346

You hand over all of your money (erase everything from the Belt Pouch section of your Action Chart) and the ticket seller pockets the coins with glee. ‘Where are our tickets?’ demands Karvas, but the thin man merely waves his hand disdainfully and retorts: ‘I told you, all tickets are sold. Just go aboard and lie low with the cargo ’til tomorrow. Once she’s underway, you’ll not be needing tickets. It’s a straight voyage down the river to Seroa. She’ll not be stoppin’ along the way.’

You hurry aboard and make your way to the cargo hold in the belly of the boat. You make yourselves as comfortable as you can among the bales of linen and flax stored here. After a short while you hear the clang of the riverboat’s bell. It is a signal that she is about to set off for Seroa in fifteen minutes’ time, and a last call for passengers who are still in Xaia. Once everyone is aboard, the gangplank is raised and the riverboat’s waterwheel begins to turn. As you feel the boat getting underway, you settle yourself down among the bales and quickly drift off to sleep.

To continue, turn to 46.