The Heart of Fire (17 page)

91

With the beast defeated you may now choose one of the following rewards:

Exhausted from the fight, you drop to your knees in the snow, your breath coming in fitful gasps. Behind you there is the crunch of booted feet. Someone kneels close beside you, putting a hand
on your arm. You hear words being spoken but you cannot make them out . . . a white noise is roaring in your ears. Feeling dizzy, you sway backwards. The grip on your arm tightens. You see a face,
eyes glinting behind the slanted holes of a black mask.

Then darkness takes you.

The forest is vast, stretching away in every direction as far as the eye can see. But not an ordinary forest. This place reeks of corruption, an all-pervading sense of doom
that infects the very air, chilling your skin and gnawing at your soul. It is the trees. A warped and misshapen mass of thorny branches, twisted into unnatural shapes. There is some malign
sentience to this forest, as if it is alive, a single creature with a single purpose . . .

You struggle through the wiry branches, aware that the thorns are ripping at your clothes, scratching at your skin. But you must keep moving. There is a darkness at your back and the light is
ahead of you, promising freedom.

‘Free me . . .’ A voice in your head. A whisper.

At last you break out of the trees, stumbling into a clearing. The light is blinding, a radiant pillar of whiteness that rises up from the craggy earth into the star-lit heavens. Tired from
your journey, you stagger and fall, dragging yourself across the ground towards the light. Somehow you know this is the reason you are here.

A voice, back in the forest, calls out. You can’t make out the words but they sound like a warning. You ignore it, crawling onwards . . . ever onwards toward the light.

‘Free me . . .’ The voice in your head. Persistent. Commanding.

You manage to find your feet, stumbling into the light, hands held out blindly before your face. Then the light is gone. You feel powerful tendrils wrapping around your body. A snake-like
face hovers before your own, its mouth widening to reveal yellowed fangs. You try and scream but there is no breath left in your body. The breaking, snapping sound is your bones, shattering like
the dead wood of the forest.

In the distance, a lone voice calls.

You jerk awake to find yourself lying on a comfortable mattress, covered in thick blankets of fur. Bright sunlight filters through the shutters of a window, falling across the
man who is watching you intently from the end of your bed. He is tall and handsome, his blond hair cascading across broad shoulders. The face, the smile, seem strangely familiar.

‘Well, I see you have woken at last,’ he smirks, rubbing absently at a bruise along his left cheek. Jewelled rings sparkle from his fingers. ‘I was starting to wonder if Jeeves
would have to sing to get you to rise. And trust me – that would be a last resort.’

‘Who are you?’ you ask hoarsely, pushing yourself up in the bed.

‘I have a few names about town,’ he grins. ‘But Lazlo is my birth name. Will that suffice?’

Something of his manner pulls at a memory. Then realisation dawns. ‘You were the masked man!’ you exclaim, eyes widening.

Lazlo spreads his arms and takes a formal bow. ‘Indeed I am,’ he smiles impishly.

92

You go to touch the splinter of wood but Anna reaches forward quickly, knocking your hand away. ‘Do not touch it!’ she snaps angrily. ‘Stay well away from
it.’

‘But it’s just a burnt piece of bark,’ you shrug. ‘Does it have anything to do with him?’

The woman follows your gaze to the man lying on the bed. ‘That . . .
bark
as you call it, is part of a very powerful charm. When it was broken it released a hex – a curse.
This man will die in a matter of a few hours unless I break the spell.’ She fixes you with a determined stare. ‘It won’t be easy – and I need your help.’

93

You remember the story you overheard in ‘The Pilgrim’s Rest’ about the valuable sword that had been left behind. Seeing your chance to acquire this treasure,
you quickly raise your hand, offering to join Surl and the mage. The captain nods then gives you a hearty shove, sending you staggering forward into the camp. ‘Get to it then,
runt!’

With weapons at the ready, the three of you search the cabins. It appears that everything – cupboards, shelves, chests – has already been rifled through and anything of value taken,
including food. There are a few signs that a fight took place – sword nicks in a wall, a scorched area of floor and arrows protruding from a makeshift shield.

