### 174

The monks appear upset by your refusal to eat. They whisper to each other and cast anxious glances at your untouched plate. Paido is busy eating his stew, smiling delightedly as he fills his empty stomach. The monks hurry out of the refectory and return minutes later in the company of an elderly man dressed in a hooded black robe. He carries a staff of plain black iron.

‘Has the Vakeros eaten?’ he asks, his voice strangely cold and monotonal.

‘Yes, master,’ the monks reply, ‘but the Kai Lord refused.’

If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 93.

If you do not possess this skill, turn to 128.