“If you want to live, give me the Dagger!” you insist.
Seso slashes the rope binding your hands and tosses you the Dagger.
Just in time!
Three vipers burst from underneath the sand.
Do you use the Dagger to rewind time? TURN TO PAGE 106.
But what if you use up all the sand? Do you battle them yourself? TURN TO PAGE 100.
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The minute you step inside the city gates, you’re swept up in hand-to-hand combat with an Alamutian sentry. He comes at you with his sword, and you meet it with yours, blocking it. You use your blade to push him back. He stumbles, but quickly recovers and charges at you again.
You spin around to gain momentum, then clank! Your sword hits his again. This time with so much power he’s thrown off-balance.
Movement above you catches your attention. That’s when you notice the archers up on the parapet.
Your split second of distraction gives your opponent his opening. He scrambles back to his feet.
Should you keep fighting him or should you run away, to try to find your men?
If you want to keep fighting, GO TO PAGE 51.
If you get out of there to try and find your men, GO TO PAGE 84.
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You slowly turn to discover a group of men dressed in the dark clothes and turbans of the Hassansins. They have surrounded you, and their cold eyes peer from wind-blasted faces.
“You disappoint me,” you say to them, squaring your shoulders and tightening the grip on your sword. Princess Tamina stares at you. You ignore her and take a step toward them.
“I came here to train with the deadliest of fighters. Yet we were able to infiltrate your compound. We were here for some time be-fore your pets”—you tip your head toward the dead vipers—“came to greet us.”
One of the men comes forward. “Who sent you to us?” he demands.
You smirk. “You don’t recognize me?” you ask. “I was sent by the very one who brought you back together. Who created this training camp.” You hope this ruse will get you the information you need.
The man raises an eyebrow and then nods. “Of course. You are Dastan. But I thought your uncle Nizam had kept our existence a secret from your family.”
You force yourself not to betray your shock at his words. “Uncle Nizam isn’t going to be pleased if I tell him I caught you all unawares.”
You see his jaw clench and his hand go to his weapon. “I will be happy to tell him you have been training hard and training well,” you add.
“Who is the woman?” another man asks. “Why would Nizam want you to bring a woman among us?”
Why indeed?
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You cannot take your eyes off the bundle. Odd. A strange light seems to illuminate the fabric from within.
Glancing around to make sure no attackers lie in wait, you drop into a crouch and open the bundle. Inside is a beautiful ceremonial dagger. It looks ancient and somehow . . . otherwordly. An intricate pattern decorates the jagged blade. The glass handle is filled with white sand so unnaturally bright it seems to glow. You raise the Dagger to the light and watch the sands shift.
You feel frozen in time, as if you were hypnotized by the beauty of the object, the trickling grains of sand.
A cry of victory snaps you out of your reverie. The Persian army has taken the city!
You slip the Dagger into your belt and head out to find your brothers.
Join in the victory and GO TO PAGE 6.
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“She is to be trained as well,” you say. “A woman can sometimes accomplish things a man cannot.”
The Hassansin looks skeptical, but he doesn’t ask any more questions.
“May we have a tour?” you ask. You want to get a lay of the land. You’re going to need to get out of there quickly—get word to your brothers about Nizam’s betrayal.
“I’d like to see the weapons,” Princess Tamina says, her voice cold and haughty. “I’m trained in many already. I’d like to try something new.”
“Trainees don’t give orders,” the Hassansin growls. He turns to you. “I’d like to see your weapons. That Dagger is most unusual.”
Something glints in the sunlight—all of the men have drawn weapons.
“In fact, that Dagger looks exactly like the one Nizam has charged us to find,” he adds.
They’re on to you!
You know they’ll chase you and not the princess, since they’re after the Dagger. You spin around and bang into her—and secretly slip it into her hands. “Run!” you cry. She takes off—and you race in the opposite direction.
As you suspected, they’re all on your trail. You’ll never beat them; you won’t outrun them, you can’t outfight them.
But at least the princess will get the Dagger to safety.
THE END
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You make your way into the cave, the sound of fighting growing fainter. Finally you come to a deep natural pool. Tamina stands in the water in front of a rock altar. She lifts the Dagger, about to plunge it into the sacred stone.
Vwhip! A whip wraps around her wrist, yanking her backward. The Dagger goes flying!
You pull out a sword—just in time. You block another whip blade before it can cut Tamina in half.
