cloth hat emerges from an open doorway at the rear of the shop. He is brandishing an iron skillet and comes at you like a charging bull.
‘Hold there, Barwick!’ shouts Karvas, and to your astonishment the baker skids to a halt and drops his iron pot to the floor.
‘Prince Karvas … is it you?’ he stammers. Karvas uses his sleeve to wipe some of the slime from his face, and then he gives the baker a broad smile.
‘Yes, Barwick, it is I.’
‘Thank Ishir,’ gasps the baker, and he falls to his knees. ‘We have prayed that you would return home and save us from Sadanzo. We of Cavalia have suffered his tyranny for too long. He is an evil man and we fear that he will bring ruin to Siyen when he is crowned king. But now our Prince has returned to stop him. Ishir be praised!’
The sound of horses galloping to a halt outside the bakery alerts you to the fact that you and the Prince are still in great danger. The baker bolts the door and then urges you and Karvas to follow him as he hurries out of the shop, past his baking ovens, and through a rear door that leads to a walled yard scattered with chickens. He pulls open the door of an outbuilding and he offers you and Karvas the two young horses that are stabled inside. They are his most valuable animals and Karvas is impressed by the man's generosity.
‘I'll not forget this, Barwick,’ says Karvas, as you and he quickly saddle the two colts. The baker pulls open one of a pair of gates at the rear of his yard. Proudly he salutes you as you steer your horses through the gap and gallop away along a passageway that leads to one of Cavalia's city streets.
Turn to 67 .
31
‘We don't welcome spies here,’ growls the blacksmith. He nods to his son and the brawny young man snatches an iron from the furnace. Menacingly he levels this glowing rod at your face and very slowly he moves towards you. Hurriedly you apologize to the blacksmith and leave the smithy.
On returning to the quayside you resolve to explore the tangle of alleyways that make up the city's eastern quarter in the hope of finding someone who is more willing to talk about the Prince. Unfortunately, your efforts garner no useful information. As the sun begins to settle on the horizon, you finally abandon your search and hurry back through the darkening passageways towards the market square.
Wizard Acraban and Lord Zinair are already waiting aboard the
Starstrider
by the time you reach the market square. The magician orders the boarding cage to be lowered and you are winched up to the skyship. They are disappointed to hear that your search for information has been in vain. Fortunately, Lord Zinair's efforts have been more fruitful.
‘Prince Karvas is not here,’ he says. ‘He lived here when he first came to Sheasu some ten years ago, but a young woman called Amarelda arrived soon after and they were married, here, in the harbour. They left Mydnight the day after their wedding and settled somewhere on the northern coastline. It has been more than a year since they last visited the city.’
Turning to Acraban, Zinair says: ‘I propose we travel north at first light and commence a search of the northern shoreline. I suspect it will be easier to espy their retreat from the air than to attempt any search by land.’
Acraban nods in agreement. Then he passes word to his young crew to prepare the
Starstrider
for a voyage north at first light.
Turn to 187 .
32
The farmer seems bemused by your refusal. His fee is very reasonable, especially when compared to the charge you would be expected to pay for crossing the river at the Voshno Bridge. When he tells you that there are no other river crossings for 30 miles in either direction, you ask if he would accept something other than cash in return for the use of his raft. After a few moments' thought, he says that he would accept either 1 Weapon or 1 Backpack Item.
If you possess sufficient cash, you can still pay the farmer a fee of 8 Lune, or 2 Gold
‘Hold there, Barwick!’ shouts Karvas, and to your astonishment the baker skids to a halt and drops his iron pot to the floor.
‘Prince Karvas … is it you?’ he stammers. Karvas uses his sleeve to wipe some of the slime from his face, and then he gives the baker a broad smile.
‘Yes, Barwick, it is I.’
‘Thank Ishir,’ gasps the baker, and he falls to his knees. ‘We have prayed that you would return home and save us from Sadanzo. We of Cavalia have suffered his tyranny for too long. He is an evil man and we fear that he will bring ruin to Siyen when he is crowned king. But now our Prince has returned to stop him. Ishir be praised!’
The sound of horses galloping to a halt outside the bakery alerts you to the fact that you and the Prince are still in great danger. The baker bolts the door and then urges you and Karvas to follow him as he hurries out of the shop, past his baking ovens, and through a rear door that leads to a walled yard scattered with chickens. He pulls open the door of an outbuilding and he offers you and Karvas the two young horses that are stabled inside. They are his most valuable animals and Karvas is impressed by the man's generosity.
‘I'll not forget this, Barwick,’ says Karvas, as you and he quickly saddle the two colts. The baker pulls open one of a pair of gates at the rear of his yard. Proudly he salutes you as you steer your horses through the gap and gallop away along a passageway that leads to one of Cavalia's city streets.
Turn to 67 .
31
‘We don't welcome spies here,’ growls the blacksmith. He nods to his son and the brawny young man snatches an iron from the furnace. Menacingly he levels this glowing rod at your face and very slowly he moves towards you. Hurriedly you apologize to the blacksmith and leave the smithy.
On returning to the quayside you resolve to explore the tangle of alleyways that make up the city's eastern quarter in the hope of finding someone who is more willing to talk about the Prince. Unfortunately, your efforts garner no useful information. As the sun begins to settle on the horizon, you finally abandon your search and hurry back through the darkening passageways towards the market square.
Wizard Acraban and Lord Zinair are already waiting aboard the
Starstrider
by the time you reach the market square. The magician orders the boarding cage to be lowered and you are winched up to the skyship. They are disappointed to hear that your search for information has been in vain. Fortunately, Lord Zinair's efforts have been more fruitful.
‘Prince Karvas is not here,’ he says. ‘He lived here when he first came to Sheasu some ten years ago, but a young woman called Amarelda arrived soon after and they were married, here, in the harbour. They left Mydnight the day after their wedding and settled somewhere on the northern coastline. It has been more than a year since they last visited the city.’
Turning to Acraban, Zinair says: ‘I propose we travel north at first light and commence a search of the northern shoreline. I suspect it will be easier to espy their retreat from the air than to attempt any search by land.’
Acraban nods in agreement. Then he passes word to his young crew to prepare the
Starstrider
for a voyage north at first light.
Turn to 187 .
32
The farmer seems bemused by your refusal. His fee is very reasonable, especially when compared to the charge you would be expected to pay for crossing the river at the Voshno Bridge. When he tells you that there are no other river crossings for 30 miles in either direction, you ask if he would accept something other than cash in return for the use of his raft. After a few moments' thought, he says that he would accept either 1 Weapon or 1 Backpack Item.
If you possess sufficient cash, you can still pay the farmer a fee of 8 Lune, or 2 Gold
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