"First, by opening the box. That"s how I knew that you have a sacred destiny. You are human, that"s easy to see. But only a very special human would be able to get the latch to release. And then, by inviting me to join you."
"What do you mean?" you ask.
"The spell would only be lifted if I was invited to leave the cave."
So that"s why he made you ask him again. You want to ask who put him in the box when you notice Astrella has grown agitated. She keeps looking back. So you glance over your shoulder.
"Uh-oh," you say. "A sandstorm!" Sand funnels in the distance twist toward you. Strangea"the funnels are moving completely in synch.
Kartosh looks back. "That"s not a sandstorm," he says. Then he looks at you. "It appears, traveler, you have very powerful enemies."
66.
BACK TO PAGE 85.
BACK TO PAGE 119.
For the first few miles you stay off the roads completelya"you don"t want the Persian army to stop you. Eventually the terrain turns rougher, and you begin to feel fairly safe.
Safe from the Persians, at least. You still have no idea what to expect as you head farther and farther away from Alamut. You"ve never left the city walls before. You"ve never had a reason to.
No matter. You have the memory of every lesson you ever had as a Guardian to guide you. That is security enough.
You feel even more rea.s.sured when a city looms up ahead, precisely where it was foretold in the legends. And, just as in the directions you recited again and again, there are caves carved into the sheer rock face to your right. Perfect. You"re exactly where you should be.
Strange, you think, as you get closer to the city it looks abandoned. The walls are in disrepair and the crumbling gates are wide open. Then again, the stories of the journey to the temple have come down from ages long past. It could have been a bustling market city a thousand years ago!
The sky darkens and lightning flashes across the sky. You need to take cover. Should you hurry to the city and find shelter in one of the buildings? Or should you duck into one of the nearby caves and wait out the weather?
If you want to seek shelter in a cave, 9
If you"d rather get to the city, 91
You know your duty. You have to protect the Dagger. Return it to the temple. In the chaos of the fight you sneak away and climb up onto the farmhouse roof. Your eyes scan the rock face. There is the entrance to the cave!
If you didn"t know to look for it, you"d never find it. At least, that"s what you hope. You slip into the fissure in the rock and enter the cave that is the temple.
Light reflects off a natural pool. You can no longer hear the battle outside. Your thoughts flash to Dastana"you hope he"s safe. But then you bring your focus back to this moment. You need all your will and strength to take the next steps.
You see the sacred mantle of rock at the back of the pool. This is where you will fulfill your destiny. Where you will give your life to save humankind.
You wade into the water, just as your ancestor did years before you.
"There"s another way," Dastan says behind you. You turn to face him, relieved that he survived the battle outside.
"There isn"t. I"m ready for this," you say. You lift the Dagger, preparing to thrust the blade into the sacred stone. Saving humanity but ending your life.
Vhwip! A whip suddenly wraps around your wrist and yanks you away from the stone! The Dagger goes flying, and you slam your head against a boulder.
Darkness envelops you as you pa.s.s out.
113.
Hoping to find something useful, you twist the jar lid and are very glad you opened it. Inside is a torch and matches! It takes a few tries but you manage to light the torch.
Now you can see the cave much better. No bats, no monsters. Just jagged rock walls, muddy ground, and dank smells. The torch casts spooky shadows, but it"s better than standing there in the dark.
Astrella whinnies and picks up her hooves daintily, as if she is disturbed by the mud underfoot. The water is still flowing into the cave. You need to go even deeper. You hold up the torch and are able to see that at the back of the cave there are tunnelsa"one leading steeply up and perhaps out, the other leading deeper into the mountain.
Which should you and Astrella take?
Take the one that leads up, 108 Take the one that leads deeper in, 20 You can"t let him discover the secret of the Dagger. There is only one hopea"only the one holding the Dagger is aware of what it can do. You must be sure he isn"t holding it!
With a shriek you fling yourself at Dastan, startling him. He drops the Dagger into the river.
You plunge into the river after it. You have no idea what happens if no one holds the Dagger as the sands releasea"and you don"t want to find out. And you can"t lose it, not after just getting it back!
Time and again, you duck below the surface, trying to find the Dagger. Your wet clothes weigh you down. Each time you surface, it gets a little harder. You keep repeating and repeating the action over, and over, again.
Gradually, all your strength runs out of you. You slip under, and this time you can"t fight it. This is . . .
THE END.
Scanning the crowds, you see Dastan sitting with Sheikh Amar. They are talking excitedly, and you glare at the prince. But then something changes between them; what had been friendly has become charged. To your horror you see Seso take the Dagger from Dastan! He gives it to Amar. Amar tosses it to someone down on the racetrack. "Melt it down for the jewels," you hear Amar instruct the man.
You can"t let that happen!
But what should you do?
