The Heart of Fire (65 page)

If you have one of the following and wish to use it, turn to the relevant entry number:
metal soldier
(turn to
460
),
paper soldier
(turn to
451
),
rock soldier
(turn to
407
). Otherwise, you must fight this opponent yourself. If you win, you must continue with the
health
that you have remaining (turn to
444
). If you are defeated, turn to
464
.

428

Damaris strides over to the creature. She makes a quick inspection of the body before turning away in revulsion.

‘The dwarf . . .?’ asks Murlic, keeping to a safe distance.

The witch nods, her eyes scanning the rest of the chamber. ‘Once perhaps . . . ah, I believe that is what we came for.’ She crosses the room to a large stone casket, set within a
circle of runes. They still pulse with a faint glow, but at a gesture from the witch they crackle and spark and then fade to nothing. ‘I’ve broken the weaves.’ She puts her hands
to the heavy lid. ‘Conall.’

The giant warrior moves to her side, putting his immense strength to the task. The rumbling of stone is magnified a hundred-fold, as the lid is slowly pushed back. At last the interior is
revealed – and both Damaris and Conall stagger backwards, covering their faces.

You can feel it from where you are standing. A fierce heat washing through the chamber. But whereas the others seem to be driven back by its intensity, you find yourself unmoved. Instead, you
cautiously advance, much to the surprise of Damaris who is cowering behind her raised arms.

‘Stay back!’ she cries in warning. ‘The magic . . . it will burn you!’

You are already standing over the casket, looking down at the hammer-shaped object resting on a bed of glowing coals. Somehow you can feel the heat prickling against your skin, but there is no
pain. You reach into the casket and take hold of the hammer, your hands settling around the grip. You smell burning flesh as your skin comes into contact with the super-heated metal, but it feels
distant – like you are looking down at someone else’s body, not your own. You lift the relic, admiring the intricately carved head-piece.

‘What is it?’ snarls Murlic, backing away to the edge of the chamber.

Conall is urging Damaris to do the same, but the witch pays him no mind, her amber eyes wide and staring. ‘It’s powerful . . . very powerful . . .’ she gasps.

Suddenly, the panels that encase the head of the relic snap open and a bright white light pours forth, filling the room with dazzling radiance. You lift the object above your head, holding it
aloft like a torch, as its light blazes like the heart of a sun.

‘This is demon magic!’ growls Murlic, shading his eyes.

Damaris is uncommonly quiet as she regards you with a mixture of awe and fascination.

‘This will take us into the forest,’ you state, looking up at the relic. ‘This is the key.’

Damaris removes her cloak, gesturing for you to wrap the relic within its folds. ‘Then the forest is our next destination,’ she asserts. ‘We should prepare. What we find there
will change the course of this war. Of that, I am certain!’ (Congratulations, you have retrieved the relic from Duerdoun. Return to the quest
map
to continue your journey.)

429

‘Dustin was only a child when he was brought here – a monk found him wandering the Pilgrim’s Road. Since then, the monastery has sheltered him; protected him
from a world that would label him an outcast.’ The dean looks fondly on the old man, who is now tapping the sides of his head, making childish whining noises as the scribe urges him to
continue. ‘They wouldn’t know he was special. It took Dustin only a week to read all the books in this library . . .’

You glance around at the endless rows of dusty tomes. There must be hundreds and hundreds of books packed inside the library. ‘That’s impossible,’ you snort, shaking your head.
‘It would take a lifetime and even then . . .’

The dean smiles. ‘That’s only part of his gift. Dustin can recount every word – from any book, from any page. He remembers everything he sees. He doesn’t always
understand it – but he sees the words. He sees the numbers. He remembers
everything
.’

430

The accursed spear quivers and shakes, its runes suddenly emitting a blood-red glow. From the corpse a spectral light rises up into the air, forming the ghostly shape of a
serpent. Then it sweeps towards the spear, spiralling around the blade and shaft. The runes flash and spark as the spear continues to tremble – then, with a rattling hiss, the spirit-light is
gone, absorbed into the weapon’s dark runes.

Congratulations, you have gained
the spirit of the serpent
. (Make a note of this on your hero sheet.) You may now return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.

