Fisto waited outside Grayskull for the jawbridge to open; normally, since he was expected back, the Sorceress would have magically “programmed” it to allow him in immediately upon his return. The breakdown had made even that simple task a major effort, and it was taking several minutes for the entranceway to respond. The delay was giving him the last thing he needed: time to consider what he was being forced to do. Turning the remaining stones over to Skeletor went against his every instinct, but he had little choice in the matter. He hoped his friends and allies would come to understand the reasons for the course of action he was about to take, although he wasn’t completely sure he understood it all himself.

His reverie was cut off by the groan of the jawbridge as it came down, far faster than he had ever seen it do before. It bounced slightly as it hit the ground, and Fisto could only shake his head sadly. The breakdown was getting worse, and it fell to him to try to set things right.

“Slow door.”

Fisto glanced up to see Kittrina still perched above the entrance to the castle. “Nothing’s working right these days.”

She slumped in the small alcove that was now providing no protection whatsoever from the rain. “The rain clouds seem to be doing just fine.”

“Unfortunately, they’re about the only thing that is. Things just keep getting worse.” He sighed softly.

“Tell me about it,” she replied. She tried to brush the matted mass of hair on her head back for the tenth time in as many minutes, and quickly gave up. “Sounds like they’re trying to open another portal in there right now.”

“How can you tell?”

“Lots of voices chanting. And lots of cursing; sounds like Weldon.”

Fisto allowed himself a slight grin. “Hopefully means He-Man’s on the way back.” He didn’t mention it, but he was worried. Skeletor had mentioned a dimensional gate several minutes earlier; if the Sorceress and the others were still trying to open it, it meant they were having some major problems. He stepped into the castle, and waved weakly to Kittrina. “Try to keep dry,” he said.

“Remind me to bite you later,” she answered. “Hard.”

“Okay, Weldon, a little more with the key, and I think we’ve got it!” Greystar shouted.

Weldon let loose several Thenurian curses, and pounded out the proper notes on the cosmic key one more time. “This thing and I are not going to part friends!”

The dimensional portal was shaking violently as the Sorceress, Celise, and Greystar closed their eyes simultaneously. Montork and Dree-Elle focused their Trollan magics on the key, trying to bolster its power. She-Ra held her sword in one hand, and the stone from Etheria in the other. She had wrapped part of the blankets they had been using to handle the stone around her hand, but the intense power within the glowing orb was generating so much heat that she could feel her skin starting to burn.

“She-Ra, now! Touch your sword to the stone, and aim straight at the portal!” the Sorceress yelled. Her voice was almost drowned out by the sputtering sounds of the gateway.

“Alright, here goes,” She-Ra said. She rested the blade on the top of the stone, and aligned its point with the center of the portal. Her arm shook as the stone hummed, and a bolt of eldritch power shot out from the power sword’s tip. It struck the gate just off center, but she could see the energy spread out over the rift in dimensions, smoothing it’s frazzled edges somewhat. The portal still quivered slightly, but it was a vast improvement over its quaking moments before.

“Montork! Tell everyone to move through the gate now!” Greystar barked.

The wizened Trollan sent a quick mental message to Orko on the other side, straining his already taxed powers to a painful extreme. Seconds later, Man-E-Faces burst through, carrying Andrea in his arms. He had barely moved aside when Teela, Ror, Gwildor and Duncan piled through, followed closely by He-Man and Orko. The portal gave a deafening screech as it began shaking again.

“Everyone, move away from the gate!” the Sorceress warned. The heroes scrambled away as fast as they could; the Sorceress and Greystar lingered for a few seconds, making sure the others were clear before diving aside, leaving the portal to implode with a force that caused the entire castle to shudder.

“Is anyone hurt?” Greystar asked, rising from the floor.

“Yes, but not from the trip,” Duncan answered, rushing over to Man-E and Andrea. “She was bitten by Hiss’ snake form.”

Greystar’s face contorted in a hard frown. “Orko got that through to us. How long ago?”

“About fifteen, maybe twenty minutes,” Man-E said, cradling the injured Earthwoman. “What can we do?”

Greystar waved She-Ra over. “We don’t have an antidote here, but hopefully She-Ra can use her healing ability.”

