Unthinkable as it was, Skeletor had succeeded. And He-Man and She-Ra had been unable to stop him.

She-Ra had made her way back to He-Man, her legs almost numb now. He was seated on a small boulder, his shoulders sagging. He looked up at his sister, his eyes lifeless.

“I couldn’t catch him,” she said, her voice cracking.

“At least you could keep chasing him,” he said. “My legs just buckled; I can still barely move them.”

“You tried,” Orko offered, floating beside He-Man.

“We tried and we blew it, Orko.” She looked into the dark sky. “We can’t let Skeletor win. There has to be a way we can still stop him. Even if he has the stones, there has to be a way.”

He-Man closed his eyes for a moment. “If there is, we’ll find it, sis. Our powers may be giving out, but I am NOT giving up.” He opened his eyes and looked up at her again. “We’re not giving up.” Though the strength in his body was waning, the resolve in his voice was getting stronger.

She-Ra sat beside him, clasping his hand. “No, we’re not, my brother. We may have to crawl into battle,” she rubbed her leg, forcing a small smile, “but we won’t stop trying.”

“I never expected you would,” Duncan said, coming up behind them. He was followed by the rest of the heroic warriors; the twins were so exhausted they hadn’t even noticed them approaching.

“We lost them,” She-Ra said, not meeting Duncan’s eyes. “They were too far ahead, and we couldn’t catch up.”

“It was the breakdown, not you, lass,” Duncan said. “You’re powers are magically based; so is the breakdown. You’re probably losing strength faster than any of us because of that. I’m amazed you could chase them this far; I’m almost ready to drop from covering this distance. You two were running full out.”

“He-Man, She-Ra, it was Fisto who took the stones,” Teela said, joining her father. “If the blame falls on anyone, it’s him. Even if you were right about Malaktha, he should have told us, let us figure out a rescue without giving that monster the stones.”

“Doesn’t change the fact we failed, Teela. We went after Fisto and Skeletor, and we did fail.” She-Ra spat the last word out.

“No, you didn’t,” Greystar came up and squatted next to the twins.

“Skeletor got away with all three stones, Greystar,” He-Man pointed out.

“I know,” the stranger replied. “And it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t Fisto’s fault, either.” He glanced at Teela.

“Then who’s fault is it?” she asked.

“Mine,” he answered.

“It‘s your fault Fisto turned the stones over to Skeletor? Why?” She-Ra pressed.

Greystar rubbed the back of his neck, and seemed to be deliberately avoiding eye contact with anyone. “Because,” he said slowly, “I told him to.”

Skeletor could not help but cackle on the ride back to Snake Mountain. Atop Panthor, he gloated to himself on his victory, a sweeter triumph than he had dared hope.

The cats he and his henchmen rode, all the same species as his own faithful feline, were a brilliant stroke. Chances were, the collector would be useless by the time they were ready to return home, and indeed, it was now little more than a huge paperweight. Bumbler though he was, Trap Jaw was the only one with the mechanical skills to keep the machinery running with the breakdown, and with him presumably in the hands of the authorities now, Skeletor’s technology was failing fast. The big cats, however, neede no such maintenance, and had proven an effective means of escape from the heroes. A perfect piece of a perfect plan.

His manipulation of Fisto had also been masterful. He had counted on the traitor’s crushing guilt and desire to be a hero to make him susceptible to the dark lords machinations, and was not disappointed. The only disturbing thing was that Skeletor had used the truth to attain his ends. He had exaggerated about letting Eternia die before relinquishing the stones, true; if Eternia was destroyed, the castle would go with it, and he would never give up the secrets of Grayskull, regardless of the power the stones offered. But his major point, that the planets time was running out too quickly for any other solution than surrendering the stones to him, was actually quite valid. The irony of that fact was not lost on the lord of destruction; from one perspective, it could be said Fisto had made an honest man out of him.

But despite his slight brush with honesty, Skeletor was very pleased with the results. The steel fisted warrior had forged quite a heroic legend for himself since turning to the side of good, but there were still those who on Eternia who never quite trusted him, especially some of the victims of his past deeds. The dark lord had sown further seeds of mistrust in the years since Fisto’s departure from his ranks, appearing in disguise at the taverns and street markets around Eternia as he often did, spreading distrust and discord among the simpletons populating this world. Often, his seemingly innocuous conversations would turn to Fisto’s past association with him. Some would consider such actions petty, but Fisto had done the one thing Skeletor would not forgive: he defected to the enemy, and he would pay for it. Fisto now sat, unconscious, galloping along with Evil Lynn, a victim of the dark one’s sleep gas, along with Malaktha. They were useful as hostages in case of emergency, but Skeletor had other reasons, as well. He had taken back his notes and translations from the golden disks, and as Malaktha seemed so proficient with the ancient languages used, he was certain he could force the archeologist to translate the rest of the transcripts he had managed to make before losing the artifacts to He-Man. He would shortly have the powers of a god, but knowledge was something even a deity always needed. And Fisto would see Skeletor ascend to his rightful place as lord of this world, knowing that he had played a part in it. Revenge was such a tasty delicacy.