You turn, gripping your sword, ready to face the assailant—a Hassansin. You need to get him away from Tamina and the sacred stone.
You somersault under more whip blades, then leap up and retreat back outside. You leap onto the roof of a farmhouse. The Hassansin follows you, his whips hissing as they flick and curl.
You raise your sword and catch one of the whips. It wraps around your blade and you tug hard, leaning out with all your weight. The other whip blade slashes at you, slicing open your shirt. You twist, turn, and sever the blades from the rest of the whips.
But the Hassansin doesn’t give up. He pulls out a sword and charges.
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“I’m not,” you protest. “And that’s what I’m here to prove.”
Bis’s sister backs away from you and sits. You kneel in front of her and take her hands in yours. “Bis died protecting me,” you say gently. “He knew I would never harm my father. Your brother was a brave man. And my good friend.”
“Bis loved you like a brother.” She gazes at you with tear-filled eyes. “I never believed the talk,” she assures you. “What do you need? How can I help?”
“I need all the news about Nizam,” you tell her. “And a place to stay for the night.”
The next morning, wearing Bis’s clothes and carrying several of his weapons, you head for the palace courtyard. Bis’s sister has told you Nizam is to be crowned king today.
Not if you have anything to say about it, you think.
Your fists clench as you take in the scene. There is a great deal of security, you note. Nizam stands on a platform surrounded by bodyguards, and archers are positioned on rooftops. You sneak through the crowd, keeping your head down until you reach the edge of the platform.
The moment arrives. The regent carries the crown to Nizam as he puts on the ceremonial robes. This is your last chance to stop it.
You leap up onto the platform. “Stop!” you cry. “You are giving the empire to the king’s true murderer!”
TURN TO PAGE 88
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“I will talk to Father,” you tell Nizam. “It’s important he know that Tus and Garsiv did not die in vain. That will only happen if we find those forges and put an end to the Alamutians’ dealings with our enemies.”
“Good,” Nizam says. “Let me know what happens.”
You steel yourself to face your father. You battle the pain you feel—both at the loss of your brothers, but also at the idea that despite everything, your father never truly cared for you the way he did for them. But y
ou have a mission to accomplish, and emotions won’t help you.
You arrive at the chambers where your father is staying. A guard bars your entrance.
“He’s not seeing anyone,” the guard tells you.
“He’ll see me,” you insist.
“He was very clear,” the guard says. “You are one of the people he specifically does not want to see.”
Your heart sinks. This is what you were afraid of. Nizam was right. Your father has turned against you.
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There’s no way that you trust her. “Forget it, Princess.”
You race out of the courtyard. She’s following you, so you take every twist and turn and finally you lose her.
But you have also lost yourself!
You have no idea where you are—this is a strange city and you just ran wherever your feet took you. You slow to a walk and step out of an alley.
And find yourself in the courtyard of the palace! You ran right back to where you started!
“The murderer!” a voice calls out. “Get him!”
A volley of arrows streaks through the night sky from all directions. A searing pain radiates through your body. Your eyes flutter and you realize this is . . .
THE END.
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In despair, you pack a few meager provisions and head out to the stables. You see no point in staying. If you were not welcomed by your father, then you are not welcome in the kingdom. You have no future here.
You ride north. You’re not sure why, other than that it is away from Nasaf, your home. Your former home, you remind yourself.
For days you ride up into the mountains, never seeing a single other soul. The desolate landscape matches your mood. If only you had kept your brothers from invading. They would still be alive, and you would still be in your father’s favor.
But would you really? According to Nizam, Sharaman never saw you as a real son. So even if you had changed the events, it wouldn’t have made one bit of difference. You would still be the outsider.
How could I have not seen it? you wonder as you lead your horse along a heavily wooded trail. King Sharaman always made you feel we were close, that your bond was just as strong as his bonds with Tus and Garsiv.
You emerge from the trees and look down upon a tiny village in the valley below. Perhaps they will allow you to spend the night there, water your horse, and add to your provisions.
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You grab the torch. You don’t want to risk your neck by running in the dark.
You round several more corners, and by the time you take the fourth or fifth forked passage you’re pretty sure you’ve lost Ogav and his pals. You slow down.
You need to take a break. And you’ve got to come up with a way out of here. Otherwise you may be doomed to spend the rest of your life underground!
You lean against a wall—and tumble backward! Somehow you tripped a secret doorway.
