She frowns, studying you.
You pull a leather pouch from around your neck. “I can pay.”
“Princess Tamina,” an elderly woman calls from the doorway of a hut. “The stew is ready.”
Your eyes widen in shock. Standing right in front of you is the woman your uncle thought held the key to the secret weapons forges. The woman he wanted you to find.
She takes a step back, her hand suddenly going to an ornate, ancient-looking dagger in her waistband. A weapon you hadn’t noticed until now.
Should you take her prisoner, and bring her back to Alamut? TURN TO PAGE 80.
Do you pretend you don’t realize who she is? What would be the point? TURN TO PAGE 110.
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At dawn, you are near the southern end of the walled city. Per Tus’s orders, you will lead your commandos as backup for your brothers as they breach the main gates.
You wait anxiously for the signal. A wind is whipping up, and the horses are beginning to grow jumpy. You walk the ranks, giving encouragement.
Then you hear a sound you know and fear—the deep howl of a sandstorm. You turn to discover a dark wall of sand heading toward you.
There’s nowhere to take cover! You can’t wait for the command, you have to get inside the walled city. “Charge!” you shout as you race to get back to your horse, holding your sword high.
But it’s too late. The sandstorm is upon you.
The horses whinny in fear and you sense confusion among the men. The sand pounds you, disorienting you, blinding you.
You have to find shelter, but this is unfamiliar terrain. You don’t know which way to turn.
Suddenly, a voice says, “This way, Prince. I can get you to safety.”
Do you follow the unseen stranger? TURN TO PAGE 69.
If you think it’s too risky, TURN TO PAGE 28.
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Soon you are approaching the High Temple, wearing the work clothes Tamina’s maidservant stole for you. Tamina, too, is dressed in worker’s garments. Sheikh Amar and Seso have made themselves scarce.
“I’ll meet you in the courtyard,” you tell her. “And then I’ll bring the Dagger to Tus and prove my innocence.”
She gazes at you, her eyes full of concern. You know what she’s thinking: you’ll only meet her if you survive.
You hold up your shovel to cover your face and walk past the guards. Then you follow the directions Tamina gave you to the sanctuary.
You step inside and walk past the ornate stone columns, every sense on alert. It’s eerily quiet. Blades of sunlight slash the cool temple darkness. As your eyes adjust, you see the Dagger sitting atop a pedestal, illuminated by a shaft of light.
But no sign of a guard, Hassansin, viper—nothing.
This can’t be right, you think.
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You see her considering, trying to decide what to tell you.
“The truth, Princess,” you say, tapping her with the point of your sword.
Suddenly she flings her bucket at you, knocking you in the forehead. Tamina leaps away and races across the village square.
You rush after her and lunge, hitting her at the knees. She falls with a cry, and you leap on top of her. You quickly wrestle the Dagger away from her. You hold it to her throat. “I’ve lost my patience. I will come back here and raze this village if I think you’re telling me lies.”
You feel the fight drain out of her. Protecting the village must truly matter to her.
“That dagger you hold,” she says. “Treat it with respect.”
You continue to sit on her as you examine the Dagger. “It’s pretty. Nice jewel on the handle. But it’s just another weapon. Why should I respect it?”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Persian. This is not just another weapon. It is for this dagger that lies have been told—false excuses to invade our city, to dig beneath our streets. And it is my destiny to protect it.”
You stand and step away from her. You can tell she’s telling the truth. The truth she believes. You just don’t buy it.
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King Sharaman turns the Dagger over in his hands, examining it. Then he hands it back to the princess. “Yours is a holy city. I will not desecrate it further by claiming your sacred relics.”
Princess Tamina clutches the Dagger, her eyes wide with surprise. “Thank you. Perhaps I am wrong in my assumptions about the Persians.”
“We have much to learn about each other,” King Sharaman says. “Let me suggest an alliance between our peoples. And to seal it, I would like you to marry my beloved son, Prince Dastan.”
Now it’s your turn to stare. “But I thought . . .” Could Nizam have been wrong?
He gives you a kindly smile. “Even a loving father must sometimes speak harshly to a son.”
Princess Tamina looks disdainfully at you, but then nods. “I agree. I am grateful for the respect you have shown my people and our beliefs. I can only hope your son shares your wisdom.”
King Sharaman laughs. “We all hope for that!”
You gaze at the princess. You’re not sure why, but somehow you feel marrying this arrogant, willful, and beautiful woman is part of a larger destiny. If nothing else, she has given you back the knowledge of your father’s love, and for that you are grateful.
THE END
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You climb up onto Aksh and gaze down at Tamina. She stares up at you, her eyes wide.
“You’re going to help me?” she asks, incredulous.
You feel something shift inside you, something momentous. This is no longer about proving you didn’t kill your father. This is about something much bigger. More important. Maybe that “destiny” she spoke of . . .
You hold your hand out to her. “We can sit here and chat,” you tell her, grinning, “or you can get on the horse.”