She-Ra bent down beside Andrea, and placed her hand on the woman’s head. She closed her eyes, and a green glow enveloped first her hand, then Andrea’s whole body. The princess of power grimaced, and her eyes squinted even tighter. “It’s not working,” she said through grit teeth. “I don’t have enough power. The poison is too strong, and it’s spread too much.” She leaned back, breathing hard.

“No!” Man-E cried. “She-Ra, please! This woman saved my life back there! I won’t let her die!” He looked down at the unconscious woman he cradled in his arms. “There’s got to be something more we can do!”

“Try again,” Greystar walked over and placed his hand on She-Ra’s shoulder as he knelt next to her. “Just concentrate your power into your healing ability.”

“I’ll give it another shot,” she said. “But I’m not sure I have the power to tap right now.”

“Just a matter of focus,” he assured her. “Just listen to my voice, and concentrate.”

She nodded slightly, and placed both hands on Andrea. “Alright, I’m listening.”

Greystar started speaking, his tone steady, his voice low but strong. “Focus on Andrea, and block out everything but her and my voice. Center your mind on the poison in her system, and picture yourself pushing it back.” He continued, and She-Ra felt a surge of magical strength run through her; the fatigue she had been feeling since the battle back on Etheria faded just a bit. She was nowhere near back to full strength, but she had more power at her fingertips now than she had in hours. Her hands glowed a light green at first, then the shimmering energy grew brighter, turning almost white, and spread over Andrea. Her shallow breathing became more regular, and her pale skin began to slowly regain it’s color.

“I think it’s working! She-Ra, I think you’re doing it!” Man-E exclaimed.

She-Ra didn’t hear him; she barely heard Greystar’s voice now. Eyes pressed shut so tightly tears ran down her cheeks, she was completely absorbed in her task, feeling the venom in Andrea’s bloodstream weakening with each passing moment. Andrea began to shift in Man-E’s grasp, and let out a small, nearly inaudible moan. The glow from She-Ra’s hands started to fade, and the Princess of Power slumped forward slightly. Greystar’s hand was still on her shoulder, and he gently pulled her back upright.

“Is she going to be alright?” Man-E asked impatiently.

She-Ra took in a couple of long breaths before answering. “Her body is breaking down the poison right now; in a little while, there shouldn’t be any left in her system. She’ll be fine.”

“Are you going to be?” He-Man said. She turned around and realized that he had been hovering over her and Greystar the whole time, a worried expression crinkling his eyebrows.

“A little winded, I guess.” She looked back at Greystar, who was rising. “Whatever you said, it worked.”

Greystar smiled. “Just a little pep talk.”

“More like a little hypnosis,” Duncan corrected him. “The calm voice, the steady cadence. Classic techniques.”

“Not really hypnosis, just giving her a focal point so she could tap her reserves.” Greystar offered her his hand as she rose. She faltered slightly as she did, and was actually glad for the chivalrous gesture. Though she felt stronger than before, her head was a bit light from pushing her powers so hard.

“Whatever it was, thank you,” She-Ra said, clasping his hand between hers.

“Just glad to help.” He turned to He-Man. “You met the lady back on Earth?” He gestured to Andrea.

“Actually, she’s an old friend. She’s been on Eternia once before.”

Greystar cocked a suspicious eyebrow. “You went out of your way to look her up, or she just happened along by accident?”

“Long story, but it wasn’t a coincidence running into her,” Duncan explained. “I’ll fill you in on everything later. Right now, what should we do with this?” He held out the hard-won stone, wrapped in a heavy piece of padding. Greystar looked at the orb, and Duncan thought his expression was a bit odd. “Something wrong?”

Greystar shook his head. “Nothing. Just surprised you could hold onto it with that small shred of material.”

“Insulation from my armor. Channels and diffuses heat. Helps protect me from laser fire burns.” Duncan set the stone down at his feet. “Wasn’t designed for this sort of thing, though. It is starting to heat up a bit.”

“Not surprised. Let’s get it together with its mate over there,” he pointed at a worktable nearby, “and figure out our next move.” He turned back to Man-E and Andrea. She was still unconscious, but seemed to be resting more comfortably. The stranger bent down and felt her forehead. “She seems to be cooling down; life force seems a lot stronger.”