Shaking your head, you find yourself in a giant chamber filled with sand. Your jaw drops as you stare at a towering structure. It looks like an enormous hourglass.
You step toward it and trip, sending the torch flying. It hits the glass and you hear a sharp ping! Luckily it just created the tiniest of nicks.
No one will notice that, you figure. Phew! A trickle of sand drains out of the minuscule hole. No big deal.
Then images suddenly begin to whirl around you. You watch in astonishment as you see yourself enter the chamber! It’s as if time is rewinding in front of your very eyes!
GO TO PAGE 66
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Nizam’s cold lust for power enrages you. You scream and lunge at him, swinging your sword. Nizam lifts the Dagger to block and you knock it out of his hands. Nizam cowers, waiting for you to deal a deathblow.
“I trusted you,” you tell him.
You stand over your uncle, struggling to bring yourself to kill him. Suddenly he reaches into his cloak and pulls out a short-blade knife. He slashes you across your gut. You drop to your knees.
“Dastan!” Tamina cries from her hiding place.
Nizam rushes to recover the Dagger. “I never understood why my brother brought trash into his palace,” he says, crossing to the Sandglass. “Enjoy the gutter, Dastan. It’s where you’ll stay under my reign.”
He raises the Dagger, ready to pierce the Sandglass and rewind time to the moment when he saved his brother. Only this time, he won’t.
But when he breaks the seal, he will bring down utter distruction.
Another tremor, and cracks appear in the floor. Nizam stumbles as the ground shakes.
“Don’t use the Dagger,” you plead. “It will unleash—”
“Unleash what?” Nizam cuts you off. “God’s wrath? Hell itself? Better to rule in hell than grovel upon the face of this cursed earth!”
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“Let it go!” you shout at Nizam.
“Never! This is my time now!” he roars back at you.
Sand pours out of the Dagger as ghostly images of you and Nizam float backward through the actions you just performed. You see yourself somersault in reverse, landing on the column. You see Tamina clinging to the edge of the chasm. Then you watch her fall up and back onto the ground, where she totters.
You could go to her and keep her from ever falling in. But that would mean you’d have to let go of the Dagger. Is your destiny to save Tamina or the Dagger?
If you rush to Tamina, TURN TO PAGE 132.
If you cling to the Dagger, TURN TO PAGE 133.
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You can’t lose Tamina. You leap from the Sandglass platform to grab her. Your sudden movement jerks the Dagger out of Nizam’s grip—and out of the Sandglass!
You topple backward and manage to steady yourself beside Tamina just at the edge of the chasm. The Dagger skitters to a stop just a few inches from you and the sand stops flowing. You bend to grab the Dagger.
“NO!” Nizam lunges for it. You swiftly move out of his path, and his momentum carries him right into the abyss. He falls, screaming the whole way down.
You take a deep breath. It’s over. You pick up the Dagger and hold it out to Tamina.
“I believe this is yours,” you say.
She takes it, her eyes full of tears. “You did it,” she whispers.
“We did it,” you say. “And now the world can be safe again. All is as it should be. We have each met the challenge of our destinies.”
THE END
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If you don’t stop Nizam and the flow of sand out of the Sandglass, it won’t matter if you save Tamina! The Sandglass will shatter—and all of humanity may perish!
Time continues to stream backward as you struggle to make Nizam release the dagger. The Sandglass begins to creak angrily as if it’s about to shatter!
You let out a powerful, guttural bellow as you summon the strength to shove Nizam away from you. He stumbles and you yank the Dagger from the Sandglass.
Whoosh!
The rewind stops, and the hole where the Dagger pierced the glass miraculously closes up. You feel dizzy and faint. . . . You shut your eyes for just a moment.
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You open your eyes to see a man lying before you in an alleyway. You clutch an embroidered cloth. You open the cloth and discover the Dagger inside.
You’ve gone back to when you fought with Princess Tamina’s guard, who was trying to sneak the Dagger out of the city to safety. To where this adventure all began.
You clutch the Dagger. This time, though, things will be different. You will make different choices. Change the course of events.
This time you will be all that your father hoped you would be—not simply a good man, but a great one. And your father will live to see it happen. You now know the power of the Dag
ger and the secrets of Alamut. Perhaps Princess Tamina was right after all— that you had a destiny, and it was to bring you back to this moment when you could make things right.
THE END
To Right a Wrong Page 9
