43

You come to the top of a small rise. Peering over the edge, you see that the ground slopes away in a long, shallow curve, which rises on every side to form a broad basin. At the centre lies a large lake many miles wide. Feverishly you lick your lips in anticipation of a long, languorous drink of cool water. You start to move down the slope when Tanith catches your arm.

‘Wait!’ she says. ‘I can see something down there.’

You follow the line of her finger. Among the verdant grassland of the depression that surrounds what must be Lake Dolani you can just make out a human form. You edge a few more feet down the slope. With horror you see a large man lying with his arms and legs tied to four wooden stakes driven into the ground. A faint moan drifts on the breeze: he is calling for water. You edge a little closer. The man is almost a giant, measuring at least seven feet tall. His skin is black as ebony and his hair is long and flowing. Suddenly you realize that this is one of the Masbaté, the original inhabitants of the Lissan Plain and a mighty warrior people—till Shasarak defeated them in the Plains War of MS 5008.

You have only known one Masbaté: Samu, a noble and fearless warrior, who accompanied you in your search for the Moonstone. Once, he was king of the Masbaté nomads. He thought himself the only survivor of his people—it was common belief that the Wytch-king had hounded the tribe into extinction, sealing their doom by unleashing a plague of demons. Some say that these demons roam the plains still.

You wonder who has left the poor, tortured man to die in the sun. You step further down the slope intending to free him, but Tanith holds you back, fearing a trap. You cannot see how anyone, even Shasarak himself, could know that you have returned to the lands of the Shadakine Empire after an absence of seven years.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it, turn to 58.

If you are versed in the Higher Magick of a Visionary and wish to use this Power, turn to 67.

If you do not possess either of these Powers, or if you do not wish to use them, turn to 85.