44
A crossbow bolt flashes through the air, heading straight for you, but your Shield of Sorcery deflects it and you are unharmed.
The Ooslo bird is flying lower now, as it approaches its nesting place in the Gurlu Marshes. As soon as you are flying low enough to jump to the ground, Urik tells you to untie the vine that is knotted around you. You do as he asks and you both fall to the ground, tumbling through a swathe of marsh grass, which cushions your landing. Sitting up, Urik gives the Ooslo bird a comic wave as it continues, unheeding, back to its nest.
‘Shadakine near. We go now,’ Urik states. Immediately, he breaks into a stumbling trot, following the course of a shallow waterway that cuts through the tall marsh grass. A few minutes later, a chilling howl stops you dead in your tracks: the Shadakine have hunting dogs, the terrible Magdi hounds. As you move away once more, you keep to the waterway in an effort to hide your scent.
