The Eye of Winter's Fury (29 page)

If you manage to defeat this chilling opponent, turn to
352
. If you are defeated, you are thrown back out of the cave. Record the defeat on your hero sheet, then return to
361
.

175

You push desperately into the forest, not daring to look back in case you see the angered fengles in hot pursuit. Instead, you try and focus on the path ahead, working hard to maintain your footing as the tangled roots and loose stones threaten to send you tumbling. The ground soon dips, forming a downward slope. As the angle steepens, your downward momentum causes you to pitch forward, sprawling head over heels down the slope to land with a loud smack in a thick pool of mud.

You splash and kick, struggling to find purchase on the pool’s bottom. Gradually, you manage to right yourself, relieved to discover that the mud isn’t as deep as you thought – the sludgy waters only reach to your waist. However, your problems are far from over. A sharp serpentine hiss sounds inches from your ear. With a startled cry, you flinch away, covering your face with your arms. The imagined strike never lands. Instead you feel something long and slippery slide past your legs, then begin to coil around your body.

Steadily, you lower your arms, eyes now fixed on the scaled head bobbing back and forth above the water. Transfixed by its glittering
eyes, you watch as its wide jaws hiss open, sending a forked tongue flickering between sharp fangs. Panic suddenly drives you to action. Frantically, you reach for your dagger, realising that you are now trapped in the clutches of a giant mud snake. Unless you can defeat it quickly, the snake’s venom will soon overpower you. It is time to fight:

	Special abilities
	Mud bath : You must lower your speed by 1 for the duration of this combat.
	Weak venom : If you take health damage from the snake, roll a die. On a result you are inflicted with venom and must lose a further 2 health at the end of each combat round for the duration of the combat. If you roll or more, the venom has no effect. Once inflicted with venom, there is no need to roll in future rounds. You can use your charm special ability if you wish, to reroll the venom result (remember, you can only use each charm ability once per combat).

If you manage to defeat the mud snake, remember to restore your
health
then turn to
140
.

176

The spirit vanishes and the medallion with it. Anise nods with approval. ‘Good riddance,’ she says to the now-empty space where the spirit had once been. ‘Come on, let’s get to the roof before any more ghosts decide they want to play.’ Turn to
195
.

177

You cross to the other side of the eyrie, where a slope of tumbled boulders leads you back down to the canyon floor. From here, you
backtrack through the narrow gullies, determined to discover what has become of the cart and your companions. Turn to
391
.

178

You enter a steamy kitchen, where a red-faced cook is beating and stretching dough. He raises a floury hand as Anise scampers past. ‘You’ve forgotten Segg’s wine again, girl,’ he snaps briskly. ‘You know what the old fool’s like when he doesn’t get his wine.’

The cook does a double-take when he sees you hovering by the doorway. ‘’Ere, what d’you want?’ He waves you away, sending a cloud of flour billowing across the table. ‘I swear, we got no more, I tell you. We’re on basic rations – if you want suckling pig or venison I suggest you turn round and ride south, good and hard now.’

Anise smiles when she sees you have followed her. ‘Segg sent him for the wine,’ she states, her eyes glinting mischievously. ‘Come on then, don’t keep him waiting.’ She gestures for you to join her by a copper pot heating next to the fire.

The cook mutters something, then returns to kneading the dough.

‘So, what did you come here for – to poke fun at me like the others?’ She picks up a ladle and starts stirring the mulled wine. Without giving you a chance to answer, she nods over to some shelves. ‘Get one of those bottles, will you? The big one – Segg likes his wine.’

‘Are you really a Skard?’ you ask, reaching for the bottle.

‘Are you really a dream walker?’ she answers back playfully.

You freeze in mid-action. ‘What did you say? Dream what?’

‘I saw you, when they brought you in. Who else d’you think does all the fetching and carrying around here? Getting water, fresh bandages, medicines . . . Stupid Harris is just plain lazy, so Segg relies on me.’