“Thanks for what you did. I was afraid we were going to lose her there.” Man-E extended a hand, which Greystar accepted.

“I was a little nervous about that myself for a moment. She-Ra’s the one who really came through, though.”

“She usually does,” Man-E said.

Fisto entered the main chamber silently, and saw the stones setting side by side on a table not far from the Sorceress’ throne. His stomach knotted.

“Fisto! Hey, big fella, you forget to bring something back with you?” It was Weldon, making a point to look around behind the burly warrior.

“You mean Malaktha? He’ll be along in a bit. Just needed a little help to get things going,” Fisto lied.

“Hope he’s in a better mood when he gets here. Guy was downright rude before.”

Fisto looked around the chamber, noting where everyone was in relation to the stones. “Considering what’s been happening, can you blame him for being a little short?”

Weldon gave him a lopsided frown. “Wise guy.”

Fisto looked down, a bit distracted. “What? Oh, sorry, Weldon. No offense.”

“S’okay, I’m just ribbing you.” Weldon followed Fisto’s gaze, which had settled on the stones again. “Got two out of three.”

“Can’t do anything unless we have the whole set, though, isn’t that true?” Fisto said.

Weldon stroked his bearded chin. “Yeah, I know. You guys did a great job; it was my team that blew it.”

“Blame games don’t get us anywhere, Weldon. I’m beginning to realize that.” Fisto started over for the stones without another word.

“Yeah, well, you just…walk off there, big guy,” Weldon said, shaking his head. “Don’t they have any manners on this planet anymore?” he grumbled to himself.

Fisto approached the table quietly, trying not to attract attention. Unfortunately, He-Man noticed his return, and quickly covered the distance between them. He was at Fisto’s side before he reached the stones.

“Any problems we need to know about?” He-Man asked.

“No, just a regular breakdown thanks to the breakdown,” Fisto answered.

“So where’s Malaktha? I thought he had something urgent to tell us.”

Fisto felt his stomach tie itself tighter. “He does, but he wants to tell us all at once. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Maybe we’d better have Ror head out and watch for him, in case he runs into more trouble.”

“I think Kittrina would appreciate it,” Fisto said. “She doesn’t look too happy out there right now.”

He-Man chuckled. “I’ll bet.” He clasped Fisto’s shoulder for a moment and walked off in Clamp Champ’s direction.

Fisto trotted over to the table, noticing that the heavy blankets lying beneath the glowing artifacts were scorched now from the intense heat. He turned, and looked around at his friends and allies. Ror was talking to He-Man as he headed for the corridor to the jawbridge; Fisto decided to wait a moment until Ror was gone. The smoke bombs Skeletro had given him would be of little help against Ror’s enhanced senses. He swept the room with his eyes one last time. His mouth felt dry as he quietly said, “I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, the room was blanketed in a dense cloud of smoke.

“What in the name of the ancients?!!” Teela said. She looked around, and saw a shadow by the table before the fog obscured it. “The stones! Somebody’s after them!”

He-Man turned, but saw nothing. The smoke had thickened to the point where visibility was almost non- existent. He tried to retrace his steps back to the table; Grayskull was like a second home, and he knew the layout well, but he had to take care to avoid running anyone over as he made his way through the thick haze. Colliding with one of his friends at his full speed could do some serious harm, so he continually shouted for everyone to clear the way as he ran. He almost slammed into the table as he reached his destination. He felt around, and realized the stones were gone. “Fisto! Are you still here? Did you see anyone before the smoke started?”

Fisto answered. “Someone just popped in beside me, and then everything went hazy. I heard he or it running off toward the throne.”

“See if you can make it over there. I’ll meet you.” He-Man started forward, but then he heard what he assumed to be Fisto off to his left. There was only one problem: he was running in the wrong direction. “Fisto, you’re heading the wrong way. Turn around, and follow my voice.” There was no reply. “Fisto?” Still nothing. “Fisto, answer me!!!”

“He-Man?” a hesitant voice asked.

“Yes, Ram Man,” He-Man replied, recognizing him instantly. “did you run into Fisto?”

