The Eye of Winter's Fury (94 page)

He smiles, opening his mouth to say something.

But the words become a gurgling gasp as the point of a sword pushes its way between his teeth. His wolfish eye widens, then rolls back into his head . . . blood gushes over his chin, then he slumps forward.

Anise stands over him, the hilt of the sword gripped in her white-knuckled hands. She steps away from the corpse, too exhausted to withdraw the weapon. She leaves the blade protruding from the back of the prince’s head.

You push the body away, grimacing as you attempt to move your cut and ragged limbs. Nanuk’s magic attends to the worst of the wounds, knitting the broken bones and dead flesh back together again, but most of your body is beyond redemption. A ruined husk. You touch your face, feeling the pulpy wetness along one cheek, the sagging flesh hanging loose from below your ear . . . Your hand probes a little higher. No ear. Torn loose.

Anise turns away, half-stumbling and half-falling into Skoll’s arms. The Skard looks down at you, his grim-set features saying everything words cannot.

Slowly, sluggishly, you get to your feet, relieved that your legs are still strong enough to support you. Searching the prince’s body, you find 50 gold crowns and one of the following rewards:

When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
720
.

659

A wooden pier hugs the rocky shoreline, where a variety of different-sized ships lie at anchor. The most impressive looking are the whaling vessels, their immense prows plated with huge iron sheets engraved
with runes. You assume these ‘icebreakers’ are used to cut through the ice as the ships make their way north. Beside them, almost like gnats in comparison, are a couple of flamboyant merchant ships and what you assume may be pirate schooners. Between them, the grey waters of the ocean are flecked with floating islands of ice, thumping and cracking against the ships’ hulls.

Two buildings dominate the pier. One is a warehouse, or what remains of one. It has been built of wood, but part of a wall and an entire section of the roof have gone. Makeshift awnings of leather have been erected to keep dry what little stock remains. Two guards keep a wary eye on passers-by, while inside you see a short man in a thick moleskin coat grading a batch of furs.

Next to it is a more robust stone building, extending out from the sheer dark cliff. Light dances from its arched glass windows, where shifting shadows suggest a busy crowd. An oval shaped boat is netted to one wall. Next to it, a sign reads ‘The Coracle’.

660

Anise trails behind you, swaddled in her cloak. Since leaving the mountain she has said little to anyone. You wonder if Maune’s death still plays on her mind – as it does yours. When pressed she has not given voice to any dissent; nor has she complained or questioned your decisions. Instead it seems Anise has drawn inwards, becoming silent and melancholy, favouring her own thoughts for company. You cannot blame her – what she has endured since the fall of Bitter Keep, battling weakness and starvation, the enormity of the task you all face . . . You wonder if it is still love or something else that drives her onwards. Perhaps it’s the realisation that there is no longer a choice – if the witch’s plan is not thwarted, there will be nothing left to go back to; nothing worth saving.

At what cost, Anise? If we win, at what cost . . . ?

You watch her with an aching heart. Longing for it all to have turned out differently. With the paladin’s supplies running low, you fear Anise is only headed for her own death.

‘No!’

You jerk round, to see Skoll standing atop the ridge. The burly warrior stumbles back from the buffeting gale, shielding his eyes as he stares ahead at something you cannot see.

Keep it together.
You force your numb limbs into action, stumbling and crawling over the last of the rocky scree, the wind growing stronger the higher you climb. Turn to
228
.

661

The corridor ends at a T-junction. To your left, where a blood-spattered sign reads ‘security wing’, you see a metal door blocking the passage. Two burly-looking guards are leaning against it, armed with crowbars. You decide to avoid a confrontation and head right instead, finding yourself in a large room.

This appears to have once been a medical wing. Light spills through the barred windows to illuminate the twisted remains of beds, torn sheets and broken containers. Glass and wood crack underfoot as you cross the room and pass through an opened door. Beyond, a set of stairs take you down into what may have been a storeroom. It is now empty, save for some shattered trunks along one wall, the remains of a fire and some empty bottles.

If you have
Judah’s Book of Canticles
, turn to
579
. Otherwise, you find nothing of interest here. You retrace your steps and leave the prison. Turn to
426
.

662

The tattoos are arranged to suggest some sort of code or message. On one side of a patterned scroll days of the week have been written in a neat row, and next to each day there is a symbol. You crane your neck to view the design:

Sol – cross

Ullir – star

Dilain – heart

Woden – snow flake

Jove – mountain

Unfortunately, the man shifts in his sleep, settling himself into a position that obscures the rest of his tattoo. Nevertheless, you wonder if the information you have gleaned might prove useful later.

