Shadow on the Sand (19 page)
The Akataz leaps through the air at your face. You fall backwards, kicking with both feet, but you are winded as the war-dog jolts the air from your lungs. It slashes your shoulder (lose 1
ENDURANCE
point), before cartwheeling over the edge of the stairs, its howl cut short as it smashes into the marble floor of the lower palace.
You spring to your feet and draw your weapon, for the Drakkarim are running towards you. A terrible roar of hate and rage fills the hall: ‘Kill him!’ The Drakkarim unsheathe their black swords, eager to obey their master's command. They attack you simultaneously.
Drakkarim:
COMBAT SKILL
18
ENDURANCE
35
You can evade the combat at any time by running into the adjoining passage.
If you wish to evade combat,
turn to 238
.
If you win the combat,
turn to 345
.
Banedon holds a gleaming ring of silver beneath the merchant's nose and says, ‘This is yours, my friend, if you tell us were Tipasa can be found.’
The merchant snatches the ring from the wizard's hand and stammers, ‘The first alley on the left past the stables. He lives at the house with the blue door.’
You hurry across the crowded marketplace towards the stables and enter the street beyond. As you turn into the alley, you hear the merchant's shriek of dismay above the noise of the crowd; the ring has just dissolved on his finger. At the end of the alley you find the house with the blue door.
You recognize the flag that flies above a fortified platform in the centre of the strange craft: it is the crescent and crystal star ensign of the Magicians' Guild of Toran, a city in northern Sommerlund. The skyship is commanded by a Sommlending wizard — one of your own countrymen. He is a blond-haired young man dressed in long, dark blue robes.
You are so stunned by the fateful appearance of the craft that you fail to notice the blood seeping from the Itikar's mouth: the creature is near to death. Suddenly, the great bird lets out a pitiful and agonizing caw. Its wings stiffen, and its head falls limply forward as the last flicker of life escapes from its torn body. You are pitched forward, and your stomach heaves as you plummet towards Lake Inrahim.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 374
.
If it is 5–8,
turn to 254
.
If it is 9,
turn to 261
.
‘Why do you ask?’ she replies suspiciously, blinking the tears from her eyes. ‘What business do you have with Old Tipasa?’
‘He is a friend,’ replies Banedon, placing a Gold Crown on the tavern counter. The old woman covers the coin with her hand, her expression shrewd and calculating.
‘Soushilla is old, her memory has faded with the passing years,’ she says, waiting expectantly and glancing at Banedon's money pouch. He opens the flap to remove another Crown, but the pouch has been emptied by a nimble pickpocket. Sheepishly he avoids your stare, his face growing redder by the second.
‘Five Gold Crowns may refresh my memory,’ she says, her gaze now resting on you.
If you wish to pay the old woman 5 Gold Crowns, erase them from your
Action Chart
and
turn to 326
.
If you do not have 5 Gold Crowns or do not wish to give her the money, leave the tavern and
turn to 202
.
You crouch low as you wait for your chance to leap up and open the door. More and more crossbow bolts ricochet from the wall and parapet every second. The sound of iron-shod boots sends a shiver down your spine; the Drakkarim are storming the stairs — it's now or never!
You spring to your feet and run to the door, grasping the iron bolt with trembling fingers. A steel-tipped missile splinters stone less than an inch from your hand, another ricochets and opens a cut above your eye. The instant the bolt clears the bolt-hole, you pull open the stone portal and race through, unaware of what lies beyond.
You run, half-crouched, towards your golden blade, grab the hilt, and continue at full speed towards the cover of another pillar. Suddenly, a burst of energy leaps from the Darklord's fist, exploding into the base of the pillar, severing it from the floor. A tremendous roar fills your ears as you are thrown backwards by the shock of the blast. You lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. Haakon's laugh rises above the crash of falling stone until your head is filled with an agonizing pain.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Mindshield,
turn to 223
.
If you do not have this skill,
turn to 379
.
A narrow corridor faces you, which is lit by the orange light of the setting sun filtering down from small open windows set high above in the patterned walls. The air is filled with the sound of running feet, for the Grand Palace is now on full alert. The palace guards and the evil Drakkarim are bent on finding and killing you, for their own lives will be forfeit if they fail.
You reach a door that opens onto an outside balcony. A stair descends to a bridge that connects a needle-like tower of white marble to the main palace. The stair itself continues past the bridge, disappearing down towards the palace gardens far below. You see no soldiers, either on the bridge or in the gardens.
If you wish to descend to the bridge and enter the marble tower,
turn to 396
.
If you wish to continue past the bridge, descending the stairs to the palace gardens,
turn to 215
.
The Drakkar is strangling the dwarf. As he catches sight of you, he releases his grip and smashes his mailed fist into the dwarf's face, sending him tumbling into space. You are inflamed by this cold-blooded murder. You draw your weapon and attack.
