Flight from the Dark (8 page)

The guards seem to believe your story and bow with respect to your rank of Kai Lord. One of them pulls a concealed bell-rope and the huge doors start to swing open. They usher you inside and you hear the doors close behind you.

Turn to 139
.

You dive into the undergrowth just as the beast screams past your head. You quickly look back to see the Kraan turning in the air in preparation for another dive. You scramble to your feet and run deeper into the safety of the forest.

Turn to 222
.

The cold corridor suddenly makes an abrupt turning towards the east. You notice a greenish glow that lights the tunnel in the far distance. As you creep nearer you can see that the corridor opens out into a larger chamber.

The strange light seems to emanate from a large bowl resting upon the top of a granite throne. On a plinth in front of the throne stands a statue. It looks like a winged serpent curved in the shape of an ‘S’.

If you wish to sit on the throne,
turn to 161
.

If you wish to examine the statue,
turn to 133
.

If you wish to look for an exit from this chamber,
turn to 257
.

The noise of battle soon fades behind you but the ensuing silence is broken by a voice in your head that accuses you of being a coward, and deserting a fellow human in danger. You try to rid yourself of your nagging conscience by telling yourself that your mission is far more important, and that not only is the life of the young magician in peril but the lives of all your countrymen depend on you reaching the capital alive.

Suddenly, the sight of a Giak war party in the distance makes you quickly take cover and hide. But it is too late — they have spotted you and you must run as fast as you can.

Turn to 281
.

As you descend the rocky slope towards the Graveyard of the Ancients, you are aware of a strange mist and cloud that swirls all around this grey and forbidding place, blocking the sun and covering the Graveyard in a perpetual gloom. A chill creeps forward to greet your approach.

With a feeling of deep dread, you enter the eerie necropolis.

Turn to 284
.

The overgrown path leads to a junction where another track branches off towards the east.

If you wish to take this path,
turn to 13
.

If you would rather continue towards the northeast,
turn to 287
.

The walls are dank and slimy. The stale air chokes you and cobwebs brush across your face. You can feel panic grip your stomach, as the tunnel gets darker and darker.

You reach a junction where the tunnel meets a corridor leading from north to south.

If you wish to turn north,
go to 26
.

If you wish to go south,
turn to 100
.

In the distance, perched on the branch of an old oak tree is a jet-black raven.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Animal Kinship, you may call to this bird by
turning to 298
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you do not wish to use it,
turn to 335
.

Eventually you come to the edge of a fast-flowing icy stream. The white water cascades over the mossy rocks and disappears towards the east.

If you wish to follow the stream to the east,
turn to 263
.

If you would rather explore upstream,
turn to 334
.

Running across the room, you lash out at the skulls, smashing them to fragments. You notice that inside each skull is a bubbling grey jelly that seems to writhe and change its shape, sprouting bat-like wings and suckers from its glistening form. In horror and loathing, you race for the exit corridor and escape just as a heavy portcullis falls with a crash, completely sealing off the chamber.

Turn to 23
.

You fly in an arc through the air towards the opposite roof. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion. You see the teeming crowds below in the street, and a nest of callysparrows in the eaves of a roof to your right. You hear their startled cries as you land with a crash on the other side. But it is the last sound that you will ever hear. The tiles splinter and collapse and you fall through the four floors of the ‘Green Slipper Inn’ breaking your back in several places.

Your mission and your life end here.

The only thing under the carpet is dirt!

You may take a closer look at the bottles by
turning to 164
.

Or you can leave the room and investigate the stable by
turning to 308
.

You quickly take aim and hurl the rock at the Giak's head as hard as you can, but to your horror the creature ducks and the rock arcs harmlessly over its back. You must act immediately to save the wizard.

Turn to 55
.

Only a few minutes after leaving the junction, you see in the distance a small log cabin and stable. On arrival you check the interior through a side window. The cabin looks deserted.

If you wish to enter the cabin,
turn to 57
.

If you wish to search the stable,
turn to 308
.

Suddenly, the large rock you are hiding behind is rolled aside and you are faced by two snarling Giaks intent on your death. The cave mouth is a narrow entrance and you can only fight the Giaks one at a time.

