You are their perfect human sacrifice.

THE END.

The chamber shakes violently, the earthquake reaching full power. The floor cracks under your feet, opening up ma.s.sive fissures. You leap and clutch one of the columns, hoping it doesn't tumble over.

The walls of the chamber crumble, revealing the sky above. Nizam still struggles to make it to the Sandgla.s.s, dodging falling stones and leaping over the cracks spreading through the chamber.

"Stop him!" Tamina cries.

You turn to her and are horrified to see her clinging to a ledge, dangling over a chasm. You have to save her!

"It's not my destiny, it's yours !" she screams.

You glance back and see that Nizam has made it to the Sandgla.s.s. You watch as he plunges the Dagger into it. This can't happen!

You somersault across a widening crack in the ground and land beside Nizam just as he pushes the jewel b.u.t.ton. You grab the Dagger, but he clutches your hand as sand begins to flow out of the Sandgla.s.s.

Time rewinds around you as you struggle to loosen Nizam's grip.

131.

You need to stay focused on your a.s.sailant. You'll find your battaliona"and your brothersa"once you've dispatched him. Otherwise you might not live to rejoin the troops!

You meet his attack blow-for-blow. You can tell he's tiring. He's losing strength, which is making his aim less accurate. He's growing sloppy.

You thrust your sword againa"he deflects it, but you manage to slash him. He drops his sword, clutching his arm, which is now spurting blood. He falls to his knees.

You're about to deliver a deathblow when a cry goes up from the parapets. "The Persians are in retreat! The city is saved!"

You gape at the archers. They're cheering!

This isn't possible!

"We won!" an Alamutian guard shouts. The victory cries now seem to be coming from all parts of the city.

The guard you were fighting grins through his pain. "Not a moment too soon, eh, Persian," he gasps.

You've got to get out of there!

58.

Two days later, your father arrives in Alamut. Nizam has ordered the soldiers to dig up the city in search of weapons. You are still reeling from your loss when he calls for you and Nizam to meet him in the royal apartments of the occupied palace.

"I specifically said I wanted this city spared!" he yells at you and Nizam. "And instead I find a ma.s.sacre!"

"I tried to tell thema"" you begin.

He cuts you off, his eyes blazing with fury. "Do not blame this on your dead brothers," he says. "Only cowards accuse those who cannot defend themselves. And trying to do something without succeeding is the same as failure!"

He turns to face Nizam. "I want all digging for the forges to stop. We have destroyed enough of this holy city." He storms out of the room.

You stare down at your feet. You can feel Nizam's eyes on you.

"He was too harsh," he says. "But of course . . ." He trails off.

"Of course what?" you ask.

Nizam looks uncomfortable. "Tus and Garsiv, the sons who died. They were . . ."

"They were his real sons," you finish for him. "And I am not."

Nizam nods sadly.

43.

"I am Dastan, a prince of Persia," you tell her. "Or I was. Up until a day or so ago."

"How does a prince stop being a prince?" she scoffs.

"When the prince has lost what matters most to him," you reply.

"But you won the battle," she says, her voice hard. "Killing thousands of my people. Persians occupy my city."

You shake your head. "I wanted to avoid the bloodbath the siege became. But my brothers thought otherwise. I lost them in that fighta"and my father's favor as well."

"My people lost so much more," Tamina snaps. "And all for nothing! For lies!"

What is she talking about? "We fought your people because you were building weapons and selling them to our enemies!" you declare.

"We have never done such a thing! The weapons don't exist!"

"Why would our spies lie about finding the weapons? Why would my uncle Nizam waste his time searching for forges that aren't there?"

You notice her grip on the Dagger tighten and her eyes flick away.

"What do you know?" you ask.

76.

Then you hear ita"a quiet flutter. You instantly raise the shovel and deflect three spikes. They clatter to the ground.

It's the Ha.s.sansin who wounded your brother Garsiv! You let out a war cry and charge at the enemy.

He sends another barrage of needles at you. You leap, twist, and spin under and around the lethal spikes. You hurl the shovel. It ricochets off a column and slams into your a.s.sailant.

He stumbles, and you race around him. The Dagger is just inches away.

But then the Ha.s.sansin spins and launches another volley. This time you leap straight up, hit the wall with your feet, twist, and push off, slamming feetfirst into his chest.

