Erin hit the ground hard and slid several feet across what felt like rough stone. It didn't hurt, strangely enough, but she lay there, stunned by the impact, for a long moment before she came to enough to look around her.

But seeing her surroundings only paralyzed her even further.

Black, jagged rocks. A brownish-grey sky partially obscured by a thick layer of dark fog. Freezing wind that tore at her like a pack of wolves trying to eat her alive.

Erin's eyes widened in horror as she recognized the place.

Was this what was on the other side of that crack in the sky? The place all those people had been blown off to?

She looked around, trying to fight back the panic rising inside her. She didn't see anyone. Where had they gone? She'd watched more than ten people get pulled into the crack just before she was. Had they all landed in different places?

Was she alone here?

That thought sent a spasm of fear through her. She staggered to her feet and spun around in a circle, searching the dark landscape for a sign of anyone or anything that was alive. But all she saw was the occasional dead tree, its branches long since blackened and shriveled.

Erin felt her breathing and heartbeat accelerate, even though she was trying to stay calm.

Everyone was gone.... She was all alone...alone with the black rocks. The dead trees. The biting wind.

And that fog. That horrible, choking, suffocating fog....

Erin whimpered and started to run. She didn't know where she was going. It didn't matter. Anywhere...anywhere was better than staying in this place....

She ran recklessly, moving as fast as she could, heedless of the uneven ground beneath her feet. She slipped, stumbled, fell, and got back up to run again. And again. And again. Over and over. The same, neverending nightmare....

Finally, not paying attention to where she was going, she ran headlong into a pool of stagnant, dark water. Maybe it was the loud splashing sound or the feel of the cold water, but something finally shocked her out of her frenzy, and when she'd clambered out onto the edge of the pool, coughing and gasping for air, she didn't start running again. She simply stayed there, crouched in a huddled ball next to the pool, shivering.

She might have stayed there forever if a hand hadn't reached out and touched her shoulder.

Erin squeaked in surprise and jerked away from whoever or whatever had just touched her. The sudden motion caused her to lose her balance, and she fell face-first onto the rocky ground.

She hurriedly got to her hands and knees and scrambled around to look behind her.

She found herself facing a familiar figure.

His once regal appearance was now worn and emaciated. The glossy black hair had become rough and tangled. And the luxurious ceremonial robes had turned into tattered rags.

But she still recognized him.

Wraith...the former king of Myrikar...was standing in front of her.

"You need to calm down," he said softly, speaking in Myrik. His voice was hoarse, as though he hadn't spoken in a long time. "That's how this place devours people—by making them lose themselves in fear."

Erin stared, frozen in place, as he moved closer and knelt down beside her. His expression was gentle, and when he slowly reached out his hand and touched her face, she flinched but didn't pull away.

"I know this place is dark and frightening," he went on. "Believe me, I know.... But this is just an illusion. You're not really here. You seeing this place is just a temporary side-effect of the magic I used to protect you. It will fade away soon if you just stay calm."

Erin was still terrified, and her body was still shaking, but her breathing slowed a little as she looked into his eyes.

Strange. His eyes used to seem so cold and frightening, but now they seemed soft and kind. Was it because of all those memories she'd seen? When she looked at him now, his gaunt, ragged appearance was overlapped in her mind by the memories of him smiling and laughing with his cousin...of his anxious expression just before his coronation...of all the times she'd seen him working hard to take care of the people he ruled over....

And besides that....

In all those memories, she'd never once heard anyone say his name....

But she knew what it was.

"Jechrin?" she whispered.

A pained expression came over his face when she said it. He reached out and pulled her close to him, wrapping his thin arms around her as though trying to shield her from the harsh wind still tearing at them both. He bent down and pressed his forehead lightly against hers. She felt a warm, comforting sensation flowing into her from the spot where she knew the crest on his forehead must be—the same place his horn would be if he were in his other form.

"I'm sorry, Erin," he said quietly. "I never meant to hurt you.... I never meant for things to turn out this way.... I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you without relying on something like this."

Was he talking about whatever magic he'd used on her back in that ocean place Teral had sent her to? The magic that had made her see all those memories and then brought her to this place?

What was this place, anyway? And if they were both here, what was going on back in Eloril? Were their bodies still back there? What had happened with Teral? Were Kirchel and the others safe?

Erin had a thousand questions she wanted to ask, but she was still shivering so much she could hardly speak. She closed her eyes, focusing on the gentle warmth of Jechrin's magic, which was slowly pushing the chill out of her body.

He seemed so thin and weak. She could feel the bones of his arms, even through his clothing. And she had no idea what was going on right now.... But somehow, in spite of all that, she finally felt like she was safe. Her breathing slowed, and she gradually stopped shaking.

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"Good." Jechrin stroked her hair soothingly. "The less you give in to the fear, the less power it will have over you."

"What is this place...?" Erin finally managed to ask.

"In Myrikar, we call it the Dark Plane. It's a dead world. There are many other worlds, apart from Isil-Gal and the human world. Some are populated. Some aren't. This one used to be, but...well, you can see what it's like now."

"What happened to it? How did it die?"

"There was a terrible war that took place here, a long time ago. One of the groups that fought in that war developed a powerful magic weapon. It was only intended to destroy their enemies, but they lost control of it, and it eventually destroyed the entire world. It would have spread to other worlds and destroyed them, too, if the gatekeepers hadn't sealed off all the portals. That dark fog and the unnatural feeling of terror you're experiencing...those are remnants of it."

"How do you know what happened here, if everything was sealed off?"

"The portals aren't the only way to travel between worlds. The royal family of Myrikar had another method. They used it to come here after the destruction had ended in order to investigate. I had access to those records. That knowledge is the reason I've been able to survive being trapped here for such a long time." Jechrin let out a bitter laugh. "Though the fact that my cousin also had access to them is the reason I'm here in the first place...."

