Shadow on the Sand (21 page)
‘Yes, yes. I am Soushilla,’ she replies.
‘Do you know where we can find Tipasa the wanderer?’ asks Banedon.
The old crone does not reply, she merely holds out her begging bowl in expectation. Banedon loses another crown before she answers his question.
It can take many years for a rider to tame an Itikar, for by nature they are wild and malicious creatures. You use your Kai skill to communicate with the giant bird, to assure it that you mean no harm. It fixes you with a cold, black stare, but you sense that it is no longer hostile.
As you settle in its wide saddle, you catch sight of the Drakkarim as they stream across the gangplank. Quickly you lean forward, unhook the anchor rope from the saddle ring and grab the thick leather reins.
As you enter the stables, you are overpowered by the smell of the douggas. You grit your teeth and cover your nose with your robe. A small boy sniggers at your reaction and says, ‘You're not Ikareshi — I can tell.’ He mimics your grimace, exposing a line of broken teeth.
‘Do you know where Tipasa the Wanderer lives?’ asks Banedon, holding up a silver ring. The boy's eyes nearly pop out of his head at the sight of the gleaming silver.
‘Oh yes, yes, yes, I do indeed,’ he stammers in his excitement. ‘Walk up the street and take the first passage on your left. The old wanderer lives at the house with the blue door.’
Banedon flicks the ring into the air and the urchin catches it in his grubby hands. You hurry away from the stables and begin to search for the passageway. Just as you find it, you hear the young boy shriek with disappointment; the ring has just dissolved on his finger. At the end of the rubbish-strewn alley you find the house with the blue door.
As you climb over the lifeless bodies, you notice a Copper Key on a chain around one of their necks. Grabbing the Key, you slip it into your pocket, and race down the steps towards a dim light below. Mark the Copper Key on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.
A small fire, over which is roasting a chicken on a spit, illuminates a guardroom at the base of the tower. On the back of a wrought-iron chair hangs a Canteen of Water, and lying beside it is a razor-sharp Broadsword. You may take either of these items if you wish, and mark them on your
Action Chart
(the Canteen is a Backpack Item).
You hear the Drakkarim rushing down the tower stairs. They will soon be upon you.
If you wish to leave the tower by a door in the north wall,
turn to 246
.
If you wish to prepare yourself for combat and wait for the Drakkarim to appear,
turn to 231
.
You raise your golden sword just in time to deflect the bolt of raw energy. It screams from your blade and explodes into the chamber wall, gouging a hole several feet deep in the steel-hard rock. The impact jars the Sommerswerd from your hand; the blade arcs through the dust-choked air and embeds itself, upright, in the stone floor. You roll across the floor and take cover behind a pillar.
‘Your doom, Kai Lord,’ spits Haakon, ‘is but seconds away.’
If you wish to retrieve the Sommerswerd,
turn to 278
.
If you wish to try to move to a new hiding place, under cover of the swirling dust,
turn to 350
.
If you wish to stay where you are,
turn to 230
.
The dwarves are clearing the deck of battle debris. A dead Drakkar lies sprawled face down across a pile of chests and sacks roped beneath the boom-sail. As the dwarves grab his legs to cast him over the side he suddenly springs to life, sending the dwarves tumbling in all directions. He screams like a fiend, his black axe cutting a wide arc around his blood-smeared body. A curse, vile and evil, echoes from his death-mask as he draws back the axe to throw. His target is you.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Hunting or Sixth Sense,
turn to 210
.
If you have neither of these skills, pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you of picked is 0–4,
turn to 354
.
If it is 5–8,
turn to 371
.
If it is 9,
turn to 232
.
Below the bell-tower you see a line of Itikar pens, each with its own circular landing platform. Itikar are a breed of huge black birds that nest in eyries high in the peaks of the Dahir and Vakar Mountains. The Vassagonians have long since tamed these giants of the skies, using them as winged mounts for their army leaders, their scouts, couriers, and envoys.
