Treasures of the Forgotten City (Ultimate Ending Book 1)

by Danny McAleese

  "There's a light on up ahead," Waif says skeptically. He sounds like he only half believes it. "It's... some kind of room."

  Sure enough he's right. As your eyes begin readjusting you can start to see things beyond the light of your partner's torch. You emerge from the hallway into a large granite chamber. Tiny shafts cut into the ceiling bring light down here, presumably from somewhere up in the city above.

  "Look!"

  There's an alcove on the far wall. Recessed within it is a three-pronged dais. Each of the prongs ends in a fist-sized depression, exactly the size and shape of a star jewel.

  "I think we're supposed to put our jewel in the right place here," Waif points at the dais.

  You don't like the sound of that one bit. "Are you sure?"

  "Well, no. But there's nothing else in the whole room."

  You walk the entire chamber just to make sure. Nothing else. No other exits. Just Waif, you, the dais, and the star gemstone resting snugly in your rucksack. You pull it out with a heavy sigh. Hold it in your palm one last time...

  Which star jewel did you recover? Use the chart below to add up all the letters in that word. Once you have the total, you can TURN TO THAT PAGE.

  Do you have the star RUBY?

  Did you obtain the star EMERALD?

  Or maybe you recovered the star SAPPHIRE?

  45

  You're out time. Out of room! As much as you hate the idea of making the attempt, the floor retracts more with every second that goes by.

  Flattening yourself against the wall, you take three lunging steps. On the fourth one you jump...

  But the distance is too far.

  Even with Waif reaching out for you, you fall woefully short of the other hallway. Your arms pinwheel through the air as you drop helplessly into the cold, dark waters of the raging river.

  Oh, man! You came so close!

  Not for a lack of trying, but this is obviously

  THE END

  46

  When Waif lit the fires, the floor started moving. Maybe putting them out will stop it.

  "Douse the braziers!"

  Waif grabs his canteen while you pull yours from your rucksack. Upending them onto the coals, you put both fires out in no time. But nothing happens! The chamber grows dark again. The ceiling is sickeningly close.

  Death by Fire...

  "Quick, light them again!" you cry. "Light them so we can search the room for another way!"

  But it's no use. The coals are much too wet now. As you struggle for an answer the room grows smaller. Darker. Waif's torch goes out, and that's when you realize this must be

  THE END

  47

  With your arm outstretched you begin to rotate the key to the right. There's a sharp click, and then you step back as the entire obelisk begins to turn on its own. It goes through all four faces, turning a full 360 degrees with the loud grinding of stone on stone. Then it stops, and everything goes silent. The obelisk key pops back out and drops into your hand.

  "That was weird," Waif says. "I don't know what--"

  Without warning you feel the ground shift beneath you. There's a tremendous crack -- like the biggest thunderclap you ever heard, but somewhere muffled and very far away. The noise is followed by what sounds like rushing water. It gets louder. Closer. Just in front of you, a tremendous field of dust begins rising into the air.

  "The ground's falling away!"

  You grab Waif and pull him down, kneeling against the obelisk for what little protection it brings. Right before your eyes, the desert floor drops away. What you thought was water was actually sand; millions of tons of it drop off into what seems like an endless, bottomless pit. The sinkhole expands outward in a geometric progression. Thankfully, it's moving away from you.

  "Cover your mouth!" Waif shouts. "And your eyes!"

  You mimic your new friend by pulling your shirt over your face. You can't see. You can't hear. Your ears are filled with television static, a thousand times louder than anything you've ever heard in your life. Eventually the ground stops shaking and the sound drops down to a low hiss. When the dust finally settles you find yourself standing at the top of a sheer cliff wall. Hundreds of feet down, the ancient, broken ruins of a city lays sprawled out beneath you.

  You found it!

  48

  "Atraharsis!" you roar. "There it is!"

  The once-great city of Kings is breathtaking, even in its ruined state. Atraharsis's walls barely stand. Its temples and palaces are a crumbled ruin, blocks of stone and masonry scattered like hundreds of yellowed dice. Even as you watch, more sand drains away. Piles of it still line the cobbled streets, but for the most part the city is revealed.

  "It was here the whole time," you swear. You still can't believe it. "Right beneath us."

  "The City Beneath the Sands," Waif says. "It was always said."

  A jagged path zigs and zags its way downward from the obelisk. You follow along, being careful not to trip over any rubble that could put you over the edge. It's still a long way down. Waif stays right with you, picking his way along the narrow ledge. He's having a much easier time of it than you are.

  The path winds its way westward, skirting the edge of the city. When it finally spits you out, you stand before a broken opening in the enormous city walls.

  "This is the Great Gate," you tell Waif. "Murdoch's journal has a crude map. Hang on..." You reach into your rucksack. "Ah, here it is."

  49

  50

  "It was known as the Grand Gate," Waif tells you. "Your map has it wrong."

