You press the jewel on the Dagger handle. The Sands of Time trickle out, glittering in the air around you. This is the Dagger's true powera"why ghosts and men alike want it. Time rewinds. You're back up on Astrella telling the ghosts you'll use the Dagger.

"You see?" you declare. "It won't help you. The Dagger only holds enough sand to go back in time one minute!"

"No!" the ghosts wail. "You lie! You will never be rid of us until you take us back in time!"

You realize in horror that they mean this threat, that you can't escape them. They will whisper and wheedle and tug at you for the rest of time. You will slowly go mad in . . .

THE END.

Your curiosity overcomes you. You have to find out the mystery of the tiles. Who uses the same symbols as the Guardians?

The tiles continue on the ground, and soon the walls, too, are covered in decorative mosaics. You no longer have any sense of being in a cave, inside a mountain. You feel as if you're walking though a corridor in the High Temple. Astrella has calmed completely; she must also be feeling the same sense of familiarity.

The corridor opens into a large chamber, with vaulted ceilings, incense braziers, several low chaises, and scattered tables. Sitting on one of the chaises is a young girl. She's smiling.

You stare at her. She has the same henna tattoos that cover your own body, and she wears the same amulet you wear around your neck.

You know that face! This is the girl who saved humankind by begging the G.o.ds for mercy. Her pure spirit protected the world many long years ago. She is the original Guardian of the Dagger of Time.

She is . . . your ancestor.

129.

Accompanied by a lone guard, you hurry to the gates that lead out of the city. Your mind is reeling. Just get the Dagger, you tell yourself. Worry about everything else once that's accomplished.

You hear men cheering and shouting. It seems like a good place to start. You follow the sound around the corner and find a group of soldiers crowded together. They're placing bets as two men face each other. Each wields a ma.s.sive barrel-shaped club. They clobber each other. The smaller fighter is taking the brunt of the blows, but he's holding his own. As he spins and lashes out, you recognize him.

It's Prince Dastan.

25.

How dare he! You let out a shriek and fling yourself at Dastan, but he easily overpowers you.

"You know, I was going to help you," he says through gritted teeth. "But I'm sick and tired of your constant attacks!"

He shoves you away.

Your heart sinks. You were so close to retrieving the Dagger! What can you do?

"Please . . ." you begin.

Dastan holds up a hand to stop you. "Not another word. If you say one more thing, not only will I take the Dagger away, I'll leave you here alone in the desert."

That shuts you up. Then you come up with a great idea.

You throw yourself at him again and grab at the Dagger in his belt. But you don't try to yank it awaya"you just press the jewel in the handle. All you want to do is release a few grains of sand.

Just enough to go back in timea"and not attack him!

GO BACK TO PAGE 74 and make a different choice!

You see Nizam enter. You feel Dastan stiffen beside you. He steps out of the shadows. You watch as the two men face each other in the glowing light of the Sandgla.s.s, swords drawn.

You have to do something. But what?

"You murdered your own family!" Dastan cries. "King Sharaman was your brother!"

"And my curse!" Nizam snaps back.

The ground rumbles as another earthquake hits. You steady yourself against the column and watch in fear as pieces of the ceiling cave in. Nizam lashes at Dastan with the Dagger, slashing him across the gut. To your horror there's another quakea"and this time the floor breaks away!

You scream as Dastan drops into a creva.s.se, his arms and legs windmilling wildly. He grabs a jagged rock and stops his fall.

Nizam clutches the ma.s.sive structure that holds the Sandgla.s.s. He begins to crawl up the platform.

"Go no further!" you shout at him. You have to stop him. But how? There's an enormous chasm between you and the Sandgla.s.s.

There is another cataclysmic quake, and the column beside you starts to topple.

73.

How could I have let him get away with the Dagger? you think, berating yourself. You scan the area, then spot him dashing across the rooftops. Is he insane?

You rush after the procession, banging into people, slipping in and out of the crowd. You've lost sight of Dastan, but you have no doubt where he is headeda"to his uncle at the front of the royal retinue.

You frantically dodge horse hooves and guards, desperate now. What if Dastan gets caught? Who will take possession of the Dagger then?

Beads of sweat trickle down your back as you ignore the crush of mourners and continue to run. A cloaked man keeps step beside you. You try to lose him, but the street is too narrow here.

"Difficult but not impossible," the man says.

You glance upa"into Dastan's face! You scowl. "Or more proof that you're insane!"

He grins, and you know that he got his message through.

Well, if nothing else, Prince Dastan is certainly resourceful!

114.

As you enter the grand room, you see that Prince Dastan is giving the king a gift. You watch as the king lifts up a prayer robea" the prayer robe of your own regent! The king smiles and puts it on as, silently, you seethe.

"What can I give you in return?" the king asks Prince Dastan.

