78
‘Come, my friend,’ you say to Karvas, ‘let us leave these good gentlemen in peace.’ The Prince can hardly believe his ears, but he allows you to take him by the arm and lead him away to the tavern door.
‘Have you lost your mind, Grand Master?’ he hisses. ‘We must have their tickets!’
‘And we shall, my lord, we shall,’ you reply, wryly. ‘Just be patient a little longer, that’s all I ask.’
You leave the tavern and wait in the shadows of a nearby alleyway for the two Cavalians to depart. Soon you hear the clang of the riverboat’s bell echoing through the village. The captain is calling all passengers aboard; his boat is due to set off for Seroa in fifteen minutes’ time. You watch a steady stream of people leaving the tavern and walking to the jetty to board the boat, but you do not see the Cavalians. You are beginning to fear that you have missed them in the crowd when suddenly they emerge from the tavern. They are the last ones to leave.
