At nightfall the next day, they reached the port of Zaradene. A day of traveling had distracted Ghyreian's thoughts and lifted her spirits considerably.

Mounted on their horses upon a rise overlooking the city, Ghyreian pointed and sneered, "Zaradene. Your typical human city. Naive, unravaged, untouched by the evils of the world. And completely unprepared when the scourge of Her Dark Majesty lashed across the unsuspecting world. Where are their saviors now? The Solamnic Knights with E'li, Paladine, at their backs?"

She laughed derisively and nudged her horse down the hill, towards the city lights.

_________________

Edwin hmped.

"That`s none of my business... but you might want to watch forward and stop laughing if you want to avoid landing on your face one day..."

Edwin said as he followed Ghyreian.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian heard Edwin's remark and choked back on her laughter, though she could not keep the glint of derision from her eyes.

Nearing the gates of the port city, she could already tell that something was wrong. The gates were shut for the night and barred. Far too many sentries than were necessary manned the walls. The normally crowded harbor was deserted save for three ships and a few rowboats. Ghyreian fished a shabby gray cloak from their packs and draped it over her black robes just as a sentry from the wall spotted them.

Cursing for not being better prepared, Ghyreian hunched down to play the part of the old crone. "I'm your mother," she hissed, tossing another cloak and a farmer's straw hat at Edwin.

_________________

Edwin changed his clothes and looked at himself.

"Now if anything would be ridicilous then this would top them all..."

Edwin said with a grin on his face.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian grinned back, though it was hidden in the shadows of her gray cowl.

"This is going to be fun," she muttered under bated breath.

"Who goes there?" the sentry shouted from atop the battlements.

_________________

Edwin stepped forwards.

"Just people seeking passage to the city..."

Edwin said with his pipe between his teeth, the guard looked at the suspiciously and then looked back at another guard.

"What is your business here?"

"Just a visit or we might even have to settle..."

The guards kept a quiet conversation, the guard looked at Ghyreian.

"Do you speak?"

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian jerkily shook her head and feigned muteness. The guards turned away in disgust.

"Another farmer and a hag. They'll do no good around here."

"Send them to the Abyss. We have enough refugees already."

Ghyreian's keen hearing picked up their low talk. She hunched even lower so they could not detect the anger in her eyes.

"Sorry," the sentry said curtly to Edwin. "The city gates are barred. No one is permitted to enter."

_________________

"Not even if I pay a fee?"

The guards looked at each others with a smile, they surely knew that they could use few extra coins for a drink. Edwin drew a small bag off his belt.

"Our savings, just open the gates and this is yours..."

The guards spoke again to each others and the other nodded.

"Okay you may pass, but if you try to give us in your going to pay..."

"I wouldn`t even dream of it sir.."

The guards opened a door in the gate and quickly guided them trough that no one would see, the guard rudely snatched he bag from Edwin and looked in before letting them go. He smiled as he put the bag on his belt, the three fond a quiet aley where Edwin took his hat off.

"Well that was easy... after few hours they`ll realise that they have an empty bag..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian snorted to keep from chuckling aloud. "Very nice. We may make a Black Robe out of you yet, Edwin." Seeing Edwin's look, she added amiably, "Or perhaps an illusionist."

As they rode through the silent and empty streets, Ghyreian jingled the coins in her pouch. "We're running low on steel. If we still plan on booking a trip to Ergoth, we'll need some more of your illusionist tricks."

_________________

Edwin chuckled to himself.

"Illusions aren`t tricks anymore when they can throw you into madness or kill you even only by frightening you..."

Edwin said slightly offended by Ghyreians words, but took them mostly with a heartly laughter as they rode down the street.

"If we need coins then we are going to have to perhaps 'loan' some or just win them in a gamble, but in a gamble my tricks could come to use don`t you think?"

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian raised a delicate eyebrow. "Since when have you indulged in gambling?" she said sharply.

_________________

"Well I had a bad habbit of cheating people in the bar as a young appreantice, it`s quite simple and even for that my father wasn`t really happy when he found out..."

Edwin chuckled for a while, but went quiet thinking of his family and stopped it by looking around for an inn.

"We need an inn, nothing too cheap or expensive just where your average class runs into... ah.. here we are.."

Edwin pointed at an inn on their left.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian shrugged and followed. They watered and brushed down their horses in the stable. Then, Edwin leading the way and Ghyreian trailing behind leaning heavily on her cane, they entered the inn.

Apparently the scourge of the dragonarmies had nothing to do with the mood of the tavern business. There were just as many drunks, ruffians, and seductive barmaids as there were before the war. Ghyreian gagged on the heavy stench of ale. Wondering how she could have let herself be talked into this, she followed Edwin's lead.

_________________

Edwin sat down in a corner table and looked around for suitable targets, he inspected their belts and outlooks judging suitable targets as if he was a thief. He tried to judge their acting, if they were drunk it was good and bad, he also looked at their belt as the main factor was their money bags. He caught his eyes on a small group of merchants having a good time obviously they were drunk as their harassed the barmaids as fast as they could.

Edwin walked to the table and sat down, he looked at them all with his pipe between his teeth.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but I couldn`t help noticing that you seem to have fun, but why not with something on the line eh? Makes life more exiting these days..."

The merchants looked at them.

"Are you talking of gamble?"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No.. not really..."

"Then you are playing?"

The merchants mumbled until one striked his hand on the table.

"Sure as hell we are playing farmer, but only if you have the money.."

Edwin snatched the last of their iron from Ghyreian and placed it on the table, the merchants smiled and thought that this was an easy one to drp out moneyless, but as the game started Edwin lost few coins and then won a huge pot by using his illusions. No one noticed it in the inn, Edwin happily gathered his moeny to him and continued the game with steady losses and wins not trying to have suspicions. He actually lost half of his wins on purpose to boost the merchants confidence into rash actions and cleared a nice amount of money.

Many of the next games the merchants wouldn`t go to and Edwin decided to stop before getting caught for illusions, Edwin filled his old bag and two new one`s. He turned to Ghyreian and lead them out of the inn after over an hour of gambling.

"Is that enough?"

Edwin held out the three money bags towards Ghyreian.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Throughout the game Ghyreian was sitting at a near table, at first bored, then watching with increasing interest and rapt fascination. When Edwin finally quit and stood up to leave, there were many boos from his competitors and cheers from those who had betted their money on him. And so left the suddenly wealthy farmer and his hag mother.

Ghyreian eyed the three bags of steel with tacit appraisal. She looked at Edwin with a new respect that she tried but failed to mask.

"It seems you have some hidden talents," she remarked with a grin.

_________________

Edwin smiled.

"Well thank you and I thought myself as an ordinary market trickster.."

They left the inn and Edwin quickly, hid behind the corner as the guards from before passed them not luckily noticing them and entered the inn. Edwin quickly lead them down the street to hear a disappointed shout coming behind them.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!