The Eye of Winter's Fury (73 page)

‘He was Himruk, first son of Desnar. He was a coward and so he is stripped of name. The nameless have no place in our tribe.’

You watch as Desnar hands the spear and pack to his son. Then he draws back his hand – and slaps the youth hard to the ground. The warrior barks something in Skard, then kicks the boy until the child finds his feet again. Motioning to the icy wastes, Desnar and his men watch impassively as the boy wipes away his tears, then sets his gaze to the horizon.

‘What will become of him?’ You watch the child stagger away through the snow, the wind whipping his braided hair. He looks so young – too naïve to be braving the harsh wilderness alone.

‘He will die,’ says Sura flatly, with no hint of remorse. ‘Or he will hunt and survive – and come back a man.’

‘You are a harsh people,’ you remark with distaste.

‘This is a harsh land. Now follow me.’ Sura leads you to the opposite edge of the camp, where a large animal hide has been stretched across the ground, tied to what look like mammoth tusks. Runes have been daubed onto the hide in various coloured dyes, forming a circular arrangement.

‘I will teach you the ways of the asynjur,’ says Sura, gesturing for you to stand in the circle. ‘If your magic is strong, then we can make a shaman of you – strengthen your link with the Norr.’ Sura paces around you, eyeing you like an exhibit in the palace museum. ‘But you have a rare strength. What I saw last night . . . I could focus your mind to pull Nanuk into you, like the were-warriors of old. To channel his energy, to shift your body into your spirit animal.’

You grimace at the woman, finding neither idea particularly appealing. As she continues to pace your eyes fix on one of the Skard warriors, practising a deadly set of manoeuvres with a hooked chain. It is similar to the one you saw Ninvuk use when you were attacked by the Nisse. A row of bones have been set up in the snow several metres away. The Skard is using the chain to whip each bone into the air, his skilful movements guiding the chain with startling precision.

‘The hook and claw,’ Sura nods, noting your interest. ‘Used by the pirates of Rowan and Vaidskrig. Some of our people have mastered its use. A most deadly weapon, in the right hands.’

531

Your sled has taken a serious battering from the rough crossing. You must permanently reduce your sled’s
stability
rating by 2. When you have updated your sheet, turn to
422
.

532

You decide to place your hand inside the hollow. The moment your fingers and palm settle against the cold dark wood, you feel a sharp pain. Instinctively, you snatch back your hand, nursing it to your chest. To your horror, you see teeth-like fangs protruding from around the handprint, several of which are now flecked with blood. Slowly, the fangs sink back into the bark.

Looking down at your hand you see that the teeth have punctured you, the ruptured flesh already puffy and bubbling with a deadly green poison. You have been inflicted with the following curse:

Curse of frailty (pa):
You must lower your
health
by 5 until you next roll a double in combat.

You glance back at the cell, where the Skard is struggling once again to reach the dagger.

533

You remove the medallion from around your neck and offer it to the knight. A golden light flickers around its edge, throwing stark shadows across the rooftop.

The knight spreads his arms, tensed and ready to jump – then he catches sight of the medallion. His expression darkens almost instantly. ‘What is this?’

He steps down from the battlements, tugging his sword free from its scabbard. ‘You have my brother’s medallion – the mark of my family.’ His voice cuts clear through the wind, deep and resonating.

‘Take it!’ You shout hoarsely, struggling against the dryness in your throat. ‘Your brother forgives you!’

The knight shows no sign of having heard you – as if your words have been torn away by the keening gale. Anise clings to your side, fearful of the man’s haunted demeanour.

‘Put it away,’ she cries. ‘I told you, no good will come of this!’

‘You are the necromancer’s work!’ sneers the knight with disdain. ‘My brother is dead. I killed him with my own hand! There is no forgiveness for what I did!’

Before you can stop him, the knight’s pace quickens into a full-on charge. You drop the medallion, quickly drawing your own weapons to defend yourself. It is time to fight:

If you manage to overcome this grief-stricken ghost turn to
505
. If you lose the combat, remember to record your defeat on your hero sheet. You may then attempt the combat again or return to the map.

534

Three scruffy-looking men are seated at the bar, smoking rolls of tobacco and knocking back mugs of ale. You overhear snatches of their conversation.

‘Good thing he got the money to entertain all them pimped up highballers, I wouldn’t want to be footing the bill.’

‘He ain’t, I told you,’ sighs one of the other men. ‘I heard ol’ Baron No Mark is paying for everything. Only way he can get a piece of the action.’

