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He saw the portal, a square of night intruding on the bright day. Only a hundred yards, he could make that easy.

As he raced closer, he saw that something lay half within the portal. Closer still, and he saw that it was Ususi-the mage was stretched out across the hard ground, her lower half lit by the sun, her upper half thrust into the darkness. She was slowly being dragged forward.

Reaching her side, he saw that she was sprawled through the portal, lying half across that stone path he had come to dread on his last trip through the Nadir. Elowen dangled in Ususi's grip, her face white with strain, hanging over the void.

"Help me, you idiot," barked the mage, as Elowen's weight dragged her forward another inch.

He reached down, grabbed Elowen's free hand and pulled. The elf was as light as a feather. No, it was the gloves given him by the Nentyarch-his muscles were magnified to nearly twice their normal strength. Despite everything, he smiled as he set Elowen down safely in the center of the stone path.

Gunggari appeared in the door of the portal, the expression of concern on his face fading when his eyes found Elowen. He bent and helped up the mage, who was muttering and complaining under her breath.

Marrec looked down the path, into darkness. He sought any tell-tale sign of light. Fallon and Ash couldn't be that far ahead… but all was dark, without any light to betray that the path was occupied by his quarry.

"Where are they, Ususi?" he asked.

"They're out there, don't worry," replied Ususi, "but time may pass differently at the Celestial Nadir's edges than it does in the Nadir's deep. Though we saw them pass here but minutes ago, they may already be several hours ahead of us…"

"Then we must go now."

Gunggari said in a quiet voice, "I'm ready. I have my gear."

Still slightly out of breath from her near fall, Elowen said, "Fallon must be a spy for the Rotting Man or one of the blightlords. He is probably taking Ash directly to his paymaster. If we follow this path, we will find him. There are no side passages on the path, right Ususi?"

"Correct" said wizard, "but I am not ready to go-there are supplies I must get…"

"Then you can follow later. I must go after Ash," interrupted Marrec.

So saying, Marrec strode down the path. Gunggari followed.

Elowen gave Ususi a small shrug and said, "The matter is decided. I'll see you later, when we return."

"Smoke and Fire!" screamed Ususi, frustrated. "That traitor has the Keystone. I won't let him keep it. I'm coming."

Still in earshot, Marrec paused until Elowen and Ususi joined him Behind them, the daylight grayed out and became black. Utter night encompassed them all. Points of light from distant motes of matter dotting the Celestial Nadir twinkled into visibility.

Ususi's voice pierced the black, "We forgot to block the gate open."

Marrec heard her utter a few arcane syllables. A light dazzled his eyes. Ususi had called magical illumination. Before Lurue's silence, he had been able to do the same.

"Just like last time we braved the Nadir," said Ususi, "the only way out is through. Let us hope the exit is not contested by the Rotting Man."

"If he squats at the end of this path," said Elowen, "our task will prove all the easier. We won't have to track him down."

Gunggari chuckled.

"Follow me," urged Marrec, turning to continue down the path.

They hurried along the stone lane, suspended without strut or structure over the void. On their last trip through that path behind the world, Marrec had led several mounts. That meant moving cautiously down the stone path. He wasn't so constrained any longer. None of them had mounts. The weight of his armor kept him from a run, even with the extra strength he felt trickling into his blood from the Nentyarch's gloves, but they moved nearly twice as fast as they had before.

He tried to keep his eyes on the course ahead, scanning for any evidence of Ash's passage and that of her kidnapper, Fallon. It wasn't too long before such evidence appeared along the path, illuminated by Ususi's light. Henri was