You notice something odd. Sand funnels dance and whirl on top of a nearby dune.

Amar glances in the direction of your gaze. "Sand dervishes, Persian," he says dismissively. "Common as camels in this desert."

"Sheikh Amar, listen to me," you begin.

"I'd rather not." Amar signals his men and they seize you. They gag and bind you. In a moment, Tamina's gagged, too.

119.

Just when you think your luck has run out . . . "Ogav!" Yusef calls out, stepping in front of you. "What is this place?" Ogav looks startled. "Yusef! What are you doing down here?"

"We were caught in the sandstorm and were looking for a way out," Yusef explains. He turns to you. "Ogav is one of my cousins.

And this isa"" You cut him off. "I'm Shazar," you say. "A friend of Yusef 's." Yusef looks at you quizzically. Yusef may trust Ogav, but as the prince of an invading empire, you don't want to take any chances.

The two other men rise, their expressions grim. Yusef doesn't seem to notice the tension. He steps deeper into the chamber. "Where are we?" he asks.

Ogav's eyes flick to the two other men. Then he shrugs. "It's an ancient treasury. Holding a fortune."

Ogav circles behind you and Yusef. "Up until now," he says, "we were pretty sure we were the only ones who knew about it."

You don't like the feeling of his breath on the back of your neck. "We want to keep it that way," Ogav snarls.

Do you take out Ogav, and hope you and Yusef can then handle the other two? 62.

Or do you try to talk your way out of there? 61.

"Any cousins of Yusef 's are friends of mine," you say, slowly backing away. "And I keep my friends' secrets. If you don't want anyone else to know about this treasury, they won't know about it from me."

You fling your torch at the men as you spin. "Run!" you shout.

You and Yusef race away as footsteps pound loudly behind you. Up ahead there's another fork. "We should split up," you tell him. "Make it harder for them."

"Good plan," Yusef says, panting.

Yusef veers left while you take the tunnel on the right. A moment later you hear the footsteps once again behind you. It sounds as if none of them followed Yusef.

At least he'll be safe, you think.

You're running blinda"this stretch of tunnel has no torches. You stumble but regain your balance, then you slam right into the tunnel wall as it forks again. The wind is knocked out of you. As you catch your breath, you peer around one of the corners. Up ahead is a lone flickering torch.

Should you grab it? It would be a lot easier to navigate if you could see!

But the light will alert Ogav and his pals to your location.

Do you take the torch? 129.

Or do you leave it where it is and keep running in the dark? 71.

You act quickly. With a sharp jab of your elbow to his windpipe, Ogav drops to his knees. "Weapons! Yusef!" you shout. You draw your sword. Yusef draws his.

But instead of facing the two other men, he's looking straight at you.

"But Yusefa"" you begin.

"So sorry, Prince," he says. "I know I owe you a debt. But you know the old saying about blood being thicker than water."

"You mean gold is thicker than loyalty," you retort.

Yusef shrugs.

Your leg shoots out in a powerful roundhouse kick, knocking the sword out of Yusef 's hand. You leap and kick again, this time at his head. He lands hard on the ground, out cold.

The two other men face you, and you're thrilled to see neither is armed!

Then one bends down and picks up a strange-looking devicea" something you've never seen before.

The man pulls the trigger, and dozens of barbed pellets shoot out. You scream in pain. Now the other man flings a curved blade at you. You collapse to the ground, landing beside Yusef, mortally wounded.

All those years ago, maybe you should have made a different choice in regard to Yusef. And a different choice today. If you had, this wouldn't be your . . .

END.

"This dagger," Nizam says slowly, "you have it with you?"

This is it. This is your chance to clear your name and make Nizam understand Tus's treachery.

You pull up the sleeve of your cloak, revealing a bundle strapped to your forearm. You untie it and hand it to your uncle. He slowly unwraps it. A puzzled expression comes over his face. He holds up a silver nutcracker.

"Is this some sort of joke, Dastan?" Nizam asks you.

You grab the bundle. The Dagger is gone. It was replaced by a nutcracker so you wouldn't know it was missing. But how . . . ? Who . . . ?

Princess Tamina! You look out the door and discover she's gone. Of course.

Your uncle stands there, waiting. Bewilderment slowly turning to anger on his craggy face.