“Uh, no, I’m bein’ careful not to run into people these days.”

“I mean did he run past you,” He-Man clarified.

“Nope, I don’t think so. Course, if he did, how would I know it was him anyway?”

He-Man had to grant him that point. “It sounded like he was heading toward the jawbridge.”

“Why would he wanna do that? He just came back.” Ram Man pondered.

“Good question,” He-Man said, worried. He had thought Fisto was acting strange moments ago, but had chalked it up to the undeserved guilt his friend had been carrying with him since the mistakes they had all made at the temple. But now Fisto was making his way toward the exit, claiming someone or something had appeared next to him at a time when the dimensional portals were blowing up as soon as they were used. And where was Malaktha? He was beginning to get an idea, one he didn’t like in the least. “Fisto, stop!” he called out. “Fisto!!!!” He started retracing his steps, racing across the shrouded chamber to the corridor. “Everyone! Stop Fisto if goes by you!”

“Stop Fisto? Why?” It was Frosta’s voice.

“I think he has the stones,” He-Man bellowed. “Frosta, can you slick the floor with some ice?”

“I won’t have much idea where it’s going, but yes, I can,” she answered.

“Aim it in the opposite direction of my voice. Everyone else, watch your step!” He-Man continued on, still running blind.

Frosta held out her hands and tried to get her bearings as best she could. Icy blasts shot forth from her hands, running across the floor; the instant ice slick spread outward, she hoped, toward the exit.

Seconds later, Fisto found out how good her sense of direction was, as his feet suddenly lost all traction. He barely held onto the carefully wrapped stones as he dropped to the floor, still sliding forward on the slippery surface. He had fixed the corridor’s location in his mind before dropping the smoke pellets, and had run as straight a line as he could, since he was as blind as anyone else in the haze. Now, as he plowed into the wall, he had all but lost his bearings. He was fairly certain the wall he had just struck was on one side or the other of the hallway he sought, but he had no idea which side. Scrambling to his feet, he stood and started making his way to his right, hoping that, with a 50-50 chance, he had chosen correctly.

He-Man charged forward as best he could, carefully testing the floor with each step, waiting to hit Frosta’s ice patch. He listened carefully; he had heard someone slip and fall, then striking one of the far walls. The grunting that resulted had sounded like Fisto. Now, he heard another sound, a scraping of metal on stone, presumably his friend’s steel clad fist against Grayskull’s walls. Zeroing in on the sound, he altered course slightly just as his foot hit something slippery. Fortunately, He-Man was prepared, and bent down slightly to balance himself as he let his momentum carry him across the icy floor, hoping no one was between him and Fisto. In any other situation, he would have attempted to blow the smoke aside, but the fatigue that had cropped up on Earth had not faded as he had hoped once he got back to Grayskull. He prayed to the ancients that he was wrong, and Fisto wasn’t trying to make off with the stones, but he had to be prepared for the worst. And since Fisto’s strength was inborn rather than magically based, he probably wasn’t experiencing the degree of weakness He-Man was, meaning the champion of Eternia needed to conserve his strength for a possible battle. Much as he hated the thought, He-Man knew he had to make sure the stones did not leave the castle, even if he had to fight a friend to do so.

Fisto heard something approaching him from behind, coming from the opposite direction he was heading in. He called out, “He-Man?” The sound was homing right in on him, so he assumed his position had been given away already, and a reply would tell him who was coming.

“Fisto, what are you doing? Do you have the stones?” He-Man also knew he was giving himself away, but felt he had to give Fisto a chance. “Hiss or Skeletor has Malaktha, right? They’re ransoming him for the stones.” He received no answer. “Fisto, don’t do this. We can get Malaktha back, I promise you that, but we can’t lose the stones to either of those monsters.”

Fisto had a fairly good fix on He-Man’s position now. He knew the way He-Man thought from the many battles they had fought together; he was sure Grayskull’s champion would have been aiming for the vicinity of the jawbridge corridor initially. Since his friend’s voice was coming more from his left rather than from straight behind him, he realized he had to be moving in the wrong direction. He turned and ran back as quickly as he could manage without slipping again. He didn’t get far when He-Man slid in front of him, close enough to make out even in the heavy smoke. “Far enough, Fisto. We’ll deal with whatever’s happened, but this isn’t the way.”

