### 5

‘I shall endeavour to, your majesty,’ you reply, uneasily. You ask Mitzu for some details about the Prince, such as the place, the date, and the time of his birth. Then you look out across the balcony to the night sky and see that the stars are partially obscured by low clouds, driven on by a stiff easterly breeze. Conditions are far from ideal, but there are sufficient breaks in these scudding clouds for you to be able to discern the position of the constellations. Using your astrological knowledge of the heavens, and the information supplied by Mitzu, you discover to your dismay that the stars hold a disturbing prediction for her young son’s future.

Turn to 101.