Basco rose and searched through one of the piles of parchment. Finding what he wanted, he unrolled a large, well-used map of the Southern Highlands of Tirian. Handwritten notes, little drawings and numbers denoting various measured distances littered the map.

  “Ogres,” began Basco, “can be very dangerous if you come across them, but they tend to leave people alone. They prefer the isolation of caves or thick woods and rarely venture beyond them. Thirty years or so ago, a group of them raided a nomad camp in the area. The ogres killed or captured every man, woman, and child and burned everything else to the ground. It caused alarm to be sure, but it wasn’t until they raided a village near the city of Nairn that anyone took action. The local governor, Lord Vasilescu, tried to use the militia to suppress them but locating the ogres proved difficult. The militia’s response time was never quick enough.

  “Vasilescu sent scouts to find the ogre encampments. Only one made it back, but in bad shape. His face and body were covered in bruised and lesions. Most of his bones had been broken. It was only through sheer determination that he returned to the outpost at Nairn. Before he died, he confirmed their worst fears: the ogres were organizing into an army. Organization meant that someone led them. Vasilescu put out a call for bounty hunters and assassins to find out who led the ogre army and to kill them. He promised a mountain of money as a reward for the one who accomplished this.”

  “And you were one of them?” Satchel asked.

  “I was. Along with this fool.” His eye glanced at Jarek.

  Satchel's eyes widened. “You helped kill that thing?”

  “Yes,” replied Jarek, “and don’t look so surprised.”

  Basco chuckled. He ran his hand over the map and said, “This is the map I used when I began tracking Do’Grum. It was tricky to find him. At first, I thought I would be looking for a human sorcerer or perhaps a rogue dark elf. However, tracking the ogres proved difficult. So difficult in fact that several of us decided it would be better to work together and split the reward.”

  “That’s where I come into the story,” said Jarek.

  Basco smiled and said, “You had both arms then. I still remember my first impression of you. It was not so great if memory serves me correctly.”

  “Likewise.”

  The two old men smirked at each other.

  Basco continued, “Unfortunately, even with our combined efforts, we couldn’t locate the ogres’ home base. It was a stroke of luck that gave us our breakthrough. A man, thin from hunger and parched to the bone came stumbling into the town where we were staying. From his disjointed speech, we learned that he had been a prisoner of the ogres and that they were using captured humans to dig tunnels. His ramblings also hinted at the location of the next attack.”

  “So, did you defend them from the ogres?”

  Basco shook his head. “That wouldn’t have gotten us the prize we sought. Instead, the plan—I don't recall who proposed it—was to become prisoners ourselves. We adopted basic garb, hiding slim knives within our clothes as our only weapons, and camped out within the town. Despite a collective uncertainty within our group, the plan worked. The ogres attacked, and we played our parts as meek peasants well. Shame about the rest of the town, though.”

  Basco’s eyes adopted a distant look. Satchel noticed the same look on Jarek's face.

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  Basco blinked away the thoughts and continued. “The ogres herded us through their underground tunnels, bringing us to a large chamber with other humans. Then out came Do’Grum. What happened next shocked us all.

  “Do’Grum looked like any other ogre, but he had somehow learned to speak and speak well. With perfect elocution, he gave a short speech to everyone instructing us to dig where we were told. He then repeated it in several different languages. Though we knew the identity of the ogres’ leader, it was unbelievable. An ogre had managed to gather enough of his kind together and organize them into a formidable fighting force. Furthermore, he seemed well-educated. It was obvious that there was more to this than what we first thought. Ultimately, none of that mattered. We were there for his head. After being taken to our various work areas, we quickly worked out our strategy. One of the hunters picked the lock on his chains and using his pickaxe as a weapon attacked the nearest ogre. Other prisoners joined in the attack, creating mass confusion and chaos. Unfortunately, the poor hunter that set the whole thing off didn’t make it. What was his name Jarek?”

  “Arthur if memory serves.”

  “Ah, yes. Poor Arthur. He sacrificed his life with his diversion, but it gave the rest of us the time we needed to slip away. We ran back to the chamber where we had last seen Do’Grum, avoiding patrols all along the way. We came to a spot where the tunnel forked, forcing the four of us that were left to split into two groups. I was with Berton and Jarek went with Maylon. This jerk here was lucky enough to go the opposite direction.” Basco pointed to Jarek.

  “I wouldn’t consider finding the ogres’ feasting hall ‘lucky,’” Jarek said. “There are things I saw in that room that I can never wash from my mind.”

  “I’m sure,” said Basco grimly. He continued, “Berton and I found Do’Grum, though there are parts of that encounter that baffle me to this day. In some ways, I wish I would have let the ogre chief live long enough to tell me.”

  “What’s it like fighting an ogre?” asked Satchel.

  “It’s not so much a fight as it is a mad rush to strike an ogre’s vital points before they grab you. I had fought an ogre only once before, but I was with a squad of soldiers. That experience had been unpleasant enough. Ogres tend to be a little slow on the uptake so it’s best to catch them off-guard.”

  The sound of a door opening interrupted Basco as Orvis stepped in and said, “Finished with the meal, sir?”

  “Yes, we are. Our guests will be staying with us for a few days. We should have plenty of spare rooms.”

  “Er, yes sir.” Orvis had a worried look on his face.

  “Something wrong?” said Basco.

  “Well, I wanted to remind you of the time, sir. Tomorrow is a very busy day. Will the guests join us for the evening festivities as well?”

  “Oh, I see.” Basco’s mind pondered the matter for a moment. He looked at each of his guests, in turn, stopping at Satchel. He smiled again.

  “Sir?”

  Basco stirred, “Sorry, Orvis. Yes, they will join us. That is if they wish to.” He looked at Jarek as he said this.

  The old thief glanced at his ward and then said, “Our goal takes priority, but otherwise I see no reason why we shouldn’t have a little fun while we’re here.”

  “Splendid. Glad to hear it,” said Basco.

  “What festivities?” asked Addie.

  “A dance party, my dear.”

  Jarek laughed. “I’m afraid one thing I never got around to teaching them was how to dance.”

  “I know how to dance,” pouted Addie.

  “I don’t,” muttered Satchel.

  “Well, we’ll have to change that won’t we?” said Basco. “Orvis, invite Lady Montague to come give the young man a basic lesson in the morning. And bring in a seamstress and tailor for a fitting for the two children. they should be presentable, after all.”

  Satchel and Addie both grimaced at the word ‘children.’

  Orvis dipped his head and said, “As you wish, sir.”

  “Excellent! It’s settled then.”

  “What about the rest of the story?” asked Satchel.

  “Let it wait until tomorrow,” said Jarek. “The butler is right, it’s getting late, and we’ll need rest. We have several long days ahead.”

  Satchel frowned and then nodded. That night, he slept the deepest and most satisfying sleep he’d had in a long while.

  ~*~

  “What have you found, Kazi?”

  “They have stopped in Leona, my lord. They were looking for a man named Basco.”

  “Hm. And what have you learned about this man?”

  “He came to Leona over ten years ago and bought the biggest manor in the city, but he neither looks nor acts like a noble. He carries himself more like an experienced fighter. A mercenary, perhaps.”

  “Interesting. Keep a close watch on them. Learn more about this Basco, but do not act unless I tell you to.”

  “As you will, my lord. Once I know more, I will inform you.”

  “Very good, Kazi. You are serving me well.”

  “I do my best.”