Cricket: Well, he died and we found this note in his pocket, that said to take his ring and his cloak— Marigold: Joe is dead? Cricket: Yeah, So I have to get to— Marigold: You’re lying! There’s no possible way Joseph Cinnabar is dead! He was perfectly healthy the last time I saw him! Cricket: Someone murdered him. Marigold: Who? Cricket: We don’t know. Listen. Just listen for a minute and I’ll explain everything from the beginning. Marigold: Start at the very beginning. Who ARE you? Cricket: My name is Cricket. Marigold: Is that your first or last name?
Cricket: It’s just a nickname, no one calls me by my real name. I’m from a coastal town called Copper Hills. When I was fifteen, Barbary Raiders ransacked our town and kidnapped a bunch of us. Me and this other girl escaped in a small boat. We were out on the open sea and Joe found us. He took us in and saved our lives.