### 259

You draw upon your Discipline of Animal Mastery to subdue the dog, and the effect of your suggestion is immediate and irresistible. The dog stops growling and comes bounding towards you like a carefree puppy. You pat and stroke him, and he licks your hand affectionately.

‘Well I’ll be!’ exclaims one of the guardsmen. ‘You certainly ’ave a way with dogs. Ol’ Bloodfang don’t normally take to strangers.’

His companion looks at the playful hound and he shakes his head incredulously. ‘I’ve never seen him like this before,’ he says. ‘I’ve seen ’im bite a few hands off in his time, but I ain’t ever seen him lick one!’

Your control over the dog greatly impresses the two soldiers and they choose to forget about searching the parlour and its adjoining rooms. After a few minutes they put their dog on a leash and then they return to the yard. You stand in the doorway and watch as they, and four other guardsmen, make a thorough search of the barrels stored along the rear wall.

‘What’s all the fuss?’ you call out, much to Delissa’s surprise.

‘We’re looking for an enemy spy,’ retorts one of the soldiers.

‘He’s wearing a cavalry scout uniform,’ says another. ‘Have you seen or heard anything unusual tonight?’

‘No,’ you reply. ‘The storm kept us awake. We’ve heard nothing o’er that.’

The guards appear satisfied with your account and they call off their search. They bid you both goodnight and leave by the rear gate. When she is sure they have gone, Delissa quickly returns to the parlour and locks the door behind her.

Turn to 10.