663

You remove the skeletal hand from your backpack, gripping it tightly as it attempts to break free. With effort, you force the grisly appendage into the hollow, pushing it against the handprint depression. You hear the clink of the poisoned fangs hitting the bone, trying to stab and bite their way into the hand – but you maintain your grip, pushing it harder into the space.

You hear a hiss and then a creak from behind you. Looking back over your shoulder, you watch as the thorny bars of the cell retract back into the ceiling. The branches around the Skard warrior are also retreating, leaving him to drop to his knees, gasping for air.

Leaving the hand inside the hollow (you may remove
clackers
from your hero sheet), you hurry to the man’s side. As you crouch next to him, you notice that the dagger has vanished – evidently an illusion to torment the warrior.

‘Did . . . did Skoll send you?’ he gasps, rubbing at the scratches around his neck.

You frown, shaking your head. ‘I’m here to rescue him – who are you?’

The warrior explains that his name is Leif, an einherjar who shared Skoll’s gift for spirit-walking. Leif accompanied his great leader into the Norr, to help him find the means of defeating the witch – but they were both captured.

‘I have been here for an eternity,’ he sighs. His wearied gaze takes in the confines of his cell. ‘Every minute, every second – I have wished for revenge. This place is
her
work. The witch.’ He reaches for the horn hanging at his waist. ‘I will lend you my strength. For we must climb – to the very top of the tree.’

Leif agrees to accompany you on your mission. For the remainder of this quest, you benefit from the following ability:

Leif’s song (mo):
Leif can blow his ancient horn to boost your powers in combat. You may use this ability any time in combat to raise your
brawn
or
magic
by 4 for one combat round.
Leif ’s song
may only be used once per combat.

Together, you follow the passageway as it continues to ascend through the tree trunk. Turn to
6
.

664

You come awake in Anise’s arms, shuddering as the life returns to your dead body. Gradually, the cave blurs into focus – then Anise’s gaunt face sharpens into view. Tears are rolling down her cheeks.

‘The others. I heard fighting,’ she says, in a tight voice.

You both struggle to your feet, using each other as support as you head up the slope. From deeper in the mountain you can hear cries and the crackle of magic. As strength returns to your limbs you pick up the pace, the trail of blood teasing you down dark passageways.

When you finally emerge in a pillared hall, you find Skoll and Maune fighting a monstrous creation – a gigantic golem, fashioned from the body parts of various creatures. Its most recent addition appears to be the paladin’s eagle, its severed head now sitting atop a brawny pair of shoulders.

Thankfully, the pair have the upper hand; the paladin’s magic and the Skard’s axe are making short work of the abomination, lopping off its bloodied limbs and appendages until all that is left is a grisly pile of body parts. Turn to
733
.

665

For defeating the ancient wind demon, you may now choose one of the following rewards:

The demon’s heart still pulses with elemental energy. If you wish to absorb the demon’s magic, you may learn the storm carl career.

The storm carl has the following special abilities:

Hurricane rush (co):
Give into your fury and become a reckless whirlwind of death! This ability inflicts 2 damage dice to each opponent ignoring
armour
(roll separately for each), but for every opponent you hit you must take 1 damage in return, ignoring
armour
. You can only use this ability once per combat.

Spin shot (co):
This ability inflicts 2 damage dice to your opponent ignoring
armour
– plus 1 extra die for every
speed
point difference you have over your opponent in this round. (If your hero has a
speed
of 7 and your opponent has a
speed
of 5, you would roll 4 damage dice in total.) You can only use this ability once per combat.

When you have made your decision, return to the quest map to continue your adventure.

666

Unable to stop yourself, you charge up the steps and make a wild swing for the cardinal. Your blow should have cut him down in seconds. Instead your weapons grate across the hard, spiny flesh of a demon. The cardinal has assumed his true form, a reptilian giant coated in a thick mantle of crimson scales. Your hatred turns to fear as you prepare to take on this demon in combat. It is time to fight:

	Special abilities
	Reflect damage : Each time your damage score/damage dice cause health damage to Rile, you must take the half the damage you have inflicted (rounding up) as damage to your own hero, ignoring armour . (If Rile loses 14 health , you would lose 7.)
	Dark hate : You must take 2 damage at the end of every combat round, ignoring armour , from the cardinal’s deathly aura.