“He-Man, you have no idea what’s happened, or what I’m doing. And I can’t explain it now. Just let me do what I have to.” Fisto moved forward, but He-Man didn’t budge.

“Fisto, don’t force this. I don’t want to fight you, my friend. Please,” He-Man said, holding out his hand. “Just give me the stones. This doesn’t have to go any further.”

Fisto sighed softly; his face creased, pain etched into every line. “I’m afraid it does.” He lashed out with the back of his huge right hand, catching He-Man in the chest. Eternia’s hero couldn’t dodge in time, and, though the blow wasn’t that hard, it was enough to send him sliding back on the ice. He quickly regained his balance, pushed against the wall, and lunged back at Fisto, catching him in the midsection. Both men fell to the ground, He-Man trying to liberate the stones from Fisto’s mighty grasp, and Fisto desperately battling to hold onto them. Fisto pulled back his right arm hard, breaking He-Man’s grip, and, stones still clutched tightly in his metal-covered fist, he swung wide and caught the side of He-Man’s face. Stunned as much by the fact of the blow as its force, He-Man rolled over onto the floor, half-conscious. Fisto rose as fast as he could without slipping, and stood for a moment, looking sadly through the haze at his friend. Then he heard the others approaching, and he hugged the wall until he saw the smoke swirling slightly in front of him. He felt along the wall, and found the opening to the corridor. There was a slight breeze blowing down the hallway; the jawbridge must not have finished closing after Ror had exited for guard duty. Shaking his head at the thought he still had to face Clamp Champ and Kittrina to escape with the stones, he started down the corridor, and then looked up at the ceiling. He set the stones down, crouched low, and then leapt upwards, his large gauntlet reared back. His fist shot up as he reached the ceiling, and the force shook the entire castle. He dropped back to the floor and snatched up his prizes as stone and mortar showered down. In seconds, the corridor was blocked by the pile of rubble. With He-Man and She-Ra present, he knew it would not hold his pursuers back for long, but it and the still lingering smoke would delay them at least a few minutes. He wasn’t looking forward to another round with He-Man, just as he dreaded what he knew would be a hard battle with Ror and Kittrina. His stomach was twisted into dozens of knots at the thought of fighting more of his friends.

“Hard choices,” he thought bitterly.

“Sure is wet out here,” Ror said, wiping the rain from his face.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Kittrina replied, her voice dripping sarcasm.

Ror looked up at the she-cat; her fur was matted against her skin, and her hair was a tangled mass, much of it hanging limply over her face. “Sorry, just stating the obvious,” he said. “It was getting like this on Earth, too.”

“Nice place to visit?” she asked, nimbly leaping from her perch above the jawbridge. She twisted in mid-air, landing a few feet in front of Ror on all fours.

“Didn’t seem like a bad place; got a little tired of having weapons pointed at me every time I turned around, though.”

Kittrina’s ears stood up. “Gun happy bunch?”

“Not really, just a little paranoid,” he mused. “Not used to the sort of things we are. Orko really scared a few people.”

Kittrina smirked. “And that’s unusual because…?”

Ror laughed softly. “Okay, I have to grant you that one.” He scanned the area with a quick turn of his head. “Why don’t you head inside and try to dry off? Doesn’t look like much is going on out here besides the weather.”

“Thought you’d never ask!” she said, bounding past him toward the entrance. The jawbridge was still in the process of closing, its groans growing ever louder. Ror couldn’t help but be thankful neither Skeletor nor Hiss were here at the moment. It would be embarrassing to admit the bad guys had taken over Grayskull just because the heroes couldn’t get the blasted door closed in time.

Ror was pulling his clamp free of its moorings on his armor when he heard something from inside the castle. “What was that?”

Kittrina was perched on the jawbridge, about to slip inside. “What?”

He cocked his head slightly, listening. “Some kind of commotion in there.”

Kittrina perked her ears. “I hear it now. Doesn’t sound good, either.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Ror said, leaping across the abyss surrounding the castle and grabbing onto the still open jawbridge. He flipped over the top and landed just inside the entrance. Kittrina jumped down next to him.

“Should we both go?” she asked, nodding down the corridor.

“I’ll check it out, you stay here and greet anything that gets past me,” he replied, dashing down the passageway. He hadn’t gotten far when he felt the whole structure shake; the ceiling rained dust and small bits of debris on him. He slowed for a second to keep his equilibrium, and before he could pick up speed, he saw Fisto charging toward him. “Fisto, what’s going on? I heard a big ruckus back there.”

“Skeletor,” Fisto said. “He popped into the throne room; I’ve got to get the stones out of here now.”

“You’ve got the stones there?” Ror asked, confused. “Where are the others?”

“Back dealing with old bone head,” Fisto answered, his voice strained. “They may need your help.”

There was something in Fisto’s tone and the nervous look in his eyes that made Ror hesitate. Training his senses on his friend, Ror noticed there was a faint tremor in his voice, and his heartbeat increased markedly as he spoke. Ror could smell his sweat, not the perspiration from exertion, but from fear. Everything his senses usually picked up when someone was lying. “Fisto, let’s go back together. I’m sure we can keep Skeletor at bay with the others.

Fisto looked back down the corridor. He could hear pounding now, even with his own normal senses. It meant He-Man and She-Ra were working to clear the blockade he had left behind. He looked back at Ror, and knew the man with the clamp wasn’t buying his story; Clamp Champ’s abilities made him a human lie detector. “Ror, you have to let me pass. Just trust me on this one.”

Ror shook his head. “Sorry, pal. Too many people asking me to do that today. I don’t know what’s going on, but if those are the stones, they aren’t leaving.”

Fisto’s shoulders sagged, and he started forward again. “Don’t push this, Clamp. Please.”

“Then don’t force me to,” Ror said, planting himself in Fisto’s path, his weapon in hand.

Fisto sighed, and charged Ror fist first. Ror shifted to his right, and caught the huge hand in his pincers. He leaned back hard, trying to pull Fisto of balance. The bearded muscleman was too strong, however, and pulled Ror with him as he kept moving forward. Ror activated the electrical charge in his clamp, knowing that even though Fisto’s gauntlet was insulated, a high voltage shock fed directly into it would definitely be felt. There was only one problem.

It didn’t work.

Ror gave the mental command again, trying to push his weapon into activating. Nothing. Ror released his grip on Fisto, the pincers hesitating as they grudgingly obeyed. Ror was genuinely surprised; the clamp had never failed before, save for the time Gwildor got his hands on it. He’d been making constant adjustments to keep it functioning during the breakdown, but it was evidently no longer enough. He dropped the now nearly useless device, and bolted after Fisto. The big man had a slight lead on him, but Ror dove at him, catching his knees and squeezing them together. Fisto tumbled forward, then rolled over on his back, forcing Ror under his legs. He pulled his legs up, Ror still holding them in a bear hug, and then brought them down on his friend’s chest. Even with his armor, Ror felt the wind rush from his lungs. His grip loosened, and Fisto pulled his legs free. Ror twisted around on the floor and swung his legs up and forward. He caught the back of one of Fisto’s knees, and the burly warrior went down a second time. Ror heard the pounding from the other end of the corridor again, followed by the sounds of rocks shifting. Something must have been blocking the passageway, he realized, or He-Man and the others would already have been here, but they were obviously taking care of the obstruction now. Ror hoped it wouldn’t take them much longer; taking down Fisto himself without his clamp was going to be difficult, if not impossible. Ror was agile enough to give Fisto a hard target to hit, but all the big man had to do was connect with that massive fist once, and the battle was over.

Leaping into the air, Ror avoided a wide swing by that fist, and landed a solid blow with his foot on Fisto’s jaw. Fisto tottered slightly, but recovered almost immediately. He swung again, this time missing a dodging Ror by a wider margin. Ror crouched, ready to deliver another blow once Fisto’s arc was complete, and realized to late how close to the wall they were. Fisto’s hand slammed against the wall, and chunks of stone exploded from the point of impact. Several pieces battered Ror, one glancing off the top of his head. It stunned him for only an instant, but it was enough for Fisto to strike with a backhanded blow from his oversized extremity. Ror collapsed on the floor, barely conscious. “I hope you forgive me for this when you come to,” Fisto whispered. He darted down the corridor as he heard a loud crash from behind him. The others had broken through, and would undoubtedly be on him in moments if he didn’t start moving quicker.

