Sands of Blood (5 page)
Authors: Steve Barlow
The queen raises a hand. “No, it is good that you have passion. I have a great quest for you.”
“What is this quest?” you ask.
“All will be revealed in good time,” replies the queen. “But I wish to tell you an old story…”
If you wish to know what your quest is,
go to 32
.
If you wish to listen to the story,
go to 20
.
“We go on,” you tell the captain.
He throws his hands in the air. “This is madness!”
Minutes later the cloud of giant vampire bats hits the ship. The air is a whirlwind of wings
and snapping jaws as the creatures attack. Sailors drop to the deck, their lifeblood sucked from them.
You take up your bow and shoot at the giant bats. But there are too many of them. You watch helplessly as Olderon is smothered by the creatures. You hear his cries as his body is ripped to pieces.
Then the swarm turns towards you. The bats swarm about you, tearing at your flesh with their razor-sharp teeth and sucking on your blood. You sink to the floor and pass into oblivion.
You’ve been drained of your lifeblood! To begin again,
go to 1
.
You realise that Olderon’s wound is fatal
–
you can do nothing for him.
“I am not long for this world,” he says. “Did you find the Blind Man?”
You nod and tell him what happened in the temple.
“Then you must take Hergal, fly to the North and find the Dragon Princess. You have to succeed or the Red Queen will triumph.”
With that, Olderon closes his eyes and submits to death.
At that moment the temple begins to shake. Pillars collapse and huge stones fall from the roof. The pyramid is falling down! You have to get out! Leaving the body of your companion, you race through the passages as the pyramid collapses around you.
You emerge into the cool desert night where Hergal is waiting.
Soon you are flying across the desert sands, the wind rushing through your hair.
You succeeded! You have the Ruby of Power around your neck, and the Blood Crown cannot be remade without it. But Olderon
–
your brave friend
–
is gone. You try not to linger on those thoughts.
Now you are heading for the mountains of the north to find the Dragon Princess and the Ruby of Seeing.
You know there will be tougher battles ahead…
You must prevent the Red Queen from taking over the world…
You fly towards the jagged peaks of the northern mountains on your gryphon, Hergal.
After many hours of flying, you see the small village of Drakensberg, one of the few places to be found in this harsh landscape. You are sure the Dragon Princess will be somewhere nearby.
How you will approach the village of Drakensberg?
If you want to fly over the village and land in the square, go to 16.
If you wish to land unseen, go to 31.
“The 2Steves” are Britain’s most popular writing double act for young people, specialising in comedy and adventure. They perform regularly in schools and libraries, and at festivals, taking the power of words and story to audiences of all ages.
Together they have written many books, including the Crime Team and iHorror series.
Jack Lawrence is a successful freelance comics illustrator, working on titles such as A.T.O.M., Cartoon Network, Doctor Who Adventures, 2000 AD, Gogos Mega Metropolis and Spider-Man Tower of Power. He also works as a freelance toy designer.
Jack lives in Maidstone in Kent with his partner and two cats.
First published in 2013
by Franklin Watts
This ebook edition first published in 2013
Text © Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore 2013
Illustrations by Jack Lawrence © Franklin Watts 2013
Cover design by Jonathan Hair
Franklin Watts
338 Euston Road
London NW1 3BH
Franklin Watts Australia
Level 17/207 Kent Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
The authors and illustrator have asserted their rights in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
(Lib eBook) ISBN: 978 1 4451 2521 3
(paperback) ISBN: 978 1 4451 1499 6
(eBook) ISBN: 978 1 4451 1503 0
Franklin Watts is a division of Hachette Children’s Books,
An Hachette UK company.
