### 153

You use your Discipline to will the spider to return to its nest. The arachnid obeys your mental command and scurries away to disappear through a crack in the uneven bamboo floor. Your close encounter with this potentially deadly spider plays on your mind and you find it impossible to go back to sleep (lose 2 ENDURANCE points due to fatigue).

At first light you gather together your equipment and go down to the paddock to collect your horse. The hostel-keeper calls you from the kitchen window and holds up a large plate of food that is your breakfast. The memory of the zuath crawling up your leg invades your mind and the thought robs you of your appetite. You wave the man farewell and then mount your horse and ride away across the courtyard.

Turn to 314.