Dastan gestures to you. "This is Princess Tamina," he says. "My brother Tus wishes to make a union with her people through marriage. It's my deepest wish that this win your approval."

The king studies you a moment, then stands and bows his head. "In all my travels I've never laid eyes on a more beautiful city, Your Highness."

"You should have seen it before your horde of camel-riding illiterates descended upon it," you reply. Then you add, shooting Dastan a glare, "But thank you for noticing, Your Highness."

24.

Where the Dagger goes, you go. So that means you must help Dastan. You see a guard sneaking up behind the prince, sword drawn. Grabbing the nearest heavy objecta"a bra.s.s vasea"you charge into the fray.

Thunk! You slam the vase into the guard's head, and he drops to the ground. As the man falls, you whirl and fling the vase into the face of another guard.

Dastan stares at you, stunned, then grabs you by the waist. He yanks you clear as a sword whistles by. It misses you by just a few inches. Then he drags you onto the balcony. You let out a shriek as he pulls you up and over the banister!

Splash! You land in the fountain in the courtyard below.

You scramble back up to your feet, hair streaming, clothes heavy with water.

"What do you think you're doing?" Dastan sputters.

"You may occupy this city," you tell him, "but you don't know its secrets. I can get us out of here!"

Not waiting for an answer, you head to the stables to find a ride, Dastan close behind.

34.

"You'll never even make it to Avrat," you call after him. "Your plan is suicide!"

Dastan stops the horse and turns to look at you, his eyes burning. "My brother murdered my father and framed me for the crime. If I die trying to set that right, so be it." He faces forward and Aksh starts walking again.

"You're going to leave me here? In the middle of nowhere?" you shout. How can he ignore you this way? After you helped him escape, he's just going to abandon you?

Begging isn't working. You try another tack. "n.o.ble Dastan," you say, your voice dripping with disdain and sarcasm, "abandoning a helpless woman in the wilderness? What does your precious honor say about that?"

You must have gotten to him. The horse comes to a stop.

You run to catch up. As much as you hate it, you have to accompany him as he tries to clear his name. You have to go where the Dagger goes, even if it's into the dreaded Valley of the Slaves. At least, until you come up with some other plan.

55.

You decide the best way to stay dry is by getting to higher ground. Astrella resists a bit, but you take the tunnel that has a pathway leading sharply up.

The slope is steep, but the ground isn't muddy at all. In fact, you realize, thanks to the light shed by the torch, soon the dirt gives way to . . . tiles?

Bewildered, you continue on. Could someone live here?

You grow apprehensive. Maybe you should turn around. Yet you're so curious. And the tilea"something about it looks familiar. The colors and patterns remind you of the decorative mosaics in the High Temple of Alamut. Could this be another Guardian outpost?

You've never heard of one, though. And Astrella is definitely nervous.

What should you do?

If you want to keep going, 100

If you think this is far too strange and you want to turn around, 83

Inside the city, crowds line the streets, letting out a mournful wail as the ornate wagon carrying the king's body pa.s.ses. You keep your eye on Dastan as he watches the royal contingent. You recognize the bald man, Nizam, as his uncle. But you don't see his brothers.

Dastan seems concerned by their absence as well. "He's not coming," he says. "Tus is still in Alamut." He whirls to face you. "The sand that fuels the Dagger. There's more of it hidden there!"

He studies your face. You sigh and nod. There's no point in pretending.

"That's why Tus stays there. That's what our army is searching for!" He turns to watch the procession again. "I have to send my uncle a message to meet me."

You point out the bodyguards surrounding his uncle. "That's impossible!"

But it's too latea"Dastan's gone!

104.

"Let's stand and fight," you decide. "I don't want to keep looking over my shoulder, wondering when they'll be back."

"You do realize there are only two of us, and many of them," Kartosh says.

"I will understand if you want to run," you say. "I won't make you fight my battles."

Kartosh makes a tut-tut sound. "Stop playing it so tough, girl. I told you I'd help, and I stick to my word." He dismounts and begins digging in the dirt. You give him a confused look. "I said I'd help!" he scolds. "I didn't say I'd take care of this single-handedly."

You climb down from Astrella. "What are we doing?" you ask, dropping down beside him.

"Making an army," he says. That's when you realize he's molding the dirt into soldiers! Just as he did with his horse, he's bringing these mud beings into life!

He says an incantation, and suddenly you are surrounded by dozens of fierce warriors.

78.

"We're in this together," Dastan says.

You nod. You can't argue with him anymorea"it will waste time.

"Follow exactly in my footsteps," you instruct him. "Exactly!"

"I heard you the first time," Dastan snaps.

"Nothing can touch the surface other than where I step." You hope he understands how serious this is.

He nods and you begin the careful walk across the chamber, first this way, then that. All around you the rumbling continues. You fear the entire structure will collapse before you can get to the Sandgla.s.s!