If you want to seek shelter in a cave, TURN TO PAGE 9
If you’d rather get to the city, TURN TO PAGE 91
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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 Dastan—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 pass out.
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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 tunnels—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, TURN TO PAGE 108
Take the one that leads deeper in, TURN TO PAGE 20
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You can’t let him discover the secret of the Dagger. There is only one hope—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 release—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.
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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, TURN TO PAGE 22
If you create a diversion, TURN TO PAGE 71
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You’ve been walking for what seems like miles. You wish you’d taken the time to find shoes that fit properly—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 quarter—or at least you think it’s the right one. The streets are jumbled close together, and clusters 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?
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The plaza is quiet—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 space, wondering where you should try next.
“Stop right there!” a voice calls out.
You turn slowly. You recognize the man—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 truth—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?
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“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.
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“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. “Remember— 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 worse—and far more dangerous—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.
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“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 gods 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? TURN TO PAGE 67
Or do you sneak into the city another way? TURN TO PAGE 38
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“I’m desperate for a drop of water,” you call. “This canteen is empty!”
“Perhaps you should have thought ahead, Princess,” Dastan scolds. “Rather than using up all of the water.”
“I wasn’t born of this desert like you Persians,” you retort. “My constitution is more delicate.”
“I think you mean spoiled,” Dastan counters.
Okay, time to put your plan into action. You fall to the ground and wait.
“A miracle,” Dastan calls over his shoulder. “I’ve silenced the princess.”
Steady, you tell yourself. He should turn around just about—
“Tamina!” he cries.
He rushes to your side and kneels down beside you. He turns to get the canteen from Aksh’s saddle, and as he does, you slam his head with a bone you’ve picked up. He stares at you a moment, then flops over. He’s out cold.
You quickly pull the Dagger from his belt and mount Aksh.
“Yee-hah!” you cry as Aksh takes off at a gallop.
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“How do you want me to proceed?” you ask.
Nizam gives you a cool smile. “You’re a smart girl. You’ll think of something. You have two days. That’s when the king is due to arrive.”
You blink as he stands. “Two days?” you repeat. “That’s not enough time!”
“Dastan has probably made his way just outside the city walls,” he says, then strides away. “I suggest you start there.”
You sit staring into space for a moment, but fury very quickly replaces your sense of fear and helplessness. Not only are you going to get the Dagger back, you vow, but you are going to expose Nizam’s treachery. You have no doubt that his plans for the Dagger don’t include the rest of the royal family. In fact, you suspect it threatens them.
But how can you convey that to Prince Dastan and still manage to keep the Dagger and its secrets? What if Nizam does tell the royal family about the power of the Dagger? They’ll certainly want it for themselves.
You’ll worry about all that later. Now you have to find Dastan—and hope that he will help you. Together you need to come up with a plan.
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You gallop for what feels like forever, the moonlight showing you the way. “It’s safe to stop now, Persian,” Amar finally calls.
“They won’t stop,” Dastan replies. “They track and kill. That’s what they do.”
“What who do?” Amar asks. You’re wondering the same thing.
Dastan stops the horse and nervously looks back the way you came. “Those vipers who attacked us in the camp were controlled. By a dark secret of the empire—Hassansins.”
You shudder. You’ve heard tales, but thought they were just stories told to frighten people.
“For years they were the covert killing force of Persian kings,” Dastan continues. “But my father ordered them disbanded. Nizam must have secretly kept the Hassansins intact. They are no ordinary soldiers, but a cult of killers trained from childhood. They’ll do Nizam’s bidding without question.”
You see Seso and Amar’s fear as they understand fully who is following you.
“This is why we can’t stop,” Dastan says.
Silently, and with grim expressions, you all begin riding again. It seems you now have a much larger party accompanying you and the Dagger to the Guardian Temple.
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You jerk your head sharply, and your veil falls back into place.
The older man paces in front of you. “We know you secretly build weapons for enemies of Persia,” he says. “Now show us where.”
“We have no secret forges here, and what weapons we do have, you can easily overcome,” you tell him.
“Our spies say differently, Princess,” the one called Garsiv snarls. “Much pain can be spared if you—”
You cut him off. “All the pain in the world won’t help you find something that doesn’t exist.”
Now the one who lifted your veil approaches you. “Spoken like one wise enough to consider a political solution, don’t you think, Nizam?”
The older man shrugs. “Perhaps, Tus,” he says.
Tus extends his hand to you. “Join hands with Persia’s future king.”
You sneer. This is the crown prince? “I’ll die first.”
You see Tus’s jaw clench. “Yes,” he says softly. “Yes you will.”
Your heart clutches as he steps back and motions to his bodyguard, who draws his sword. The young and handsome Persian reaches for his belt. He lifts a dagger as if he intends to defend you—against his own people! But more shocking—
He’s holding your sacred dagger! Asoka has failed.
“Wait!” you cry.
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“I’m sorry,” you tell Kartosh. “I travel alone. Now please, get out of the way.” You slip your hand into your skirt pocket, touching the Dagger. If you have to, you’ll fight your way out.
“It has been nearly a thousand years since anyone opened the box,” Kartosh says. The genie is expanding before your eyes. “I will not go back to a life in exile.”
You pull out the Dagger, but before you can attack he lets out a deafening roar. The cave shakes and rocks and boulders begin dropping around you. Astrella lets out a terrified whinny.
“Stop it!” you scream at Kartosh. But he keeps up his howl. With horror, you realize the entrance to the cave has filled up with fallen rocks.
“No!” you cry. “All right, you can come with me!”
“Too late,” the genie says. “The way is blocked. Oh, and that magical knife you think you’ve hidden so well from me? It doesn’t work on my kind. And now, I suggest you get comfortable. We have a lifetime to get to know each other.”
THE END
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Hours later, you and Dastan are walking to give Aksh a rest. The heat is blistering. You trail behind the prince, trying to come up with a way to get the Dagger back before you wind up in the Valley of the Slaves.
You watch, amused, as Dastan scoops up a handful of sand and refills the handle of the Dagger. “Without the right sand, it’s just another knife,” you point out. “Not even very sharp.”
Dastan presses the jewels. Nothing happens.
“This sand,” he says, “you have more of it?”
“Of course not,” you tell him.
“How can I get some?”
“Try standing on your head and holding your breath.”
You can’t help it. You’re enjoying his frustration.
“Keep walking,” he snaps.
“I’m thirsty,” you complain.
Dastan tosses you a canteen. You take a sip. “So if you can’t show your uncle how the Dagger works, why in the world would he believe you?” you ask.
“That’s not your problem, Princess,” Dastan says.
You walk in uncomfortable silence for some time.
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You have vowed to keep this secret, and you can’t break it now. But you still aren’t sure you can trust Dastan—especially with something this huge, this important.
“Tell me, Princess!” he demands again.
“I . . . well . . . let’s see . . . where should I begin . . .” you stammer, stalling, trying to come up with another story to give him. A lie.
Unfortunately, you wait too long. Within moments the raging sandstorm sweeps over you both. Burying you—and your secrets—forever.
THE END
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The Guardian's Path Page 4
