lives in the shoreline of Hundred Isles. I doubt anyone except me in the whole forest possesses such thing, let alone few of them.

Time to time a hunter-gatherer will be coming to your house or tent, requesting shelter. You, of course, will not be able to refuse, such is the tradition. If the man presents you a shell like this, than it is my agent and you can send message with him.”

“Quite a craft way,” nodded Zelobit. He untied a small flat sack from his belt and handed it to Lulaton, “Here is the intelligence that I can provide right now.”

“It is time for us to part,” the old man hid the leather pack under the mantle. He raised his palm with spread fingers, “You are not of kinani, still, I wish you guidance from above, you are a man worthy of it.”

The warlord bid them farewell and left. Shortly after, Crewslayer approached the false trader.

“You told you had a perfect disguise, old man,” said he, “Yet that one saw right through it. Someone else might do so.”

“He knew what he was looking for and just happened to stumble upon us,” shook his head Lulaton, “You are right, however, people of Velmytop may suspect something. I don’t think he concealed his beliefs well and everyone will soon know that he visited us. I order our belongings to be packed, so we can leave the city before dusk.”

“I wish to take a walk,” the old man could not see Ymdaton's face under the visor. Fortunately so, since it bore a smirk at the moment, “To memorise the streets, you know, in case we fight there one day.”

“Don’t do anything of your usual behaviour, I beg you,” Lulaton looked at him with distressed eyes, “No talking to townsmen, no displays of martial skill, nothing that can uncover us. And, most of all, do not come close to the city center, to the protector’s place. It will see through you in a single glance. If it acknowledges our presence, we won’t be able to run, do you understand?”

“Yeah, yeah, easy, old man, I am not that stupid. Just a little walk, that’s all.”