Joe heard Kaid’s words but their meaning seems to slide away from his ability to accept them. For most of his existence, Joe couldn’t wait to get away from people and be on his own. Now he was going to get the first real opportunity to do so since starting this new life. Yet instead of excitement, Joe just found a deep pit of fear in his gut. While his first death had been a relief, he was terrified of dying again before he had the chance to embrace this second chance.

“What do you mean?” he stammered.

“We got Phealtians here looking for you,” Kaid whispers peering around the corner of the alley before turning back to Joe. “Didn’t beat the Wanted posters even after all that rafting. They must a sent a messenger spell to the nearby cities.”

“Damn it. I had a bad feeling about the ports. Now we’re stuck.”

“Not exactly. I have a couple of tricky flips we can use, but they won’t work with both of us together. So like I said, here is where we split the party. I’ll draw them off. You take the ship.”

“What if they catch you?”

“Please!” Kaid drawled. “Give me a little credit. I’ve been ducking the celestial boys since before Rhiley was even born.”

“The celestial boys … ?”

“Phealtians. Are you paying attention? Phealtians wear white and gold and they use the sun and moon as their symbol.”

“Why?”

“Enough with the inquisition. What is the matter with you?” Kaid snapped his fingers under Joe’s nose breaking him out of his daze. “Will you focus, for Fuwl’s Sake?”

Kaid was holding a small wand which he rapped Joe's hand with, probably with a sharper strike than the item required. As Joe rubbed the sharp pain by his wrist, he saw his skin darken by several shades. His clothing was changing as well. He looked to be wearing striped knee-length shorts that were commonly worn in Heron’s Reef. His feet appeared to be in sandals, though when he wriggled his toes, he could feel the boots he was standing in. In his hand was a fishing pole that felt like a staff.

“It’s just an illusion so don’t hand your staff to anyone. Now me.” He tapped himself with the wand and Joe found himself looking at a perfect replica of himself. This other Joe had on his blue gambeson and carried his old staff. “Hah! First try! I wasn’t sure if I could visualize you without making you look like one of those goofy-book pictures.”

Joe was too unnerved looking at himself while hearing Kaid’s snide voice.

“Take this too,” the other Joe said. A small coin flipped up into the air, though it came out of his doppelganger’s chest instead of out of his hand. Joe caught the small gold disk which was about half the size of a typical coin. “Bite that as you leave here. It will give you an aura of triviality for about twenty minutes. People will tend to ignore you. Make sure you stay out of everyone’s way. If they are preoccupied they will plow right into you. It wouldn’t normally fool the Phealtians but since I am going to give them something to chase, it should be enough.

“You are heading to the Tide Dancer,” the voice continued. The fake Joe was mouthing the words but, standing as close together as they were, Joe heard the sound coming from roughly the illusion's navel. “It’s got green sails. Solid green. Not the one with the striped green sails. The first mate is named Kyllean. He is waiting for you. Tell him your name is Buckle Hound,” the hidden gnome said with a smirk in his voice. “The price is ten gold to take you to Peregrine Harbor. That’s a day or two down the coast from here. From there you should be able to get the rest of the way out a Durkrug. How much money do you got left?”

“Eight gold.”

“What the hell did you buy? Noble rations? Never mind. Don’t care. Here, take this then,” Kaid said as a coin pouch landed in Joe’s hand. “That’s more than enough. I’d hide the purse. The guard I swiped it from might recognize it since you got it after the illusion was cast.”

Joe tucked the bag away and finally wrapped his head around his circumstances. “So. This really is goodbye.”

“Oh don’t get all sappy now, moron. We ain’t got time. I promised Rhy I’d get you safe and this is me doing it. You have been a titanic tack in my toe but ya did Rhy’s mom a good turn so I won’t hold ya to any debts. Even though it is gonna take me years to get daggers as good as the ones you lost.”

Under the scoffing tone, Joe caught a bit of huskiness in the little man’s voice. He knew better than to acknowledge it. It would just piss off Kaid. Joe wanted to crouch down and look Kaid in the eye and say goodbye but the illusion ruined that, as he would just be staring at his own crotch. Invoking the illusions before the goodbyes was probably a deliberate plan by the gruff pickpocket.

“You’re saving my life again, Kaid,” Joe said. “Never thought I’d say this yesterday, but I’m going to miss you.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“No you won’t but thanks for the sentiment, ya big baby. Now can we please go,” he said emphasizing the last two words.

“Okay. Good luck.”

“I make my own luck,” Kaid bragged, having to get in the last word.

The not-Joe stepped out onto the street and looked around, then very deliberately began to run through the crowd. Shouts erupted from around the timbered plaza and Joe watched a squad of white and gold-tabarded warriors give chase. Joe counted to three and then bit the little disc. The moment his teeth dented the metal it crumbled into dust. As the gold glitter fell, it dulled until it looked like lead dust. The flakes stuck to Joe and seemed to meld into his skin and clothing. Waiting for a break in the foot traffic Joe stepped out of the alleyway and headed for the ships again. He did notice that he had to step around people more than normal but the area was not so crowded that it slowed him much.

