[5]

"Who's this new beau of yours?"

Kurt look up from the amulet Blaine had given tucking it into his pocket as Mercedes leaned against the rail next to them.

Puck lived in one of the Seven Cites, accessible only by water due to the risk of entering from the other side. From Matt's home, they managed to catch a ferry only to have to double back when they realized Cherrios were on it. Since their usual guardian had all but disappeared it was lucky Kurt had struck up a friendship with Blaine. For he as well as some eager companions of his were more than willingly to aid them, only asking Kurt of a simple task.

It was a promise that made him giddy as a young girl with a crush, a feeling he hadn't allowed himself to have in a long time.

"New beau?" Kurt replied, "I only made new friend."

"Right." Mercedes turned as she got a better look at the other passengers on the ferry. No one appeared that threatening though it was a chance they couldn't take given the circumstances.

"He seemed nice though, but I don't think he was from around here."

Kurt nodded along, recognizing when she was attempting to use a fishing technique. It was something he was grown used to growing up in court and later when the infiltrated the Cherrios. But he let her try to pry questions out of him, because it showed she still cared enough to try.

Kurt wasn't fond of change, at least not change he couldn't control. He was taken aback Rutherford's place where it seemed the man who knew just about everything risked blowing a cover kept under wraps.

"So Rutherford really did help all those times?"

"How do you think I got us in with the Cherrios?" Mercedes asked, "He knew people on the inside. He also was able to give me profiles on the bounty hunters that were after Tina. Apparently they were in the guard too for some time."

"Really?" Kurt was faintly surprised given how proficient they were in magic. "That means Sylvester's not above to using magic for her own ends. This is useful."

"Infiltrating again?" Mercedes asked lightly, "is that what you're going to do once we get Rachel?"

She was fishing again, but there was slight urgency behind her words. "I told you before, I'm going to up a magical vestment shop. Traveling with Artie made me realize that wizards are not only need fashion in their lives, but a few wards built into outfits can save everyone from being cursed."

"Wizard?" Her eyebrows rose up as she made the term into a title. "You think he accidentally casted amnesia on himself?"

"Have you not noticed any spell not dealing with water blows up in his face?"

"Still a better track record that half your plans," Mercedes teased.

"You swore you never mention-"

"I did no such thing!"

"It was over drinks when we managed to get brought on as students with Schue," Kurt said, "you got drunk."

"I don't remember," she murmured, and Kurt believed her. She really couldn't hold her drinks, and it was after Puck freed the pixies about the joining of the Hummel and Hudson lands.

He liked being his own person a the freedom traveling gave him in spades. With the promise Blaine offered him, Kurt didn't even have to go back to the Capital, he can trust the others to deliver Rachel. Because it wasn't about them finding out his noble roots but more on the fact it meant Tina might take it the wrong way, since he gave her a hard time.

"Do you think we left them alone long enough?"

Mercedes pointed where Artie and Tina stood on the other end of the ferry leaning against the rail just like them, but standing much closer together and from the looks of it talking more intimately as well. Tina laughed playfully nudging him the arm.

"Should we do something about it?" Mercedes asked just about reading Kurt's mind.

"No," Kurt replied, "because you want to play fairy godmother again."

"I got my license revoked," Mercedes retorted.

Whether it was good intention of not, Kurt was eager to let whatever was going on happen because he knew better than anyone romantic entanglements was a good distraction.

"They work well together, and if they're fine without us messing with them than it's easier."

Easier in the sense it was nice to have someone he didn't have to be so elusive in hiding his tracks.

They wondered over to the end of the ferry as Tina held out a faded picture out to Artie.

"Don't be silly," she grinned, "Four is a power number, we fell apart since there was only seven of us instead of eight," Tina sat on the railing, "and that Schue doesn't distribute things evenly."

"Hardly ever is more appropriate," Kurt interjected, as he and Mercedes joined them. "I'm surprised we learned anything."

"You're forgetting the power of four," Tina said firmly.

"And?" Mercedes asked, "We know that how?"