An Itikar and rider swoop down out of the reddening sky and alight upon the platform nearest to the bell-tower. Slaves hurl a rope to the rider, who in turn fixes it to a saddle ring before he jumps to the ground. The Itikar caws and beats its huge wings as it is slowly winched into the pen by a hidden capstan.
The rider and the slaves leave the platform; there is now only one sentry on guard at the pen. If you can overpower him, you can make your escape on the back of the giant bird.
If you possess a Blowpipe and Sleep Dart,
turn to 325
.
If you do not have these items,
turn to 282
.
‘Tipasa can be found at the main square — he is always there at this time of day,’ says the woman cringingly, her face creased into an exaggerated smile.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense,
turn to 358
.
If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 263
.
As you unsheathe the Sommerswerd, a vivid golden flame shoots along the blade. The Vordak shrieks in terror, its blood-drenched bony fingers clawing at a black iron mace that hangs from its belt. It raises the mace to parry your blow, but the sun-sword shears through the iron, a splash of blue flame erupting in its wake. You strike again, curving the golden blade in a great arc. It bites into the Vordak's neck, tearing through its unnatural body, and severing it diagonally from collarbone to hip. A sickening acidic smell chokes your throat as a fountain of green slime erupts from beneath the red robe. The Vordak crumples and topples from view, its dissolving corpse hissing as its spirals towards Lake Inrahim.
Sheathing your sword, you grab the reins and fight to control your injured mount. You have slain the Vordak but the battle is not yet won. The Itikar is losing a lot of blood; it could become unconscious at any moment and drop like a stone.
Suddenly you spot something in the distance. It is a sight that renews your faith in miracles.
You stagger to your feet to see the
Skyrider
being engulfed by Drakkarim; they leap from their shrieking Kraan and crash onto the decks and outriggers, their black swords already drawn from their scabbards. The dwarves are caught by surprise; their weapons have been unloaded and stored below deck. Even so, they are quick to rally and fight with skill and fury. Above the din you hear Nolrim's joyous battle-cry, ‘Blood for blood!’
An unexpected blow catches you squarely on the back, knocking you from the platform to the deck below. You have risen to one knee when your assailant attacks again. You cannot evade him.
Drakkar:
COMBAT SKILL
18
ENDURANCE
26
Due to the surprise of the attack, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 2 for the first 3 rounds of combat.
If you win the combat,
turn to 333
.
The blood is pounding in your ears as you bound up the marble steps. Twenty feet ahead of you, there is a landing with a stone door set into the wall. The stairs continue to ascend to a parapeted walkway, at the end of which is another stone door, identical to the first. Suddenly, the door on the first landing swings open and a palace guard wheels round to face you.
‘Majhan!’ he cries, fumbling for the hilt of his sword.
If you wish to attack the guard before he draws his weapon,
turn to 338
.
If you wish to barge him aside and continue climbing the stairs,
turn to 372
.
‘Ah, Tipasa,’ he replies thoughtfully. ‘He lives near the Dougga Market, but exactly where his home is I am not sure … I haven't seen old Tipasa for years. If you should find him, remind him of Khamsin the Goatherd. He still owes me twelve Crowns — that I have not forgotten.’ You thank the goatherd for his help and bid him farewell before continuing your trek to Ikaresh.
The Onyx Medallion is beginning to glow and vibrate in your pocket. This Special Item, torn from the armour of a renegade Vassagonian captain during the battle of Ruanon, enables you to communicate with the Itikar. You reassure it that you mean no harm. Itikar are by nature wild and malicious creatures, but the power of the Onyx Medallion tames this natural instinct, subduing them to the wearer's command.
As you settle in the wide saddle, you catch sight of the Drakkarim streaming across the gangplank. Quickly, you lean forward, unhook the Itikar's anchor rope from the saddle ring and grab the thick leather reins.
