Inside the bathhouse.
"Are you insulting me?" The dwarf crossbowman sat in the bath with his three brothers around the boy, scrubbing dirt from his hairy legs as he demanded, "You beat me at drinking yesterday, so why'd you give back the crossbow? Did you think I couldn't take losing?"
"Carbon Mountain dwarves honor their bets!"
"Regan, since I won the contest, 'Blood Brother' belongs to me." Roy kept a stern face and laid out his reasoning with complete seriousness. "That means I have the right to give it to someone more deserving."
"You're—giving it to me?" The dwarf pointed at him with a finger as thick as a carrot, his mouth hanging open. After a long moment, he sighed. "You didn't have to, kid. After drinking your liquor..."
"Just think of it as a gift between friends! Besides, the elder's ordered you to stick with me for the next few days."
"Does that mean there'll be more liquor?" Dief licked his lips.
"When the chance comes, I'll let you drink your fill!"
"Roy, from today on, we're brothers!" The dwarf excitedly smacked him several times, making Roy's eyes water and his skin turn red.
"All right, let's talk business. The elder sent you to help me investigate the murders on Carbon Mountain, too." Roy lowered his voice and drew the group close. Since he'd chosen to trust them, there was no need to hide certain things. "I need your help. Think carefully: have you seen a strange tattoo on anyone lately?"
"What tattoo?"
"Keep your voice down."
The boy showed the four dwarves the spiderweb and antler symbols he'd drawn ahead of time, quickly scanning their faces.
He was disappointed to see them all looking bewildered. They clearly didn't recognize the symbols.
"Roy, what do these designs mean? Why