The Lord of Yeshelmaar called a feast in honor of the heroes who were resolved to find and face the Talontyr. As usual during such affairs, Elowen ate sparingly.
Afterwards, Elowen, Gunggari, Marrec, Ususi, and the other three hunters whom the Nentyarch selected to aid in the endeavor agreed to meet. Plans had to be laid in such a mighty undertaking. They chose a garden high on the side of Yeshelmaar, called Skymeadow, which Fallon suggested for its ideal lighting.
Elowen reached the garden first. Of all the hanging gardens in Yeshelmaar, Skymeadow was by far her favorite, so she was surprised Fallon would suggest it. In her experience, the hunter always went out of his way to annoy her. She decided not to waste her early arrival in contemplation of Fallon’s bitter nature.
She selected a cleared circular space of reddish flagstones, surrounded by low benches. A clump of leafy fruit trees overhung the patio, providing shade from the sun’s direct glare. Papyrus stems and various flowering mints ran rampant outside the circumference of the patio, save for the occasional lone fruit tree. Beyond she could see a landscaped pool, complete with a cool grotto, like a cave, actually carved into the rock of Yeshelmaar. She could discern a bronze statue of Corellon Larethian deep in the shadows of the grotto.
Who was she kidding?
She pulled out the Nentyarch’s gift, unstrapping the scabbard of Dymondheart from her belt and laying the weapon reverently before her on the stone bench. Though the scabbard was beautiful, her eyes were drawn to the grain of the wood hilt. She ran her hands along the hilt, then grasped it. She expected it to be slippery, but instead the grip was solid, warm, almost welcoming. She pulled the length of the blade free of the scabbard.
Shafts of sunlight penetrated the tree cover to strike and scatter off the length of the blade, almost as if it were metal in truth. The vitality of the living blade in her hand was astounding; she could feel the life force contained within, almost as if she gripped not the hilt of a sword but a branch of a mighty redwood.
She heard the sound of someone on the stone stair and quickly sheathed Dymondheart, grinning.
Ususi appeared, followed by Gunggari. Gunggari carried the leather satchel given him by the Nentyarch, but Ususi did not have the Keystone with her. Still smiling, Elowen strapped Dymondheart’s scabbard to her belt.
“Have you seen Marrec?” asked Gunggari.
She shook her head.
Ususi responded, “When I saw him after the feast, he was talking to Fallon.”
Elowen heard quick steps on the stair. “Speak, and you are answered,” she said, as Marrec popped into view.
“Where’s Fallon?” he said, quickly scanning the garden. The frown indicated he wasn’t happy with what he found.
“Not here yet,” said Elowen. “Why?”
“He said that the Nentyarch wanted some time alone with Ash. I figured it would be all right… but I’ve got a sudden feeling that I shouldn’t have left her.”
“Marrec, I see him,” said Gunggari, “and Ash. Down there, along the road…”
Gunggari, beyond the shade offered by the flagged patio, shaded his eyes with one hand while pointing over the side of the garden.
“Oh no,” mouthed Marrec.
Elowen saw Fallon, made tiny by distance, holding a brilliantly glowing object over his head. Behind him he led Henri the pony, complete with its new bridle. Ash calmly rode Henri.
“He’s taking Ash,” yelled Marrec.
At the same time Ususi screamed, “He’s taking my Keystone, that bastard! ‘The Nentyarch wishes to gaze upon its luster one more time…’ I’ll show him luster he won’t soon forget!”
Marrec dashed back down the stairs, Gunggari on his tail. Elowen knew they were too late. Already Fallon had used the Keystone to enter the exit that Ususi had left open. The darkness of the Celestial Nadir spilled out of the square opening, its strange properties evident even from the distance.
“Come on!” yelled Ususi.
She charged the side of the garden. Elowen tried get out of her way but was taken off guard. The mage didn’t change her path; she merely opened her arms wide and dashed herself against Elowen. The force of the impact threw both women off the top of high Yeshelmaar.
A scream escaped Elowen as the air roared in her ears. The sculpted sides of Yeshelmar blurred past, while the ground below expanded with alarming rapidity. Ususi maintained her grip on the hunter, and she uttered an arcane syllable, which reverberated in Elowen’s mind. Before she quite knew what was happening, she and Ususi alit on the hard cobblestone road before Yeshelmaar as easy as birds after a flight.
Ususi released her hold on the elf and began running with all the speed she could muster toward the portal, which was already graying out. Fallon and Ash had gone through. Elowen took a deep breath. No time for hysterics. She could kill Ususi later.
Elowen sprinted toward the dissipating portal, quickly passing the slower moving mage. As she moved ahead, Ususi gasped out “Block it. If you stand in the opening, it can not close.”
Elowen willed herself to go faster. Almost… almost… but the portal was hardly even visible anymore, only a slight haze in the air. Without stopping, she willed a last desperate burst of speed and threw herself into the haze.
Darkness enveloped her.
CHAPTER 14
He’d reached the last flight of stairs. Marrec screamed again, “Make way! Fallon has kidnapped Ash. Get out of my way, damn your eyes.”
He was winded, but running full speed down stairs was far easier than running up. His shoulders were bruised from a few occasions where he’d miscalculated the distance to the landing, only to be brought up short by the wall. He could hear Gunggari still pounding down behind him
Finally he reached the main level. Yeshelmaar functionaries tried to get out of his way, and one had the presence of mind to work the gate mechanism, heeding his call from higher up, so that it gaped open by the time he and Gunggari reached it.
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 Ususithe 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 Nentyarchhis 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 telltale 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
