The woman’s scream echoed through theFisherman’s Inn in Lorgo. Lorgo was once part of Sordoa before theCollapse of the Universes a generation ago. Now, Lorgo is in one ofthe many unclaimed areas of the continent, which hasn’t receivedthe attention of any of the marauding armies yet. Esta Tern, theinnkeeper, told the young boy selling rabbits to wait and hurriedhis bulky frame up the stairs and along the corridor to the room atthe end of the hall. Esta knew which room the scream must have comefrom because he had only one female customer this morning and hedidn’t stand for unregistered guests in his rooms. Esta bangedloudly on the door. “Innkeeper! What’s the problem in there? Openthe door.”

The door opened and the femaletraveler, dressed in a fine white robe, pointed towards thewindow.

“Somebody was trying to comein through the window,” she shrieked. “What kind of an inn are yourunning when decent people don’t even have privacy in theirroom?”

Esta trudged over and leaned out thewindow, looking in both directions. Only a skinny strip of wood ranalong this side of the building and a bandit would have to be crazyto attempt moving along it, the fall could kill him. Down below inthe street nobody was moving. The only movement visible was down inthe harbor area where the last of the fishermen were putting out tosea. Esta watched the small, drab boats heading seaward under thedim light of morning before closing the shutters and turning to thewoman.

“I don’t see anything outthere,” he stated. “Don’t think anyone could walk on the littlestrip of wood out there and there aren’t any ladders insight.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”she demanded. “I tell you, someone was out there and I shouldn’thave to pay for a room that’s not private.”