### 295

Something strange is happening to the diamond in your pocket—it is radiating beams of light that pass through the material of your Kai tunic. Acting on instinct, you snatch the radiant gem from your pocket and hold it up to the trapdoor. At first there is no reaction. Then amber sparks encircle the opening like the trail of a slow-burning fuse, and you sense that the magical shield which protects this hatch is rapidly disappearing. When you can no longer detect any magical energy, you pull yourself through the trapdoor and climb into the nest of fire.

Turn to 250.