35

The rolling plain to the west of Bakhasa is a bleak and barren steppe, devoid of flora yet studded with countless thousands of sawn-off tree stumps. Once this region was part of the Great Forest of Kelderwood, but in recent times the ruler of Bhanar, Autarch Sejanoz, has commanded the Bakhasians to harvest the forest’s valuable hardwood and dispatch it downstream to feed the insatiable needs of the imperial shipyards of Otavai. Travelling on foot, the stumps do not obstruct your progress and you are able to press on until late in the afternoon. As you are cresting a ridge of high ground, you spot a troop of horsemen escorting a line of wagons laden with timber. They are less than a mile distant and they appear to be heading towards a settlement on the banks of the River Tehda. You wait and watch them until they are dots on the horizon before continuing your trek towards the city of Bakhasa.

You are within 20 miles of Bakhasa when dusk begins to darken the gloomy sky. Karvas requests that you stop to rest awhile before making a final push for the city. You are feeling hungry after your long day’s march and you agree readily. (Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.) You are about to resume your trek when your Kai Sixth Sense alerts you to the sound of approaching horses and wagons. You are scanning the surrounding hills when suddenly a dozen riders appear from behind a ridge to the north. They are escorting two wagons filled with sleepy timber workers returning to their settlement after a day’s labour. You signal to Karvas to hide himself as they approach along a cleared trail which passes within 20 yards of your position. The horsemen canter past ahead of the wagons, but one of the riders who is following behind suddenly leaves the track and steers his horse through the stumps towards your position. Fearing that you may have been spotted, you signal to Prince Karvas to split up and find a new hiding place. Silently you watch as the horseman is slowed to a halt by a dense cluster of tree stumps. He dismounts and abandons his mare in order to continue his search on foot. He draws his sword as he passes close to where you are hiding, but he does not see you. As he moves away, you see that his horse does not follow. She stays to crop some sickly weeds at the base of a tree stump barely 10 yards from where you are lying. Hanging from her saddle are a bulging leather satchel, an axe, and a coil of rope.

If you wish to attempt to look inside the horse’s saddlebag, turn to 145.

If you decide to remain hidden among the tree stumps, turn to 287.