Legion of Shadow (52 page)

444

With teeth clenched, you struggle against your compulsion to absorb the magic. As the swirling tendrils of magic dissipate, a ringing cry draws you back to the situation at
hand. ‘Bern!’ you gasp. Turn to
539
.

445

The undead witch crumbles into a black powdery dust, which is blown away by the howling wind. You may now help yourself to one of the following items:

The stable doors are flung open as two mounted horses gallop out into the courtyard. On the back of each horse, a small child clings desperately around their parent, their
rain-slick faces still trembling with fear. The husband reins in his horse next to you.

‘Thank you, traveller,’ he says. ‘There are more horses in the stables, I suggest you leave this cursed place while you still can.’ He shivers as he looks up at the tall,
dark spires of the castle. ‘Judah’s light protect us.’

He kicks his horses flanks and races out of the courtyard. His wife follows, her head bowed to the wind and rain.

446

Amongst the mounds of gold and jewels, you find a number of interesting items. You may now choose one of the following:

Having searched through the cave and filled your pockets with gold, you reluctantly decide that it is time to leave. Return to your previous entry number.

447

It appears that the pieces of cloth and wood are the remains of Hal’s balloon. Amongst the charred splinters, you find a box-shaped object made of brass. Picking it up,
you see that it has a number of gears, cogs and buttons along one side, and a strange protruding lens on the other. If you wish, you may now take this item:

There is no sign of Hal’s companion, Belinda. She must have dropped down elsewhere in the rift, although you imagine her chances of surviving long in this hellish place
are slim. Turn to
439
.

448

‘Raolin Storm?’ Sahna wrinkles her nose, derisively. ‘Humph! He’s a powerful mage and a rich one. My chapter have been in his employ now for several
months, though I never thought this was going to be on the cards. I’ve lost two good men to that lake already and I’m starting to wonder if this so-called expedition of his is really
worth the gold.’ She glances over at one of the guards, who is doing his routine march around the camp. ‘I can’t blame the guys for getting a little testy. It’s been no fun
stuck here with only marsh flies for company. Unless we see some results soon,’ she whistles. ‘Oh boy, might even have a mutiny on my hands. Wouldn’t that be fun?’

Return to
343
to ask Sahna another question.

449

Quickly and skilfully, you down the mage. You may now take one of the following items:

Meanwhile, Bern has dispatched the last of the wreekin warriors, his glowing blade now coated with green blood. Grimly, he eyes the dead bodies. ‘Let’s search these
and see what we can find.’ Turn to
479
.

450

You see the count slipping behind a red velvet curtain. Jumping over the bodies and broken furniture in your way, you reach the curtain and pull it aside. Behind it is an open
doorway and a set of stairs leading upwards. Taking them two at a time, you race up the steps – to find yourself in a narrow hallway lined with paintings. The door behind you slams shut of
its own accord.

The count is stood at the end of the hall. Behind him hangs a large solemn painting, depicting a sour-faced woman in a white-lace wedding dress.

‘Fool,’ hisses the count, his golden mask reflecting the light from the nearby candles. ‘Only Eldias is worthy of my attentions. You are no witchfinder!’ He turns to face
the painting. ‘Countess,’ he calls. ‘I call you forth. Come to me now, at the time of the witching hour . . .’

Suddenly, the painting comes alive. The bride throws herself forwards, her malign face stretching out of the canvas. She opens her mouth, sucking in a great lungful of air . . . then she
screams. It is a shrill, piercing wail that drives you to your knees. You try and cover your ears, but the eldritch noise is deafening – sapping at your resolve, eating away at your courage.
Every inch of your pained body is screaming at you to flee – to run from this place and never come back.

The count strides towards you. There is a flash of steel as he unsheathes his rapier. ‘Come, my love. Let us dine on this one’s flesh!’

451

The circular tunnel ends in another wide cavern. Along one side of the cave, a forest of tangled roots hangs down from the ceiling, as dried and withered as all the other roots
you have seen. To the north and to the east, you see more tunnel openings.

As you contemplate your next move, you become aware of a wet, slurping noise coming from the eastern tunnel. You creep cautiously forward, intrigued as to what it could be. Then you see it
– a giant brown blob of ooze, moving slowly along the tunnel. Everything it comes into contact with gets sucked up inside its gelatinous body – rocks, stones . . . you can even see
several skeletons hanging in the mass of ooze, as well as some swords, helmets and other odds-and-ends of equipment.

The creature is slow-moving. It wouldn’t be difficult to cross the cavern and take the northern passageway, avoiding the ooze before it even reaches the cave.

452

The giant fish-like beast collapses to the cave floor, its bobbing light flickering for a second before winking out into darkness. As your eyes slowly become accustomed to the
gloom, you spot an area of the cave littered with the remains of the creature’s many meals. Searching through these scraps, you find 30 gold crowns. You may also take one of the following
items:

You also find a
treasure map
, scratched onto a tattered piece of parchment. Make a note of the entry number 512. Any time you wish to view the map, turn to that entry
number (keep a record of the entry you were on previously).

Concerned that this distraction may have cost you valuable time, you delay no further in leaving the cave and continuing your journey. Turn to
304
.

453

You wriggle along the circular pipe on your elbows, the sound of your breathing amplified in the narrow space. After passing several vertical openings, you come at last to
another grill plate. This one is tougher than the last, but with much pulling and tugging, it finally comes loose.

You slide out of the pipe to find yourself in another black-stone chamber. Turn to
725
.

454

You stride up to the dragon and issue your challenge. Lazily, the beast opens one eyelid and examines you with interest. A reptilian hiss escapes from its mouth as it lifts up
its enormous head.

‘You challenge
me
?’ it booms. The power of its voice dislodges stones from the ceiling and sends more branch-like cracks snaking across the ground.

The beast rises onto its clawed feet, its immense black wings filling the cavern.

‘Puny human,’ hisses the dragon. ‘It is time for you to discover the true might of dragonkind.’ Opening its jaws wide, the dragon breathes a roaring column of flame in
your direction:

Special abilities