  You look back at the city and shrug. There's nothing great or grand about the opening in the wall. In fact there's not even a gate anymore, if there even was one to begin with. Written on the back side of the map is another message. You read it out loud:

  Three Star Jewels, Three Deadly Trials

  Before the Walls Will Sing

  It Takes Nine Lives

  From Six Less Five

  To Find the Hall of Kings

  "Well we only have two lives," Waif says. "So that may be a problem." He studies the map for a moment. "Your map shows the location of the star jewels," he says with interest. "Sullivan's map wasn't nearly as detailed."

  The jewels stare back at you seductively, beckoning you as they did your grand-uncle. Even one of them would be enough to live the rest of your days in comfort. Not to mention Atraharsis's other hidden treasures, plus the fabled riches supposedly buried in the secret chamber known as the Hall of Kings.

  "Waif listen," you begin. "You need a boss. I need a crew. As of right now, you're hired. If you want the job, that is."

  For a moment all your friend does is stare up at the yellowed walls of the ancient city. Then he smiles. The sun gleams off a pair of golden teeth. "I'm in." He extends one calloused hand in your direction and you shake it.

  "Okay Mr. Young--"

  "Donovan."

  "Okay Donovan," Waif says with a slight bow. "Where do we begin?"

  Your map shows two potential entrances to the city of Atraharsis. Only one of them is visible.

  If you decide to head in through the Great/Grand Gate, TURN TO PAGE 109

  If you'd rather skirt the city and look for the East Gate, TURN TO PAGE 36

  51

  You walk for minutes that seem like hours in the darkness. Waif leads with the torch held out before him, turning left and right with vague purpose. You hear nothing. See nothing. This makes it all the more nerve-wracking, because you expect the worst at any moment.

  "There's a room here," Waif says.

  Up ahead, the corridor widens into a large chamber. The torchlight illuminates everything, including the walls. All of it is bare. There's nothing anywhere, except--

  "Look! The floor!"

  Directly beneath your feet, a complete map of Atraharsis has been meticulously painted from wall to wall. It includes everything, from the Ziggurat to the Temple to the Queen's Tower. The colors haven't faded much, even after all this time. Th
e overall attention to detail is incredible.

  Waif points. "See these lines?" In a lighter ink, another schematic has been laid over the map itself. "These are the Underhalls. The very catacombs we're in right now. They stretch beneath the city, and--"

  A blue vein follows beneath the cliff face on the map. It shoots off in several directions, along streets and avenues, including a wide vein that flows up through the cliff itself. There, at the top, is an unmistakable drawing of the obelisk.

  "The aquifer!" Waif cries. "The one that feeds the oasis! See how it runs beneath the city? Through to the pools, the fountains," his finger traces upward, "and then to the obelisk itself!"

  "So?"

  "This is how the engineers hid the city! When Atraharsis became threatened they channeled the river, running the waters beneath these halls to sink the city beneath the sands!"

  The thought of millions of gallons of water rushing beneath you is more than a bit disquieting. Still, the knowledge it took to build this place...

  "Come on," you say. "Let's not give this city a reason to keep us."

  Better keep moving. TURN TO PAGE 152

  52

  The slug bears down on you. It's just too big. The torch is too small. You're out of options. Unless...

  "Waif!" you shout. "Throw me your pack!"

  He does. You flip it open, reach inside, and pull out a giant fistful of the pink rock salt.

  You throw it.

  The salt strikes the slug with exactly the desired reaction. It recoils in pain, halting its advance and rearing back in confusion.

  "It's working!" Waif yells.

  You grab another handful of salt, then another, spreading it out a wide arc. Soon the slug is twisting and writhing on the far side of the cavern. No longer a threat, you stop.

  "Find us an exit," you tell Waif. "Hurry."

  Using the torch, your partner works his way along the wall. You keep one hand in Waif's bag, your eyes on the slug. All the fight has gone out of it. You're pretty sure you'll be okay when--

  "Found one," Waif calls. "Over here."

  A pitch-black opening is cut roughly into one wall. It's the only way out of the room.

  "Let's go," you tell Waif as you hand back his pack. There's hardly any salt left. He looks crushed.

  "Yeah, sorry about that."

  53

  Continue along the pitch-black tunnel when you TURN TO PAGE 44

  54

  You follow the growing cloud back to its origins. Up near the ceiling, several stone blocks have retracted into the wall. The diamond dust pouring out from them has already stopped. All you have to do now is ride it out.

  "Close your eyes!" you shout as it washes over you. "Don't blink!"

  For several moments you do nothing but stand there, eyes squinted shut, breathing as shallowly as possible through the collar of your shirt. You can only hope that Waif heard you in time.

  Eventually, the dust settles. You give it another minute or two to be safe, then carefully peek out from beneath your shirt. Waif is doing exactly the same thing. He's okay!

  You pull the yellow lense from the mount and replace it on the dais.

  "We need a better choice," you tell Waif. You hold up the other two lenses. "Which one?"

  If you try the red lense HEAD TO PAGE 26

  If you go with the green lense, TURN TO PAGE 74

  55

  The street widens here, the sand pushed back to reveal a great cobbled avenue with structures on both sides. Everything is shattered beyond recognition. You close your eyes and try to imagine Atraharsis as it once was, picturesque and beautiful, boasting the world's greatest engineers and some of the most advanced architecture of its time.