Giak 1:
COMBAT SKILL
 13   
ENDURANCE
 10

Giak 2:
COMBAT SKILL
 12   
ENDURANCE
 10

If you win, you may explore the cave further by
turning to 33
.

Or you may leave and descend the hill.
Turn to 248
.

You have been walking for over half an hour when your eye is caught by some bright red flowers growing near to a mossy bank. You recognize the plants to be Laumspur, a rare and beautiful herb much prized for its healing properties.

Kneeling down, you pick a handful of Laumspur and place it in your Backpack. You may eat this herb to regain lost
ENDURANCE
points. Each Meal of Laumspur will restore 3
ENDURANCE
points, and you have gathered enough for two such Meals.
¹
Closing your pack, you continue your mission.

If you wish to head northeast,
turn to 347
.

If you wish to head east,
turn to 295
.

You coax the horse to lie down and begin to cover him and yourself with branches and dead leaves. You hear the wings of the Kraan as it passes over the trees. It returns and circles above you, but soon retreats back across the lake.

You decide to leave now, in case it returns with some of its friends.

Turn to 239
.

You stumble into the first building and fall to the floor exhausted. You can smell cooked meat. You notice a small cauldron hanging over the embers of a dying fire, and a large oak table that has been set for a meal. Whoever lived here must have left in a great hurry this very morning. There is water in a jug and a loaf of fresh bread on the table.

If you decide to take a quick Meal,
turn to 150
.

If you decide to search the building,
turn to 177
.

If you would rather leave now and continue your run,
turn to 83
.

As you climb out of the muddy water, black arrows fall all around you. Quickly, you dash for the cover of the trees and wait for the Giaks to leave the opposite bank, before continuing on foot towards the capital.

Turn to 321
.

The man is badly injured and near to death. If you have the Kai Discipline of Healing, you may ease the pain of his wounds but he has been so seriously hurt he is beyond repair by your skills alone. He soon lapses into unconsciousness. You try to make him as comfortable as possible beneath a large forest oak, before leaving and pressing on through the thick woodland towards the northeast.

Turn to 330
.

You spur your horse to a gallop and race down the long straight path. In the far distance you can just make out the silhouette of Holmgard on the horizon, its high walls and tall spires glinting in the morning sun. Your path joins a highway running from north to south. It is the main turnpike road between the northern port of Toran and the capital. You set off towards Holmgard, your eyes peeled for Kraan in the clear morning sky.

Turn to 224
.

The gallowbrush tears your cloak and scratches deep into your arms and legs as you slowly force your way through. Fifteen minutes later you emerge from the briars and stagger onwards between the trees.

Deduct 2
ENDURANCE
points from your current score for the wounds you have sustained.

You feel a little dizzy as you push on, and your eyelids seem very heavy. You suddenly find yourself at the edge of a steep wooded slope.

If you wish to slide down the slope as carefully as you can,
turn to 226
.

If you do not feel that you are up to the risk of this tricky descent in your present sleepy state, walk around the edge of the ridge by
turning to 38
.

Behind you can hear the blood-crazy Giaks killing the caravan horses. You risk a quick glance over your shoulder and see a Kraan start to climb high into the air. Will it attack you or is it interested in something else? The dark shadow that is gradually getting larger all around you tells you that you are its intended victim. The Kraan is diving full speed at you!

If you wait until it is about to strike and then jump from the saddle,
turn to 84
.

If you head as fast as you can for the trees,
turn to 171
.

If you put your head down, pray to the heavens for good luck and gallop on regardless,
turn to 54
.

After a few minutes walking you see a stranger, clad in red, standing in the centre of the track ahead. He has his back towards you, and his head is covered by the hood of his robes. Perched on his outstretched arm is the black raven that you saw earlier.

Illustration VIII
—Perched on his outstretched arm is the black raven that you saw earlier.

If you wish to call the stranger,
turn to 342
.

If you wish to approach the stranger cautiously,
turn to 309
.

If you would rather draw your weapon and attack,
turn to 283
.