"Wait...." Erin opened her eyes and looked up into his face. "This...is another one of your memories, isn't it? You escaped this place and are living in Silmar now...right?"

Jechrin gave her a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry to disappoint you. But the 'Jechrin' you've been interacting with is actually just a puppet. The real me...has been here the whole time."

Erin stared at him, shocked by that statement. The Jechrin Sil-Talinde she knew was fifteen years old. Did that mean...had he really been stuck in this horrible place for that long?

"I'm sorry..." Jechrin said again, his voice still soft and raspy. "I was going to tell you everything eventually. I just thought it would be better if we got to know each other in a more normal way first." He sighed. "Well...I guess the situation is different now."

"But how...? For that long...?"

"I'll explain later," he said, gently cutting off her questions. "There isn't time right now. This illusion will end soon. Listen, Erin. The magic I just used on you was originally intended to be used on Relians, not humans. Our magic compatibility is good enough that I think you'll be fine. But...well...you might feel a bit terrible at first, until your body adjusts. Try to stay calm and just rest quietly for a while, all right? Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Erin didn't really like the sound of that.... But she thought she could trust him.

"What about Kirchel and the others? Are they all right?"

"For now, yes. Not much time has passed in the outside world, so the rélim shield is still protecting them." He hesitated a moment and then went on, "I'm afraid I only have a fraction of my real strength right now, so I can't completely guarantee their safety. But I arranged for a little something to distract Teral and Galeth, so I think everything will work out."

"To distract them? What do you—?"

Before Erin could finish asking the question, a silver light started shining from the point where Jechrin's forehead was touching hers. It spread out and grew brighter, until it made her eyes sting, and she had to close them. The gentle warmth she'd felt from his magic was increasing, becoming uncomfortably hot.

"It looks like our time is up." She heard Jechrin's voice, echoing strangely around her. "Remember, just lie quietly for a while. I'll take care of you."

Erin cried out as a searing pain once again spread through her head and body. The light was unbearably bright now.

Then she felt Jechrin lift his forehead away from hers, and the light was gone. The pain subsided, although her forehead was still aching as though it had just been burned. She opened her eyes a little, blinking against the tears streaming out of them, and tried to look around her.

She was sitting on the floor in Teral's study. Jechrin was kneeling beside her, his arm around her shoulders, cradling her against his chest. Erin's sight was still blurred by her tears, but she could make out the familiar star-shaped crest glowing faintly on his forehead, though it was white now, instead of black.

Glancing around the rest of the room, she saw Teral standing a few feet away, staring down at them. His face had gone pale, and he was wearing a look of utter disbelief.

"You.... That mark...." he croaked, his eyes on Jechrin's forehead. "How...?"

"You asked me how I knew about the sigil," Jechrin said, very quietly. "That's how."

Behind Teral, the others were watching them in silence. Kirchel was staring down at Erin, looking terrified. Galeth had ceased his work on the rélim shield and was looking angry.

“Idiot boy!” he spat out, coming over to stand beside Teral. “Isn’t it bad enough that you would betray us and befriend Elariths? Now you would share your mark with a human? A human?! You disgrace the Relian blood in your veins!” He turned to Teral. “If that’s how he values his heritage, then let him have what he asks for. Kill them both!”

“No,” Teral said sharply. He turned abruptly away from Jechrin and Erin and moved back over to the shield. “Leave them. We’ve wasted enough time. Come and help me with this.”

Galeth was still glowering, but he did as he was told, following Teral. They both began running their hands over the shield, probing its surface.

“What did you do?” Kirchel demanded of Teral. “What’s wrong with her?”

He ignored her, concentrating on his task.

“Jechrin?” Kirchel tried again, sounding a little frantic. “What happened just now? Is Erin all right?”

"Magic side effects." Jechrin seemed to be suffering from some side effects as well. He sounded exhausted. "She's fine. Just...she probably has a bit of a headache...."

That was an understatement. Erin's head was throbbing, and she felt dizzy and weak. Remembering what he'd told her about resting quietly until her body adjusted, she gave up on trying to see what was happening and closed her eyes again, leaning her head against his chest.

Jechrin patted her arm reassuringly.

The room fell silent. Even though she knew there was nothing else she could do right now, Erin couldn't help listening anxiously to the faint sounds of Teral and Galeth moving around the shield.

How long would it take them to break through it? Would Arturyn make it here in time? What about that distraction that Jechrin mentioned?

“I found the keyhole!” Galeth said suddenly.

Startled, Erin opened her eyes and looked toward his voice.

Galeth was standing on the side of the shield facing the window, holding his hand on a spot just above his head.

“Good.” Teral went over to him. “Let me see it.”

Galeth moved his hand aside, and Teral put his on the same spot. He stood still for a moment, apparently concentrating hard.

“I think….” He trailed off and then scowled. “Yes, it’s one of Sil-Jerani’s. His are always difficult to crack. That girl must have gotten it when they were in Katan Jyrat.” He shot a cold glare in Erin’s direction, causing her to shrink a little closer to Jechrin. “But no matter. I can open it—it will just take a little more time than I was hoping.”

Teral closed his eyes, still keeping his hand on the spot Galeth had pointed out to him. His brow was furrowed in concentration.

Another silence followed.

“There,” Teral said finally, opening his eyes. A look of satisfaction was spreading over his face. “I think I’ve almost—”

Then he broke off abruptly, his head whipping around to stare at the window behind him. Galeth and Sarah had both turned as well, and Sarah’s ears had pricked up.

The sound came again—a long, chilling howl, like some kind of demonic hound catching a scent.

Next to her, Erin heard Jechrin let out a long sigh.