### 206

You veer off the main road and lead the way along this narrow dirt track as it winds a tortuous route into the hills. For several minutes you climb this trail until it ends abruptly at a boulder-strewn plateau that commands a magnificent view of the coast and surrounding land. Far below you can see a cluster of tiny yellow lights moving through the darkness. They are the torches carried by your pursuers and you watch intently as these flickering specks of light draw closer to the place where the hill track meets the coast road. You are praying to Ishir that the riders will ignore the track and continue along the road, for this plateau is a dead end; the track is the only way to approach or leave here on horseback.

Suddenly Sligh taps you on the shoulder and points to a dark shape at the centre of the plateau. At first glance it looks like a pit, but when you magnify your night vision you see that it is a flight of rough-hewn steps which descend into the solid rock.

If you wish to investigate these steps, turn to 174.

If you choose to ignore them and remain where you are, turn to 114.