### 210

You watch with bated breath as the point of a spear moves slowly into view, its wet tip glinting dangerously. A man’s voice, gruff and demanding, challenges Paido to state good reason for trespassing on his property or to suffer the consequences. Paido answers with a sound far louder than you ever imagined could be made by a human voice. The force of the shout hits the man like a clenched fist, slamming him backwards through the timber parapet. He lands with a dull splash, spread-eagled atop a mound of manure and rotting vegetation.

‘Vakeros power-word,’ explains Paido, in answer to your unspoken question. ‘Someday I’ll teach you the technique, Kai Lord.’

If you wish to search the mill, turn to 306.

If you choose to leave the mill and continue your ride north to Tharro, turn to 318.