"To find Rachel," Artie said handing the picture back to Tina, "we have to meet all the members of your old group to find out what went wrong. We spoke to Lady Quinn, so we have to find Knight Puckerman and the Duke of Hudson."

"Wait," Mercedes frowned, "we met the Duke, I talked to him personally."

"He wasn't the Duke," Artie said with some conviction.

Mercedes turned to Tina who just shrugged.

"How do you know that," Kurt asked after clearing his throat trying to keep his expression unchanged.

"I just do." Artie said slowly, "it's just a feeling I have."

"From a picture?" Kurt asked skeptically. "I've heard more convincing gypsy tales."

"Explain why Lady Quinn put a spell on Mercedes."

"I haven't thought about that," Tina said with a small gasp.

Kurt however was suspicious not because of the assumption was off, but how he tied everything together so neatly without suspicion. "Explain," he said tersely.

"Do you remember your conversation at all?" Artie asked Mercedes, "You were talking to him for a bit in the garden before you went inside."

"We talked about-" Mercedes started, then she blinked, "we talked about….cake?"

"That doesn't sound like a conversation I want to remember," Kurt remarked.

"Why would Quinn mess with her memory?" Tina asked.

"It's not a memory charm, it sounds like a block on what the conversation was," Artie said thoughtfully, "keeping the framework of the memory."

"Ironic," Kurt remarked dryly, "you remembered that."

"But you can't do that," Tina pressed as Kurt closed his eyes, "not with any of the basic magics, at least Quinn's not capable of it. She's good with mirror magic but nothing more than that."

"She turned her loyalty to Captain Sylvester," Kurt said, "she probably got a boost of HBIC from that."

Tina looked about to say something, but refrained from it as Artie frowned. "That's not any type of affinity I heard of unless I was mistaken."

"Cool your dragons," Mercedes said slightly bemused, "and as much as I love listening to chattering about theory, "You and theories of magic, as much as I don't mind hearing them I just want to know what your theory on finding Puck is."

"That's very simple," Tina said pulling out her trusty map, "we go where the games are. Doesn't he claim he's a cardshark, if he stops playing he dies?"

"He didn't say that, but you can think that," Kurt said jiggling his foot slightly, "just keep thinking that."

"Games, as in cards?" Artie asked, "does that mean we have to play to get to him?"

"That's a great idea," Mercedes interjected, "but Tina doesn't have a pokerface, I hate playing cards with Puck, and Kurt is a notorious cheat."

"And he's not likely to tell us anything," Tina added with a bright smile, "so that means…"

Artie's face fell, and Mercedes laughed at his expression. Even Kurt managed to smirk at bit.

"We're so glad we adopted you," Kurt buffed his nails against his shirt, "you get to talk to all the people who are likely to maim or seriously injure us. Just don't get put under a spell too."

"How do I suppose I do that?" Artie remarked.

"I'll teach you how to play cards."

"I think," Tina said to Mercedes as she pointed at the map, "our adventures got us back on track."We're closer to the border than we started."

"It's funny how things work out like this." Mercedes said, "too bad it couldn't happened before. Should have known Quinn would have fessed up. They hated each other, or at least Quinn hated Rachel, Rachel was just oblivious to anyone's opinion of her."

"Do you think we did that?" Tina asked, "She did try to be nice after she accidentally gave us the wrong directions to Fairy Godmother Holliday."

"We ended up in a crack house," Mercedes retorted. "There was no accident about that."

"It was inactive though!"

Mercedes chucked despite herself, "is there such a thing as inactive crackhouse?"

"It' was an honest mistake."

"Like listening to Kurt's advice on weather?"

They both looked up the rain that pounded on the ward that surrounded them like a dome.

"I told you it wouldn't hurt to learn about wards." Tina grinned.

"It helps that we were the ones setting up opposed to Artie doing them."

"He's not that bad," Tina began.

Mercedes held up a hand cutting her off, "He's probably talented, but if he can't remember which spell is which I rather listen to Kurt's crazy plans."