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You quickly seek out Tus. While Tamina hides on the balcony outside your brother’s chamber, you step inside. “Hello, brother,” you say quietly.
Tus spins around. “Dastan!” He must have been praying—he’s holding your father’s prayer beads.
Tus’s bodyguards instantly rush toward you. You lunge for Tus and grab him. You hold the Dagger to his throat. The guards freeze where they’re standing.
“We need to talk, brother,” you say.
“Then talk,” Tus replies.
“Alone,” you say.
Tus pauses a moment. “Wait outside,” he tells the guards.
Once they leave, you look into Tus’s eyes. “Alamut was never supplying weapons to our enemies,” you tell him. “It was all a lie. Fabricated by our uncle Nizam.”
“Nizam?” Tus repeats incredulously. “Are you mad? What could he gain from such a thing?”
“Beneath the streets of this city is an ancient force. A container holding the fabled Sands of Time. Nizam wants to use it to corrupt history and turn back time to make himself king.”
Tus is not buying your story. “If you’re going to kill me, best you do it now,” he says.
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You immediately draw your sword. “Pull that Dagger and I will cut off your hand,” you tell Princess Tamina.
“Who are you?” she demands. “Why have you come here?”
“Destiny, I suppose,” you tell her.
She startles at your statement. “What do you mean?”
You laugh. “Destiny is a far more impressive word than luck,” you say. “I was asked to search for you, and I refused. Yet I find you anyway. Doesn’t that sound like destiny to you?”
“Why were you looking for me?” she asks. Then her eyes narrow in anger. “You’re one of the invading Persians. One of the crude and illiterate buffoons who desecrated the sacred city of Alamut.”
“If you car
e so much for your city, why did you run away?” you retort.
Her jaw sets. “I had my reasons. None that you could understand.”
“Try me,” you say.
“Who are you?” she asks again. “You still haven’t told me,”
You waver. What will get you the information you need?
If you decide to tell her the truth, TURN TO PAGE 53.
If you decide to lie, TURN TO PAGE 101.
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You will have to mourn Tus’s death later. Now you follow Tamina down a dark staircase. You hope you can stop Nizam in time. “The Guardians built passageways underneath the city for secret access to the Sandglass,” she explains.
Tamina finds a carving on the wall and reaches behind it. A hidden door instantly springs open. “If we move fast enough, we might get there before Nizam,” she says, echoing your thoughts.
You follow Tamina, coming to a narrow bridge. As you cross it, there’s an angry rumble. Pieces of rock crash down around you, falling away into the deep chasm.
“The digging is undermining the city!” you say.
“It’s the gods,” Tamina cries. “Nizam must have breached the Chamber of the Gods!”
You get across the bridge and emerge from the tunnel. You stand before a vast room with a floor of golden sand. This is the home of the Sandglass of Time.
TURN TO PAGE 94
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Both choices are risky, but you’d rather take your chances with the main roads. The Valley of the Slaves is notorious—and you have enough trouble as it is.
“We’ll need some sort of disguises,” you tell Princess Tamina. “We’re both much too recognizable.”
“We’re not exactly traveling with extensive wardrobes,” she points out. “All I can think to do is to dress you in my clothes.”
You gape at her. “Dress like a girl? And what will you wear?”
She shrugs. “I’ll think of something.”
You notice a caravan off in the distance. Many travelers come here on their way to market. Maybe you can trade with them for some clothing—perhaps even travel with them, helping you disguise your identity even more and offering you some protection.
On the other hand, no one will be out looking for two young women traveling together.
Tamina is waiting. Which is it going to be?
Swap clothing with her and TURN TO PAGE 65.
Wait for the caravan and TURN TO PAGE 68.
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You start to pace, connecting your thoughts. Through a window you notice an archer up on a nearby roof. He wasn’t there before.
It wasn’t Tus behind all this. It was Nizam! He never tried to take the robe off Sharaman. His hands should not have been burned.
You take off running.
Vwip! An arrow grazes your side, but you don’t stop.
“Dastan!” your uncle calls behind you. “Wait! I can speak to Tus!”
You don’t slow down. You race through the crowded marketplace.
You hear footsteps behind you and see crossbowmen on the roofs above you. A two-tiered assault! Another arrow comes at you. You drop to your knees and slide, feeling the arrow’s breeze as it whistles by. It clatters to the ground beside you.
You leap up and start running again. Now you see a squad of soldiers coming toward you! Your eyes flick left, then right. Nowhere to go.
You rush straight at them.
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You’re wasting your time fighting this one guard. You have to find your brothers—and your battalion.
You put all your weight behind your next blow, and the Alamutian topples over. You spin around and race away, your eyes scanning for your Persian comrades.
As you sneak through the city, you are greeted by horrific sights. Carnage is all around you—bloody evidence that the battle has been a massacre. While you were fighting the sandstorm and hiding in the tunnels, Persians and Alamutians were losing their lives in great numbers.
