The plateau spanned kilometres before them, and in the distance they saw the small rise that Lehnar called the Diviner's Ridge. They ran and kept running. Silently they covered countless meters of ground with each breath that they took. They had to make it quickly to the ridge but they also had to watch the ground for holes and crevices. If one, or both, were to fall into one of them, they would surely be caught and returned to Sedara. Behind them they now heard a great commotion and the city of Sedara became lit up like a sun. Trephor was looking for them and they knew it. They were both tired, almost to the point of expiration but they wouldn't stop, lest they be caught. It was very dark, and although the stars shone enough light to guide them to their destination, they couldn't tell very well if they were being chased by Trephor's army. Sedara, behind them, emitted substantial light to produce silhouettes of anyone following them, but because of the size of the outer walls of the city, the two men couldn't see their pursuers until they were almost upon them. Their hearts beat heavily within their bodies. The pounding was hard and they soon wondered if their hearts were moving around in their bodies. First their chests throbbed, then the sensations moved to their stomachs and legs, then into their necks and head. Over and over they were becoming weary and they felt like only the beating of their hearts had been pumping their legs the few extra kilometres to the rise. Boyce looked back and then saw that they truly were being pursued. With heavy breaths that wheezed and gagged he told Lloyd that they were being chased, but Lloyd kept his head about his and was steadfast. "Just a little further, my friend!" he urged. "I'm with you!" Boyce assured him, in three short gasps. With strength summoned from the deepest recesses of their souls, they began to run faster and steadier, and the ridge that was once distant began to move closer and closer with each successive stride that they took. Behind them, the light of Sedara shrank and the stars revealed a small cloud moving in the same direction as the men. The cloud was Trephor's army. Some were on horse-back but the major part of it was made up of infantry, running as the men ran. The faster that Boyce and Lloyd had run, the lesser ahead they thought that they were going. Lloyd turned his head for an instant and saw the small hermaphrodite army, in hot pursuit, gaining ground with every second that expired. In his heart Boyce prayed that they could make the crest of the ridge before they passed-out, and there it was. The ridge. "Oh God, lend us strength!" he gulped to himself. The sounds of horses and feet grew louder and louder. The hermaphrodites were nearly upon them. Abruptly the men lost the sounds of the army as they lost their footing and they plunged into a drop in the ground, then lost consciousness. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE