158

You whisper the words of the Brotherhood Spell Silence and cast it upon the area around the campfire to help you reach the sleeping squad leader undetected. Then, with great care, you stalk forward and stretch out your hand to take hold of the blanket roll containing the Claw. The leader is oblivious to your presence, but as your fingers close around his pillow, your stomach heaves and your pulse begins to race. You feel a tremendous concentration of evil radiating from the artefact, and its sudden assault upon your senses makes you gasp with shock. Suddenly the Silence spell is broken and the squad leader awakes with a start. Before he can react, you snatch the blanket roll from beneath his head and leap forwards.

Your heart is pounding wildly in your chest as you race towards the rangers on the far side of the copse. They have dispersed the Bhanarians’ horses and they are waiting anxiously for you to appear. As you rush through the trees, you hear the squad leader screaming at his men to wake up and give chase.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 3 or lower, turn to 195.

If it is 4–6, turn to 39.

If it is 7 or higher, turn to 275.