CHAPTER 5
The wind is a force unseen but ever present.
We feel it, we sense it, we live with it.
But we cannot control it.
So too are the forces which control our destinies;
We sense them, we know they are there,
But we cannot control them.
… Or can we?
-FROM THE BOOK OF ST. ALBANS-
We did not go directly to the Inn of the Brown Pig. Following Hakim, we took the indirect path through a nearby alley and scaled the walls of an empty building compound before emerging into the dark pit of an alley. A stoutly built wall of stone ran parallel with the alley. From within, I felt the collective presence of those who occupied the inn. I also felt the pulsating rhythm of pain. Immense pain.
“We must be quick, human.” Hakim whispered softly into my ear. “The Hartooth have spies watching thi