Her eyes appraise you for a second. ‘Of course, back then you were all skin and bone. Not like now.’

‘I still don’t know—’

Anise blows out her cheeks, looking exasperated. ‘Just bring me the bottle and hold it. You can do that, can’t you?’

You grin. ‘Are all Skards so bossy?’

‘I’m not a Skard,’ she glowers, slamming a funnel into the neck of
the bottle. ‘I was cast out. To them, I have no name. Without a name, I am nothing. ’

‘Your name is Anise.’ You watch as she ladles the wine into the funnel.

‘That’s the name Everard gave me.’

You watch as she continues to fill the bottle, noticing her small mannerisms – the way she chews her bottom lip when she is concentrating, bunching her shoulders whenever she lifts the ladle. Everything she does appears careful and meticulous. ‘Stop looking at me!’ she snaps. ‘Do they not have girls where you come from?’

You wonder if your dead, pallid skin is capable of blushing. The thought brings you back to reality with a jolt – suddenly making you self-aware of the large and ungainly body you now inhabit. The bottle slips in your hand. You catch it, but some of the red wine spills onto your fingers. It burns, more than it should.

‘Clumsy me,’ you hiss through the pain.

Anise takes the bottle from you, swapping the funnel for a cork. ‘Don’t worry, all done.’ She brushes the stray curls from her eyes. ‘Thank you.’

‘What for – holding a bottle?’

‘For talking to me like I’m not a kitchen rat.’ She gives you one of her lop-sided smiles, then turns away quickly. ‘I should be going. Much work to do. I’ll take this to Segg – yes, that’s what I’ll do.’ Flustered, she hurries away, slipping past the cook, who rolls his eyes in exasperation.

(Make a note of the keyword
kitchens
on your hero sheet.)

179

Black scars criss-cross the snow as the remaining racers weave between the splintered wreckage of crashed sleds. Light quickly turns to shadow, the land rising up to form a vast mountain, blotting out the sky with its dark immensity. Bleak Peak.

A narrow pathway winds up around the mountain’s face, spiralling all the way to its lofty summit. To reach it, some racers have opted for the snow-covered foothills whilst others have driven onto a slope of ridged ice – a route that offers a quicker means of gaining the mountain’s winding track.

180

You pull back your cloak, revealing the bear necklace – the halstek – that marks you as leader of the bear tribe. There is a mixture of astonishment and anger from the assembled warriors. Gurt continues to pick meat from his bone with a nonchalant air.

‘Who did you kill for that?’ he asks, before filling his mouth yet again.

‘Taulu gave me this necklace,’ you state warily, glancing at the Skards. ‘Before he died. He entrusted me with it. Desnar, his brother challenged me for the right to wear it – to lead the bear tribe. We underwent vela styker and I proved the victor.’

Gurt shakes his head. With a flick of his hand, he gestures to the warrior beside you. Before you can stop him, the Skard grabs the necklace and rips it free, scattering the bones and claws across the table. You reel back in shock, feeling the manacle bite hard into your arm as Nanuk fills your mind with a demented howl.

‘No . . . you cannot . . .’

Gurt stares at you from beneath his brows. ‘My patience is wearing thin. And you’re ruining a good meal.’

181

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 treeline. Turn to
175
.

182

As you drag the sack through the dirt, something scrapes and catches against a rock. Lifting up the sack, you see that there is a tear at the bottom, causing several sword hilts to poke through. Other items now lie scattered along the trail, having fallen out of the hole. You retrace your steps, stooping to retrieve the stolen equipment.

Amongst the weapons and fragments of armour, you spot a pair of black-enamelled gauntlets, etched with magical runes. You are immediately reminded of the warrior you spoke with in the main hall, who described a similar set of gauntlets that had gone missing.

If you wish to keep these magical gloves for yourself, then you may add the following item to your hero sheet:

Ran’s beaters

(gloves)