From outside, you hear the captain bellowing orders.

‘Time to go,’ growls Surl, sheathing his blade and hurrying out of the cabin. The mage scurries to catch up. You are about to follow, when you notice one of the beds at the end of
the barracks has not been vandalised. It was probably missed by the goblins. You walk over to investigate, wondering if you might still have a chance to find the woodman’s sword.

Above the bed hangs a painting of a brown-haired girl, holding a posy of flowers to her nose. As you step closer to inspect it, your eyes are caught by a leather strap protruding from underneath
one of the pillows.

94

‘Ah yes, our good friends – the zombies.’ The witchfinder glances back towards the latticed window, where dark shapes are moving behind the glass.
‘I’ve managed to piece together what happened here. It appears that the well water was poisoned.’

‘Poisoned!’ You blink back surprise. ‘Why? Who would do that to an entire village?’

Eldias gives you a look from the corner of his eye. ‘I’ve seen worse acts of revenge.’

‘Revenge for what?’

The witchfinder gestures to the piles of papers and books. ‘They discovered that one of their number was a vampire. His name was Rorus Satch, an unassuming man who liked to study herbs. He
was just unlucky – met the wrong person. He was bitten.’ Eldias leans his neck to one side, rubbing it with his hand. ‘I know the feeling.’

‘So he poisoned the well? Because they found him out?’

The witchfinder smiles. ‘It was actually his apprentice. Who then fled the village. But I don’t think it really matters now – do you?’

Turn to
347
to ask Eldias another question. When you are ready to continue, turn to
340
.

95

Clutching your items you turn and race up the passageway, towards the shrinking circle of light. Just as it is about to close you throw yourself forward, hands grappling at the
rotting roots and earth. You stagger through the hole, turning to watch as it snaps closed, leaving no trace of a secret passageway. Facing you is a solid mound, as nondescript as the others in the
barrows.

Overcome with elation at your hair-raising escape, you give a whoop of joy, punching the air.

It is then you hear a wolf-like snarl.

Your heart skips a beat. Slowly, you turn on the spot, the stench of wet fur drifting on the wind. The giant dire wolf is watching you with its glittering amber eyes, spit drooling from its
fangs. The beast has waited for you. And once again, there is no escape.

But something has changed in you now. After your ordeal in the burial mound you feel different – more confident in your abilities. You have the chieftain’s treasures to aid you
– fine equipment from a bygone age; from a bygone hero.

You fall into a battle stance, meeting its stare. For a brief instant the wolf’s forehead wrinkles, as if displaying surprise at your sudden show of courage. Then its eyes narrow. Throwing
back its head, the beast emits a knee-trembling howl – and then pounces in a savage blur of snapping teeth! It is time to fight:

If you manage to defeat this fearsome predator, turn to
106
.

96

You study the trunk of the tree, noting its many stubs and protrusions, which will help you in your climb. With a route planned, you place one foot against the gnarled wood and
begin your ascent.

Once you reach the halfway mark, you find yourself struggling to find adequate supports. Several times a hand or a foot slips, making your stomach reel as you glimpse the ground far below. If
this is a replica of a real tree, then the craftsman was obviously a skilled climber. To reach the top you will need to pass a
speed
challenge:

If you are successful, turn to
15
. Otherwise, turn to
306
.

97

The steam escapes in hissing geysers from the newly-opened pipes. Virgil flashes you a gold-toothed smile. ‘And here was me thinking you was all hot air . . .’

Congratulations, you have solved the puzzle and improved your chances of defeating the fire sprites! Make a note of the keyword
wind breaker
on your hero sheet and the number 350. You may
now examine the cogs and pulleys, if you haven’t already (turn to
786
) or head up the stairs to the forge (turn to
601
).

98

‘Oh, that,’ smiles Anna, her mood suddenly brightening. ‘It’s dwarven – a household spirit. It’s meant to bring good luck and
prosperity.’ She takes it down from the shelf, turning it over in her hands. ‘A traveller gave it to me. I’ve done some research since and, apparently, they’re always
crafted in twos. Somewhere, there is the twin of this one. I would so dearly like to have the set.’