The Eye of Winter's Fury (68 page)

Maune sheathes his blade. ‘Come. Let us attend to your needs, then. The One God provides for all.’ Turn to
21
.

487

You place the ‘three of swords’ on the discard pile and pick a new stone from the bag. You have gained the ‘two of moons’.

You have the following stones:

The monk decides to play his hand. Turn to
593
.

488

You point to the knife. There are some approving grunts from the crowd, but Desnar looks far from happy. His lips twitch with nervousness, his shifty glare reminding you of a cornered animal.

‘Blas lamna sur gas!’ Sura motions impatiently to the warrior.

Desnar grudgingly offers out his right hand. The moustachioed Skard puts the bone blade to his palm and cuts a deep line.

‘Your hand,’ says Sura, nudging your arm.

You mimic Desnar’s gesture, watching impassively while the same blade is drawn across your own palm. You don’t feel anything – neither the touch of the bone or the pain of its passing. Your dead flesh remains numb to it all. Instead you scan the faces in the crowd, taking some small pleasure from their shocked gasps as they watch the congealed black blood ooze out of the wound.

Desnar sneers, stepping forward to grasp your hand. His action takes you by surprise, and at first you flinch, drawing back – but then you realise this is part of the ritual. You clasp hands firmly, gripping tight. You glare into each other’s eyes, both tightening your grip, locked together in a silent show of strength. Desnar grinds his teeth, his eyes narrowing. You can almost feel his bones about to snap . . .

With a hiss he pulls away, making a flourishing gesture to mask his surrender.

‘Hallret!’ He barks furiously.

A Skard hurries to his side, placing a staff into his bloodied hand. It is an impressive looking weapon, fashioned from white wood, with a pair of forked antlers as its headpiece. He raises the staff above his head, turning to the crowd.

‘Vic tarnik!’ he chants.

The words are echoed by several of his men, but with little gusto. Most of the crowd remain intent on you, their expressions a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

‘What happens now?’ you whisper to Sura. ‘Do we fight here?’

The woman shakes her head. ‘You decided the test. Now Desnar will choose the fight. Follow him.’ She bows her head. ‘May the ancestors be with you, southlander.’

‘Wait – you aren’t coming with us?’ You look around at the watchful crowd.

Sura frowns. ‘This is a test, a feud between yourself and Desnar. Only one of you will return with victory. This is the test of the fighter. One of you must submit – or die.’

The crowd part, leaving you a clear path to the edge of the camp where the ocean of snow sweeps away in rippled waves. Desnar gives
you a sly grin, then starts out into the bleak wasteland. You give Sura a hesitant nod, then follow after the Skard. Turn to
702
.

489

The black plant is spreading quickly across the broken branch, its thorny stem starting to sprout a number of crimson buds. Quickly, you dodge past its flailing vines and start to climb the trunk. Ratatosk gives a shriek of anger, then begins fishing in his pouch again.

You have almost reached his position when he tosses another seed through the air. It spirals past you towards the growth. You risk a glance over your shoulder, to see that the buds have blossomed into a hungry set of carnivorous mouths. One of them reaches up and snaps the seed from the air. As the plant swallows it there is a thunderous ripping, creaking noise as its stem bulges outwards, sprouting more vines and leaves.

You realise that the seeds must be helping the plant to grow.

‘Rata-rata-tosk!’ sniggers the squirrel. Then it scampers further up the tree, its bushy tail twitching back and forth. Angrily, you start after it, struggling to stay one step ahead of the grasping vines that are spreading up the trunk. Turn to
35
.

490

Amongst the broken wood, you find a number of mildewed, moth-eaten clothes. Some appear to carry magical enchantments, their thread and trims glittering with a faint green light.

If you wish, you may now take one of the following rewards:

You also find a key, fashioned from a finger bone and a grisly
array of teeth. If you wish to take the
skeleton key
, simply make a note of it on your hero sheet, it does not take up backpack space.

Suddenly, the door to your left creaks open of its own accord. From the room beyond you hear a man’s voice, raised in anger. ‘No! I will not serve you, Zabarach! I will not!’ There is a cry of pain, then the sound of metal scraping across stone. Gripping your weapons, you edge slowly into the next room. Turn to
548
.

491

With the rats defeated, you are free to examine the nest. Amongst the bones and dirty bedding you find 30 gold crowns and two of the following items:

With little else of interest in the cleft, you crawl back into the cell and resume your journey. Turn to
661
.

492

You pass between two giant islands, dodging the fragments of rock and earth that spiral around them. One of the larger pieces spins past you, revolving its underside into plain view. Anise is the first to call an alarm, urging you to take notice.

Two huge dragons are clinging to the rock. Most of their black scales have rotted away, leaving only bared ribs and gangrenous tissue exposed. One of them cranes its bony neck around, leering at you with a skull-like face.

Then a scream fills your ears, a horrible unending screech.

Moving as one, the two dragons drop from the rock, their tattered wings unfolding to catch the thermals. Their ancient bones crack and
groan as they twist their bodies, levelling themselves out into a full-on pursuit.

‘Keep going!’ shouts Skoll, ducking to avoid a torrent of green-tinged flame. ‘We’ll never survive an open battle!’

