fireplace and prises a loose brick from the chimney; a leather-bound book drops from its hiding place into her hand. She gives it to Banedon who studies the yellowed pages, his face lined in thought. You notice that the book is full of cryptic symbols, numbers, and pictograms.
‘They are drawn by the night stars,’ says Banedon, tracing his finger along the astronomical drawings. ‘They hold the secret, I know, but without my star charts we cannot hope to find the tomb. We must return to the
Skyrider
at first light. There I shall be able to make some sense of this book.’
Turn to 331 .
208
‘By the gods!’ cries Banedon. ‘A vaxeler!’
The old man's face is a mask of green putrescent sores. The pupils of his eyes are yellow, and his ragged grey lips hang in tatters. Banedon grabs your arm and pulls you away from the wretched man.
‘He has vaxelus, Lone Wolf, a terrible disease that rots the skin. It is highly contagious — our lives are in peril.’
If you possess some Oede herb, you may give it to the poor vaxeler by turning to 321 .
If you do not have any Oede, or if you do not wish to give it to the man, you can flee the cave with Banedon by turning to 270 .
209
You reach the landing in time to see three Drakkarim warriors enter the tower. Maniacal laughter echoes from their ghoulish death-mask faces, as they form a line and creep towards you.
More of their evil kind are flooding onto the bridge, some carrying crossbows. You decide it would be suicide to attack the Drakkarim and sprint quickly up the stairs to escape from them.
Turn to 322 .
210
You dive aside, your Kai skill saving you from the axe that is spinning towards the platform. Suddenly, a deafening bang rings out and the Drakkar is flung backwards, his breastplate torn open by dwarf shot. He gives a long, agonizing death-cry as he disappears from sight, tumbling into the darkness that surrounds the speeding skyship.
As if in answer to the shot, a menacing roll of thunder rumbles across the darkening plain from Barrakeesh. It is as if the city itself were cursing your escape.
Banedon appears at your side, his face lined with concern. As he offers a shaky hand to help you to your feet, you notice that the makeshift bandage which binds his wound is soaked with blood. He is pale and weak and close to collapse.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Healing, turn to 377 .
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 339 .
213
The Drakkar falls to his knees and makes a horrible rasping noise as he tries in vain to prise open his shattered death-mask. Your blows have staved in his helm, and the buckled metal has fractured his skull. You lash out with your foot and kick him from the outrigger, sending him spiralling down to Lake Inrahim to join the dwarf he murdered. But the dwarf is neither dead nor hundreds of feet below. He hangs by his foot, unconscious, snagged in the netting below the outrigger boards. You grab the dwarf's leg and haul him to safety before continuing the fight.
The platform looks empty — no heads are showing above its armoured parapet, but you sense something is wrong. Instinctively, you leap from the outrigger onto the main hull, your weapon poised to strike.
Turn to 361 .
214
You focus your skill on a nearby spade, willing the spade handle to rattle against the wheelbarrow in which it rests. It only takes a few seconds for the vigilant Drakkarim sentry to leave his post and investigate the noise. By the time he returns, you are inside the Tomb of the Majhan.
Turn to 395 .
216
You soon enter a public square where a throng of men have gathered at the ruins of a fountain. They are listening to the frenzied speech of a man dressed in red from head to toe; each man in the crowd is wearing a strip of the same coloured cloth, which covers the lower half of his face.
‘They're Adu-kaw — “the veiled ones”,’ says Banedon nervously. ‘It sounds as if they're declaring a blood feud on their old enemies, the men
‘They are drawn by the night stars,’ says Banedon, tracing his finger along the astronomical drawings. ‘They hold the secret, I know, but without my star charts we cannot hope to find the tomb. We must return to the
Skyrider
at first light. There I shall be able to make some sense of this book.’
Turn to 331 .
208
‘By the gods!’ cries Banedon. ‘A vaxeler!’
The old man's face is a mask of green putrescent sores. The pupils of his eyes are yellow, and his ragged grey lips hang in tatters. Banedon grabs your arm and pulls you away from the wretched man.
‘He has vaxelus, Lone Wolf, a terrible disease that rots the skin. It is highly contagious — our lives are in peril.’
If you possess some Oede herb, you may give it to the poor vaxeler by turning to 321 .
If you do not have any Oede, or if you do not wish to give it to the man, you can flee the cave with Banedon by turning to 270 .
209
You reach the landing in time to see three Drakkarim warriors enter the tower. Maniacal laughter echoes from their ghoulish death-mask faces, as they form a line and creep towards you.
More of their evil kind are flooding onto the bridge, some carrying crossbows. You decide it would be suicide to attack the Drakkarim and sprint quickly up the stairs to escape from them.
Turn to 322 .
210
You dive aside, your Kai skill saving you from the axe that is spinning towards the platform. Suddenly, a deafening bang rings out and the Drakkar is flung backwards, his breastplate torn open by dwarf shot. He gives a long, agonizing death-cry as he disappears from sight, tumbling into the darkness that surrounds the speeding skyship.
As if in answer to the shot, a menacing roll of thunder rumbles across the darkening plain from Barrakeesh. It is as if the city itself were cursing your escape.
Banedon appears at your side, his face lined with concern. As he offers a shaky hand to help you to your feet, you notice that the makeshift bandage which binds his wound is soaked with blood. He is pale and weak and close to collapse.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Healing, turn to 377 .
If you do not possess this skill, turn to 339 .
213
The Drakkar falls to his knees and makes a horrible rasping noise as he tries in vain to prise open his shattered death-mask. Your blows have staved in his helm, and the buckled metal has fractured his skull. You lash out with your foot and kick him from the outrigger, sending him spiralling down to Lake Inrahim to join the dwarf he murdered. But the dwarf is neither dead nor hundreds of feet below. He hangs by his foot, unconscious, snagged in the netting below the outrigger boards. You grab the dwarf's leg and haul him to safety before continuing the fight.
The platform looks empty — no heads are showing above its armoured parapet, but you sense something is wrong. Instinctively, you leap from the outrigger onto the main hull, your weapon poised to strike.
Turn to 361 .
214
You focus your skill on a nearby spade, willing the spade handle to rattle against the wheelbarrow in which it rests. It only takes a few seconds for the vigilant Drakkarim sentry to leave his post and investigate the noise. By the time he returns, you are inside the Tomb of the Majhan.
Turn to 395 .
216
You soon enter a public square where a throng of men have gathered at the ruins of a fountain. They are listening to the frenzied speech of a man dressed in red from head to toe; each man in the crowd is wearing a strip of the same coloured cloth, which covers the lower half of his face.
‘They're Adu-kaw — “the veiled ones”,’ says Banedon nervously. ‘It sounds as if they're declaring a blood feud on their old enemies, the men
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