The small city that served as the home of those caring for the portals was a simple enough place to navigate under normal circumstances. A wholesale invasion by the Demon Legion was hardly normal.

They carefully made their way between buildings, stopping at every corner to peer around and be sure they were unobserved. There was a very small class of demons that could hide well, even to near invisibility, but Gulamendis’s sensitivity to any demon’s presence usually alerted them to their proximity.

They came to the last open ground before the entrance to the hub portal and Laromendis swore. “Fliers!”

Circling above like so many vultures were a half dozen flying demons. “Can you do anything?” said Gulamendis.

“I’m tired,” replied his brother, “but I think I can manage a small diversion. Give me a moment to compose myself.”

The Conjurer closed his eyes and called up the last reserve of his power and abruptly Gulamendis saw the illusion. It wasn’t much as conjurations went, a slight scampering between two houses directly under one of the hovering demons, but it was enough to set the demon to shrieking and diving toward the imagined prey. The others were only a moment behind and they flew off up a side street. “Now!” said Laromendis.

The two elven magic users dashed for the entrance of the building Gulamendis had indicated and made it safely inside. They darted around the edge of the doorway and paused. In the gloom of the unlighted entry, they waited for their eyes to adjust and to see if any ground forces waited inside.

“Now,” said Laromendis softly, “where are we?”

His brother squatted, back to the wall, and Laromendis followed suit. “While I don’t make it a habit to eavesdrop, I did manage to be close enough to hear two Sentinels discussing the last recall. This is a building housing a single portal, one designed to be used by the last of us fleeing. Assuming we heard the recall.” He pointed to a door. Every elf who had visited this world had come down “that way.”

They were exhausted, tired to the core of their beings, but necessity made them rise and move to the door. Gulamendis closed his eyes a moment, then said, “No.” His brother knew he meant no demon sign beyond the door.

Gulamendis opened the door and they moved slowly, for whatever illumination normally employed was missing. In the distance they saw a faint light, which became a line along the floor as they reached a closed door. Again the Demon Master paused to see if he sensed any demons, but when he felt nothing, he gripped the latch and pushed aside the heavy wood.