The dragons snap and claw at your rear, seeking to knock you from the skies. In desperation, you look around for a means of escape. Straight ahead a criss-crossing wall of magic has been woven between islands, forming a spider-like web. You suspect it to be another of the witch’s traps, but it might offer you a slim chance of losing the dragons.

‘There!’ Skoll points to your left. ‘Head for that!’

A mass of rock and dust glitters in the half-light, all turning and spinning through a deadly orbit. The dragons are large and less agile than your craft – you may have a better chance of navigating the rock belt. Even so, it will be a dangerous test of skill.

493

To pass the goblins without being seen, you will need to pass the following
speed
challenge:

If you are successful, turn to
243
. Otherwise, turn to
316
.

494

As you descend deeper into the mountain, you become aware of a thunderous roar echoing in the distance. It grows steadily louder, until a turn in the passageway brings you to an open ledge. You step out cautiously to find yourself looking out across a vast chasm, cleaving
the mountain in two. Brown glacial waters rush below, bouncing and crashing past a field of boulders to finally drop away into a billowing curtain of angry noise, its destination lost to the inky darkness.

Across the other side of the gulf, you can see a myriad of ledges and open doorways carved into the black rock. You can even make out towers and other structures extending out over the abyss, connected by bridges and winding pathways.

An underground city.

‘Quite something, isn’t it?’ Caul shouts over the roar of the water.

You realise that this must have been what Reah and the others were looking for – evidence of a lost civilisation. Dwarf. Titan. Perhaps both.

Wrenching your gaze from the distant city, you turn your attention to more immediate concerns – such as how to progress. There are no bridges or means of crossing the gulf. Instead, your only way forward is a narrow ledge, sweeping down from where you are standing to another doorway in the rock wall, situated at a lower elevation. Trying to ignore the precipitous drop and the churning waters below, you carefully make your way along the tight path, with Caul bringing up the rear. Turn to
257
.

495

The man slides out from beneath the sled, wiping his hands on his apron. ‘Name’s Mech. You needing repairs?’ He notices you admiring the three sleds behind him. ‘Ah yeah, I worked up quite a few damaged racers in my time, made them good as new. Doubt even a Skard runner could pull faster than these beauties.’ He tugs at one end of his thick moustache, cracking the ice frozen to the bristles. ‘I got a deal with Leeta at the kennels. Buy a sled and you get a free dog-team. One of the racers gone missing – think he ended up, you know . . .’ the man gives a click of his tongue, whilst drawing a finger across his throat. ‘One man’s misfortune is another man’s gain, as they say.’ He shrugs his shoulders. ‘So, you interested in buying a sled – or maybe one of me upgrades, to give yer an edge in the tournament?’

496

Maune gives you a sharp look. ‘You’re asking me to believe the demon’s lies? He called you Arran, but it cannot be . . .’

Skoll steps away, letting you approach the startled paladin. You stand before him, letting his eyes search your own. ‘I know it must be hard to believe. I was betrayed by the church; they murdered my father, my brother. I would have shared the same fate; I was meant to share that fate . . .’ A shudder runs through you, remembering back to the roadside and the frightened naïve boy who was lost to the wilds. ‘Everything was taken from me. Everything.’ You glance at Skoll, who is watching intently from beneath a clenched brow. ‘But not my humanity.’

The Skard startles. ‘Bearclaw. We have to do this!’

You turn squarely to face him. ‘No, we don’t. We are better than that. I am better than that.’

There is a clink and scrape of metal. Maune has fallen to his knees, his sword resting across his outstretched palms. A show of fealty and submission.

‘My king. The One God has led me to your side.’

You catch Skoll’s scowling retort.

‘We will fight the witch together, my friend,’ you insist. ‘With faith and steel, and magic. We will be remembered as heroes, Skoll. Not as murderers or cowards. My father was a soldier, a great warrior. But he was a weak man. I will not be my father.’

Your gaze holds Skoll’s, daring him to challenge you. His eyes shine with anger, his mouth twitching, fingers flexing around his axe. You are on the edge of summoning your spectral claws. Nanuk’s magic is almost palpable on the air, flickering about you.

‘This is an ill decision,’ mutters the Skard, dropping his eyes. He turns his back on you, and says no more.

An arm slides around your waist, taking you by surprise. You twist
round, finding Anise staring up at you, a tired smile turning her lips. ‘No, you made a brave decision. And one worthy of a king.’

Maune stands, sheathing his blade. ‘I will lay down my life for you, my king. And if needs be, fight to retake the throne you lost.’

You nod in thanks. ‘Henna would be proud of her father.’

The fires of the forge continue to rage green, flaring angry claws at the brightening dawn skies. Without the shield, you realise you will be at a disadvantage when facing the witch queen Melusine. This is her victory – but as your eyes sweep back to the paladin, a veteran warrior of countless crusades, you wonder if you may have gained something greater. (Make a note of the keyword
repentance
on your hero sheet.) Return to the quest map to continue your adventure.

497

You lift the creature into the air and hurl it across the room. With an angry squeal, the riftwing slams into the opposing wall then drops through the hole into the room below – where you suspect the green gas is still escaping from the open barrel. If you have the keyword
flame
on your hero sheet, turn to
409
. Otherwise, turn to
485
.