"What is his plan for getting us to talk to Puck? I know we talked about card games, but it takes a lot of work to get there first."

"I don't know much before it's going to be a bit of work," Mercedes said.

"Kurt's just a tad bit overdramatic," Tina replied folding the map.

"How do you keep doing that?" Kurt yelled throwing the cards down.

Mercedes mouthed to Tina, "A tad?"

"You're emotionally agitated," Artie replied. He ducked as a handful of cards were thrown in his face. But the cards didn't hit as they flipped over and flew into Tina's hand.

"I'm surprised you even know how to play cards properly," she said before she whistled sending the cards back to Kurt, "don't you cheat?"

"I know how to play the right, it's more fun to fool those idiots."

"Talk like that got us run out of Faise," Mercedes said sitting down on the ground between them. "Fold me in." She looked over to Artie, "you'll be playing in a group and it is best you know how to play the right way since Puck's games attract a large varied crowd."

"Trust me," Kurt muttered as he shuffled the cards, "he already knows how to play."

"But I don't know how I know," Artie quipped.

Kurt's lip twitched, and he put a card down. "Your move."

Tina watched Artie as they played the game, often paying more attention to him than the cards in her hand. She didn't know much more of cards that she had gleaned from Kurt and Mercedes, which didn't say much since she lost to both of them frequently. But he played differently though. Mercedes who kept her other hand over her cards so no one could see them and Kurt shuffled his cards around, always moving and fidgeting, trying to distract from his main purpose. More than once Tina caught a glimpse of Artie's cards though his intentions for them weren't clear. As for herself, she wasn't sure how she played cards, she did deliberate too long on her next move.

As she was contemplating her next move, Kurt yelped, "Again!"

"We just started," Mercedes said gaping, "how did you win?"

"You're a cheat!" Kurt declared pointing at him as several cards fell out his sleeve.

"Maybe you're good at this game because your memories are coming back!" Tina said happily.

Artie smiled back at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Kurt clapped his hands together. "This is perfect. I wonder if you can remember how to play Chairs and Ladders too."

"Kurt," Mercedes chided, "we aren't doing that again."

"Are you talking about when the two of you infiltrated the gambling ring in Garonche?" Tina asked intrigued.

"Infiltrated, please." Mercedes rolled her eyes as she shuffled all the cards, "Kurt had his eyes set on a wandering bard."

"Sam of Evans had talent with musicology," Kurt protested. "Great talent."

"You're lying," Tina retorted, "it's not even a real affinity."

"Not real at all," Artie chimed in as Kurt grew affronted.

"Guys," Mercedes said as she shook her head, "that's not the talent he's talking about."

Tina made a face, and Kurt gently kicked Mercedes who was chuckling under her breath.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes, "I fancied him."

"He wasn't interested though," Mercedes said cutting the cards, "he turned you down."

"His loss," Kurt stiffly as Tina and Artie laughed in the background. "Let's play, because you're going down my absented minded wizard friend."

"Shall we place bets," Artie asked, "stories from your illustrative pasts?"

"You don't have stories to tell," Mercedes pointed out, "no memory, no past, no history."

"I predict," Artie add as he mockingly straighten his collar, "no loses in my future."

"You're on," Mercedes said, slapping the first card down.

Naturally because she said it, Mercedes was the first to lose and she protested the terms of the bet until it was finally pulled out of her.

"You have to tell," Tina said gesturing to Artie, "or we'll cast a truth spell."

"Truth spells don't exist…"

Tina waved hand cutting Artie off.

Rolling her eyes Mercedes replied, "I can't go back home, because I killed a man."

Kurt snorted, and werelights floating above them flickered. "That's the worst lie I ever heard. Besides didn't you say once someone made a doppelganger of yourself?"

"Really," Tina asked, "the night we had to bust out of jail you told me it was because of a gnome invasion."

"You got put in jail?" Artie asked.

"For stealing, and we were drunk," Mercedes cut in, "let's play the next round."

"You didn't say why you left."