And on top of this, he had the unexpected joy of watching as He-Man and She-Ra tasted defeat at his hands. He had watched as He-Man faltered and fell, then waited just out of sight as She-Ra followed suit. It had delayed him a few moments, slowing to keep her in sight, but such a sight was worth any amount of waiting. The heroes had failed miserably, and best of all, they knew full well what their failure meant. To become a god and see his greatest foes crawling on their knees after him was all in one day was sheer paradise.

Of course, there was still Hiss. The snake’s conspicuous absence of late meant he was probably well aware of the fact he could not complete the spell, so it was a safe bet that any attack would come after Skeletor had “turned the stones off,” but before he could absorb their power. This gave Skeletor a powerful weapon; he knew when to expect his enemy. The heroes would probably find a way to Snake Mountain in time for the final showdown, as well. He had no idea how, but he knew them well enough to realize he could not discount the possibility; somehow, they always seemed to find a way. Keeping both factions out of his stronghold would be difficult, but he would be aided by the fact that they would be fighting each other as well as his own minions. Even as obviously weakened as they were, He-Man and She-Ra would give the snake king a good run, he was sure. And that would give him time to complete the second part of the spell.

He looked over his shoulder at his lackeys; they each pushed their beasts forward as they realized his eyes were on them. Good, he thought, it takes only a glance to make them jump. And soon billions would do likewise.

The trip back to Grayskull was a difficult one for the Heroic warriors. The stones they had battled for so valiantly were in the hands of Skeletor, He-Man and She-Ra both rode Swift Wind, as they were too exhausted to make the trip on foot, and Fisto and Malaktha were now prisoners. Worse, their new ally had admitted that it was all his handiwork.

The jawbridge was open for them as they reached the castle, and the Sorceress stood just inside. Though she tried desperately to hide it, her face fell as she saw the expressions of her friends. “The stones?” she asked, knowing the answer already, but praying she was wrong.

“Gone,” Teela said, her face set hard as she glanced back at Greystar. “With Skeletor.”

The others filed in, following the guardian of Grayskull back to the main chamber. Once there, Teela grabbed Greystars arm and whirled him around to face her. “Why? Why on Eternia would you give the stones to Skeletor?” she shouted.

“Teela, calm down,” Duncan said, placing his hand on her shoulder and trying to pull her back. She didn’t move, and her eyes were locked on the stranger.

“She deserves an answer, Duncan,” He-Man said, walking up to join them, a stiffness still plaguing his right leg. “We all do.” His tone was steady, but left no doubt he expected an explanation.

“Yes, we do. And ‘trust me’ isn’t going to do it this time,” Ror added.

Greystar rubbed his eyes slowly, and sighed. “You definitely deserve an answer, folks.”

“Then give us this one: why give Skeletor the stones?” Teela face was flushed, and her grip on his arm was not a gentle one.

“Because he’s the only one who can cast the spell,” the stranger replied.

Teela didn’t ease her hold on him. “What are you talking about?”

“Um, perhaps we’d better explain,” Montork broke in, floating over beside Teela.

“Uncle Montork? You knew about this? You knew he was going to give the stones to Skeletor?” Orko hung limply in the air, his eyes wide.

“Yes, nephew, I did,” the elder Trollan wizard began. “You see, Malaktha was able to contact us before thanks to Weldon and Extendar; it wasn’t a long conversation, but it was a useful one. It seems Malaktha found out something from the scrolls that Skeletor didn’t know, something we didn’t know: Hiss can’t recast the first part of the spell, because he’s the one who fouled it up to begin with. The big problem is, we can’t cast it either.”

“Why not?” Orko asked.

“Because the spell was tainted,” Montork explained. “Certain spells are affected by the nature of the magic used to cast them; if evil magic is used to start them, only evil magic can finish them. This is that kind of spell. Since it was Hiss who started the spell, only someone as evil as he is can complete it.”

“There aren’t many others as evil as Hiss,” Greystar added. “And only one of them had the magical skills to have any chance of pulling the spell off.”

“Old bone head,” She-Ra concluded.

“Yep, I’m afraid so,” Montork continued. “Malaktha told this to Greystar, and I overheard it…”

“How come you overheard it?” Extendar broke in. “Greystar was using the headphones when we contacted Malaktha. None of us heard what he said on the other end.”

