You point to the caravan heading your way. "I"m sure those travelers would love to trade their clothing for my armor. And your fancy garments."
The caravan approaches. It"s a strange, motley group. Both the men and the women have kohl-rimmed eyes and are covered in tattoos. Their somber clothing is embroidered with symbols you"ve never seen before.
"Shakshi," Tamina murmurs.
"What?" you ask.
"I"ve seen members of this sect before. They believe they are in touch with the darker forces. They travel from town to town offering to rid citizens of evil spirits."
"Do you believe that nonsense?" you ask her.
Tamina shrugs. "I believe in forces beyond mortal understanding. And I have certainly seen evil."
"Are they dangerous?"
"Only if you"re a demon," Tamina says. "Let me do the talking," she adds. "They speak an unusual dialect."
She calls out something in a language you don"t know. A tall, skeletal man steps out of the group. He must be the leader.
104.
You tie your shirt around your nose and mouth to keep out the sand, duck your head, and follow the voice into the unknown.
"This way!" the voice calls again. You can barely hear him over the howling wind. But you sense you are not too far behind. Suddenly you stumble over him as he kneels at a trapdoor.
You help him tug open the door and quickly jump down after your rescuer. He slams the door shut above you.
It"s suddenly quiet. The storm still rages outside, but underground you can hear the stranger"s every breath.
You tear the shirt from your face, wanting to see who it is that saved you. A young man about your age looks back at you, grinning.
"I owe you my life," you say.
"Just returning the favor," the young man says.
Now you"re puzzled. "Who are you?"
The man bursts out laughing. "You don"t recognize me! Well, we have both changed a great deal since our days in the streets. I"m Yusef!"
You smile and pull him into an embrace, clapping him on the back.
"We"re all grown up, aren"t we?" you say, laughing.
"If you hadn"t saved me from the king"s guards all those years ago," Yusef says, "I might never have made it to adulthood!"
14.
Aksh whinnies and shies, rearing in panic. Tamina lets out a shriek as she falls off, landing hard on the ground.
Instantly, the vipers surround her.
You gain control of Aksh, spinning him around. You draw your sword and lean out as you charge toward Tamina. You slice off the head of one of the vipers just as it"s about to strike her. This gets the attention of the others.
Now they come after you.
You slash one viper after another, but you know there"s no way you"ll be able to get them all. Then you realize Tamina is hurling boulders at them, smashing the ones behind you. And your horse stomps them, too. Finally the last one is dead.
You dismount to make sure Princess Tamina is all right and that your horse wasn"t bitten. They both seem fine.
"We have to get away from here as quickly as possible," you say.
"You"ve seen such creatures before?" Tamina asks.
"They are the tools of the Ha.s.sansins," you explain. "A secret, elite group of killers. My father disbanded them. Clearly they are back in business."
The skin on the back of your neck p.r.i.c.kles. You"re being watched.
121.
You don"t want anything to give away your position. You turn down the dark pa.s.sageway and leave the torch where it is.
Wham! You slam into somethinga"or rather, someone! A woman, by the sound of the surprised shriek.
"Are you all right?" you ask.
"Who are you?" the voice in the dark says. From the position of the voice you can tell you knocked her to the ground.
You feel around in the dark, and manage to help her up. She gasps. "My ankle!"
Ahead is a lit pa.s.sageway. "Let"s get to where we can see," you say. "I can bind your ankle."
"I don"t believe this," the woman mutters.
You reach the twist in the tunnel where torches line the walls. You see that the woman you crashed into is quite beautiful. As she gazes at you her expression changes from one of discomfort due to her injury to pure fury. Suddenly she pulls out a dagger. "Get away from me, Persian!" she shouts.
You realize she"s an Alamutiana"and not very happy about the fact that your army has her city under siege.
She lunges at you, but you deftly sidestep her thrust. You whirl around and kick the Dagger out of her hand. You scoop it up. She flings herself at you, making your grip slip. Your fingers. .h.i.t a small jewel embedded in the Dagger"s handle. Sand trickles out of the weapon.
48.
"I don"t think I"ll have any luck with my father," you say sadly. "I"ll search for the princess as you suggest. She may provide information that will make our case."
