### 185

You steer your horse away from the track and gallop through a tangle of briars and bracken bordering the stream. Your ambushers follow in pursuit, the thunder of their horses’ hooves and the clank of their armour echoing in your ears. It is a desperate chase, but the rough terrain works in your favour. After a while your pursuers pull back and cease the chase; they have decided to go in search of easier pickings—to harass the refugees fleeing from Syada.

Turn to 136.