Drakkar:
COMBAT SKILL
18
ENDURANCE
25
Due to the speed of your attack, do not deduct any of your own
ENDURANCE
points in the first round of combat.
If you win the combat,
turn to 213
.
As you turn to leave, the vaxeler bids you to wait. From a bundle of rags hidden beneath the bridge, he produces a gem-encrusted mace. The weapon is carved from solid silver and adorned with emeralds and diamonds along the haft. ‘Take it, I beseech you, as a token of my eternal thanks.’
If you wish to accept this gift, mark the Jewelled Mace on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item (which you carry tucked into your belt) before leaving the cave.
You leave the bell-tower and make your way down towards the sentry. At first, dodging from one turret to the next, it is easy to remain unseen. However, for the final thirty yards to the landing platform you will have no cover, for the platform and the palace roof are linked by an exposed gangplank. If you are to overpower the sentry, you must cross the gangplank undetected.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter,
turn to 295
.
If you do not possess the skill, pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Kai Disciplines of either Hunting or Camouflage, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you have reached the Kai rank of Warmarn or higher, add 3.
If your total score is now 0–4,
turn to 357
.
If your total is 5–9,
turn to 389
.
If your total is 10 or more,
turn to 236
.
The dwarves are not offended by your refusal. They have seen men stirred to fury or laid unconscious by a jug of Bor-brew. Nolrim grasps the tankard and downs the draught with one awesome gulp, removing the froth from his ginger beard with a practised flick of his forefinger.
If you wish to ask the dwarves how they came to be under Banedon's command,
turn to 291
.
If you wish to bid them goodnight,
turn to 359
.
You call out to them to stop, but your accent merely confirms their suspicions that you are a spy. A rock hurtles through the air and gashes your forehead. You lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. ‘Run, Lone Wolf!’ screams Banedon. ‘They will cut you to pieces!’
As they race nearer, the crazed look in their eyes quickly tells you it would be madness to stay. You turn and run for all you are worth.
As you turn and sprint along the passage, a terrible roar of hatred and rage fills the hall: ‘Kill him!’
You glance back. The Drakkarim are unsheathing their black swords, eager to obey their master's command. You race down some stairs, through a silver archway, and along a balcony that overlooks the lower palace.
The Akataz is nearly upon you; you feel its fetid breath on your legs. Instinctively you dodge aside at the very second it leaps. It crashes muzzle first into a marble pillar. A howl of pain leaves its broken mouth as you step forward and strike a death-blow; it will never attack again.
You glimpse the grim silhouette of Darklord Haakon in the hall below, his spiked fist raised. A Drakkar appears as if from nowhere and advances, a sword held high above his skull-like helm. There is a deafening crack as a bolt of blue lightning streaks from a stone in the Darklord's hand and comes hurtling towards you. The Drakkar lunges and wounds your arm (you lose 2
ENDURANCE
points), but he now stands in the path of the bolt. In a flash of light, the Drakkar is gone, leaving only cinders and the rotten odour of scorched flesh behind.
Illustration XVII—In a flash of light the Drakkar is gone.
At the end of the balcony are another arch and a staircase.
If you wish to escape through the arch,
turn to 381
.
If you wish to escape by the stairs,
turn to 317
.
As night falls, your desperate quest begins. The Giaks pose few problems that you cannot overcome with your warrior skills, for they have been overworked to the point of exhaustion. Only the Drakkarim show any sign of vigilance, but even then, there are less than a dozen patrolling the entire crater. Not until you reach the main entrance to the Tomb do you encounter any real difficulty.
A Drakkar stands on guard, his cruel eyes glinting behind his twisted iron death-mask. Occasionally, he diverts his attention from the watch to take a drink from a water flask.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter,
turn to 214
.
If you do not have this skill,
turn to 239
.
Itikar are by nature wild and malicious creatures, and it can take many years for a rider to tame and train one. However, the effort is well worthwhile as once this is been accomplished, the giant black birds are fiercely loyal.
The Itikar senses that you are not his master and tries to drive you away, wounding your back with a glancing blow from its powerful beak. You lose 1
ENDURANCE
point. However, due to sheer strength of will, you manage to climb into the saddle and subdue the creature. It turns its head and fixes you with a cold black stare, but you sense that it is now no longer hostile.
Suddenly, you catch sight of the Drakkarim, streaming across the gangplank. You stretch forward, unhook the Itikar's anchor rope from the saddle ring, and grab the thick leather reins.
The Drakkar curses you with his dying breath, his cry fading as he falls from the platform. You rush to aid your wounded countryman, but the battle is not yet over. A Kraan-rider is swooping towards you, a crossbow levelled at your head; he fires and the bolt shoots towards your face. Then a shrill, metallic whine rings in your ears as the bolt miraculously ricochets away, deflected by an invisible shield.
If you have ever been given a Crystal Star Pendant,
turn to 399
.
If you do not have this Special Item,
turn to 294
.