129

You push open the tower door with your foot and a splash of morning sunlight illuminates the gloomy interior. Slowly the man raises his weather-browned face and a smile softens his craggy features as he recognizes the uniform you are wearing.

‘Welcome, Pathfinder,’ he says, his thick Eruan accent echoing around the empty stone chamber. ‘I am Halgar of Pirsi. Come and share my humble feast in celebration of our victory over the Drakkarim.’

He splits the roasted bird in two and tosses half to you. It tastes delicious. ‘I saw you approaching,’ he says, wiping away the grease from his mouth with the back of a calloused hand, ‘and I wagered you would stop to breakfast here. Where are you bound?’

You hesitate to answer, but your basic Kai Sixth Sense tells you that this man is no trickster. ‘I’m riding to Pirsi. I’ve orders to contact Sebb Jarel,’ you reply, hoping he will offer to tell you where the partisan leader may be found. Halgar narrows his sea-green eyes and strokes his chin thoughtfully.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility, turn to 331.

If you do not possess this skill, turn to 267.