The
Starstrider
has been losing height for several minutes, but now its angle of descent has become far steeper. You brace yourself and count aloud the seconds as you await the dreadful moment of impact. You hear the scrape and splintering crack of sundered treetops when the skyship ploughs into the timberland. Then there is a terrific jolt as the craft's bow slams into the rocky soil and comes to an abrupt halt.
The impact of the crash landing leaves you breathless and bruised (lose 1 ENDURANCE point), but you thank the fact that you chose to take shelter here in this locker, for its metal sides and the cushioning coils of rope have undoubtedly spared you serious injury.
Turn to 101 .
81
Quickly you retrieve your Flute from your Backpack and play a sequence of ultrasonic notes to counter the psychic assault that is battering you and Karvas. The effect is immediate and dramatic. The Prince revives and is able to pull himself upright on his horse. The Inquisitor-major and his fellow hunters, however, do not fare so well. They are immune to the sound of their own horn, but you use your Kai skill to turn the tables on them. Your notes occur at a higher frequency, one to which they are not immune. You watch with grim satisfaction as they wheel their horses about and gallop away in a desperate effort to put distance between themselves and the piercing sound of your Flute, which is filling their heads with an agonizing clamour.
Turn to 144 .
82
You grab the soldier's spear, barge him aside, and then take off along the avenue at a run with Prince Karvas close on your heels. The soldier staggers to his feet and attempts to give chase, but he soon loses you both in the darkness and is forced to give up his pursuit.
You hurry through the city, past grimy two-storey houses of hardwood that are silent behind their bolts and shutters. The wide thoroughfare leads to a stone bridge that traverses the River Tehda and then continues into the heart of the east quarter. Here you almost collide with a patrol of armed guards which is marching towards the river, and you are forced to take cover in a timber yard to avoid being seen. You observe the ten-strong patrol as it marches past. These men are clad in black quilted tunics and wide silk leggings, and they are armed with curved swords and hand-axes. All are almond-eyed and they have shiny black hair tied in a knot at the nape of their necks. Their leader, a stocky bull-necked sergeant, wears the emblem of Sejanoz emblazoned upon a scarlet armband. Patiently you wait for them to reach the bridge, yet as they do so, another patrol comes tramping along the avenue from the opposite direction. The east quarter of Bakhasa is a busy place even at this late hour. Rather than risk being seen and captured, you decide to remain hidden in the timber yard and attempt to catch a few hours' sleep before dawn.
Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 340 .
83
You show the scroll that you discovered in Baron Sadanzo's safe to Marshal Phedros, and he gasps when he reads the words of this damning contract. ‘By Ishir!’ he exclaims. ‘The murdering cur! I'll have his treacherous Cavalian head for this!’
The Marshal sends messengers to the high-ranking noblemen of Siyen, all of whom have travelled to Seroa for the crowning. He musters them at the barracks and reads to them the contents of the scroll. They are outraged by what they hear, and they resolve to go immediately to the palace to confront Sadanzo. Escorted by a loyal regiment of Royal Guardsmen, the noblemen burst into the palace and meet with little resistance from Sadanzo's drunken knights. The Baron is cornered in a banqueting hall and confronted with the scroll, which he immediately denounces as a forgery. ‘This is no fake,’ growls Marshal Phedros. ‘I know your lowly seal when I see it.’
Sadanzo draws his sword with his left hand and, with
Starstrider
has been losing height for several minutes, but now its angle of descent has become far steeper. You brace yourself and count aloud the seconds as you await the dreadful moment of impact. You hear the scrape and splintering crack of sundered treetops when the skyship ploughs into the timberland. Then there is a terrific jolt as the craft's bow slams into the rocky soil and comes to an abrupt halt.
The impact of the crash landing leaves you breathless and bruised (lose 1 ENDURANCE point), but you thank the fact that you chose to take shelter here in this locker, for its metal sides and the cushioning coils of rope have undoubtedly spared you serious injury.
Turn to 101 .
81
Quickly you retrieve your Flute from your Backpack and play a sequence of ultrasonic notes to counter the psychic assault that is battering you and Karvas. The effect is immediate and dramatic. The Prince revives and is able to pull himself upright on his horse. The Inquisitor-major and his fellow hunters, however, do not fare so well. They are immune to the sound of their own horn, but you use your Kai skill to turn the tables on them. Your notes occur at a higher frequency, one to which they are not immune. You watch with grim satisfaction as they wheel their horses about and gallop away in a desperate effort to put distance between themselves and the piercing sound of your Flute, which is filling their heads with an agonizing clamour.
Turn to 144 .
82
You grab the soldier's spear, barge him aside, and then take off along the avenue at a run with Prince Karvas close on your heels. The soldier staggers to his feet and attempts to give chase, but he soon loses you both in the darkness and is forced to give up his pursuit.
You hurry through the city, past grimy two-storey houses of hardwood that are silent behind their bolts and shutters. The wide thoroughfare leads to a stone bridge that traverses the River Tehda and then continues into the heart of the east quarter. Here you almost collide with a patrol of armed guards which is marching towards the river, and you are forced to take cover in a timber yard to avoid being seen. You observe the ten-strong patrol as it marches past. These men are clad in black quilted tunics and wide silk leggings, and they are armed with curved swords and hand-axes. All are almond-eyed and they have shiny black hair tied in a knot at the nape of their necks. Their leader, a stocky bull-necked sergeant, wears the emblem of Sejanoz emblazoned upon a scarlet armband. Patiently you wait for them to reach the bridge, yet as they do so, another patrol comes tramping along the avenue from the opposite direction. The east quarter of Bakhasa is a busy place even at this late hour. Rather than risk being seen and captured, you decide to remain hidden in the timber yard and attempt to catch a few hours' sleep before dawn.
Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 340 .
83
You show the scroll that you discovered in Baron Sadanzo's safe to Marshal Phedros, and he gasps when he reads the words of this damning contract. ‘By Ishir!’ he exclaims. ‘The murdering cur! I'll have his treacherous Cavalian head for this!’
The Marshal sends messengers to the high-ranking noblemen of Siyen, all of whom have travelled to Seroa for the crowning. He musters them at the barracks and reads to them the contents of the scroll. They are outraged by what they hear, and they resolve to go immediately to the palace to confront Sadanzo. Escorted by a loyal regiment of Royal Guardsmen, the noblemen burst into the palace and meet with little resistance from Sadanzo's drunken knights. The Baron is cornered in a banqueting hall and confronted with the scroll, which he immediately denounces as a forgery. ‘This is no fake,’ growls Marshal Phedros. ‘I know your lowly seal when I see it.’
Sadanzo draws his sword with his left hand and, with
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