Mercedes shuffled the cards swiftly, "My older brother died at sea, I need a change of pace since he was the only family I had left." She slammed the cards down. "Next round."

Kurt promptly lost the next round, and didn't crack under Tina and Mercedes's consistent pestering.

"This is all very unfair," Kurt said glancing at his nails, "you're cheating in some way and you don't have a past to tell."

"Now you're putting up resistance since you're in coal bed," Mercedes pressed, "didn't say that a few moments ago."

"We all have our secrets, we only have to reveal them if need be."

"I already had mine aired out for you all to see," Tina pointed out, "It's only fair if you two as well."

"Not willingly," Kurt retorted, "the exact situation was your past came and snatched you away and hired witches to throw spells at us."

"No names then," Artie interrupted cheerfully, "just the plain facts on what led you here."

Kurt met his gaze before he said abruptly, "My father remarried, and I'm quite convinced my new step-brother is intent on taking my place in the family home."

"So you ran away instead of sticking to your inheritance?" Artie asked intrigued. He was rewarded with a particularly venomous expression from Kurt. He backed his hands raised in shielding gesture.

Tina reached over and shuffled the cards, despite the odds of it being her turn to lose and reveal something about her past, to their collective surprise it was Artie who lost.

Kurt eyed the cards suspiciously. "Didn't expect that to happen. I think you're cheating."

Tina tugged at Kurt's sleeve, and few cards fell out. "You're the one cheating," she retorted.

"I didn't say I wasn't," Kurt remarked taking the cards back, "but there's other ways like rigging the game."

Artie grinned "I lost, why would I cheat to lose?"

"Exactly," Mercedes added giving him a significant look, "Kurt you need to calm down."

"Think of it as practice," Tina replied.

"I don't understand," Kurt grumbled, "why you so good at this?"

"I played a lot cards games after the accident," Artie said absently.

"I told you," Kurt said in undertone to Mercedes, "he did it to himself."

"What accident?" Tina asked.

His expression didn't alter leading Tina to wonder if it just slipped out or he had been waiting for the right opportunity to mention.

She had feeling it was bit of both.

"Another round?"

It wasn't apparent just how devious Kurt was being until they were outside the door. Mercedes had termed Kurt's elaborate plans as "Parachute Pants" but in this case Tina thought the setup appropriate.

Sitting at the bar in one of her more elaborate dresses, Tina played the role of wealthy patron as twirled pocket watch back and forth.

They had to play this role, not just for them to not be noticed by Puck, but because of the scarlet uniformed guard that was taking their seats in the crowd. Even if she felt like a damn fool it was better to be curled and primped up to avoid suspicion.

"This is not good," Kurt said he sat down at the bar next to her.

He turned slightly, not quite familiarly, but close enough he could chat without drawing attention.

"The game or the guard?"

"The guard," Kurt said absently, "though if Artie keeps winning we might have a problem."

"Wasn't that the idea," Tina asked, "Mercedes said Puck keeps an eye on high rollers, he was supposed to get drawn in."

"Not even if he gets his head cut off before then," Kurt muttered.

"I'm surprised," Tina said as absently twirling the liquid in the drink, "you hate practicing with him. It sounds like you care."

"I swear that is staff enchanted or something. Though he could be an assassin."

Tina put her down her drink. "Excuse me?"

Kurt looked at her pointedly much like Mercedes had but more direct as it was his manner. "That "accident" he mentioned might not necessarily mean him. You don't know who he is, don't invest in fantasy of what you want him to be."

"I thought you liked him," Tina asked, "why can't you just trust he is what he says he is?"

Kurt didn't answer and as he suddenly his leave, striding across the room quickly and efficiently. Why Tina soon saw as conversation in the room dialed down a bit.

Puck had entered the room and the pathway to the center table cleared as he honed on it with the intent of a shark.

He had changed little since he had departed in disgrace, the only change being the reappearance of the strange hairstyle he was so fond of. The table in which the card game was going paused as Puck took a seat and was folded into the game.

As the moved to get a better view, her breath caught in throat when she realized who was sitting at the other the end of the bar.

