73

The hamlet of Honey Lodge is small—two cottages, a barn, and a stone watchtower cluster in a circle at the river’s edge. A gang of excited young boys wait on the rain-swept jetty to welcome home their fathers, each hoping for a present, perhaps a fishing rod or a hunting bow, from the marketplace in Phoena.

Eight men, including the Count, disembark at Honey Lodge, but only one new passenger embarks for the journey to Tharro—a thin individual with hard grey eyes that gleam coldly from beneath his wide-brimmed hat. Slung at his side is a narrow-bladed sword, and in his hand he clutches a leather-bound book, its cover as plain and as black as his clothing. He pays his fare and descends to the tap-room, pausing briefly at the top of the stairs to return your stare.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen and have reached the rank of Tutelary, turn to 23.

If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach the Kai rank of Tutelary, turn to 325.