GAME

Sabiha sighs a little and nods slowly. "That makes sense. I'm glad I have you to help." Her eyes glimmer green, like a cat's.

As you talk, your breaths steam upward in the light of the stars and a faint crescent moon. Where you stand you might be visible from a distance - though not to Osan, who is in a better-lit place.

Tobias saw one door to the large room where Osan paces. The door was at the side about forty feet across from the window where Tobias looked in. The lamp did not fully light the width of the room. There might be doors at one end or the other as well.

You are at the side of the ruined building. The front is obvious. It's where the bigger of the three towers looms (the other two are twins at the back of the square building). The front doors are at the base of the tower. Fallen stones litter the threshold and make you move slow and careful to avoid tripping and getting hurt or making noise. The doors are open. Inside is very dark except for the faintest of lamp light reflected off several walls from the doorway of the back side room where Osan is.

It's too dark for any of you three to walk safely inside the building. Sabiha moves easily ahead, then pauses, turns back, comes to you. "I can see but you can't. We can't light a torch or a lamp, he'll see us," she murmurs. "What do you think?"

. . .

. . .

Jewel smells a Big Cat somewhere. At the same moment, Sabiha makes a small noise - a stifled hiss, like a frightened alley cat.

. . .

A small yellow flame hovers steadily over Jewel's up turned open hand.

At the same moment she sees glowing green eyes reflecting the flame. And then the big cat leaps at her.

Jewel ducks, and the black leopard soars over her head, its attempt to adjust its jump resulting in it landing with an awkward thump in the darkness just out of view.