The Duke of Hudson. But not like what she knew she saw at Quinn's party. His face was haggard and there was several weeks' worth of beard on his face, and his clothes were traveled stained and wrinkled. And he enjoying the horrible tavern food like hadn't seen a hot meal in a long time.

Artie was right, that wasn't the Duke at the party, a realization that meant two very troubling things. One that there was a doppelganger employed that was putting the state of the kingdom at risk and two that Artie was getting memory back and probably had a more illustrious past than it appeared. She wasn't sure which concerned her more the possibility of political uprising or the fact she wasn't concerned about that possibility at all, but she pushed the thought aside as she took a seat by the Duke.

"What are you doing this far south?"

Finn jumped at once, and if Tina didn't know for sure that it was Finn, she knew it surely when he stopped from drawing his sword as he caught sight of her.

"Tina?"

She nodded as he sat back down.

"I'm looking for Rachel," Tina said at once not noticing as he deflated a bit. "Are you?"

"Rachel won't be found, she can't be found. Give up."

Tina frowned and wondering perhaps Artie was right all along, they needed to know why the enchantress had fled so if they had any hopes of bringing her back, and even finding out why might lead to her in the first place.

"Why won't she be found?" Tina asked. "Has she given up magic?"

"Rachel?" Finn said, "She'll never give up singing."

"But," Tina gently prodded. "Why would she leave? She stood up to the Cherrios, protested against Sylvester's bans despite the fact it was making her laughingstock in the kingdom, powerful enchantress or not."

"She told me," Finn said, "I had to choose my popularity as a Duke or her."

Tina was glad of training that kept her from reacting at that. She knew that they were starry eyed, but what he just implied…

"You turned her down, you told her no."

"Actually," Finn squirmed in his seat, "I never told her, she found I took a roll in a hayloft with witch earlier that year, and they was kind of a fight-"

Tina's wasn't sure what her face was showing, but the Duke of Hudson had backed away. "You're eyes are glowing red."

"It happens," Tina said flatly, "what happened after all that?"

"I don't know," Finn's expression darkened, "but she went off with St. James."

"I should know that name shouldn't I?" Tina asked as Finn clearly waited for reaction, "but I don't know."

"You do," Finn reminded her, "remember when the visiting sorcerer came to speak to the Grand Vizier, he was from Carmel."

"Jesse." Tina whispered as it all came back to her, "you accused him of trying to steal realm secrets."

"I thought he was using Rachel to get to me," Finn said remarked, "It was just before I took on the tittles of the land. I thought her actions had another motive."

"You were wrong," Tina said with nod, "and you accused her of it."

"If," Finn rubbed his neck, avoiding her eye, "that what call threatening to report she was committing high treason."

"You did what?"

Tina wasn't sure she yelled but he jumped up a bit off his seat.

"I didn't report it though! But she had already left with St. James by then. They went off to seek the Witch of the West."

"Fizz and sparkles," Tina sputtered. "Fizz, sparkles, and splat!"

"I heard the Wicked titled was unearned," Finn offered.

"It means she might not be in Carmel after all we just traveled all over the kingdom from nothing!"

"But she could be," Finn said rising to his feet, "I can go check!"

"No," Tina retorted, "you will go back to your duchy and do your job. Sylvester pushing the bill a bit too hard, and without your presence it might actually go through instead of a double."

Finn looked even more bewildered than he did earlier. "How did you know?"

"Mercedes met your doppelganger and Quinn cast a spell on her when she found out."

"I told Sam not to talk Quinn!" Finn exclaimed.

"Sam," Tina echoed recalling the name, "he's that bard, never mind," she said as Finn was about to answer her, "Because of the anti-magic bill, you need to get back home. Let us handle Rachel we were tasked to find her in the first place."

"But," he protested, "She doesn't like any of you. She said you didn't appreciate her talent. "

"And you think you can convince her otherwise?" Tina said rising to her feet, "go home Finn, we have everything under control."