The Tide Dancer was easy to spot. The vessel looked like one designed for sailing in deep waters. It had three tall masts and its main deck was about twelve feet above the waterline. Its figurehead was a pirouetting naiad. A large man stood at the end of a steeply sloped plank, taking fares for passengers. Most of the people appeared to be rather unfortunate. They looked like refugees, carrying makeshift bundles of goods and wearing torn clothes. Many had a haunted and haggard look about them. He waited for two such families to embark before it was his turn. The sailor looked past him at first but Joe cleared his throat loudly, catching the man’s attention.

“Yer name, please,” the man asked in a surprisingly deep voice.

Sighing, Joe replied “Buckle Hound. You can call me Buck.”

“Ah yes. Yer associate booked the last small room we had. Have to admit it's pretty much a closet but we don’t got anything bigger on this run. We are overbooked as it is. It’s ten gold for the cubby. Only three gold if ya just want a spot on the deck.”

“The small room will be fine,” Joe replied, handing over the coins.

The man, he assumed to be Kyllean, gave the coinage a quick count before dropping it in a box and gesturing him up the gangplank. “Yer room is the one behind the starboard stern stair.” When Joe didn’t move, the man sighed and clarified for the confused-looking passenger. “This side of the ship and to the back. You'll find a small door under the stairs there.”

“Thank you,” Joe replied. He quickly turned to the ramp, not wanting to stay out in plain sight any longer than he had to, even with the illusions going.

The climb up the steep board was a bit unnerving as it bounced with every step. Once he reached the main deck he found moving even harder. Everyone seemed to be working at one task, or another, or trying to find a place on the deck to call their own. None of them seemed to notice Joe until it was too late. Joe got elbowed twice, once in the head and then the ribs. His toes were stomped on and it seemed like with every other step he was tripping on someone or was tripping them instead. At this point, the triviality aura was causing him to garner more attention than it diverted.

Finally, he reached the staircase that curved up to the pilot’s deck. Sure enough, a small door was recessed under the steps. Joe ducked down and climbed through. He was afraid he was going to climb into a coffin-shaped space, but the room was bigger than the door indicated. It was still very small but he would not be forced to lie down inside. There were two steps down into the area and the ceiling was at least a foot higher than the top of the door. This allowed him to be able to stand up straight, with a few inches of headroom. The space was only about four feet wide and maybe eight feet long. Thankfully it had a port hole for light. A hammock was hanging on a single beam like a net but Joe could see a hook by the door where it could be attached if he wanted to stretch it out. There was a small sea chest in the far corner and nothing else.

Joe opened the little round window to let in some fresh air. He could hear Kyllean’s rumbling voice below him as he boarded more people.

“It’s all we have,” said a miserable-sounding man. “Please.”

“Sorry all, but you all ain’t the only ones trying to get outta Duskurg. Got a whole ship full o’ folk running away from the Red Army. The captain said I ain’t gotta charge for the little ones but it’s three gold a head fer you two.”

“But …,” the man began again until he was interrupted by an airy female voice.

“How much room do you have, sir?” the woman asked.

“About ten more, then we gotta call it.”

“Very well, here this will cover the four gold they are short as well as the fee for my companion and I. May we embark?”

“It’s yer money. Go find spots. Stay off the fore and aft decks and no goin’ below. You folks can head up too.” Kyllean’s voice boomed louder as he addressed the crowd. “The Dancer has room for two more and that’s it.”

Joe was more curious about the woman with the windy-sounding voice than the remaining boarding. He eased open his door and looked out through the stairs just in time to see her glide onto the deck. She moved like she was as light as air. Her skin was pure white and her hair was the color of a deep blue sky. She was dressed in loose pants and a long sleeveless coat. A small gray top left her midriff bare. The oddest item of her apparel was a long loose rope that she had wrapped around herself in a strange manner. It was wound around her arms and waist, in a loose pattern of coils.

Following her onto the deck was a massively muscled and heavily armored dwarf. The man's skin was a very dark ruddy color, almost like an unpolished garnet. His hair was a mane of orange and red that stood up in all directions. It almost looked like his head was on fire. He carried a large battle axe that glowed slightly with molten light glinting from within the metal. On the other arm was a heavy shield. On each of his wrists, he wore a pair of heavy bracers fashioned from gold and patterned with white enamel. When he turned Joe was able to see the emblem the shield bore. It was the sun and moon symbol he had seen on the guards chasing Kaid. The symbol of Phealti, the God of Order.

The pair stopped on the deck and very deliberately scanned the crowd. They were clearly looking for something … or someone. They may have just been looking for an open spot but Joe was afraid they might be looking for him. He froze. Joe considered closing the door but didn’t dare to. He did not want to even chance that small movement catching their attention. His hiding hole under the stairs was likely the best cover he could have had. The pair did nothing more than glance in his direction before heading toward the front of the ship.

Joe let out the breath he had been holding and closed the door. As he leaned against it he realized he might not be out of danger yet.