431

With Anse’s help you are finally able to extinguish the elemental’s fury. Among its smouldering remains, you discover one of the following special rewards:

You turn back to the hall, intending to help Joss, but the chasm has expanded, cleaving the hall in two. As the violent seizures continue to shake the chamber, more of the stone breaks away
– reducing the hall to a series of crumbling islands. There is no sign of Joss or Maximus – or the ladder that Jacob used to escape. Turn to
469
.

432

‘Watch the shadows,’ warns Boom Mamba, his eyes sliding sideways from pillar to pillar. ‘Umbra is a shadow spirit. Fastest of them all.’

You advance warily along the promenade, moving from bright sunlight to cool shadow as you pass each of the columns. The shaman has held back, crouching down next to his staff. ‘I start the
enchantment – so we trap Umbra when he die.’ He closes his eyes, mumbling words in a strange tongue.

Then you catch something blurring at the corner of your eye – a cloaked figure moving impossibly fast. It hops from one shadow to the next, making barely a whisper of noise. It is closing
quickly on the shaman, black claws distending from its fists.

Shouting for the spirit’s attention you charge forwards, trying to head it off. But as you swing your weapons, you find yourself hitting only air – until your wild swing takes a
clump of stone out of one of the pillars.

A rustle of movement to your side.

You twist just in time to parry the shadow spirit’s attack. Then it has gone again, flitting away from one pillar to the next. As you scan the ever-shifting shadows, you realise that this
will prove a challenging battle. It is time to fight:

Special abilities

If you manage to defeat this elusive trickster, turn to
480
. If you are defeated, you may return to
510
to choose a
different foe to battle.

433

You spot your weapons and belongings in a corner of the room. Wincing against the pain, you slide your legs off the bed, your eyes starting to sting from the incense burning on
the nearby table.

‘I have to go . . .’ you insist, pulling away the rest of the blankets.

‘No,’ states Virgil firmly. He looks to his companion. ‘Would you leave us, Modoc?’

The tattooed man bows, before crossing the room to the single exit. When he opens the door a blast of sand and dust billows into the room, carried on a hot wind. You glimpse a barren plain,
scattered with gorse and weathered rock. Then the man steps out and closes the door behind him.

You look back at the witchfinder uncertainly. ‘Are you holding me prisoner?’

He folds his arms. ‘I’ll get to the point. And I suggest you listen. Cernos has gone south. I can’t be sure what his motives are – but he is headed into the Terral
Jungle. And that is where I am sending you.’

‘Sending me?’ you retort angrily.

‘I said listen!’ snaps the witchfinder. ‘There’s a connection now, between you and the demon.’ He gestures to your scarring. ‘And that makes you the perfect
demon hunter.’

You start to protest but Virgil halts you with a raised palm. ‘Most prophets are also empaths. You are susceptible to the thoughts and impressions of others, picking up on emotions . . .
ideas. I won’t deny you have some talent at seeing future events – but what led you to that forest was the demon itself. Like Allam before you – the demon can impress upon you its
own thoughts, guiding you, making you see what it wants you to see.’ The witchfinder walks over to a desk, where a pile of papers lie scattered next to a leather bag. ‘I daresay your
own powers resisted it at times . . . but now, you and the demon have a link. And that will help you to find Cernos and discover his intentions.’

Virgil grabs the leather bag, his eyes falling on one of the sheets of parchment. ‘I have secured you passage on a merchant vessel. It is heading south to Sheril and will be calling at the
Emerald Isle on the way – your destination.’

‘Don’t I have a say in this?’ you snap irritably. ‘What if I just told you to—’

‘Ah, I wouldn’t do that if I was you.’ Virgil tosses the leather bag onto the bed. ‘You see, part of the demon is inside you now. Given time, you will start to change . .
. to become just like him. A demon.’

Your eyes widen in horror.

‘But you can save yourself. Defeat the demon and take its heart. With it, Modoc will be able to do the necessary enchantments to halt the . . . changes.’

You take the bag and lift it onto your lap. ‘And what is this?’ you ask, your anger having frayed to a surly resentment.

‘Some items to help you on your way. Sadly, I cannot accompany you – I must travel east to the capital and speak with the council. Avian Dale will need to know what happened. Then I
will rejoin you, if I can – hopefully with aid.’

‘Avian Dale?’ The name sounded familiar. ‘He was the one who wanted me released. From Durnhollow.’