He pretends to look insulted. "Me? Wanting the companionship of a mere human? I'd never be that lonely! I simply need instruction on the current times. So I'll fit in."

"I see," you say. His pleading expression makes it clear that he's simply too proud to admit his loneliness. "Well, I'd be happy to help you make the adjustment."

Relief floods his golden features. "You won't regret it!" He hops up onto his horse. "Well, quit dawdling. That dagger won't deliver itself!"

You grin, then realize you never mentioned the Dagger. You hope you won't regret this decision in . . .

THE END.

Your head feels a little fuzzy as you grab the sword from the saddle on Dastan's horse. Suddenly the prince is right there, gripping your wrist!

"Go for that sword again and I swear I'll break your arm," he hisses.

"Again?" you repeat. What does he mean? Then it hits you. Your eyes grow wide as you stare at the Dagger. It is just as you feared. Dastan has seen what the Dagger can do. Worsea""You used up all the sand!"

Dastan glances at the empty gla.s.s handle. He hits the jewel b.u.t.ton. Nothing happens. "What is this?" he demands.

You pull hard, but he shakes you off. He's too amazed by the Dagger to pay you much mind.

"Incredible," he says, piecing it together. "Releasing the sand turns back time! And only the holder of the Dagger is aware of what's happened. He can go back, alter events, change time . . . and no one knows but him!" Now he looks right at you. "How much can it unwind?"

You can't believe he made the discovery! This is awful!

"Answer me, Princess!" he demands.

"You destroyed my city!" you scream at him.

"We had intelligence you were arming our enemies."

"You had the lies of a Persian spy," you say bitterly.

"Our invasion wasn't about weapons forges," he says. "It was about this dagger!"

"Clever prince," you mutter miserably.

35.

You look up at Dastan's face, wondering why he has pulled you aside.

He yanks the amulet you wear from around your neck. He turns so that Sheikh Amar and his men can't see him flip it open. He grins when he sees the glowing sand inside.

"Dastan, listen to me," you plead.

He ignores you and pours the sand into the gla.s.s handle of the Dagger. He slides the knife back into his belt, then hands you the empty amulet.

"When my uncle sees the power of the Dagger, he'll believe our invasion was a lie," he says. "Thank you, Your Highness."

You're desperate now. "Dastan, I know I haven't been completely honest with youa""

"But your lies have been so charming," he says sarcastically.

"That dagger is sacred. It's only allowed to leave Alamut if the city falls. It was being smuggled to safety when you stole it. Dastan, if the Dagger falls into the wrong handsa""

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll keep your knife safe."

"You don't understand what's at stake! This is a matter for the G.o.ds, not man! "

"Your G.o.ds, not mine." Dastan is clearly finished with this conversation. He turns and nods to one of Amar's men, who drags you away.

59.

You are escorted from the High Temple to your chambers. You are told to wait to be presented to the king and have your union with Prince Tus blessed. You are a prisoner in your own palace.

You do learn something important from the guard just before he plants himself outside your room: the handsome young man who now has your dagger is Prince Dastan, the youngest of the three princes. Garsiv is the name of the Persian who was harsh with you. Tus, as you've unfortunately learned, will inherit the crown. The man with the bald head is their uncle, Nizam.

You pace your chamber. You have to get the Daggera"it is not just your own life that hangs in the balance but the future of all of humanity. No one can discover its power. But how do you prevent that from happening?

What is the smartest thing to do? Should you find a way to search for Prince Dastan? Or should you try to find out more by allowing yourself to be presented to the king?

Sneak away 26

Meet the king 17

You hold very still, terrified you've been gutted.

"Move, Princess," Dastan orders.

You slowly step to the side. Now you see that the blade has not impaled you, but one of Sheikh Amar's guards. He was standing right behind you, gripping a scimitar. He flops over.

You gape at Dastan. He just saved your life!

Dastan drops down and yanks the keys from the skewered guard's belt. He quickly fits a key into a lock and raises the gate. He spins and lowers it again just before Amar and his men reach you.

You race away, leaving the sheikh muttering and cursing after you.

It seems you are once again stuck traveling with Dastan to the city of Avrat. He has the Dagger, and until he doesn't you can't leave his side.

60.

You shouldn't waste time investigating caves, you remind yourself. You have a mission to complete. And it has nothing to do with whoevera"or whatevera"tiled the tunnel floor.

You turn Astrella around. As you do, you hear a rumbling behind you.

"Who dares enter our sanctuary!" a voice booms. "Trespa.s.sing is punishable by death!" Thunderous footsteps shake the ground.