‘No Mark?’ The third speaker almost chokes on his ale. ‘That’s rich coming from the likes of you, Sykes. That No Mark, as you call ’im, runs most of the mines down south. He’s the man for the job and everyone knows it, but he can’t move his operations here without coin – and without Ryker’s nod. He gotta suck up to the big guys this time, and you bet he hates every minute of it.’

535

You lose your grip and fall, hitting the rocks at the bottom of the mountain. (You must count this as one ‘defeat’ on your hero sheet.) Angrily you struggle to your feet, using your one responsive arm to balance yourself. The other hangs limply at your side.

With a defiant growl you butt your shoulder into the wall, locking the bones back into place. After flexing your fingers, you glare stubbornly at the mountain, contemplating another attempt.

536

Pulses of lightning flicker across the magical weave, promising a deadly shock to anything that catches on its criss-crossing strands. Undaunted, you continue to accelerate towards the web, tilting your craft in order to pass through one of the narrow spaces.

To avoid hitting the web, you must take a challenge test using your transport’s speed:

If you are successful, turn to
596
. If you fail the challenge, turn to
768
.

537

The last creature has you pinned against the wall as you drive your weapon deep into its chest, teeth gritted as the steel slides past scales and bone. Steaming blood boils out from the wound, thick and viscous like molten magma. You kick the creature away, leaving your weapon in its chest – then dive for cover as its body starts to glow brighter, smoke rising from its nostrils and eye sockets. With a wet-sounding boom the body explodes, showering the wall of the keep with a spray of glittering blood. Your weapon skitters across the ground to rest next to you, still glowing with heat.

You have gained the following:

For defeating the ember wilds, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
162
.

538

The chamber continues to shudder violently. Scrabbling through the dust, your hands settle around the witch’s wand. Clutching it tight, you lurch drunkenly to your feet, eyes shifting to the demon.

Chunks of rock rain down from the ceiling, bouncing over the
mass of corpulent flesh. The demon’s veins burn bright with fire, its heart pulsing faster and faster, looking like it might explode at any moment, bursting out of its pus-leaking chamber.

‘Die!’ you scream – filling that single word with all your hate and pain, and anger. Your arm snaps back then flings the wand through the air, your magic guiding its trajectory straight into the heart. There is a flash of bright, blue light.

A wall of noise crashes over you, its force knocking you backwards. A booming wail, so loud and deafening that it dwarfs the thunder of the devastation around you.

Then the heart blackens, frost crawling across its bloated mass. The livid veins fill with ice, turning blue as their fires are quenched. From the tentacles you hear the crackling of frozen flesh, their dead skin crumbling away to form a dead white ash – leaving only the frost-blackened body behind, its life expelled by the full onslaught of your wrath.

The demon is dead.

A rustle of falling dust – and everything is still.

You stumble wearily across the chamber, wanting desperately to weep – but your spirit body denies you even that final reprieve. ‘Anise . . .’ You fall by her side, grabbing her pale, cold hand. You wince, releasing it when you see the frost-blackened marks left by your fingertips.

She is already dead, staring up at the dawn light, its soft radiance creeping through the shattered dome of the chamber.

If you have the keyword
repentance
on your hero sheet, turn to
699
. Otherwise, turn to
586
.

539

To your surprise, you come out on top – your dog-team having maimed several of your opponent’s lead hounds. You quickly pull away, crossing the finish line in first place!

Congratulations! This qualifies you to enter the final race. You also receive a prize of 200 gold crowns for your first place ranking. (Replace the keyword
rookie
with the word
veteran
.) Return to the map to continue your adventure.

540

The enraged beast throws itself into a desperate charge. You roll aside just in time, leaving the mammoth to plunge headfirst into a heap of skeletal remains. Quickly, you circle round the immobilised beast, raining blows to its flanks and rear, until it is finally brought crashing down – showering you in ice and bone dust.

If you are a warrior, turn to
725
. If you are a mage, turn to
38
. If you are a rogue, turn to
268
.

541

The guard removes the two of moons from his hand and places it face down on the discard pile. He reaches into the pouch and takes another stone at random. He has now gained the two of stars:

He can barely hide his excitement as he shows you the stones. A full house and two crowns is a strong hand. It is now time for his opponent to make his move. Turn to
555
.

542

As you approach the mountain you feel Nidhogg shifting course, re-exerting his control. At first you assume he is taking you in to land, but then you spot the jagged outcropping he is headed for. A creature lies sleeping on the rocks, a pair of leathery wings folded across its immense, reptilian body.

Another dragon. Larger than any you have encountered before.

‘Nidhogg – stop!’ You try and take command, but the dragon is resisting. Unable to alter your course, you are forced to watch helplessly as you draw closer and closer to the beast.