“The dyrmagnos may be wearing Nhandi’s skin to alter her appearance,” rasped Thero. “That would explain why she can’t allow her reflection to be seen. You can’t deceive a mirror.”

“So the person Mika heard say ‘es rili’ must have been Nhandi,” said Micum.

Seregil nodded. “Still fighting after all these centuries, any way she can. What an incredible woman she must have been in life.”

“So whose lover was Khazireen?” asked Alec.

Thero shuddered again and wiped his eyes. “Khazireen was Nhandi’s lover, not Rhazat’s. There’s a fourth cave, or rather, a cave and a tunnel from the other side of the ridge. She stood in the fourth cave, and he in the third—he and Nhandi performed the spell of sealing that created the plane to trap the dyrmagnos. He—he had to seal her in.” He drew a shuddering breath. “I heard and felt the cataclysm as the plane came into being. She went willingly, and Khazireen killed himself as soon as it was done.”

“That explains why he’s still there. But how did his skull end up on that pillar?” asked Alec.

“I don’t know. Perhaps whoever sealed the tunnel with the tablet performed that final rite for him.”

“She and all those people were trapped,” said Micum. “Such a tragic sacrifice. How powerful must this Rhazat woman have been for them to go to such lengths?”

“Could you tell where the tunnel went?” asked Seregil.

“No, but it must come out somewhere on the far side of the ridge, near the ruins,” said Thero.

“I’ll ride over there tomorrow and see what I can find,” said Micum.

“I’ve got to get Klia out of there before we use this seal!” said Alec.

“Yes, and you’re the only one who can do it,” said Seregil. “Now that we know the amulets don’t work, though, what protection do you have?”

“Nightrunning, I guess. But I’ve been thinking. It’s not just ghosts we’ve come up against. Besides the dra’gorgos, there are the things that attacked you and Sedge—the demons. What I mean is, the ghosts come from dead people and dra’gorgos come from magic. So where do the demons come from, and why haven’t we ever encountered them before?

Why only here?”

“Perhaps they come from that other plane,” said Micum.

“And yet Alec hasn’t encountered any there,” Thero pointed out. “They have only appeared when a portal appears. I wonder if there’s someplace in between our plane and the other, a sort of middle space that gets opened, as well, and lets them through?”

“What can we do about that?” asked Seregil. “If any of us runs into another one without you there, we’re dead.”

“I can try making a charm against them. I can’t guarantee it will work, but it’s better than nothing. Would someone go and fetch Mika, please?”