Sands of Blood (3 page)
Authors: Steve Barlow
The queen continues her story. “Fortunately, Solmor realised that the power of the Blood Crown may again be needed to fight evil. He had this message carved onto a golden tablet.” She signals a councillor to show you the tablet.
To he who seeks the Blood Crown in
a worthy
cause, I leave this instruction.
To find the Ruby of
Power, seek the Blind
Man of the Lost Temple of
the Desert.
All the other rubies will follow…
“But what is this all to do with me?” you ask.
The queen answers, “We wish you to journey to the Lost Temple, find the Ruby of Power and then hunt down the others. With these we will be able to defeat the Red Queen.”
You are surprised. “Why me?” you ask.
“We have already sent many city guards to find the rubies, but none have returned. You and Olderon are our last hope…”
If you wish to accept the quest,
go to 46
.
If you do not wish to,
go to 2
.
“We have to turn back,” you cry as the clouds of sand head towards you at lightning speed.
You turn Hergal around and urge her to fly as fast as possible. But even the gryphon’s speed is not enough to outrun the storm. A savage gust of wind sends Hergal spinning and you lose your grip on her reins. You plunge through the air and hit the ground with a bone-breaking crunch. Pain courses through your body and you pass out into blackness.
“Very well, I will return to Alba,” you say.
“You have chosen honourably,” replies Olderon. “I have horses saddled and ready for us.”
You say farewell to the forge master, pack your sword and bow, and set off. After a day of hard travelling you find yourselves heading up a mountain pass with a long drop to one side.
As you ride along the narrow path you hear a great roar above you. You glance up to see a huge mountain troll standing on a ledge directly above you. The creature hurls a boulder at you. It crashes down onto the path causing Olderon’s horse to rear up. The city guard is thrown over the side of the cliff but manages to grab hold of the rocky edge.
“Help me!” he cries.
There is another roar from above. You look up to see the troll getting ready to attack again.
If you want to try to rescue Olderon,
go to 44
.
If you wish to attack the troll,
go to 16
.
The astrolabe points your way across the desert. As the sun sets, the desert sands turn a blood-red colour. You hope this is not a bad omen.
You just make out the shape of a pyramid in the distance. To one side of it stands a sphinx carved in stone. The astrolabe points directly towards it. You land and stand before the great stone figure.
To your amazement, the sphinx opens its eyes and speaks! “Who are you and what do you seek?”
You tell the creature of your quest.
“If you wish to find the Lost Temple,” it says, “you must answer the following riddle: If you give me food, I live. If you give me water, I die. What am I?”
If you think you know the answer,
go to 33
.
If you want more information,
go to 12
.
“We don’t want people to be scared of us,” you say. “We’ll land outside the city and enter on foot.”
“I agree,” replies Olderon.
You guide Hergal to the sand dunes beyond the city walls. You leave the gryphon and head to the city gate.
There are several armed guards at the gate. The captain orders you to stop. “Who are you, strangers, and what do you want?” he asks.
If you want to tell the truth,
go to 9
.
If you want to hide the truth,
go to 15
.
With lightning speed you load your bow, aim and shoot at the firebird. The arrow strikes home. You shoot again and score another deadly hit.
The firebird plunges to the ground, sending its rider crashing to the floor. You draw your sword and attack the skeleton, slashing at its clattering white bones. It thrusts its spear towards you, but you spin away and cut through the creature’s neck. The skeleton drops to the floor, turning into a cloud of dust.
Olderon slaps you on the back. “Well fought.”
“What was that creature?” you ask. “And where did it come from?”
The queen replies, “It was sent by our enemy, the Red Queen and her husband, Mortha, the necromancer. They are searching for the rubies from the Blood Crown.”
If you wish to know more about the rubies,
go to 41
.
If you wish to find out more about the Red Queen,
go to 7
.
You hold up the amulet. “I will surrender the amulet. Here it is. But you must first release Olderon.”
“We will,” replies the wraith. “We will release him from his life.” The creature plunges his sword into Olderon’s body. You give a cry as your companion drops to the floor.
The wraiths attack, but the ruby gives you great power. You move at incredible speed, slashing at the wraiths’ rotting bodies and avoiding their blades.
The battle is soon over. The bodies of your enemies lie scattered on the temple floor. You hurry over to Olderon, who lies bleeding from the wraith’s deadly blow.
You hold up you hand. “We come in peace.”
Before you can continue one of the men draws back his hand. There is a blur of movement and Olderon gives a cry. You stare at him and see a blade embedded in his chest. He drops to the ground, dead.
You draw your sword and ready yourself for a fight to the death.
You shake your head. “I cannot do that.”
“Then die!” The Spellcaster leaps up and attacks you
–
he has turned into a ghoul! He plunges his razor sharp teeth into your neck and you scream as the creature rips at your flesh.
Olderon reacts and kills your attacker with his sword.
You hold your hand to the gaping wound in your neck. You realise that the ghoul’s blood had mixed with the Spellcaster’s, turning him into a ghoul. You look at your blood stained hands. “If the Spellcaster turned into a ghoul then so will I…”
Olderon nods. “Then you too must die…”
You realise that Olderon is right. “Do what you have to,” you say as you close your eyes and wait for your end.
You have failed in your quest. If you wish to begin again,
go to 1
.
“I have no time for stories,” you say. “If there is a task to do, let me get on with it.”
“You are too hasty,” the queen replies. “Stories can tell us great truths and help to guide our actions.”
You consider for a moment. The queen is right, you should take time to think before you act. You bow your head. “Forgive me. Please tell the story.”
You remember the Spellcaster’s words. “The answer is fire,” you reply. You feed it wood; it burns, if you pour on water; it dies out.
The sphinx nods. A grating noise cuts through the desert night and you see that a door into the pyramid has opened. “That which you seek is within,” says the sphinx.
You and Olderon head into the pyramid. Flaming torches light up your way as you walk through the narrow stone passages.
Eventually you arrive at the opening to an underground lake of burning oil. In the centre of the lake is a golden-domed temple
–
the Lost Temple! The astrolabe points directly towards the dome. “We have to get to the dome,” says Olderon. “But how?”
“The Spellcaster said we should trust the astrolabe,” you reply.
Olderon looks surprised. “You think we should just walk across the lake?”
If you wish to walk towards the Lost Temple,
go to 21
.
If you want to look for another way across,
go to 47
.
“It would be better if people did not know we are in Barrsa,” you say. “Let us go by sea.”
“Very well,” says the queen. “May good fortune be with you.”
Some hours later you and Olderon are on board the ship, heading across the sea towards Barrsa.
“How long until we reach land?” you ask the captain.
“Another day if the wind holds good,” he answers. “But you can never tell
–
” he breaks off and points ahead. A large black cloud has suddenly formed in the sky. “What is that?” he asks in wonder. The cloud heads towards you at unnatural speed…
Olderon gives a cry of alarm. “That isn’t a cloud, it’s a swarm of giant vampire bats!”
“We must turn back,” says the captain.
If you think you should turn back,
go to 11
.
If you want to continue your journey by sea,
go to 49
.
You head to the marketplace and ask a trader for directions to the Spellcaster’s home.