That proved more difficult than he had expected, as a furry mass of wet hair and sharp claws pounced on his back just as he reached the jawbridge. Kittrina had evidently been lurking above the entrance, waiting to drop on anyone trying to exit the castle. She moved so quickly, skittering around on his shoulders, he was having difficulty grabbing her. The bridge was almost shut; he had barely enough room to squeeze through if he went right now. Kittrina’s attack was slowing him down just enough to prevent that. He tried to grab that elusive tail one last time, then fell forward, catching himself as he hit the ground, and pushing off with his feet. He somersaulted over, catching Kittrina between his body and the ground before she could jump free. She let loose a shriek of pain as his shoulders landed on her, and she lost her grip on him. He shot up and hurtled out through the narrow gap left by the jawbridge, scraping himself along the side of the entrance as he slipped through. Kittrina yowled again, this time from annoyance rather than pain.

Ror teetered back and forth as he inched his way up the wall, then felt a strong yet gentle hand slip under his arm. “You alright?” It was She-Ra.

“Do I look alright?” he snapped, his anger aimed more at himself than the princess of power.

“I was going to say you looked terrible, but I didn’t want to insult you,” she said with a slight grin.

He-Man walked over to join them, steadying Kittrina with one arm. “Jawbridge closed just as he squeezed through. Even with the Sorceress right here, it’ll take a moment to open.”

She-Ra grimaced. “And we can’t just break it down; that would be an open invitation to every villain on the planet.”

“The ones who aren’t home hiding under their beds by now, anyway,” He-Man said. “But you’re right; we can’t leave Grayskull open to attack like that, especially with it’s magic weakened.”

Ror hadn’t heard that admission before, though he had suspected it. “So Grayskull is being affected now, too?”

“Everything is,” Duncan said, staring at the jawbridge as it started to lower once again. “It was only a matter of time before Grayskull felt the effects.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t’ hold him back longer,” Ror said, his head still swimming.

“You did the best you could, Ror. We didn’t do any better, in case you hadn’t noticed,” He-Man pointed out.

“But why? Why would Fisto take the stones? It doesn’t make any sense,” Ror asked.

“I think Skeletor or Hiss got a hold of Malaktha,” He-Man offered.

Ror nodded. “Ransom. Malaktha for the stones.”

“And Fisto’s already carrying enough guilt around to cripple an army. The thought of Malaktha being hurt if he refused was probably more than he could bear.” She–Ra helped Ror lean against the wall. “Either of those monsters would have been more than happy to exploit that.”

He-Man looked over at the jawbridge. "We may be able to get out in a minute. She-Ra and I will climb out and go after him."

"I'll go with you," Teela said.

"And how are you getting across the abyss?" Duncan asked, referring to the mystic chasm surrounding the castle.

"My grappling hook," she answered. "I'll swing across."

"And if the line is weakened thanks to the breakdown?" Duncan said, cocking an eyebrow.

Teela scratched her head. "That's actually a good point, father. Guess it's up to you two 'til the jawbridge lowers further."

“I can float over,” Orko offered.

“Not a bad idea,” He-Man said. “If we have trouble tracking Fisto, Orko may still be able to home in on the stones.”

“We could join you,” Montork said, motioning Dree-Elle over to him. “Three Trollans are better than one.”

“You two try to help the Sorceress open the jawbridge a little faster, so everyone else can get out as soon as possible. Greystar?”

The stranger had been unusually silent. “I’ll stay here and help with the entrance, too,” he said flatly.

“Follow as soon as you can,” She-Ra said, not quite sure what to make of their mysterious ally’s response. There was no time to ponder it, though. “He-Man, Orko, let’s get going.”

“Alright, just be careful. Nothing’s predictable any more, so don‘t take too many chances,” Duncan warned.

