Chapter 3Though the hail eventually let up, it rained steadily for the whole morning. A few of the farm workers, curious at the column of smoke that rose from the wreck well beyond sunrise, attempted to enter the field, leaving us no option but to turn them away. All I could tell them was that there had been a particularly unpleasant and thorough act of vandalism during the night and on no account was anyone to be admitted until the field was safe. They left, but clearly suspicious. It was not long before we were visited, probably on their report, by Eldred Lanyon, manager of the Maliksen estate.
Typically, Citizen Lanyon and I are on polite terms, but this occasion proved an exception. He asked, in no uncertain terms, what in Hel’s name did I suppose I was playing at and whether or not I