Dawn is breaking on the horizon of a low hill, blurred and dotted with small tufted trees. Swiftly the
Skyrider
has voyaged through the night to arrive at the foothills of the Koneshi Mountains, in whose folds the skyship is safely tucked away from watchful eyes. Twenty-five miles to the north, across a landscape of barren rock and dry brush, lies the Tomb of the Majhan.
You and Banedon set off before the dawn, anxious not to waste either time or the protective cover of darkness. Now, as the great golden disc of the sun rises in the sky, for the first time you can see your goal. A massive excavation has exposed the heart of this scorched land, delving deep around the tombs of its forgotten ancestors. Thousands of Giaks, spiteful and malicious servants of the Darklords, labour unceasingly to remove rock and sand from this quarry, forced by Drakkarim to drag their backbreaking loads up ramps to the rim of the crater.
Close to the edge of the crater, an encampment of black tents surrounds a large domed canopy. Lying in the shade of this construction is a huge flying creature — an Imperial Zlanbeast. Its presence here can only mean one thing: Darklord Haakon has arrived. The thought chills your blood, but you draw comfort from the labour of his slaves. That they continue to labour is a sign that their mission has yet to be completed: the
Book of the Magnakai
has yet to be found.
It is impossible to approach the crater unseen; you will have to wait for darkness before you attempt to enter the Tomb. During the long wait, it is agreed that Banedon should attempt to find Tipasa. It is likely that he is being held captive inside the encampment — the Darklords would be unlikely to kill him before discovering the treasure they seek.
During the day, you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. (You may not use Hunting if required to eat a Meal in the middle of this wasteland.) Make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
.
You place the Oede herb upon the stone bridge and step back. At first the vaxeler is suspicious and frightened — nobody has dared to enter his cave for many years. But when he recognizes the golden leaves of the Oede herb, he breaks down, weeping tears of joy.
‘May the Majhan bless you — may you live in eternal peace,’ he cries, his feeble voice brimming over with emotion. ‘How can I ever repay this kindness?’
If you wish to question the vaxeler about Tipasa the Wanderer,
turn to 356
.
If you wish to leave the cave and press on towards Ikaresh,
turn to 281
.
The stairs are high and steep. You gasp for breath and force your aching legs to climb, for the Drakkarim are less than a dozen steps behind you. At the top of the tower, an open arch leads out onto a platform where a huge kettledrum stands. This is used by the tower guard to send messages to the other palace towers. A bleached hide is stretched across its surface and a black wooden beater hangs from the side.
If you wish to push the drum down the tower stairs,
turn to 329
.
If you prefer to ignore the drum and escape out onto the platform,
turn to 387
.
The explosion is followed by a huge cloud of smoke, which engulfs a cabin perched on the rear deck. As the noise rumbles across the desolate salt-plain, you hear the agonizing shriek of a wounded Kraan; it spirals past the platform, a ragged hole rent in its broken wing.
Illustration XIX—The smoke clears to reveal the grinning face of a dwarf at the cabin window.
The smoke clears to reveal the grinning face of a dwarf at the cabin window. A smear of soot blackens his rosy cheeks and exaggerates the whiteness of his crooked teeth. He is holding a tube of smoking steel that you assume to be a magic staff, until you notice that each of the dwarf crew carry identical staves. As they point them at the swooping Kraan, gouts of smoke and flame bellow from their tips. Suddenly you recognize the weapons and their wielders — they are dwarves from the mountain kingdom of Bor, armed with one of the inventions for which these ingenious artisans are justly famous throughout Magnamund.
The Kraan are terrified by the noise; they turn their leathery tails and fly away, their Drakkarim riders powerless to stop them. The primitive guns have claimed only one victim, but nevertheless, they have driven off the enemy and saved the skyship from disaster.
Banedon steers the craft about, banking steeply until the ship faces the darkening peaks of the southern mountains and the distinct V-shaped cleft of the Dahir Pass.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–2,
turn to 250
.
If it is 3–9,
turn to 312
.