Dawn of the Dragons (14 page)
From the depths of its cavernous gullet, the dragon coughs forth a concentrated jet of white-hot flame that comes speeding towards your chest. Wide-eyed with fear, you leap aside desperately to avoid being incinerated by this lance of dragon-fire.
If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 46
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 153
.
‘Please sir,’ she says once more. ‘Are you not the Northland warrior, the one they call Lone Wolf? I was in attendance at the Elector's court when he awarded you the Star of Palmyrion for your victory over the Cener Druids of Ruel. I would be honoured if you would grace me with your company.’
Intrigued by the young woman's account, and her high-bred charms, you step away from the bushes and approach her carriage door.
You dare not allow yourself to believe that Guildmaster Banedon and the others are dead. You ask the King to be allowed to travel immediately to the Kai Monastery aboard your flying ship
Cloud-dancer
so that you may be sure of their fate. King Ulnar considers your request, but he refuses his permission for you to fly to the monastery. He fears that
Cloud-dancer
could be destroyed in the same manner that
Skyrider
was felled from the skies. He reasons that if Naar's minions were capable of wrecking a skyship that was protected by twelve powerful magicians, they would have little difficulty in destroying a skyship with no magical defences whatsoever. And, furthermore, he can ill afford to risk losing you in this fashion. You embody Sommerlund's only hope of victory against the forces of Naar in this dark hour.
On reaching the far bank, you use the corpses that litter the shoreline for cover. You wait here, absolutely motionless, for nearly fifteen minutes before crawling from the water and slithering on your stomach into the wood which commands this stretch of the river bank. Your stealth and your Kai camouflage skills keep you hidden from the watchful eyes of the Eldenoran archers who infest these trees, but they do not fool their keen-nosed war-dogs. You have barely reached the tree-line when they begin to bark and howl.
If you possess Animal Mastery,
turn to 47
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 156
.
You help Nathor and the villagers to fight the fires which threaten to consume their humble homes, using your Magnakai skill of Nexus to good effect, and when you have saved all you can, you summon the troop together to assess the situation.
Six brigands and two Court Cavalry troopers were killed during the brief fight to secure the village. The villagers themselves have lost eight of their menfolk, with several others wounded and some missing; these are presumed to be hiding in the woods. They have retained most of their possessions but their abbey has been gutted by the fire which Holkar and his thugs started. Nathor conducts a burial for the slain villagers and his two men, during which he pledges that Queen Evaine will be informed of what happened here this day.
‘Her Majesty will see that justice is done,’ he assures the tearful gathering of peasants. ‘The bandit-realm of Eldenora will be made to pay for this crime.’
After the burial, Lord Nathor gives to the village elders a weighty purse of silver Lune and a horse which belonged to one of his slain men. It is a small token for the loss they have suffered, but one that is appreciated by the villagers. The other horse is given to you, to replace the steed that was killed beneath you during the ambush on the road.
You get to your feet and resume your steady climb towards the gate, now less than a hundred yards distant, but you have taken only a few dozen steps when suddenly another flight of Lavas emerges from the Shadow Gate. You flatten yourself against the damp granite in a desperate attempt to avoid being seen, but in your hurry you lose your footing on the slippery rocks.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. For every level of Kai rank you have attained above that of Kai Grand Guardian, add 1 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 5 or less,
turn to 272
.
If it is 6–8,
turn to 29
.
If it is 9 or higher,
turn to 141
.
You try to drag yourself up from the roadway, but your strength rapidly deserts you and you tumble, unconscious, back into the mud.
Several hours later you regain consciousness and are able to muster sufficient strength to stand. Your innate Kai healing skills have saved you from the deadly plague virus which infects this town, but you have paid a grievous price.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the number you have chosen is even (0, 2, 4. 6, 8), deduct 10
ENDURANCE
points from your current total. If the number you have picked is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 6
ENDURANCE
points.
If you are still alive,
turn to 193
.
You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and raise your right arm, pointing it towards the belly of the swooping beast. A flash of blue-white light erupts at your fingertips, and an arc of crackling energy speeds from your hand towards the creature. It veers in mid-air to avoid the bolt but its reactions are too slow to escape being hit. The bolt rips a jagged hole in its left wing and, suddenly off-balanced by the wound, the beast loses control and slams into the ground with a sickening crunch.
Elector Manatine permits you the use of his private chambers, which adjoin the War Room, where you are able to get a few hours' sleep before dawn. Then, shortly after sunrise, you bid the Elector and his generals farewell and leave the city, with Captain Cearmaine, in a military coach bound for Holona. An escort of cavalry outriders accompany this armoured carriage in case you should meet unexpectedly with a unit of roving Eldenorans during your journey east. Thankfully, the journey proves swift and uneventful and, as the day is turning to dusk, you find yourself approaching the military outpost of Stonewatch.
You stay at this fort overnight and then continue on to Holona in the morning. For most of the journey you experience a sense of unease, a premonition that something is wrong, but it is not until you catch sight of the city, shortly before noon, that your fears are realized.
