Shadow on the Sand (6 page)

The outer wall of the Grand Palace is far too high to climb, and even if you had a rope long enough, your green Kai cloak would be seen for miles, set against the white, sun-bleached marble wall.

You crouch in the shadow of a doorway while you concentrate on working out a plan. There is a constant traffic of mounted scouts and couriers from the north gate. Those arriving hand a scroll of parchment to two of the guards before they enter. Slowly, a bold plan begins to take shape in your mind. If you could overpower one of the couriers before he reaches the palace gate, you could disguise yourself in his clothes and use his scroll to gain entrance.

Many of the couriers approach the Grand Palace from the harbour, and although it is infested with troops, you discover the ideal place to ambush a rider. There is a broad avenue where a bridge of gnarled old wood and metal curves over the street, and here, beneath the wooden arch, you lie in wait for your prey.

Your chance soon arrives; a black-robed rider enters the avenue and spurs his horse along the street. He will have to pass beneath the arch. You prepare to pounce.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have the Kai Discipline of Hunting, add 1 to the number you have picked. If you have reached the Kai rank of Savant, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–5,
turn to 106
.

If your total is now 6–13,
turn to 189
.

The smooth leather soles of your boots do not grip on the wet wood. You slip, and as you fall you gash your head on the row of oars. You lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

You are fished from the water by the Sharnazim; they drag you by your cloak across the sun-bleached flagstones of the harbour square and deposit you at Maouk's feet. He looks at you mockingly. ‘You are brave, Kai Lord. But you will need more than bravery to save you now.’

Turn to 176
.

A slippery ladder disappears into the dark, stench-filled shaft. You gulp a lungful of air and climb down, locking the trapdoor behind you. When you finally reach the bottom of the shaft, your worst fears are confirmed.

You have entered the
Baga-darooz
, the main drainage sewer of Barrakeesh. You recall one of the crewmen aboard the galley, an old man nicknamed ‘The Stink’ because he smelled so much, having been sentenced to one year's imprisonment in the
Baga-darooz
for a crime he did not commit. Peering along the gloomy tunnels, you wonder how he survived for so long in this dank, filthy sewer.

Suddenly your thoughts are disturbed by the sound of splintering wood. Chunks of shattered timber rain down upon you as the Sharnazim force open the trapdoor. The heavy iron grille glances off your shoulder as it falls; you stifle a cry of pain, but you lose 1
ENDURANCE
point due to the wound.

This section of the
Baga-darooz
is a junction where three channels meet. You must quickly decide which channel to take, for Maouk's men are now descending the ladder.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking,
turn to 173
.

If you wish to enter the left channel,
turn to 96
.

If you wish to enter the right channel,
turn to 145
.

If you wish to enter the channel straight ahead,
turn to 13
.

You turn the body over with the toe of your boot and search the robes, discovering the following items:

• 4 Gold Crowns
  
• Gaoler's Keys (Special Item)
  
• Dagger
  
• Sword
  

If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to mark them on your
Action Chart
. (The Gaoler's Keys should be worn on your belt.)

Turn to 140
.

You recognize the sign of the fish. It is the symbol of an order of monks known as ‘The Redeemers’, a silent order who are devoted to a lifetime of prayer, pilgrimage, and the study of the healing arts.

If you wish to enter the dwelling,
turn to 157
.

If you decide to enter the tavern instead,
turn to 188
.

Hurrying down the steps and away from the Bath Hall, you enter the
‘Saadi-tas-Ouda’
: the Square of the Dead. Jet-black flagstones cover the square, each with a long iron spike set deep into its centre. From the Bath Hall steps, the square resembles the back of a massive iron porcupine, but when you reach the base of the steps, you realize that the
Saadi-tas-Ouda
is in fact far more sinister.

Stuck on top of each spike is a human skull — all that remains of pirates, murderers, traitors, and thieves who have been sentenced to death. The grisly display serves as a warning to others never to defy the law of the Zakhan.

As you reach the far side of the square, you brush against a spike. Fresh blood is smeared across the arm of your tunic, staining it dark red. You raise your eyes, cursing at your misfortune, but you are shocked into silence by the sight before you.

Illustration III
—Impaled upon the sharp iron pole is the head of the Vassagonian envoy.

Impaled upon the sharp iron pole is the head of the Vassagonian envoy. To either side are the heads of all the galley crew. On each of their foreheads is freshly branded one word — TRAITOR. Fear wells up inside you; turning your face away from the sightless eyes, you run into the crowded streets of the
Mikarum
, the district where the spice and herb merchants live.

At the end of a narrow, winding street, you reach a junction. Opposite is a shop with a bright red sign above the door:

If you need the Oede herb,
turn to 68
.

If you do not need this herb, but still decide to enter the shop,
turn to 154
.

If you wish to continue along in a new alleyway that heads off towards the Grand Palace,
turn to 179
.

