I slunk down in my seat as if hiding would make a difference but the second they entered they spotted me and began right for us. Panicked I turned to the other and said, “Get ready for a fight.”

I felt for my dagger as Killian smiled and began standing in the seat. Sarah made an unenthused look of annoyance and Drew began to muddle something under his breath. Without thinking I stood out of the booth and drew my dagger out behind my back. I took a breath, reading my body for combat just as they stepped directly before me and continued past. I turned to follow them with my eye and watched them stand before a booth directly behind us to sit down. Confused I sheathed my dagger and watched as they spoke to the Goblin’s in the booth.

“Get out,” Hestle said but the Goblins didn’t move. There were maybe seven of them, the same that had tried to fight Killian for the booth and as they eyed him with large expressive eyes Hestle motioned to Ergon who began to pull them out of the booth. With little squeals they clawed at the wood but eventually, he and Ergon slid in and claimed it as their own paying no attention to me or my group.

Confused I sheathed my dagger and sat back down at the table. Drew closed his fists which were shining a dim blue and Killian, a disappointed look on his face, sat back down.

“What happened?” Drew said anxiously and all at once it hit me. Not only was no one with me now that was in the original confrontation at the Bee and the Barrel, but I had also changed my appearance. Hestle and Ergon had no idea who we were and excitedly I turned to the others shaking my head to dismiss the question just as the food arrived.

“Do you know the Tork Spell?” I said to Drew in a hushed tone after a few minutes of eating. He nodded and after dropping the piece of meat he held, raised his hands to his mouth as if whispering to something. After a glowing orb of green light dimly flashed in his cupped hands, he opened them to reveal a small insect I had named Tork. It was slightly small than a cockroach and furry and as he let it climb the booth to the other side, I leaned forward to listen in Drew’s cupped hand.

We continued eating, Drew only with one hand, as I listened to the conversation the other booth had. For the most part it was regular stuff; work, plan, patrols but my ears perked when I heard the mention a familiar name.

“Buckles?” Ergon said and Hestle must have nodded because he continued.

“Let’s just stick with Old Man.” Hestle said and took a drink of mead, “Either way he said we can expect the others in The Red Lantern Inn at sunrise so we should stay the night there.” I could hear Ergon’s smacking lips as he tore at the chicken and through a full mouth he said,

“Then we’ll send them all to him?”

“Why are you reiterating the entire plan?” Hestle said, “Are you that daft?”

There was a long pause and after a beat Ergon said, “Yes?” more a question than an answer as if hoping to guess correctly.

I could hear Hestle’s frustration as he said, “Yes, no use sending a half full carriage to Millicent, we’ll wait until we have them all and send the entire prison carriage.”

I didn’t have the same fear now of these two I had at the start. For one thing my Charisma was much higher than Jessica’s and she had convinced them to back off but in the back of my mind I also knew better now. I knew how to handle myself now and with a breath I stood up and swung around the corner to confront them.

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“Evening gents,” I said as Hestle’s eyes tightened and Ergon started to get up, “Sit, sit… I only wanted to offer the aid of me and my companions.” Ergon sat up in the booth and looked over to see Killian, Sarah and Drew wave back; a look of slight confusion on their faces. Ergon was about to get up but Hestle held out a hand.

“What aid would that be?” he said through tight, studious eyes. I reached back and pulled a chair from a table of loud dwarves and tucked it against there, having a seat as I did.

“I couldn’t help but overhear that there is a carriage that may be in need of a driver and I wanted to offer to help you and yours with the transportation of precious cargo.”

Hestle’s face melted from cautious interest to anger.

“You eavesdrop on a conversation and think that you can get a job out of it? You’re even more idiotic than you look,” he said and studied my face. For a moment I was nervous he recognized my voice and with a flick of his wrist he motion for Ergon to stand, which he did.

“I just mean to say,” I stammered slightly this time, “T-that if you need something transported safely you’ll need guards as well and we are skilled and experienced fighters.” Ergon was next to me at this point but I stayed sitting, I still needed to push, “and the Redmarsh guards are no match for the foes that may be out there…”

Ergon pulled the chair out from under me and I stood quickly to my feet as the others exited the booth to join. Killian went to stand by me but I motioned for him and the others to stay there as Hestle existed and both he and Ergon stood before me.

“Lucky for you we didn’t hire the Redmarsh guards.” He said as he stepped towards me and drew his sword, still I held a hand towards the others to stop them, “I don’t need your services in any way…” he said as he drew his sword up pointing it at my chest.

“No, but have you ever seen a Texas Two-see?” I asked and both he and Ergon stopped walking,

“A what?” Hestle asked, his sword still pointed,

“A Texas two-see” I said.

Hestle dropped his sword down by his side and looked to Ergon who just shrugged, then back at me, “No. What is it?” I made a face as if surprised and shocked.

“Oh well, I mean, if you don’t even know what a Texas Two-See is… I mean…” I said as Drew and Killian watched in utter confusion.

“Tell me what it is.” Hestle demanded. Both of them stood before me and after a long beat I threw my hands down and sighed,

“Alright, okay, you win.”

Eagerly they waited to hear my words and after a moment I said.

“A Texas Two-See is a trick where you draw the attention away from some mountain sized, idiotic, brute of a man and his pint-sized master long enough for their booth to be reclaimed by a much angrier, fiery group of suddenly armed Goblins.”

It took a full five seconds for not just Ergon but Hestle as well to realize what I was talking about and as they spun around, both were immediately set upon by the Goblins who had taken back the booth. With a flick of my wrist I gestured for the others to leave and we ran for the door as a sea of screams came from the angry Goblin’s and their adversaries.

We spilled outside into the night air and rounded the corner into an alleyway a few buildings away to catch our breaths as Killian laughed wildly. He slapped me on the back and after a moment Drew turned to me, “That was funny but it doesn’t get us any closer to the others,” he said with a pained expression as if worried about hurting my feelings.

“Well actually, it does.” Drew looked taken aback as I counted out on two fingers, “For two reasons; the first because I know that if they didn’t use the Redmarsh Guards, they can only use the Black Hands. That gives us the location of the carriage,” I said as I tried to catch my breath.

Drew smiled and added, “…and the second?”

With a devilish grin I raised my hand to reveal the key I had taken from Hestle’s pocket while I sat with them at the table, “The second because I stole the key to the carriage.”

Drew tried to stifle a laugh as he slapped me on the back and with an impressed grin said, “Lester you continue to impress me.” I nodded but added, “It won’t take him long to realize it’s gone though so we need to move now.”

I turned to Killian who, equally impressed, nodded in agreement and then to Drew who gave me a thumbs up. Sarah, who had been with us the entire time made eye contact with me at the last possible second and added, “Were you just talking?”

I shook my head and we each exited the alley and set off towards the Black Hand headquarters.