Gruntle, Harllo, and Stonny Menackis wait with a band of caravan guards outside of Darujhistan. They have been delayed at a ford crossing while escorting their employer, a merchant named Keruli, to Capustan. While they wait, Gruntle is approached by a man in rags who identifies himself as Emancipor Reese. He claims he is the manservant of two men who wish to meet Gruntle. Keruli asks Gruntle to go, showing uncanny knowledge of his and Reese’s conversation.