The severe heat and poisonous atmosphere is beginning to take its toll: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
You sense that your Magnakai skill of Nexus is shielding your body from the worst effects of this hellish environment, but you cannot rely on it to protect you indefinitely. Already your tunic is smouldering and the soles of your boots are giving off wisps of blue smoke. You must escape from here soon, before you succumb to the heat and the toxic atmosphere.
However, for the moment there is a more pressing danger to be faced. The dragon-creatures that you saw earlier are now advancing rapidly towards the Shadow Gate.
Queen Evaine commands the Lord Constable to take you to the citadel dungeons which are located several levels below the State Hall. Here, shackled to the dank stone wall of a rat-infested cell, is the man who was caught in a Garthen tavern plotting your murder. Limp and unconscious, he hangs by his wrists in chains, his emaciated body showing all too clearly the signs of recent tortures. A pot-bellied gaoler scoops a bucket of foul water from a trough by the cell door and revives the prisoner by pouring it unceremoniously over his head. Coughing and spluttering, the wretch stirs to consciousness. He raises his face and you sense that he recognizes immediately who you are; his eyes blaze with an undisguised hatred.
‘He's a tough un,’ growls the gaoler. ‘I've used all o' me skills on 'im but 'e won't say who 'is paymaster be.’
The fat gaoler reaches for a pair of long-handled pincers which are protruding from a brazier of hot coals.
‘Perhaps you'll be wanting to interrogate 'im yourself, sire?’ he says, offering you the pincers. Wisps of smoke curl from their sharpened tips which are red and glowing.
‘Aye, gaoler, there are questions I'd like this man to answer. But I'll not be needing those,’ you reply, declining the use of the cruel pincers. ‘I prefer to rely on my own methods of interrogation.’
If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 79
.
If you possess Kai-surge,
turn to 254
.
If you possess neither of these Grand Master Disciplines or choose not to use them,
turn instead to 95
.
You wait until the line of Eldenoran soldiers has filed past the entrance to the dugout; then you slip outside and make your way swiftly along the trench. Suddenly there is a terrific boom, and a brilliant splash of blue-white fire illuminates the distant bridge. It is the opening bombardment in yet another futile assault across the river.
The trench ahead is empty; its owners have already gone forward to support the new attack. When you reach the end, you scramble over the muddy parapet and race head-down across a stretch of open ground towards a small wood.
You do not slip very far before you are able to arrest your fall and descend at a slower pace. You find the Sun-crystal lying wedged among the rocks and, with a growing sense of awe, you take hold of it and weigh it in your hand. Then you turn to look back at the Shadow Gate in order to gauge your throw.
The halo of energy which surrounds the Shadow Gate begins to crackle fiercely, and your Kai instincts tingle with a strange and sinister premonition. You can sense that, on the Plane of Darkness, Naar has just consigned his newest champions to the Shadow Gate through which you escaped. His mighty dragon herd is on its way to Magnamund.
As the first rays of the dawn sun spread across the surrounding rocks, you draw back your arm and hurl the Sun-crystal into the gaping maw of the Shadow Gate.
The carriage door swings open and the beautiful young woman steps gracefully out onto the stony trail.
‘May I be so bold as to introduce myself,’ she says, pausing to adjust a broad-brimmed hat which is trimmed with black corvayl fur, as silky smooth as her flowing hair. ‘I am the Baroness Coryene of the Lucia Province.’
She offers her delicate hand and you kiss it in deference to her noble rank. Out of the corner of your eye you notice the leading horseman dismount and come to stand protectively by her side.
Illustration VII—The beautiful young woman steps gracefully out and offers you her delicate hand.
‘Oh, and this is my personal guard — Dorst.’
You give the gruff-looking fellow a slight bow and he nods his head in response, albeit begrudgingly.
‘We are returning from a visit to my cousin's estate. We were hoping to reach Kalma by sunset, but we were delayed by bandits,’ she says, almost apologetically.
‘We made 'em pay dearly for wastin' our time, though,’ adds Dorst, with quiet menace.
‘It appears that we shall now have to encamp here in the hills this night,’ says the Baroness. ‘Perhaps you would care to join us, my lord? I would feel so much safer if you did.’
Despite Dorst's cutting glances, you agree to the Baroness's proposal. Then you produce the six trout that you caught earlier and offer them to her as a gift.
‘Why, thank you,’ she says, with a wide smile. ‘They look … delicious.’
Despite not having made a telepathic contact with Guildmaster Banedon, you refuse to believe that he and Lord Rimoah are dead. You resolve instead to reach the Kai Monastery and destroy the Shadow Gate as soon as you are able and, strengthened by this resolution, you return to the council of war and announce your decision to the King. You show the council the Sun-crystal that Gwynian gave you, and you tell them how you intend to use it.
Ulnar and the barons applaud your plan and your steadfast courage. The King places under your command his élite Guard Cavalry regiment, so that you may be able to use them to break through the enemy's line at its weakest point and reach the Kai Monastery. Captain D'Val, commander of the Guard Cavalry, knows where this weak point is and he will guide you to it.
The King dissolves the council and, as the barons return to their armies in the field, he orders you to rest in his chambers for a few hours.
‘Get some sleep, Grand Master,’ he says, patting you paternally on the shoulder. ‘You will need it. You ride with the Guard at dawn.’