Mydnight's Hero (7 page)
You draw upon your Grand Mastery of Elementalism to extinguish the deadly flames by removing the air in the immediate vicinity of the fire. As the flames rapidly recede, Prince Karvas rushes forward and smothers the smouldering remains with his journeyman's cloak.
You follow Karvas through the teeming streets of the capital towards Palace Square, the grand plaza where the crowning ceremony is set to take place in less than an hour. A wide avenue of marbled stone leads towards the square, and as you hurry along it, you marvel at the aristocratic mansions and embassies that march past on either side. The sound of a fanfare echoes in the distance and you increase your pace when Karvas tells you that it signifies the arrival of Baron Sadanzo. The approach to the square itself is blocked by the crowd, but the Prince knows of another way by which you may reach it. You leave the avenue and he takes you along a narrow lane that winds through a maze of buildings in the Merchants' Quarter. This area has been closed for the Ascendance and Harvestmas ceremonies, but you are able to climb over the barricades that have been erected to prevent entry by the crowd, and you reach the square unchallenged.
On a raised platform in the centre of Palace Square, Baron Sadanzo is preparing to kneel before Phedros, the Marshal of the Realm, the highest ranking officer in the kingdom of Siyen. He is flanked by the High Chancellor, the High Chamberlain, the Mayor of Seroa, and other Siyenese noblemen. Under the Constitution of Siyen, following the death of Oridon and the absence of Karvas, the Marshal of the Realm is empowered to bestow kingship upon the Baron.
Frantically, you and the Prince struggle through the crowd that encircles the platform. Phedros is about to place the State Crown of Siyen upon Sadanzo's head when you leap onto the platform and bring the ceremony to an abrupt halt.
‘I am Karvas, Crown Prince of Siyen, and I demand my birthright!’ shouts the Prince to the assembled nobles. The crowd gives a gasp of astonishment which is followed by a deathly hush.
‘You are an impostor,’ screams Sadanzo. ‘The real Prince Karvas is exiled in Sheasu. I demand this man be executed for his insolence!’
Marshal Phedros approaches Karvas and takes hold of his right arm. He pulls back the sleeve of his tunic and examines the birthmark on his wrist. Phedros has known Karvas since he was a baby, and you sense that he is convinced that the mark is genuine. He raises the Prince's arm so that the other Siyenese nobles gathered on the platform can see the crescent-shaped mark. Murmurs of dissent can be heard among the crowd, and whispers that Karvas has returned filter back to Sadanzo's ears. The evil Baron narrows his coal-black eyes and slips a glowing green gem from the pocket of his ermine robes. Your Sixth Sense warns you that this stone is radiating strong psychic energies. Through its use, Sadanzo is able to exert a powerful control over the noblemen of Siyen who are gathered here on the platform. If you are to break the Baron's mental hold over them, you must destroy the evil gem that is clenched in his bony fist.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 97
.
If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 205
.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 135
.
If you possess neither of these Disciplines, nor a Bow, or if you choose not to use any of them,
turn to 314
.
You pull your rope out of your pack and cast one end down to the helpless Prince. The instant he grabs this trailing end securely with his free hand, you pull with all your strength and haul him out of the cavity. As you are helping him to his feet, you happen by chance to notice that he has a crescent-shaped birthmark on his right wrist.
Between gasps of breath, Karvas thanks you earnestly for your timely help. Had you not acted when you did he feels certain that he would have slipped and fallen into the raging river.
You hold the blacksmith with a piercing stare and quietly recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Mind Charm
. As the spell takes hold, you command him mentally to signal to his son that all is well between you. Your magical charm instils a sense of calm well-being into the man and he begins to relax and smile. He complies with your command and his son returns to his furnace.
You ask the blacksmith if he knows the whereabouts of Prince Karvas of Siyen. He tells you that the Prince does not reside in the city. It is said that he lives somewhere on the remote northern coast of Sheasu. He also tells you that Karvas is not alone. Shortly after he came here, almost a decade ago, he was joined by a young woman. They were married by a sea captain in Mydnight harbour, on board the deck of his trading ship, and ever since their wedding day they have rarely been seen again.
You thank the blacksmith for his help and leave the smithy before the effects of the spell wear off. On returning to the quayside you set out to explore the tangle of alleyways that make up the city's eastern quarter in the hope of discovering more about the Prince and his wife. Unfortunately, your efforts garner no new information. As the sun begins to settle on the horizon, you abandon your search and hurry back through the darkening passageways towards the market square.
An arrow, fired from the battlements, grazes your skull: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.
