The Eye of Winter's Fury (20 page)

‘The candles are the source of the demons’ power.’ The mage gestures lazily to the points of flame around the room. ‘Snuff them out – using your mind.’

‘My what? I’ll give you a piece of my—’ You dodge aside, letting a spear of flame pass by your ear.

‘Concentrate!’ Segg leans forward in his chair, shaking a clenched fist. ‘Focus!’

The sprites have started to circle you like hounds, their bodies sparking brighter as they steal more of the fire from the surrounding candles. It is time to fight:

	Special abilities
	After burn : At the end of every combat round, each surviving sprite automatically inflicts 1 damage, ignoring armour .
	Black out (*): If you win a round, instead of rolling for a damage score against a fire sprite, you can attempt to snuff out the sixteen candles. Roll two dice to determine how many candles you are able to put out. Once all the candles are put out, the sprites no longer benefit from the after burn ability, and their magic and armour are reduced by 1.

If you are able to defeat Segg’s elementals, then turn to
229
. Otherwise, you may repeat the combat or choose a different trainer (return to
369
to make your choice.)

119

You kick open the doors of the longhouse, the bar splintering under the force. A quick gesture upends the table, sending it flipping over. Plates rattle across the wooden slats, greasy food splattering across the wall. Gurt watches slack-jawed, gripping the sides of his chair as you advance to stand before him.

‘I want an audience with the asynjur,’ you demand.

‘Nonsense!’ huffs the bloated warrior, blowing out his cheeks. ‘Take him. What are you standing there for?’ He tries to lean past you, motioning frantically to the four Skards. They fold their arms, watching him stoically. ‘Wha— What is this?’ he gasps.

‘I won’t ask again.’ You take a step towards him, causing the man to flinch backwards into his chair. He gropes past his fat belly, struggling to find the pommel of his sword.

He stops, his eyes catching your raised brow. Carefully he lifts his hands into the air. ‘If you think Syn Hulda will give you a warmer greeting, then be my guest.’ His cheeks bunch around an ugly smile. ‘Take him to the hall,’ he snaps, addressing the Skards. ‘Let’s see what Syn makes of this upstart fool!’ Turn to
521
.

120

Segg is silent, listening attentively as you describe the dreams. You feel a little foolish, talking of nightmares and demons. In the cold light of day, they always seem like some child’s fantasy – hazy and indistinct, the details only half-remembered. But even now, you can still feel the cold and the fear of that place – and the presence of the bear, watching over you like a silent guardian. ‘In the end, I used dragon leaf to avoid them. I found it in some old book on herb-lore.’ Your gaze shifts to a row of bottles, lined along a shelf. ‘I suppose I got my wish at last. Now, I don’t need sleep – at least, my body no longer seems to crave it.’

‘Interesting,’ he says after a moment’s thought. ‘It would appear to occur when your mind is relaxed. Sleep, yes – but I imagine you could travel there if you used the correct meditative techniques.’

‘Travel?’ You baulk.

‘In mind, not in body. I have read of such things – the Skards have shamans, mages that can dream walk. They use potions and other means to meditate and travel to the shroud – the place that you have seen. But, I must admit, I have rarely heard of such a thing south of the rift. Old blood, perhaps.’

‘You don’t seem at all surprised,’ you say, with a hint of disappointment.

‘Surprised, me?’ Segg spreads his arms wide, chuckling to himself, while the flames turn somersaults in the air. ‘Do you really think there’s anything left to surprise this old mage?’

121

You pick up the tile and push it into the square-shaped hole. Leaning back, you wait expectantly for something to happen. However, it
appears that you have chosen the incorrect rune. As you hurriedly try and prise the tile back out of the grid, you hear a sudden crack of branches followed by another barking cry. If you don’t run now, the other fengles will find you! Frantically, you spring to your feet and sprint for the cover of the opposite tree line. Turn to
175
.

122

On reaching the cave, you turn and look back towards the far shore. The dogs are mired in the tar, forming a collection of bobbing heads, fighting against the gloopy undertow. One of the Skard hunters is now making his way across the stones, paying no heed to the fate of his dog-team. With an axe in one hand and a knife in the other, it is clear that revenge is at the forefront of his mind. Turn to
344
.

123

As you step up to the guards, one of them moves to head you off, putting his palm to your chest to draw you to a halt. ‘Hey, where you think you’re going? This is a private party – Lord Eaton’s. Guests only, so unless you’ve got an invitation, you ain’t getting in.’

If you have the
party invitation
, you may hand this over and enter (turn to
253
). Otherwise, you have no choice but to return to the taproom. Turn to
80
.

124

The hand moves quickly, leading you on a frantic chase as it tries to find a hiding place amongst the boxes and barrels. To catch the hand, you will have to pass a
speed
challenge:

If you are successful, turn to
398
. Otherwise, turn to
357
.

125

As the pool gets deeper you are forced to swim out to the remaining items, gritting your teeth against the biting pain. (Add two
defeats
to your hero sheet.)

You struggle to focus, your surroundings blurred by the thick noxious smoke. No longer caring what you might find, you reach out blindly for the nearest treasure. (Roll a die. On a
or
result, you may take the fang, on a
or
result you may take the ring, on a
or
result you may take the dimensional aperture):