And roofing it all was the black, starless sky of the Shadow Deep.

Kesson enjoyed the gloom of the place. The Deep felt like home to him. He knew it would eventually drink the life from most mortals. His former fellow demarchs of the Hall of Shadows soon would learn that lesson. They still did not realize fully what he had done, what he planned.

Perhaps Avnon Des foresaw his end? The thought brought a smile to Kesson's face. He-

The insects vanished in a blink. The sounds of the swamp fell silent. Stillness reigned.

The shadow dragon, Furlinastis, was approaching.

Kesson scanned the sky, looking for the tell-tale cloud of darkness that cloaked the dragon. He saw nothing but the thin, black clouds, backlit by the dim, ochre light of the plane.

A sound behind him, a whisper of movement. He whirled, the beginnings of a spell on his lips.

Too late.

The dragon leaped toward him, filling his field of vision with a cloud of shadows, scales, and claws. He had only a moment to marvel at the ability of the creature, as large as a temple, to move in near silence.

The dragon's hind claws hit him with the force of a trebuchet shot, wrapped him in their dark grip, and drove him flat on his back underwater. If his magic had not warded him, all of his ribs would have been shattered under the wyrm's crushing weight. "Even with the magic, the beast's claws managed to score his skin, to squeeze the breath from his lungs. If he didn't act quickly, he would be drowned.

Looking up through the lens of the dark water, he could make out no details. The mammoth form of the dragon looked like a wall of black.

"I smell the protective magic on you, human," the dragon said, and its whispery voice was audible even through the shallow water. "Let us see if it can fill your lungs."

The dragon ground him farther into the mud, farther under the water.

Kesson fought down the instinctive rise of panic that threatened to overwhelm him and gathered his thoughts. As always, he had prepared in his mind several spells that he could activate without words, without components, with only his will.