Make the necessary adjustment to your current
ENDURANCE
score and then continue by
turning to 342
.
You gag and tie the unconscious guard with his belt and tunic, and then you hide him in some long grass at the base of the perimeter wall. Hurrying across the field, you soon reach a courtyard located near to the main entrance. This flagstoned yard abuts the entrance gates and is bounded on the other three sides by paddocks, tack rooms, and the training fields. There are only two guards on duty here, the others having been called upon to assist the patrols that are out searching the city. They are both asleep at their posts and you have no difficulty tiptoeing past them and entering the paddocks where the horses are stabled.
You search the stalls and soon discover two black Bhanarian stallions of magnificent quality and breeding. They will make ideal mounts for you and Prince Karvas. These intelligent animals respond readily to your Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control and they remain calm and composed as you hurriedly fix their saddles and bridles. As you are leading them out into the courtyard, you stop to unbuckle a sword belt from the belly of a sleeping guard. Prince Karvas is unarmed and you are sure he will appreciate this weapon more than its present owner.
You lead the horses across the courtyard and as you approach the stables' main doors, you mount one of them and fix the reins of the other to your stirrup. Then you kick open one of the double doors and urge your horse forward at the gallop.
The guards outside are taken completely by surprise. As they fumble to unsheathe their swords, you race across the square and wave to Karvas who is waiting patiently for your signal. The Prince leaps up from behind the cart and comes running towards the spare horse. He is getting ready to leap into its saddle when a gruff cry alerts you to danger. A patrol has entered the square and their officer is commanding his sergeant to fire at you with his bow.
If you possess Kai-surge,
turn to 172
.
If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 313
.
You descend the stairs and make your way through the taproom crowd to the two Cavalian lordlings who are sipping wine at the counter.
‘Good evening, my lords,’ says Karvas, politely. ‘My friend and I were wondering if you two gentlemen are bound for Seroa this night.’
The Cavalians regard you with disdain as they sip their perfumed wine from long-stemmed glasses.
‘And what business would it be of yours, pray tell?’ retorts the taller of the two.
‘We wish to buy two tickets for the riverboat to Seroa,’ you reply, truthfully.
‘My, my,’ tuts the shorter, plumper man. ‘I do believe they want us to sell our tickets, Foluge. Would you credit their nerve?’
The taller dandy utters a terse laugh and he flicks his fingers at you dismissively. ‘We've waited many years for Baron Sadanzo to come to power, and we would not miss his crowning for all the Orla in Siyen.’
‘Yea, 'tis so,’ fawns his stout companion. ‘When Baron Sadanzo becomes King we shall both become rich men. Now leave us. We have no tickets to sell and we tire of your company.’
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 309
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you choose not to use it,
turn to 78
.
One of your pursuers suddenly emerges from the alleyway behind you, his steam-spear raised in readiness to launch another projectile. Instinctively, you dive at him and bring him crashing to the ground before he can release the deadly missile. In the ensuing struggle you knock him unconscious with a blow to his jaw; then you grab the hollow spear and turn it towards the Bakhasians gathered at the end of the street. A trigger lever on the side of the spear fires a projectile and you see it soar through the air to strike the nearest shrine-bearer squarely in the chest. As the man is hurled backwards by the force of its impact, his grip is torn from the platform. It tilts over and the tiger-head idol tumbles from its wooden base to hit the ground with a mighty crash. It shatters in two, releasing a whirling cone of red flame from its hollow core that swiftly engulfs the remaining bearers. In the blink of an eye these men are transformed into smouldering heaps of ash.
Cries of fear and outrage echo along the street as the Bakhasian soldiers witness the deaths of their comrades and the destruction of their unholy symbol. Before they can muster themselves and give chase, you cast aside the steam-spear and call for Karvas to follow as you rush across the street and make a hasty escape into the dark alleyway beyond.
The Knight Bachelor regards your handful of coins with ill-disguised contempt. He averts his eyes from your hand and begins to take a closer interest in your horse. Your Sixth Sense warns you that he secretly wants your fine Bhanarian steed for himself.
‘Well, my lord, will you accept my donation?’ you ask.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 262
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you choose not to use it,
turn to 95
.
Acraban is deaf to your pleas. He has never experienced anything like this storm before and he seems unable to decide the best course of action to take. When at last he decides to order Kuo to change course it is already too late. There is a second deafening
Crack!
as the skyship is struck forcefully beneath the stern.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–3,
turn to 268
.
If it is 4–8,
turn to 149
.
If it is 9,
turn to 341
.