You quickly mount Astrella, your hands shaking. It's awkward in the narrow tunnel, especially while holding on to the torch, but you don't want her to try to run in the dark. As soon as you're settled on the saddle, you urge her to hurry. There is no way you want to see the body that goes with that voice.

You don't have to bother. Astrella navigates at top speed. Soon the footsteps recede and no one shouts after you anymore. You charge out of the cave. It's still raining but you don't care. You'd rather be out in the storm than trapped in the tunnel with whatever giant you offended!

You head north, vowing that you will take no more side trips! And you keep that promise all the way to your journey's . . .

END.

Amar's men set up camp in the oasis. Two guards stand watch, and everyone else rests around the campfire. Somehow you manage to fall asleep.

You wake abruptly to see Dastan, no longer bound. He is using the Dagger and a smoldering log to kill a group of vicious pit vipers!

Amar and Seso stare at him. "Persian, how did you do that?" Amar asks in a shaking voice.

"Seso saw reason and gave me the Dagger," Dastan explains. "The rest was just instinct." He slides the Dagger into his belt and winks at you.

You know exactly what happened. It had nothing to do with instinct. Dastan must have somehow been alerted to the presence of the vipers. He used the Dagger to rewind time. When time moved forward he knew the position of each of the deadly snakes and was ready for them.

"We have to get out of here, now," Dastan orders. He bends down and cuts the ropes binding you. "Hurry!"

His urgency is cleara"Amar and Seso signal the men without an argument. Quickly, you mount horses and thunder away.

52.

You can't risk the life of another to protect the Dagger. It is your destiny, your responsibility. You will take the journey north to the Guardian Temple as you have been instructed to do. This is the only place it will be safe.

You remember all the stories you've been told, the directions you were required to learn. There is no mapa"for security reasons the location of the temple has never been written down. It is pa.s.sed on from one generation of Guardians to the next.

Quickly donning a disguise, you sneak to one of the stables and mount your horse, Astrella. After several well-placed, generous bribes, you ride out of the city, wary of the Persian army.

You know there will be certain landmarks to guide you, along with the stars. You hope you remember all the twists and turns. A flutter of anxiety rises in your chest.

You have trained for this moment all your life, you remind yourself. Failure is not an option.

40.

You take the Dagger from Dastan and smile. You turn and survey the village.

"It's quiet," he comments.

You nod, your heart starting to thump in your chest. Something feels wrong. You notice a farmhouse door is ajar. It's a cold day. Why would they . . . ?

Anxiety mounting, you run to the farmhouse and rush inside, Dastan is right behind you. "There's n.o.body here," he says.

You hear Seso reciting some kind of prayer out back. You and Dastan duck back outside. You gasp.

Four dead bodies are slumped against the house, their throats slit. They were Guardians.

You drop to your knees beside the bodies.

"They have been dead a long time," Seso says. "Tortured first."

"These wounds aren't from normal weapons," Dastan says ominously.

"Ha.s.sansins?" Seso asks.

"They were here. Nizam knows!" Dastan exclaims.

Then Amar approaches with a more terrible announcement. "All dead. The entire village."

33.

You decide to be blunt. "Prince, there's something you must know," you say. "Your uncle, he's not who you think he is."

Dastan raises an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

You have to tread carefullya"you don't want to offend him. You need his help. "Just take care," you say. "I don't know that you can trust him."

Dastan laughs. "You don't know my uncle."

"Perhaps it is you who doesn't know your uncle," you say, temper flaring. "I believe he poses a great danger."

Dastan's eyes grow cold. "To you, perhaps. After all, your people have been arming our enemies. You are the one who should take care, Princess."

You have to press on. Clearly, warning him about his uncle is only making things worse. Perhaps you should take a different approach.

"I came to find you because you have something that means a great deal to me," you say. "And I would like it back."

28.

Prince Dastan grips your arm and pulls you up the steps leading to the gates of the city. "Behave yourself, or you will suffer the consequences."

"I am already suffering," you spit at him. "And you have no idea what consequences there will be if you don't listen to me!"

He turns to one of the musicians a.s.sembled to greet the king. "Can you start playing now?" he asks. "I want to drown out this annoying buzz." He tips his head, indicating he means you.

"I will not stop until I get the Dagger," you warn him.

"Princess, I was happy to take your advice at sport," he says, clearly out of patience. "But it would be unwise for you to try to tell me what to do. How stupid do you think I must be to take orders from an enemy?"

You stare at him in disbelief. He doesn't know who the true enemy is.

"Your uncle Nizama"" you begin.

"Is right here." Nizam steps up beside you. "How nice of you to greet the king with us, Princess Tamina."