Should you create a diversion so that Dastan can get the Dagger? Or should you go after the man who has it yourself?
If Dastan gets the Dagger back, you"ll still have to get it back from him!
But Dastan is in a better position to stop the man.
If you go for the man yourself, 22
If you create a diversion, 71
You"ve been walking for what seems like miles. You wish you"d taken the time to find shoes that fit properlya"the large size of the ones you"re wearing makes you clumsy, and you can feel blisters rising. The good thing is that your disguise appears to be working. No one pays any attention to a slim young man wearing worker"s clothes and a turban, which also hides your hair.
Finally you"ve reached the right quartera"or at least you think it"s the right one. The streets are jumbled close together, and cl.u.s.ters of men gather on the corners. Some of them are quite boisterous, others argumentative. There is the distinct odor of ale mixed with sweat and dust. All seem at leisure. You wrinkle your nose, reluctant to approach any of them to ask about Dastan. You have a feeling that your disguise may no longer work the minute you speak. You forgot about that detail.
Then you spot some men you recognize as the prince"s bodyguards!
They are piling out of a tavern and into an alley. You follow along, figuring you"ll at least get word of Prince Dastan"s whereabouts from this crowd.
Then your eyes grow wide. Destiny must be at work! Prince Dastan has just sauntered out of the tavern after his men.
But what is he doing?
124.
The plaza is quieta"much quieter than it would have been in a time of peace. Your own people are prisoners now, and the Persians occupying the city are soldiers. Most are in encampments outside the city walls. Perhaps this was the wrong place to look.
You hurry through the empty s.p.a.ce, wondering where you should try next.
"Stop right there!" a voice calls out.
You turn slowly. You recognize the mana"he is Nizam, the king"s brother and the princes" uncle.
"On whose business do you wander the palace, girl?" he demands.
No business of yours, you want to say, but hold your tongue. You remember that you are dressed in your maidservant"s clothing.
You bow your head. "I was asked to find the young prince. Dastan, I believe is his name?"
He peers at you with suspicion. "On whose order? And for what reason?"
Hmm. You hadn"t thought that far.
Perhaps you should tell him something close to the trutha"after all, he doesn"t know the secret of the Dagger.
"The princess Tamina believes the prince has something belonging to her. She asked me to beg him to return it. Or," you add, thinking fast, "to do her the honor of returning it out of kindness as a wedding gift. Since she is to marry his brother."
Nizam"s eyes narrow. Have you said too much?
12.
"You know, you really walk like one," you comment after a while.
Dastan keeps going.
"Head held high, chest out. Long stomping strides. The walk of a self-satisfied Persian prince. No doubt it comes from being told the world is yours since birth. And actually believing it."
Dastan whirls around. "I wasn"t born in a palace like you," he says. "I was born in the slums of Nasaf. I lived if I fought or clawed for it."
You stare at him, stunned. You had no idea. "Then how . . . ?"
"The king rode into the market one day and found me. Took me in. Gave me a life. A family. A home. So what you"re looking at is the walk of a man who just lost everything."
He turns back around and starts walking again. You stand gazing at him. This Prince Dastan is turning out to be very surprising.
118.
"Then we have an agreement," Nizam says, leaning in close. You can see every pore on his face, every eyelash.
"Yes," you croak.
"Good." He releases you, and you rub your throat. "Remembera" I am not as foolish, gullible, or headstrong as any of my nephews. I will be much harder to betray. And I know not to trust you."
"I feel the same way about you," you say. "So how do you expect me to get the Dagger from Dastan? Why can"t you just ask him for it?"
"Too direct," Nizam says. "Right now they believe it"s a trinket of yours. None of them know what power it truly represents."
You swallow hard. He knows! He knows everything. How is that possible? This is much worsea"and far more dangerousa"than you had realized. Nizam will fight to the death to get the Dagger, that you know for sure. And he will kill any who stand in his way.
51.
"I believe in what I can hold in my fist and see with my eyes," Dastan says.
"Then you limit your sight," you counter. "Miss your sacred calling."
"Spend time hungry and cold in the gutter. Then talk to me about sacred callings."
"I know what the G.o.ds have asked of me," you say. "And I"ve dedicated my life to it. I will fulfill that calling, no matter what the consequences."
You let your words sink in. You need him to see that the Dagger is part of something far greater than clearing his name, wealth, or power.
"I"m begging you," you continue. "Stop thinking about what you lost, what you used to be. And start thinking: what are you supposed to become?"
Dastan remains silent. You think you may have struck a chord.
"I suspect it"s greater than marching into this funeral and getting your head chopped off," you finish.
He faces you square on. "Destiny or not, if you want to stay close to your precious dagger, you"re going to help me get into Avrat."
You sigh. You have no choice. You have to help him sneak into the city.
Do you hire on with one of the dignitaries to get into the city? 67