"We'll do our best," She-Ra said as she and He-Man started climbing up the jawbridge. They waited just below the end of the bridge until it had opened just enough to wriggle through. She-Ra went first, and He-Man followed a few seconds later, almost getting stuck in the process. He feared forcing it open further; Duncan's comment about Teela's grappling line left him wondering how much pressure the jawbridge could take now without snapping. He managed to squirm out the opening, though, and joined his sister balanced on the edge of the stone “jaw”. “Ready?” he said.

“I assume it’s ladies first?” she joked.

“I am a gentleman, you know,” he grinned.

“Good excuse,” she smiled back, launching herself across the chasm. He-Man followed, but noticed with some concern how much nearer to the edge of the abyss he landed than she had.

She-Ra noticed as well. “That was a little close, brother.”

“Must be a little more off my game than I thought. Doesn’t matter, though; we still need to find Fisto.”

“That’s my department,” Orko said, floating over the abyss. He was caught in a sudden downdraft from the mystical chasm, and started flapping his arms furiously.

“Orko!” He-Man cried, instinctively heading for the abyss.

The Trollan started to drop, but then popped back up as the draft died down. He rushed across the remaining distance, plowing straight into He-Man.

“You alright, little buddy?” He-Man asked.

“Uh, yeah, fine, I guess,” Orko responded, less than sure.

She-Ra glanced around; the constant rain had already eradicated any signs of Fisto’s passing. “Any idea which way Fisto went? The storm washed away any trace of him.”

Orko gathered himself, giving the abyss a dirty look as he did, and then focused on the stones. “Okay, I’m getting something.” He rotated in mid-air, and finally stopped, pointing emphatically towards a nearby hill. “That way! He went that way!”

“That’s the way Fisto went when Malaktha called. Let’s go!” He-Man said, taking off in the direction Orko had indicated. She-Ra fell in step beside him, with Orko flying after them. They covered ground quickly, but both realized they were moving far slower than they expected, well short of their usual top speed. He-Man especially found himself straining to keep pace with his sister.

Even so, it took little time to reach the top of the hill. From there, they spotted Skeltor’s Collector partially exposed in some heavy brush. Some heavy branches lay beside an open hatch, indicating the ship had probably been completely hidden a short time before. Skeletor and his lackeys had apparently abandoned the craft, as the twins of Grayskull spotted the dark lord atop Panthor, his fierce answer to Battle Cat. The others sat astride similar cats; Fisto was slumped in front of Evil Lynn on her mount, and Beast Man had Malaktha. All the felines were racing in the general direction of Snake Mountain . Skeletor turned in his saddle, as if sensing the two heroes behind him. He raised his havok staff high, and He-Man could swear he heard the villain’s trademark cackle above the wind.

“He’s got quite a head start,” She-Ra noted. “And he has Fisto and Malaktha.”

“They both look like they’re unconscious. Or...” Orko couldn’t bring himself to complete the thought.

“They’re still valuable as hostages,” He-Man said. “Skeletor will keep them alive as long as he thinks he can use them.” He started down the hillside, She-Ra once again falling in beside him. Running full out, they pursued the lord of destruction, but they were far behind their quarry. Matters became worse as She-Ra realized she was starting to pull ahead of her brother. He was straining to keep up, but his strength was obviously waning. She slowed slightly to allow him to catch up, but he waved her on. “Go!” he panted, “Keep after them!” She pushed on, leaving a widening gap between them.

“He-Man, what’s wrong?” Orko asked in a shocked voice. He had never seen He-Man falter like this, and it frightened him to see it now.

“I can’t keep up, Orko. I’m pushing as hard as I can, but it‘s not enough.” Still, Eternia’s champion pressed forward, despite the growing pain in his legs and sides. Finally, he collapsed, his knee giving out in mid-stride.

She-Ra also pushed on, though she was beginning to feel weaker as well. Her legs ached and her breathing was labored. Skeletor and his cronies were moving steadily ahead, putting more and more distance between themselves and their enemies. She followed them for almost ten minutes, long after they had vanished from site into the trees far ahead of her. A sudden, stabbing pain in her side caused her to lose her balance as she ran, and she toppled over. She slammed her fist on the ground with a force that rattled the landscape, tears running down her face from strain and frustration.

The villains were out of reach, and the stones were gone.