You pull out your sword and plunge it into the Ha.s.sansin. His eyes widen with surprise, then flutter closed. You did it! You defeated him.

Before you have to face another of Nizam's henchmen, you grab the Dagger and leap out the window.

113.

41.

64.

A few long hours later, you stand in an empty livestock room at the edge of the bustling bazaar. Tamina paces outside, standing guard. A man wearing a cloak enters.

"You should not have asked me here, Dastan," your uncle Nizam says, stepping out of the shadows.

While you know it is dangerous, you are grateful that he has come to meet you. You weren't sure he would.

"I didn't kill my father," you state. "You know I would never do such a thing."

"Your actions speak otherwise," Nizam says.

"I had no choice but to flee," you protest. "Tus gave me the cloak. It was poisoned by his hand."

"Dastana"" Nizam begins.

You cut him off. "The invasion of Alamut was a lie. Tus is after power. It's why he murdered the king and framed me for the crime. And now he searches not for forges but for the sand to fuel a mystical device."

Nizam looks incredulous. "This is why you brought me here? Mystical devices?"

"Uncle, do you remember after the battle?" you say earnestly. "You stopped Tus from taking a dagger I'd won."

Nizam nods.

"That dagger is why Tus invaded Alamut. It has incredible powers."

63.

Days later, you arrive at the outskirts of a hidden valley shrouded in mountain mist. Just a few simple stone houses dot the landscape.

You made it!

Amar doesn't look impressed. "I was expecting golden statues and waterfalls," he complains.

Tamina just smiles. "It would be much harder to remain hidden if the riches were so obvious."

You continue into the tiny village. "You're descended from her, aren't you?" you ask Tamina quietly. "The girl that *won man his reprieve.'"

"Her descendants are Guardians," she replies. "We are trained from childhood to embody the virtue of our ancestors. It's a sacred obligation. Pa.s.sed down by blood, through generations."

You study her, trying to understand the weight she must carry on her shoulders.

"Your real parents," she says. "What do you know of them?"

You don't even have to think about this one. "Sharaman was my real parent." You swallow, not sure if you want to tell her this, but somehow . . . "Before he died, he asked me if I would be more than a good man. If I'd be a great man."

"He sensed your calling," she says.

You hold the Dagger out to her. "Don't cut yourself, Princess,"

Tamina smiles and takes it. You feel better returning the Dagger to the one who is meant to guard it.

118.

At the very last moment, you swerve and vault a table full of goods, landing in the middle of the merchants. As everyone screams around you, you upend one of the tables, spilling colorful cloth onto the ground. You use the table as a shield anda"thunk!a"a crossbow arrow pierces it. You scurry through the square, knocking over tables, hurling anything you can into the path of the soldiers. You whirl around a corner into an alley.

Thundering footsteps can be heard from behind you. You pant heavily. You're never going to outrun them.

You take a deep breath and leap up. You press your hands and feet against the opposite walls of the alley, suspended above the road. You don't know how long you'll be able to hold your position. Sweat beads up on your forehead.

"This way!" Soldiers charge into the alley.

32.

You spin around to race back out of the gates. But you run right into a group of Alamutian warriors escorting Persian captives to the work camps.

You are quickly bound and added to the group of prisoners.

There will be no escape. You will spend the rest of your days doing hard labor for your enemies.

THE END.

After a long, hard ride across the vast desert, Tamina points to a stunning island of lush green and sparkling bluea"an oasis. "Our journey is blessed," she says.

You stop and lead Aksh to a rippling pool of water. Clumps of tall gra.s.ses and wildflowers wave in the breeze. As Aksh drinks, you and Tamina fill your canteens. Something rustles in the brush. An ostrich steps out, its bulging eyes blinking. You blink back.

You whirl around to grab your sword, but it's too late. A man stands in front of you, tough and heavily armed men emerging from the bush behind him. You recognize this man. It is Sheikh Amar. You've had run-ins with him in the pasta"and they did not end well.

"We parted under such rushed circ.u.mstances," Amar says smoothly. "I never got to say good-bye."

His men circle you, and the biggest, Seso, quickly takes your sworda"and the Dagger.

"We've been tracking you for days," Amar adds.