### 215

You wake with the dawn and fix a hasty breakfast before breaking camp. Within the hour you are ready to begin your trek towards Magnaarn's stronghold at Shugkona, but first you must dispose of your boat. Prarg takes what provisions he needs, then, with his sword, he pierces several holes in the keel. You launch the boat towards the centre of the river and watch as slowly it sinks beneath the surface. The moment it disappears, you leave the river's edge and set off into the trees.

Deep in the forest the snowfall is light underfoot, because of the thick canopy of branches overhead, and you find the going much easier than expected. You are struck by the unexpected beauty of this dense timberland in winter, by the intricate webs of frost that trail between its blue-green branches, and by its frozen streams and waterfalls. But even as you admire it, you remain ever conscious of its dangers. Prarg leads the way, and swiftly you progress from one concealed marker to another, all having been placed by him on previous missions behind enemy lines. By using his system of hidden signposts he is able to guide you safely through a maze of Drakkarim outposts and patrol routes that riddle this timberland.

It is nearing noon and you have covered more than twenty miles when Prarg motions you to halt: he has found something unexpected. Nailed to a trunk is a small rectangle of orange-coloured metal.

'This is a Drakkarim marker,' he says, after closer examination. 'They use them to mark the perimeter boundaries of their forest camps. It wasn't here the last time I came this way which means there must be a new outpost here, somewhere close.'

'How close?' you ask.

'Within half a mile at most.'

For a few moments you stop and listen to the silence of the forest. You close your eyes and concentrate, and through the use of your aural skills, you detect noises away to the north. The sounds are mixed and many, and you are unable to discern their exact cause.

If you wish to investigate these sounds, turn to 65.

If you choose to avoid them, turn to 189.

Text copyright © 1991 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1991 Brian Williams.