"Good." Nizam nods approvingly.
But how will you find her? Then it hits you. Her servants may know, and may also be willing to reveal the informationa"for the right price.
You get to the servants" quarters and find several women gathered around a dark-haired beauty.
"Get out, Persian," the beauty snaps. "This is not a place for you."
"And clearly you don"t know your place," you admonish her. The other women glare at you. Nevertheless, they shush her.
"I have a few questions . . . and an offer," you say. "I"m looking for your mistress, the princess Tamina. And I will pay handsomely should the information be correct."
The feisty one crosses her arms over her chest. "What makes you think any of us would commit such a betrayal?"
You take a closer look at her. You notice an intricately carved dagger in the waistband of her skirt.
She"s not a typical serving girl. Not at all.
"Nice to meet you, Princess Tamina," you say.
90.
You enter the village and discover a beautiful young woman at the fountain. She"s filling a bucket. She"s startled when she sees you.
"What brings you here, stranger?" she asks warily.
You dismount and approach her. "Chance," you tell her. "I gave my horse the lead, and this is where he brought me. I don"t wish to disturb you, but I have been traveling for days. My horse and I could use water, food, and a place to sleep."
She frowns, studying you.
You pull a leather pouch from around your neck. "I can pay."
"Princess Tamina," an elderly woman calls from the doorway of a hut. "The stew is ready."
Your eyes widen in shock. Standing right in front of you is the woman your uncle thought held the key to the secret weapons forges. The woman he wanted you to find.
She takes a step back, her hand suddenly going to an ornate, ancient-looking dagger in her waistband. A weapon you hadn"t noticed until now.
Should you take her prisoner, and bring her back to Alamut? 80.
Do you pretend you don"t realize who she is? What would be the point? 110.
At dawn, you are near the southern end of the walled city. Per Tus"s orders, you will lead your commandos as backup for your brothers as they breach the main gates.
You wait anxiously for the signal. A wind is whipping up, and the horses are beginning to grow jumpy. You walk the ranks, giving encouragement.
Then you hear a sound you know and feara"the deep howl of a sandstorm. You turn to discover a dark wall of sand heading toward you.
There"s nowhere to take cover! You can"t wait for the command, you have to get inside the walled city. "Charge!" you shout as you race to get back to your horse, holding your sword high.
But it"s too late. The sandstorm is upon you.
The horses whinny in fear and you sense confusion among the men. The sand pounds you, disorienting you, blinding you.
You have to find shelter, but this is unfamiliar terrain. You don"t know which way to turn.
Suddenly, a voice says, "This way, Prince. I can get you to safety."
Do you follow the unseen stranger? 69.
If you think it"s too risky, 28.
Soon you are approaching the High Temple, wearing the work clothes Tamina"s maidservant stole for you. Tamina, too, is dressed in worker"s garments. Sheikh Amar and Seso have made themselves scarce.
"I"ll meet you in the courtyard," you tell her. "And then I"ll bring the Dagger to Tus and prove my innocence."
She gazes at you, her eyes full of concern. You know what she"s thinking: you"ll only meet her if you survive.
You hold up your shovel to cover your face and walk past the guards. Then you follow the directions Tamina gave you to the sanctuary.
You step inside and walk past the ornate stone columns, every sense on alert. It"s eerily quiet. Blades of sunlight slash the cool temple darkness. As your eyes adjust, you see the Dagger sitting atop a pedestal, illuminated by a shaft of light.
But no sign of a guard, Ha.s.sansin, vipera"nothing.
This can"t be right, you think.
54.
You see her considering, trying to decide what to tell you.
"The truth, Princess," you say, tapping her with the point of your sword.
Suddenly she flings her bucket at you, knocking you in the forehead. Tamina leaps away and races across the village square.
You rush after her and lunge, hitting her at the knees. She falls with a cry, and you leap on top of her. You quickly wrestle the Dagger away from her. You hold it to her throat. "I"ve lost my patience. I will come back here and raze this village if I think you"re telling me lies."
You feel the fight drain out of her. Protecting the village must truly matter to her.
"That dagger you hold," she says. "Treat it with respect."