The Heart of Fire (45 page)

‘Hold your claws. This is not the place for killing.’

The white tigris grunts and then climbs off you. ‘Skin not worthy of the Sheva. Take this one to marsh if that is your wish. We are done here.’

The white tigris depart in silence, heading back into the dark forest. Scar-face walks over and helps you to stand. His disappointment is evident on his ravaged face. ‘I hoped you’d
do better.’

‘Me too,’ you wince, putting a hand to your bruised rib.

The leader, Grey-hair, watches you from the rock shelf. ‘We would still welcome you. The journey across the marsh has many dangers. Will you help us, bright claw?’

295

‘What business is it of yours?’ she yells, kicking over the table and sending pots and mugs flying. ‘Come on boys, time to show this one what happens when yer
bait the fish!’

There are screams and shrieks from the crowd as people scatter to a safe distance. ‘No fighting!’ bellows a voice from behind the bar. Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice
– the ruffians run at you as a pack. You must fight:

Special abilities

In this combat you roll against Bilhah’s speed. If you win a combat round, you may choose to strike against Bilhah or her ruffians. If Bilhah is defeated first, then the
ruffians will immediately surrender, winning you the combat.

If you defeat this cruel band of mercenaries, turn to
194
. If you are defeated, turn to
244
.

296

Bea gives you a sideways glance, her hands flexing around her sword grips. ‘Sanchen. You’re a prophet?’

Your attention remains fixed on the Wiccans. The short man whispers something to the feathered woman, who nods and smiles. ‘We should never have left you at Durnhollow,’ she says
with genuine regret. ‘We have need of your powers, Sanchen. Old one.’ She tilts her head, looking past you to the elderly man sat by the roadside. He is fumbling with one of the buttons
on his coat, the rainwater dripping from the brim of his hat. ‘And we want that one. The so called “secret weapon”.’

‘God’s teeth,’ curses Ventus, looking straight at Bea. ‘Is there no one in Carvel who doesn’t know?’

The pilgrim shakes her head quickly, her cheeks reddening. ‘I was careful.’

‘Not after a cup too many, dear,’ grins the Wiccan woman. ‘We have our eyes and ears, even in the towns.’ She points to the elderly man. ‘He is important. And he
comes with us. Don’t try and stop us. As you can see . . .’ The woman gestures to her ragged band of warriors, all armed with brutal weapons. ‘A fight would not favour
you.’

Bea takes a step forward, raising her swords. ‘I’ll gladly put your steel to the test.’

The giant throws back his head and laughs – a deep, hard sound, both daunting and terrible. His ragtag soldiers follow suit, throwing curses and jibes in a guttural-sounding language.

With a bullish snort, the mighty warrior takes a step forward, beating the flat of an axe head against his chest. ‘I am Conall. The freed man. Leader of the Wiccans. We take back the old
lands. The kin lands. And we make you pay for our suffering in tears and blood!’

‘Wait.’ The feathered woman stops him with a commanding tone. ‘Stay your hand, king in the making. Let our zealous friends here decide their fate.’ Her eyes flick to you,
the corners of her mouth twitching with amusement. ‘What say you, Sanchen? The crows got your tongue?’

297

Amongst the piles of wind-scoured rock, you find a silver casket containing 50 gold crowns and one of the following items:

When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
239
.

298

With Shonac defeated, you race up the pathway to the next platform. As before, your way is blocked by another ghostly scene. A group of dwarves lie sprawled across the ground,
spears and arrows protruding from their armoured bodies. Goblins scramble over them, snorting and hollering in glee. Then the scene blurs and shifts as one of their number is brought into focus
– a female goblin, with jewelled trinkets and bone charms threaded through her tangled hair.

‘Sarak Dun Garag Gar!’ The shaman pulls a wand from her belt, dark magic flickering around its spiked headpiece. ‘Gun Sark Virag Dor!’ Her guttural words become a
cat-like hiss as she raises the wand and sends a cascade of magic surging towards you. It is time to fight:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat Rap Unzal, keep a record of your
health
and remaining abilities, and turn to
533
. If you are defeated (or reach the
end of your twentieth combat round), then the wind demon has outrun you. Restore your
health
and return to
630
if you wish to tackle the challenge again.

299

The women are applying a thick coloured paste to the rock wall, using pieces of bark to quickly and skilfully craft it into shapes and textures. The last image shows some
demonic-looking animal rearing up over the heads of two knights. Eva is adding the claws to its immense paws, scratching them into the paste with deft movements of her makeshift brush.

‘What is this?’ you ask with interest, leaning over to get a closer look at the two knights. They are cowering away from the mighty animal, their weapons discarded on the ground.

‘We celebrate when spirits aid us,’ states Eva, taking a step back to admire her work. ‘Conall is blessed by spirits. He will be king one day – and wear the crown of all
peoples.’

You look at the gigantic bear with its ferocious jaws and blazing red eyes. ‘But this is a demon,’ you reply tentatively. ‘Conall is a man, I thought.’

The other women giggle to each other. Eva frowns at you. ‘Conall is our champion. With Damaris, his strength is greater than a thousand demons.’ She resumes her painting, while the
other women continue to whisper and chuckle. (Return to
485
to continue your exploration of the cave.)

300

The creature staggers back, dislodging stones from the wall as it grapples to stay upright. While it is distracted, you step in and deliver the killing blow, watching as the
diseased monster slides down the wall into the thick sludge.

With the beast finally defeated, you decide to search its remains. You find 5 gold crowns and may choose one of the following rewards: