[CHAPTER 1] [CHAPTER 3] [CHAPTER 6]
[ROMNEY]

The boy walked over to join them. He stood before them, eyes downcast.

JASON: Are you...the Collectors?

LOCKLEAR: The Collectors? What do you know about them?

JASON: Only what master Carolus said. Before he went away he says to me that one day the Collectors would come and take me away to a pretty place where every boy would be like me and I wouldn't have to worry and that I shouldn't be upset he had to go 'cause he was going to a real nice place where people were like him. I tried to not be scared but it was real hard and after the master left I cried real hard for days until my head hurt. Then one day the Black Sheep man found me and said I could scrub his pots until the Collectors take me.

LOCKLEAR: And how much does your current master pay you?

JASON: Pay me?

LOCKLEAR: Yes, your wages - What does the Black Sheep man give you for helping clean up around here, for sweeping the floor and scrubbing pots?

JASON: Oh, well he's very good to me, Lord. He lets me sleep in the coup with the chickens so I don't catch the shakes and I get the bread that hasn't greened yet.

LOCKLEAR: That's...very kind of him. Is he here?

JASON: No. He left a week ago on business to Silden. He said he would be back very soon and that I could sleep here in the shop. I forgot to lock the door.

LOCKLEAR: Well, we'll leave you then. I want you to lock up the shop behind us and I want you to stay here until your master comes back. When he does, I want you to tell him that the Collectors are coming for him very soon and that Seigneur Locklear of Prince Arutha's court says so.

The boy walked over to join them. He stood before them, eyes downcast.

JASON: Are...are you going to take me away?

JAMES: Why should we want to do that?

JASON: Because when I broke things, master always told me that someone would come and take me away someplace bad and someplace dark where they would never feed me and I'd never see the light of day. I knew when all those people got killed in here that someone would come for me and take me to the bad place.

JAMES: You don't have anything to be afraid of, Jason. You didn't kill those men. It's not your fault.

JASON: Master says anybody that stays under our roof is our respont...respono...responsibility and I was here when they were killed! That means it was my fault.

JAMES: Then you saw the murders?

JASON: No, but they come in and told me to leave or they'd hurt me real bad. They didn't tell me what they were going to do.

JAMES: What did the men who told you to leave look like?

JASON: They were big and they had birds on their chests, like eagles. And they smelled funny, like sometimes the sailors from Kesh smell like. Like flowers...

JAMES: Hawks on their chests. That at least confirms the Nighthawks' involvement... Do you know any thing about a spider made of silver or a brass spyglass that one of the men that were killed might have carried? It's very important. Think hard...

JASON: I...I don't know anything about the spider, but I remember that one of the King's Men had a brass tube with little pieces of glass in the ends of it and I could see things that were far away with it. He said that he and one of the other men had brought it back from Silden.

JAMES: Did he say where in Silden he got it?

JASON: No...just in Silden.

JAMES: Can you think of anything else? Did anyone else come into the Black Sheep before the murderers?

JASON: A carrying man brought in some wine from the Upside Down Keg for the soldiers. Told me it was sent special, but besides that, I can't think of anything.

JAMES: Thanks, Jason. We may be back later to ask you more questions, so don't go anywhere.

The boy walked over to join them. He stood before them, eyes downcast.

JASON: Hello. Are you going to ask me more questions now?

JAMES: Have you heard anything more about the murder?

JASON: Only that my master says that it will be bad for business and we have to bump bunnies to bring the people back in.

JAMES: Bump bunnies? That's a new expression for the books. Well, we are here and I suppose we ought to do what we can for the locals. Have anything to eat around here?

JASON: Nothing fresh, but we have standard rations if you have the money.

OPTIONS BELOW

JASON: I'll get them out of the back.

JASON: Next time. OK. Goodbye.

JAMES: Goodbye, Jason. Take care of yourself.

The boy walked over to join them. He stood before them, eyes downcast.

JASON: Is there something I can get for you?

OWYN: Hello, Jason. How's your business been doing? I know you were concerned about customers coming back the last time I saw you.

JASON: Master is mad and says he will have to close up the shop and get rid of me because everybody is scared in Romney. No business.

OWYN: What are they scared of?

JASON: I don't know, but master says they are scared and he's got no use for a stupid boy when he can't pay his debts. I guess he's right though, cause I am stupid and I'm costing him money.

OWYN: I'm...really sorry to hear about that Jason. I wish there was something we could do.

JASON: Maybe if you bought some food it would help.

The boy walked over to join them.

JASON: We still have a few packs of rations left in the storeroom if you want them. Want me to get them for you?

JASON: I'll get them from the stock room.

JASON: That's OK. Maybe you can buy some next time.

OWYN: Take care of yourself, Jason.

JASON: That's OK. Maybe you can buy some next time.

OWYN: Goodbye, Jason. Take care.