"I had it, Unclea"I swear."

"Then where is your so-called evidence?" Nizam demands.

Do you rush after Tamina to get the evidence you need? GO TO PAGE 25.

Or do you continue to plead your case? 35.

You and Tamina are sent to work in the bathhouse, where foreign representatives go to refresh themselves after their long journeys.

The fat, cranky, red-faced woman who is in charge of the baths studies you and Tamina. "The gentlemen prefer attractive attendants," she says. She frowns at you. "You'll need to stay behind the scenes. You can fetch the heated water. You," she says to Tamina, "you'll be a greeter."

You nod, afraid your voice will give you away. When she leaves, you grab Tamina's wrist. "This is our chance," you whisper. "You must get a message to Nizam." You gaze down at your ridiculous dress. "And I must get some more appropriate clothing!"

You quickly sneak through the area where the visitors changea" and steal a new set of men's clothes.

This feels a lot better, you think, as you tuck the Dagger into your belt.

Tamina comes by carrying a nutcracker and a bowl of walnuts. She rolls her eyes. "They are very demanding in there," she says. Then she does a double take. "Dastan! You're . . . you again!" She gives you a look you cannot read. A mixture of hatea"and curiosity?

You give her a courtly bow. Then you grow serious. "What about the message?"

She nods. "It will be delivered within an hour."

55.

It seems you are going to dress like a girl. You duck behind a bush and remove your clothing. Tamina does the same. You throw your clothes to each other.

You feel ridiculous. What made her think this would work? You split the fabric across the back, since your shoulders are a lot broader than hers. And it only comes to just below your knees, since you're also a lot taller.

"Don't laugh," you call as you prepare to step out.

"No promises!" Tamina shouts back.

You come around your bush as she emerges from behind hers. You stare at her. She has somehow fashioned your trousers and shirt into a remarkable garment, and she looks more beautiful than ever.

"It's a good thing you're not trying to find a husband," she says with a smirk. "No man would have you."

"Just do something so that this disguise will work," you say.

She gives you her cloak to hide the tears in your dress. Then she rips some fabric from the hem of the trousers she's wearing and fashions a veil. "Can't have your beard give you away," Tamina says.

She steps back and eyes you critically. "Hmm. Something's not quite right," she says. She reaches out and begins to tug and pat you.

"Not so fast," you say, grabbing her wrist. "You're not getting the Dagger."

Her face hardens for a moment, then she says, "Can't blame a girl for trying."

39.

A few people dressed in strange clothing appear. Then a powerful looking man steps into the chamber. Suddenly, the rewind stops.

"Who are you?" he demands.

"I am Dastan, Prince of Persia."

The young man smirks. "Then you are my prisoner. I am General Alexander, and I have annexed Persia for Greece."

You gape at him. You remember him from your history lessons. This man before you is none other than Alexander the Great. You have gone all the way back in time to around 330 BC!

You're not thrilled to be a prisoner, but you are quite excited to see what life was like a thousand years ago. And maybe, just maybe, you'll figure out a way to get back to your own time . . . eventually.

THE END.

Amar and his men bring you and Tamina through a tunnel. Even though her hands are tied, you wish they'd gag her as well. Tamina's been insulting you nonstop.

You hear a commotion up ahead. This is where you and the princess are going to part ways. You bargained with Amar to spare you by promising the princess would work for him.

"Give me a moment with her?" you ask Amar. The sheikh nods, and you pull Tamina to the side. You rip the amulet from around her throat. You open it and, just as you suspected, find grains of glowing sand inside.

"Dastan, listen to me," Tamina says.

You pour the sand into the Dagger, then slide it back into your belt. "When my uncle sees the power of this Dagger, he'll believe our invasion was a lie. Thank you, Your Highness."

"Dastan, that Dagger is sacred," Tamina implores you. "It's only allowed to leave Alamut if the city falls. It was being smuggled to safety when you stole it. If it falls into the wrong hands . . ."

"Don't worry, I'll keep your knife safe," you say.

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

"Your G.o.ds," you tell her. "Not mine." You turn away from her and nod to Amar. His men drag her away.

107.

"No one will believe I'm a girl," you protest. "It will be a dead giveaway that we're in disguise."

Tamina eyes you. "You would make a pretty ugly woman," she says.