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Tergota the night before. The two escort elves departed to return to Glendor and the group headed down the side of the mountain. The path was narrow and twisted a great deal, but it was not hazardous walking. When they had proceeded down about half of the mountain, Egam called a halt.
    “We will spend the night here,” he announced. “We are at the place of the Junction. In the morning, we will take a step through a portal that has not been used in many years. If we are lucky, we will travel to Elderal. If not, we will handle whatever fate has given us. Make camp.”
    Alex watched the elf and the dwarf stake out spots on opposite sides of the camp area. During the first day together, neither had spoken to the other. Prince Tergota refused to wear the elfin cloak and Alex had stuffed it into his pack. He would have to keep a close watch on these two adversaries to make sure that they both returned alive. Even though Egam was the group’s leader, Alex didn’t think that the old magician would be able to stand between the two warriors if hostile feelings broke out.
    The night passed without incident and the group broke camp the next morning. Half an hour down the path, Egam halted the group again. He turned and surveyed the group and then cast the Path Finder spell. The path directly in front of Egam shimmered and the group marched through.

Chapter 2
The Plan
    Dalgar landed next to Aurora and looked around. Everything appeared just as it had before he came through the Junction with a few minor exceptions. The wagon and the bodies of the painter and his family were missing. Sarac’s monument was also missing. He told Aurora to stay where she was and started dragging rocks towards her to create a marker for the spot. Within fifteen minutes he had assembled enough rocks to create a marker so they would be able to find the spot again without casting the spell.
    “Now all we have to do is figure out where Sarac is,” he stated.
    “That may not be so easy,” responded Aurora. She looked completely around the horizon and could not see any people. “Which way do you think we should go?”
    “Well,” answered Dalgar, “Mordac said he had been left behind at Sarac’s castle which was quite a bit north of here, so I would imagine that Sarac was heading south when he decided to leave. Let’s head south towards the mountains.”
    “Okay,” Aurora agreed, “but we aren’t likely to find any stores to buy food. We’d better gather whatever food we can find along the way. Our travel packs won’t last more than a week.”
    By nightfall, the pair of magicians had reached the foothills of the mountains. They set up a camp and started a fire. It was still early fall and the nights would not get really cold yet, but the fire would help in keeping predators away. They sat up for several hours discussing theories on where Sarac might go from their present position and then they went to sleep.
    Half way up the mountain a solitary figure sat in the darkness watching them set up the camp. Shortly after they started the fire, he departed. He passed off a message to another Black Devil and returned to his post. Four hours later three other Black Devils joined him. The four men crept down the mountainside towards the sleeping couple. When they reached the bottom of the mountain they split into two groups and each group went towards one of the sleeping figures.
    With a nod from one of the Black Devils, the four followers of Sarac stepped into the camp and seized the two visitors. Ignoring their protests, Sarac’s men quickly tied the visitors’ hands behind their backs.
    “Who are you and what are you doing here?” demanded the leader.
    Dalgar looked at the forearms of the four men before answering. “I am Dalgar and she is Aurora. We are members of Mordac’s Inner Circle and we have come seeking Sarac. We have found a way for him to return.”
    The four men whispered among themselves for several minutes, while Dalgar and Aurora