The temperature rises steadily until you are bathed in sweat. Ahead, you see a chamber filled with steam that rises from its bubbling floor. You are about to enter the chamber when you catch a glimpse of the danger awaiting you; the stone walkway ends abruptly, only a few yards into the chamber. Ten feet below, lying before you like the surface of a huge bubbling cauldron, is a
tar-sorkh
: a mud geyser.

These geysers are common in Vassagonia. Much of the desert empire is unstable, but although it is subject to constant earth tremors, it rarely results in great destruction. The Vassagonians call these tremors:
‘Tasa-Dophiem’
, which means ‘The Wrestling Gods’.

This particular mud geyser has been put to practical use. It provides a constant source of heat for the dwellings built over the chamber. The steam from the
tar-sorkh
rises into a pair of huge, circular chimneys in the domed ceiling, which in turn feed heat to the buildings above. Your only way out of this chamber is by climbing one of these chimneys. Although there are no ladders, the rock-hewn chamber wall offers many footholds.

If you wish to climb the left chimney,
turn to 162
.

If you wish to climb the right chimney,
turn to 23
.

A search of the baskets crowding the little boat uncovers a beautifully hand-tooled leather case. You flick open the brass catch and discover that the case contains a Jakan — a hunting bow used by the coastal fishermen of Vassagonia.
³
You are elated by your find but disappointed to discover that the case contains only one arrow.

Across the harbour square, close to Maouk's carriage, you notice a small, white-walled shop where a row of green glass flagons line a balcony on the first floor. You draw the bowstring to your lips and take careful aim; it is a difficult shot, and you have only one chance.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Kai Discipline of Weaponskill (any weapon), add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–3,
turn to 7
.

If your total is now 4–11,
turn to 28
.

The door is unlocked, and for a moment your heart sinks; if this room is the Imperial Apothecary where the Oede herb is kept, why is the door not locked and guarded? Anxiously you slip inside and survey the interior.

It seems to be an apothecary. Glass retorts bubble and steam over jets of blue flame, and strange fluids pass back and forth through a crazy maze of tubes and tunnels. Hundreds of herb jars line the far wall, and ten large copper urns, each full of rainbow-coloured powder, hang suspended from the soot-blackened ceiling. You begin searching through the herb jars, and suddenly you discover why the door was left unlocked. Creeping slowly towards you is the cat-like creature that guards the apothecary. Its eyes glow with a vivid green luminescence as it prepares to strike.

Elix:
COMBAT SKILL
 17   
ENDURANCE
 32

If you have ever fought an Elix before, add 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight. You cannot evade combat and must fight it to the death.

If you win the combat,
turn to 2
.

You follow a straight passage of pale, rose-coloured stone, which soon ends at an empty vestibule. In its north wall is set a great wooden door, covered with engraved bronze plaques and studded with bronze nails. There is a curious lock set into the middle of this door, encircled by a beautiful carving of a long-tailed scorpion. A closer look at the lock reveals a series of Vassagonian numerals, numbered 1 to 200, engraved in the lock. You recognize the design: it is a Cloeasian combination lock.

If you know the correct number that will open the bronze door,
turn to that section number
.
⁴

If you do not know the number that will open the door,
turn to 156
.

You spring forward and slam your fist into the guard's face; he grunts and falls, clutching a bleeding nose. His sword drops to the ground close by your feet.

If you wish to pick up the sword,
turn to 4
.

If you wish to ignore the sword and attack the second guard with your bare hands,
turn to 91
.

You leap towards the first warrior, feigning a blow that makes him dodge to the left. You anticipate his move and catch him in mid-step. He doubles up and then crumples into the slimy water, clutching his wound. The others hesitate and then back away.

Suddenly a voice echoes along the tunnel. ‘Leave him to me, you fools!’ Maouk appears from the shadows, a dart held high in his hand. He hisses a curse and flings the missile at your chest.

Turn to 25
.

Suddenly, the door bursts open, and in rush the Sharnazim. You make a dash for the open window but are grabbed from behind and pulled to the ground. Lashing out with your feet and fists you free yourself, only to be overpowered by more of the dark-skinned warriors. As they drag you out into the courtyard, you catch a glimpse of the man who opened the gate; he smiles at you as he slips a pouch of silver into his pocket.

Turn to 176
.

Instinct and experience warn you that it would be rash to attack the guards so close to a crowded mess hall; any noise of combat would immediately be heard by the soldiers inside. There's now only one course of action for you to take — you must hide outside on the ledge running around a palace wall.

Turn to 152
.

You tear strips of cloth from your Kai cloak and bandage the wound as best you can. You manage to staunch the flow, but you have lost a lot of blood and fear the wound is infected.

Deduct 2
ENDURANCE
points from your total for every section of the book through which you pass, until you discover and swallow a Potion of Laumspur. If your
ENDURANCE
points total falls to 0 before you discover a healing potion, you will die from blood poisoning.

If you wish to search the bodies of the dead guards,
turn to 102
.

If you wish to ignore the bodies and escape along the corridor,
turn to 150
.