  "This was a city of peace," you say. "Or at least, that's what my grand-uncle used to tell me."

  Waif nods. "Peace and knowledge. Somehow the kings and queens of Atraharsis avoided war. At one point it was the center of all trade; a sparkling jewel in the heart of the desert, fed from beneath by the waters of a great spring."

  Your foot catches on yet another mound of dust. It's hard for you to imagine this city ever had water. It's the driest, most sun-scorched place you've ever seen.

  "And one more thing," Waif adds. "I was thinking--"

  The ground beneath you abruptly gives way. The sensation of falling ends in a violent landing, all the breath knocked from your lungs. You throw your arms up as broken cobbles rain down all around you.

  When the dust finally settles you're in a basement of chiseled sandstone. A pitch black tunnel yawns to your right. That's when you notice the chattering. Dozens of enormous rats have encircled you. Noses sniffing the air, they squint upward as if they've never seen the sun. Slowly they begin to close in...

  "Wait!" Waif cries. "Don't move!"

  Don't move? Is he kidding you?

  There's probably just enough time to take the pitch black tunnel. You can do that by GOING TO PAGE 110

  On the other hand, Waif did tell you not to move. If you decide to stay still, TURN TO PAGE 75

  56

  "Quick, get behind these rocks!" you shout. "While there's still time!"

  With a nimbleness you only wish you possessed, Waif vaults over the stones behind you. He's already disappeared from view by the time you finish your own mad scramble.

  The lizard stomps over to where you're hiding. Craning its neck, it leans down and lifts up one of the stones in its tremendous maw.

  "It's trying to find us!" you warn your friend. "We have to get to another--"

  "No," Waif tells you firmly. "Look."

  You glance up to find the monster no longer coming. In fact, it's now taking the smooth white stone back in the direction it came.

  "We woke it up," Waif explains, "when we first raised the city. But it's not after us. It's after its eggs."

  You reach back and rap your knuckles against one of the broken pillars. "But these are just rocks."

  Waif shrugs. "It doesn't know that. Yet."

  You watch the big lizard as it disappears down the next street. Fortunately it's not moving in the direction you need to go.

  "Come on," you tell your partner. "The tower is just up ahead."

  The Queen's Tower awaits! FLIP DOWN TO PAGE 111

  57

  "Run!"

  You turn on your heels and sprint, willing your feet to move faster than you've ever run in your life. All you can do is move forward. There's no time to look back, no time to worry about whether or not Waif is still with you. All that exists, right now at least, are your feet and the road.

  After a while the exertion takes its toll. Sweat beads along your face and neck. It runs into your eyes, stinging like crazy.

  "Waif?" you call back blindly. A grunt over your shoulder tells you he's still there. But you can hear the dogs too, and you're not entirely sure you can outrun them.

  Roll a single die (or just pick a random number from 1 to 6).

  If the roll is a 1, 2, 3, or 5, GO TO PAGE 118

  If the roll comes up as a 4 or 6, FLIP OVER TO PAGE 38

  58

  You set the star emerald in its position on the dais. A noise startles you from above, and you jump back...

  Three enormous stone columns fall from the ceiling. They slam into the floor right where you were standing, creating a thick stone portcullis that cuts you off from the alcove!

  "Over there!" Waif shouts. Off to your left, a door is sliding open. You ignore it for the moment and reach between the stone columns. Your arm goes through... then your shoulder. But the gap is too small. The emerald gleams in the shadows, tantalizingly just beyond your reach.

  "It's closing!"

  Waif's right. The door is sliding in the other direction now, once again becoming part of the wall. There isn't any time...

  "Come on," you say reluctantly. "We have to go!"

  The door is half closed by the time you slide into the darkened hallway. But Waif isn't there. You call back for him as the seconds tick by. The
opening becomes a narrow sliver of light, separating you from the darkness.

  "Waif!"

  At the last possible second, he slips through. The door slams shut behind him. The torch flickers wildly as a small corridor is revealed.

  "Where do you think it leads?" your partner asks.

  "I don't know." You look back forlornly in the direction of your beautiful lost emerald. "But it had better be worth it."

  The corridor deposits you into a long stone chamber. Three exits are spaced equidistant from each other at the opposite end. In the center, mounted on a smooth platform, is the magnificently-carved statue of a giant serpent.

  "Is this the Hall of Kings?" Waif asks. "Doesn't seem very... kingly."

  Three of the walls here are featureless stone. The fourth however, is studded with multi-colored gemstones in a long trailing pattern. Sort of like...

  "The Hydra."

  59

  Your partner squints. "The constellation?"

  "Yes. See how the jewels are spaced?" You trace a line from point to point. "Seventeen stars. Seventeen gemstones." Looking back at the statue, you notice it follows the same serpentine shape. But the sculpture has no adornment at all.

  Waif bends over the platform, where a small series of glyphs have been etched into the side. "The serpent sees the way," he translates. "Doesn't make much sense. The statue couldn't see if it wanted to -- its eyes are missing."