The Eye of Winter's Fury (112 page)

Leif shakes his head. ‘I do not feel it – I see no path. My spirit here is unbound. Only my will has kept me alive – my body has . . . is no more.’ He removes a ring from his gloved finger, then turns and offers it out to you. ‘With your aid, friend, I have found peace at last.’ He nods to the glowing band, its green metal worked with runes and glyphs. ‘Please, take it – this ring was given to me on my naming day. My grandmother said it was crafted by the Dwarves, before they fell to ruin. It is all I have left to give.’

If you wish, you may now take the following item:

Leif’s lantern

(ring)

+1 armour +2 health

Ability: regrowth, blind

The warrior’s body starts to fragment, like the pieces of a shattered mosaic. They gradually drift apart, thinning to wisps of smoke which curl away between the twisted branches of the tree.

Skoll is silent, his jaw held tight. When he finally speaks, it is with a furious anger. ‘He was a good man. Leif Lysander. Song of Dawn’s Light. The witch . . . she has taken too much.’ Turn to
400
.

773

The mountain is getting nearer, but the distance is still significant – and the dragons are catching up with you once again, their screeching calls and beating wings filling the air with panic. Ahead of you is another island of rock, spinning slowly above the empty chasm. Its flanks are pockmarked with holes and fissures, as if the rock had been beaten by a shower of giant hailstones. It isn’t until you get closer that you realise the island is actually a giant hive; the holes are tunnels
snaking away into the innards of the rock. Just large enough for you to pass inside, but too small for the dragons.

A chance of escape.

You dive down towards the island, aiming straight for one of the openings.

Realising your intention, the dragons put on an extra burst of speed. They sweep in on either side of you, almost knocking you off course with the frantic beating of their wings. You spare a glance at one of your pursuers, finding yourself staring straight between a set of gigantic widening jaws.

‘Faster!’ screams Anise. ‘Or we won’t make it!’

The dragon’s head reaches forward, its half-rotted teeth descending, looking to crunch straight through your transport.

With an extra nudge of speed you lurch away, passing into the tunnel opening – and leaving the dragons to smash forcibly into the side of the hive. You can still hear their screams of rage as you continue to hurtle along the tunnel.

‘Close,’ shouts Skoll above the rush of the wind.

‘Hold on,’ you call back, ‘we’re not out of this yet!’

The passage has widened, leading towards what appears to be a giant chamber. You can hear the droning buzz of insectoid creatures coming from that direction. Smaller openings whip past on either side, offering a possible alternate route.

774

This creature is growing stronger off your hatred, but even so it proves no match for the relentless barrage of attacks that comes its way. Screaming out for vengeance, you pummel the demon to its knees, showing no mercy as its black blood sprays across the stone. You know it isn’t really the cardinal, but it no longer matters – your desire for revenge powers your strikes and makes you unstoppable.

As you deliver the killing blow the demon’s body flickers and fades,
replaced by the blood-spattered form of your nemesis. He looks up at you with those same expressionless dead eyes, muttering a final prayer to his god. Then he slumps against the throne, his hand leaving a crimson smear across the velvet seat.

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

When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
621
.

775

The passage slopes, taking you down into a small square room with one other exit in the opposite wall. Caul moves to the left-hand wall, where a large stone carving covers most of the space. The image depicts eight tall humanoids, their features mimicking natural formations of rock and ice. Several have clusters of crystal protruding from their shoulders and arms, while others have icicles dripping from their noses and fingers. These strange creatures are shown standing around an oval slab of stone, set into the wall. Their arms are outstretched towards it, palms raised flat. You notice that the slab glows with a soft emerald sheen of magic.

‘I wanted to show you this,’ says Caul excitedly, passing his spear point across the stone guardians. You notice that each one has a rune-shaped mark carved into their chest. ‘I don’t know what it means – but has to be here for a reason, don’t you think?’

If you have the
History of Skardland
, turn to
129
. Otherwise, you are unable to make sense of the strange carving. After several attempts to try and open the portal, you finally give up and resume your journey. Turn to
494
.

776

The rules of ‘Stones and bones’:

There are four stones in each rank. For example, a one of skulls, a two of skulls, a three of skulls and a four of skulls. All four are known as a house.

Winning hands are as follows (highest to lowest):

Royal Hoard (house ascending with crown)
Hoard (house ascending)
Queen’s Wave (ascending with crown)
Gold run (ascending)
Chest (same number of four ranks)
King’s table (two pairs with crown)
Table (two pairs)
The fool (one pair)