302

You are three miles clear of the fissures when the steering becomes dangerously erratic. The Starstrider is losing altitude and her deck is beginning to tilt alarmingly to starboard. Soon it becomes almost impossible to stand upright. Acraban appears from below and struggles valiantly across the sloping deck to join you at the helm. The young sorcerer is gaunt and exhausted, and his ginger hair is matted with grime and sweat. Clearly his efforts to repair the ailing skyship have severely drained his magical energies.

‘We have lost one stabilizer and the other is badly damaged,’ he says, grimly. ‘I have done all I can to repair it but I fear it may fail at any moment. Without stabilizers we will not stay airborne.’

Acraban takes the helm and orders his crew to prepare for a crash landing. Some of the men tie themselves to the ship’s superstructure, whilst others stand free of the rails and pray for the protection of Goddess Ishir. Prince Karvas has found refuge in a rope locker bolted to the main deck. He lifts the lid and urges you to join him. There is sufficient room for two.

If you wish to climb into the rope locker alongside Prince Karvas, turn to 79.

If you choose to stay with Acraban at the ship’s helm, turn to 199.