This was precisely what you’d hoped to avoid. It is why you came up with an alternative plan. Maybe if you had gone with your gut, all this could have been avoided.
Then you see Roham, one of your men. He seems dazed, but unharmed.
“Prince Dastan,” he calls when he sees you, “I’ve been searching all over for you.”
“What is the news?” you ask as you hurry to him.
The look on his face makes you wonder if perhaps you don’t want him to tell you.
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“I have to stop Nizam,” you say. “I’m all that stands between him and the crown, and he’s made certain that I appear guilty of my father’s death.”
You can’t bear to look at the disappointment and defeat on Tamina’s face. Maybe once you confront Nizam you can find the Dagger for her.
You say your good-byes to Tamina, Amar, and Seso. Then you mount Aksh, all the turmoil weighing heavily upon you. You have no idea what you’re going to do once you get back to Nasaf.
It’s a long, hard ride. Your thoughts are no clearer as you approach the city walls. With every mile you’ve traveled, the more your anger has taken over. When you arrive, you learn Tus is dead. No doubt the result of Nizam, you think. Your anger deepens.
You know where your uncle will be: in the royal compound. It would be easy to sneak in and confront him with such knowledge. It’s the middle of the night—perhaps the element of surprise will allow you to get the best of him. Maybe even find the Dagger.
But maybe it would be better to wait and gather information. Nizam might not even still be in the city. You’ll need to find a place to hide. After your childhood in the streets, that shouldn’t be too hard.
If you confront him now, TURN TO PAGE 24.
If you find a place to hide out and wait, TURN TO PAGE 40.
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You drag the princess to Nizam. “Princess Tamina,” your uncle says, “so nice of you to join us.”
The princess fumes silently beside you.
“Tell me, Dastan,” Nizam says, getting up and crossing to stand in front of her. “Did she have some kind of . . . weapon on her?”
You’re surprised that he seems to know about the Dagger. You glance at Tamina.
“So the true motive is revealed,” she sneers.
You stare down at the Dagger. “You mean it was all for this? But why?”
“Yes, Nizam, why?” King Sharaman enters the room. “You’re not the only one who has spies in his service. I understand you told Dastan that I was sorry he was the son who had survived. Why would you tell him such a cruel lie?”
You gape at your father, then at Nizam. You turn to Princess Tamina. “What is so special about this Dagger that my uncle would lie, betray his family bonds, go to war?”
“The Dagger has properties that make it powerful. So powerful,” Tamina says, her eyes gleaming, “that I have dedicated my life to protecting it!”
In a swift move she snatches back the Dagger. She dashes onto the balcony and leaps over it.
“Leave her be,” King Sharaman says, glaring at your uncle. “We have a far greater enemy here in this room. Guards!”
Tamina may have gotten away, and you may never know the mystery of the Dagger, but you are grateful for what she did reveal: the truth about your uncle—and your loving father.
THE END
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You spin, ready to make your escape. Thunk! Suddenly you can’t move!
A knife has ripped through your cloak and pinned you to a wooden post. Seso, the large, bald African you encountered earlier, stands grinning beside the sheikh.
“Trading her for a camel in Herat?” Shiekh Amar scoffs. “Look at the girl—she’s worth at least two!” He circles you. “And you, my friend—your brother Tus has offered a reward for you that, between the two of us, borders on the obscene. I’d turn in my own
mother to collect that much gold.”
Seso gives Amar a disapproving look.
“What? You didn’t know what she was like,” Amar protests. Then his voice grows serious. “Take him to the Persian outpost.”
You notice Tamina hovering near the ostrich pen. She seems to be enjoying your predicament.
Seso reaches to remove the knife that has you pinned. His eyes rest on the Dagger in your belt. “Nice knife,” he intones.
You reach for the Dagger, but Seso grabs it first. He hands it to Amar, who gives it an admiring glance. He tosses it to one of his men down on the track.
“Melt it down for the jewels,” Amar orders.
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Everyone stares at you. Nizam’s eyes blaze with fury. He lifts a hand to signal to a bodyguard. “Remove the criminal,” he says.
Before the bodyguard can get to you, a tri-bladed knife slices his hand. His sword clatters to the ground.
Your eyes widen in shock. Seso has saved you!
Guards rush toward you, as another grabs Nizam and pulls him off the platform. Now Sheikh Amar appears and blocks their path with his well-armed men.
This is your chance. You rush toward Nizam, but the guards head straight for you. Suddenly the canopy over the platform collapses! It drops down and covers the guards. You’re stunned to see Princess Tamina standing by one of the poles, grinning. She did this!
“We couldn’t let you do this alone,” she calls.
Turning, you fling yourself at your uncle, knocking him over. Quickly you grab the sacred Dagger from his belt.
You raise it high over your head. “This is what King Sharaman died for!”
“Don’t believe this ungrateful wretch!” Nizam shouts. “King Sharaman took him in off the streets. Dastan never lost his criminal street ways.”
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