at Castle Highcliff, Gilan meets the seneschal, Philip, who acts a little guiltily. Baron Douglas, however was a plump and emphatic pomposity. At a tavern, Gilan meets the young widowed barker, Maeve, who informs him that Philip had racked up high gambling debts. She also thinks she saw Philip heading towards Ambrose Turner's house, the man to whom he owed the most. On his way back to the castle, Gilan is ambushed by two crossbowmen. He dodges the bolts by dropping off his horse and then conceals himself in his Ranger's cloak, which can render a still wearer nigh on invisible because of its mottling. Lying still and silent on the ground, he overhears the men talking with someone they call Lord Foldar and Gilan realizes that only two people knew his true purpose in coming to Highcliff and could have informed Foldar of his plans. That night Gilan follows Philip from a large house in the village to the treasury stronghold next to his quarters, in which Philip places a sack of money. The next day Gilan explains the trap planned for Foldar to Baron Douglas. Gilan would go out with a small, empty wagon and then the normal wagon would leave carrying the tax money. This way, Foldar might think the money would be in the small wagon and that the normal wagon was a decoy. Gilan also orders the commander of local archers to conceal six archers in a copse along the tax route. As the normal wagon approaches the trees, Foldar sends a small ambush to draw off the escort and then attacks with a larger force. However, the archers fend him off and Gilan gives chase. Gilan slays Foldar in the ensuing sword fight. Gilan explained that at night, he had switched the tax money again to the small wagon because he knew the informant would tell Foldar of the original plan. Gilan reveals that the Baron was in league with Foldar, while Philip on his late night trips had just been working to repay the fief's treasury from which he had paid off his debts. The Roamers Halt and Will apprehend a group of river pirates who had been killing and pillaging river trade boats. They had concealed themselves aboard trade boats for four days and then stopped the attack when the pirates finally showed themselves, relying on their infamous reputation as Rangers as