The room is silent. Okosa, the Kundi king, his servants, and Urik, the old Shaman of the Kundi tribe, look on intently as you concentrate on the strange riddle. Suddenly, the solution crystallizes in your mind.
Wise Shianti and Kundi man,
Look eye to eye…
Of course! The eyes of the Shianti race have pupils like mirrored glass. Anyone looking into the eyes of a Shianti would see himself reflected there.
Shianti man see Kundi man
But what does Kundi see?
The Kundi man would see himself!
You give your answer. At once, the tension in the atmosphere evaporates. The expressions on the faces of the assembled Kundi men change to a mixture of awe and respect, and Urik bows low. ‘Welcome friend,’ he says, simply.
King Okosa steps forward and grips your hand firmly. ‘Forgive us,’ he says. ‘These troubled times…Shadakine wear many disguises. Evil have many faces. We give all help to Shianti child now we know he speak truth.’
You breathe a great sigh of relief, for without the aid of the Kundi your quest is doomed to failure. Only the eyes of a Kundi man are able to see the magical Shadow Gate, the door you must open before entering the realm of the Daziarn Plane where the Moonstone of the Shianti is hidden.
The exhaustion and fatigue of your adventure on your way to the cloud forest floods through you like a great wave that washes through your tired limbs. Before you can speak your thanks, you fall into a faint.
Through the haze of a dream, your senses pass from sleep to waking. Opening your eyes, you see the wrinkled face of Urik, gazing intently into your own. ‘How…how long?’ you falter.
‘Three days. Three nights. Deep sleep have healing ways—is true?’ Urik replies. You sit up in the hammock that has been your resting place these past three days and look around. Bright sunlight streams in through the window of the wooden chamber. The events of the past weeks rush through your mind. With some surprise, you note that your body is unmarked after the horrors of your ordeal. Even the Mantiz bite on your leg has disappeared.
‘Kundi magic,’ Urik explains, mysteriously. Your tattered, grey robes, washed and repaired, are laid out for you, and when you have breakfasted on fresh rainwater and honey cakes, you are led out to meet King Okosa once more. You marvel at the breathtaking beauty of the cloud forest that is the home of the Kundi people. Urik leads, shambling along with his comical, bow-legged walk and toothless smile and you cross the wooden walkways that connect the tree houses of the Kundi. They nestle amongst the highest branches of giant Azawood trees, whose towering heights and leafy peaks draw moisture from the clouds themselves: the wooden turrets of a forest castle surrounded by an ocean of cloud.
![[illustration]](32/ill1.png)
You are brought before the Kundi king once more. He and his advisers are gathered in the largest of the tree houses and old Urik ushers you in. ‘You are well?’ the king asks. You nod your head and thank him and his people for treating you with such kindness.
‘Long ago,’ the king continues, ‘before Wytch-king, Shasarak, rose in the north, the Shianti and Kundi tribes—great friends. Shianti need magical sight of Kundi to look into other worlds, see other planes. Only Shianti can go there. Only Kundi can see there…We help each other. Learn many things. But when Shianti leave, Wytch-king lead Shadakine peoples against us, burning the forests of our home in Mountains of Lara. Now, Shianti send great wizard to destroy evil Wytch-king, throw down Shadakine. Kundi men give all their help, in honour of our friendship. How we aid you?’
‘I must travel to the Daziarn plane and reclaim the Moonstone of old,’ you reply. ‘My masters tell me that I must seek out the Shadow Gate, the doorway that is invisible to all but the eyes of the noble Kundi. I ask you for a guide to take me there.’
The king creases his brow. ‘Shadow Gate come and go; never in one place for long,’ says King Okosa. ‘Kundi eyes must see far; make prophecy for next place Shadow Gate appear. Only the keenest eyes among us can help you. I will name your guide.’ You search amongst the faces of those present, wondering which of the brave Kundi men will be chosen. ‘Grey Star, I give you Urik the Wise,’ says the king, with a gesture of the hand.
You look with some surprise at Okosa’s choice. Urik smiles back, a great toothless grin, and bows humbly. The Shaman looks far too old and frail to be able to face the likely dangers ahead, but without the ‘sight’ of the ageing Shaman, your quest is hopeless. Perhaps, you think doubtfully, he has other talents?
‘Waste no time. Start now,’ Urik says. ‘Urik find Shadow Gate. Wizard see some Kundi magic now!’ He flashes you a sly smile. Not for the first time, you get the feeling that Urik is mocking you with his jibes about magic and wizards, as if he knows some great secret that others do not.
‘I work a great spell,’ he announces to everyone, like an actor addressing an audience. ‘Stand back! Give me room! I must find the Shadow Gate.’ A large circle forms and you watch Urik stride to the centre, his tail lashing and eyes glaring. You watch with some curiosity as he turns around and around, slowly at first, gradually increasing speed. He breathes deeply and often, hissing as he expels each breath from his lungs. Rags and feathers flutter and the tiny bells that he is wearing ring furiously. Soon, he is shouting and gibbering like a lunatic, arms waving in the air. You are barely able to suppress a snort of laughter but quickly check yourself, noticing that the Kundi look on with sombre expressions. Suddenly, Urik gives an ear-piercing scream, ceases his crazed, whirling dance, and spins to the floor, where he collapses in a heap. Startled, you go to help him but feel a restraining hand on your arm. ‘No,’ a young Kundi man whispers. ‘It is the trance. The rite is over—the visions come.’
‘You mean there’s more!’ you exclaim. Indeed, the show is not yet over. Urik has been silent for a short time, save for the panting of his protesting lungs. He sits up, straight-backed and stiff-limbed, his eyes wide and staring.
‘I see mountains!’ he moans. ‘Black mountains! And beyond…a wide valley, dead land, ash and dust. Everywhere darkness, darkness and…I…I see it—the Shadow Gate—beneath the light of a full moon.’
After heated discussion, all are agreed that the black mountains of Urik’s vision must be the infamous Mountains of Morn, and the dead lands beyond, Desolation Valley, a wasted plain that lies on the other side of the mountains—the site of an ancient calamity. As Urik saw a full moon shining above the Shadow Gate, the Kundi are sure that it will appear somewhere in Desolation Valley at that time.
‘Already it is the time of the new moon,’ says King Okosa.
‘Two weeks,’ you breathe.
‘Two weeks, Grey Star,’ says the king, ‘and two hundred miles of Shadakine country, difficult mountains, and unknown wilderness, lie ahead. You have little time.’
‘What do you think, Urik?’ you say.
Urik’s ugly old face breaks into a knowing smile. ‘Little time…much to do!’ he says, jovially. ‘Urik have plan—cover many miles in just one day, leave Azanam far behind.’
‘But how?’ you ask. ‘When?’
‘Great wizard must learn much patience,’ he replies. ‘You will see. Be ready to leave tomorrow at first light.’ Urik will say no more and quickly leaves. You turn to the Kundi king. He merely shrugs his shoulders.
‘Ways of the wise are strange,’ he says, ‘and who dare question the path of wisdom?’ he finishes, cryptically. Like many Kundi sayings, it is one that begs no answer. It seems you have no choice other than to wait until tomorrow’s dawn to find out the Shaman’s plan.