The traveler knew immediately when he saw Black Knife again that Black Knife had the key to his freedom. So the traveler pressured Black Knife into telling him.
Of course, Black Knife denied the claims that he had found a way to free them. But the traveler wasn't buying it. The traveler made a fuss and exposed the fact that Black Knife was up to something to the others.
According to the memory that flashed in Black Knife's mind when he reached this part of the story, the traveler had said, "If you don't help me, I won't let you get away with it. You either take me along with you, or we go down together."
Things didn't get better when the Merchant got involved. The merchant, Mirlo, could tell that Black Knife was lying based on the value of his words. The merchant also noticed that Black Knife's life had increased in value recently.
