Legion of Shadow (55 page)

Special abilities

If you win a combat round against the leviathan, you can choose to apply your damage to the sea beast or one of its three parasites. If you kill any of the parasites (snappers,
poison needles or thorn spines), their relevant ability no longer applies. If the leviathan dies, any remaining parasites will cease fighting and you win the combat.

If you defeat the leviathan and its army of parasites, turn to
544
.

471

Using the guide, you are able to translate the runes. They all represent numbers, aligned along a series of pathways that meet at a raised centre. Some Dwarven script has been
carved into the side of the chest. Again, referring to the guide, you are able to translate the strange markings:

If you know the solution to the puzzle then ‘speak your answer’ by turning to the relevant entry number. If you cannot solve the puzzle, then turn to
482
.

472

The tunnel spirals upwards, eventually widening out into a wedge-shaped cave. Long, spindly roots hang down from the ceiling, forming a dense curtain that stretches the full
length of the cavern. As you push your way through the roots, you hear a cry and the scrape of metal as a weapon is drawn. Quickly, you hurry towards the noise, pulling back the roots to reveal a
woman dressed in dirt-stained robes. She has her back to the cave wall, defending herself from the snapping jaws of a giant purple worm. Clutched in her hands is a rusty-looking short sword, which
she clearly doesn’t know how to use, as she proceeds to make ineffectual stabs at the beast.

Without a moment’s hesitation, you race to the woman’s defence, your first attack drawing the beast’s attention:

Special abilities

If you defeat the purple worm, turn to
508
.

473

The door is held fast by some supernatural force. No matter how hard you pull at it, the door will not budge. With the countess’s screams still ringing in your ears, you
turn to face the count. You have no choice now, but to fight the vampire in this haunted hallway. Turn to
464
.

474

You don’t see who fired the first arrow, but within seconds the air is humming with their flight as their steel-tipped heads streak towards the warrior. Calmly, he raises
his hands and utters an arcane command. Suddenly, the ground around his feet cracks open, as thorn-covered vines burst up out of the soil. They whip through the air, snapping or deflecting the
arrows from their path.

As the archers reach for fresh arrows, the warrior utters another word of command, his fingers crackling with a yellow light. There are answering flashes from around the circle as the
archers’ bows burst into flames. With shrieks of surprise, the archers drop their weapons, leaving them to smoulder and blacken amongst the grass.

‘No!’ snarls the knife-woman, stalking towards the warrior. ‘We do not trade words with your kind – not any longer!’

‘Solandris, wait!’ cries the leader, raising her sword high in the air. ‘We are not savages. I command you to stop!’

The knife-woman leaps at the warrior, hissing through her sharpened teeth. He makes no move to counter her. Instead, the writhing vines snap to attention, forming a wall between the dryad and
her prey. As she attempts to cut through them, smaller shoots erupt from the vines, wrapping quickly around her wrists and binding them together. Similar shoots weave a net around her ankles,
rooting her to the spot.

It is all over in a matter of heartbeats. The warrior steps around the wall of vines. Ignoring Solandris, who is cursing and struggling against her bonds, he approaches the leader. His sword
remains in its scabbard, although the golden glow still dances across his fingers. He stops in front of the leader and then, to your surprise, he goes down on one knee, his head bowed low.

‘Your queen summoned me, Talandra,’ he says softly. ‘I bring no malice or ill to your lands. I know of your loss and I give you my word that I will do all I can to put right
this terrible wrong.’

The leader’s face softens. ‘Bern. I am sorry. My sisters are . . . we . . . are not ourselves. This is a time of war. Our precious lands grow smaller and smaller. Evil encroaches on
our borders and now, with the loss of the horn, I fear we will diminish and the grove will be no more. We cannot afford to be weak – not now, not in the face of this danger.’

The warrior rises to his feet. ‘Then, take me to the unicorn.’

‘And what of this one?’ asks Talandra, pointing her sword-tip towards you. ‘Do we let it go? It has the taint of shadow about its person.’

Bern walks over to you and places a hand on your shoulder. His clear, blue eyes fix on your own, staring intently as if gazing into your very soul. Feeling uncomfortable, you flinch and look
away – a cold tingle running along your branded skin. Bern nods to himself, as if something has just been confirmed.

‘The queen will want to see this one I think,’ he says. ‘You’re coming with us.’

475

You find yourself back in the rift, facing a pathway of stone that winds down the side of the crevice. Following it, you soon find yourself outside another cave opening. Turn to
426
.

476

Sahna turns to face the lake. ‘You’ve heard of the dwarves and their big war, right?’ Happened thousands of years ago according to Raolin. Well, one group of
them built a big city – one of many – here by the mountains, long before this place became a rotting marsh.

‘The dwarves were at war with each other. Don’t know the ins and outs, but what I do know is that one faction, the Illumanti I think, used sappers to tunnel underneath the cities and
then use explosives to create vast cave-ins. That’s how they sunk the city. All you see now is a big lake, but it’s under there. And all its treasures are there too.’

Sahna kicks at the briny salt, which forms a thick white tide along the shore. ‘Raolin is looking for something. A crown that once belonged to one of the great Dour kings. He believes it
is still down there.’ She looks at you, a weight of expectation in her eyes. ‘It would be dangerous – very dangerous. But you would be well rewarded.’

477

‘My camera!’ Hal gasps, his eyes going wide. ‘Oh, thank the spirit of Judah, you are a hero! Here, give us a hand with this.’ Hal starts to remove his
pack, wincing as he shifts his balance to his injured leg. Belinda helps him to struggle out of the straps.

‘Thank you,’ he wheezes. ‘Would you do the honours?’ Belinda opens the pack and pulls out a selection of odd-looking contraptions. ‘Don’t suppose any of these
take your fancy. You know – as a reward?’ he asks.

If you wish you may take one of the following items:

Afterwards, you escort Hal and Belinda out of the seared scar.