An arrow shot passed embedding itself into the bar. For a moment she thought it was the witch bounty hunters returning for her, when she recognized the marks on the fletching to be Kurt's.

"Kurt's here." Finn said, surprised, "that "we" you kept referring to, is my brother in your group?"

Tina went cold. "Your brother?"

"Well stepbrother," Finn admitted, "I hadn't seen him in ages after I left to go -" His words trailed off, "you didn't know did you?"

"No." Tina grunted, though she wasn't surprised at how cleanly it explained everything. Everything from Kurt's increase of shiftiness in populous areas to the bit he told the night before.

She left Finn where he sat confused and slightly concerned as made her way through the press of people in the tavern who was watching the card game eagerly. Tina peered around looking for Artie along the table, expecting to win in the same accidentally way they had practiced, but instead he was missing from the circle. Puck was there and judging by the pile of chips by his side was racking in quite a bit.

Tina was considering how much of her morals she could use by breaking it up, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned her slightly to see no one, except for a familiar staff sticking out around the corner of the bar.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting information out from him?" Tina asked.

But Artie shook his head, and gestured for her to follow him out of the tavern. In the shadows of alleyway they found Kurt and Mercedes arguing as they waited for them.

"You're overreacting," Kurt said, and his bravo slipped as Mercedes began to hum. "Not here!"

"We're drawing attention right now," Artie remarked dryly.

Unsurprisingly he was met with scorn.

"Why did you bolt like that," Kurt said, "you drew Puck out! You had him."

"In your plan you never got to the part in which I managed to convince him to tell us what we need to know."

Kurt opened his mouth to retort, and Tina hastily intervened.

"I managed to find a lead," she strode down the street leaving the others no choice to follow. "Rachel went to seek out the Witch of the West."

Tina stumbled as the street began to shake under her feet.

"We just came from the west," Mercedes said quietly, "and from the east, and from the north, and in circles you keep driving us in months!"

"We're not being tracked anymore," Artie said, and as they all stared at him, "I figured out the code on the maps. Besides I put up wards. "

"The point is," Kurt said taking advantage of the pause, "We're at the border of Carmel, why do when have to cross the kingdom on whim? And who's the source anyway?"

Tina met his eyes. "The Duke of Hudson."

Kurt blanched. "We should go west."

"Kurt!" Mercedes's mouth dropped, "it could be waste of time!" He shrugged and Mercedes rounded on Artie who held up his hands in protest:

"I have no idea where anything is."

"You've been studying the map!" Mercedes yelled, "and you probably know more than you let on!" She rounded on them, "you have to give me one good reason to seek out the Witch of the West!"

"Good luck doing that," a voice drawled from behind them, "she's not there."

Behind them stood the infamous former knight himself smirking as if he still wore the coat of arms. He was dressed plainly like the patrons he bamboozled for funds, but the sword at his side was still an impressive marker.

"You really think I didn't notice you guys, what do you take me for an idiot?"

"We do," Kurt said, but Puck merely smirked.

"Then why come to my shark den?"

Tina glanced at Kurt and Mercedes both who looked had quite a bit to say.

"You don't happen to know where Enchantress Berry is do you?" Artie asked.

"She's not in the West, I know that much," Puck said brusquely, "what does the lot of you want with her?"

"Politics," Tina said as Kurt added, "none of your concern."

They eyed each and Mercedes set forward working the charm. "What do you know that we don't?"

"Nothing."

Tina stormed up towards Puck, but Artie pulled her back as Mercedes moved in for the kill.

"If it was nothing," Mercedes said to the former knight, "you wouldn't be out here. Here in the disgrace, away from your family, your liege lord," she paused before she added, "Lady Fabray."

The amused smirk faded off of Puck's face, and he hunched his shoulders glancing at the tavern.

"I didn't choose to come here. Sylvester forced me, it was either that or become like Tanaka, and I just couldn't have that happen." At their silences he added brusquely, "Corcoran. Go to Corcoran and you'll find Berry. That was where she said she taking Beth. Bringing her back is your own problem."