Montork shrugged. “You don’t have a set of Trollan ears. Very sensitive things, much more so than a human pair. No insult intended, mind you.”

“So you really did let Skeletor take the Eternian stone,” Mekaneck said to Greystar. “Looks like I owe you an apology, Extendar.”

Extendar said nothing, but nodded.

“I had to,” Greystar continued. “Much as I hated the idea, I had no choice.”

“There had to be another way,” Spinnerella cut in. “Some way to get him to do it without flat out giving them to him.”

“How? We couldn’t tell him he was Eternia’s only chance at survival,” Greystar pointed out.

“True,” Duncan agreed. “His list of demands for helping us would have circled the planet a couple of times over.”

“Exactly. And even if we’d found some way to force him to cast the spell for us, there’s no way to make sure he couldn’t double cross us or try to turn the spell around to his advantage. If he fouled it up a second time doing so, we wouldn’t have the time or power to play hide and seek with the stones again.” Greystar shook his head. “The only way to make sure he’d cast the spell and do it right was to convince him he’d won.”

Teela let go of him and crossed her arms. “But he HAS won. He has all three stones, and there’s no way to get to Snake Mountain in time to stop him. That’s why we came back here rather than go after him, remember? Swift Wind might be able to get a couple of us there before he becomes a god, but he’ll have every one of his goons guarding the place. His flunkies aren’t the brightest, but they’re tough enough to hold us off long enough for him to finish.”

“She’s right,” She-Ra said. “The worlds may survive, but under Skeletor’s heel. I’m not sure we’re doing anyone a favor that way.”

“Well, actually, we thought of that,” Montork said. “Greystar hatched a little idea before we found the stone that should let us stop him before things go too far.”

“And this ‘little idea’ was?” Teela pressed.

Greystar explained, “Montork’s Trollan magic still works better than anyone else’s, so I asked him to link me to the stone. When we were battling Skeletor, Montork homed in on the stone and retrieved it. He cast the spell connecting me to it, and then sent me a telepathic message to let me know it worked.”

“Lucky thing Skeletor didn’t catch that ‘transmission,’” Duncan noted.

“Actually, he did,” Montork said. “But we took the precaution of setting up a signal phrase beforehand. I told him I had the stone in a specific way, so he would know the spell was cast and Skeletor wouldn’t be any the wiser even if he did eavesdrop. Which is pretty rude, I might add.”

“So what exactly did ‘linking to the stone’ do, exactly?” She-Ra asked.

“For one thing, it allowed me to be rude,” Greystar said, glancing at Montork. “I figured Skeletor would keep the stone with him; after seeing his minions, I was sure he wouldn’t entrust it to them. I hoped I’d be able to sense when he was close-by, and I was. When Skeletor took Malaktha, I could actually ‘hear’ about half of it. Fortunately, Malaktha played it smart, and only gave Skeletor a little bit of information; told him that Hiss couldn’t recast the spell, but managed to keep the rest from him. Brave guy to keep his cool under pressure like that.”

“That’s why you were looking so lousy for a while back there,” Weldon cut in. “Even with the link, it must have been pretty tough tuning that in with magic going wonkers.”

“Wasn’t easy, I’ll admit, but it told me that Skeletor wasn’t aware of what we know. Malaktha also didn’t let on that he had already talked with me, so old bone head thinks we’re completely in the dark. That works to our advantage.” Greystar paused as he saw Teela glaring at him.

“How?” she asked tersely.

“He’s not going to suspect we know more than he does. That was important for what happened next, namely his contact with Fisto, which fit in perfectly with what we had to do next.” Greystar rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes for a moment. “It was dangerous, but it was the best way. I had been planning to play traitor myself, take the stones, try to convince Skeletor I’d been planning a double cross all along , and hope that he’d buy it.”

“I would have,” Teela snapped.

Greystar looked genuinely hurt. “Maybe, but I wasn’t sure he would. I knew something was up when ‘Malaktha’ called and asked specifically for Fisto; I knew it was actually Skeletor. I told Fisto what I knew on the way out of Grayskull, and convinced him to go along with whatever Skeletor proposed. As I expected, he came to Fisto and tried to coerce him to give up the stones. So Fisto played the part of traitor.”

“How in the world did you get Fisto to go along with this?” She-Ra asked.

“He believed me,” Greystar answered, then looked at Teela. “And trusted me.”

“And why didn’t you trust the rest of us with all of this?” He-Man wondered.

“It wasn’t a matter of trust,” the stranger continued. “Skeletor had to be convinced Fisto’s actions were his own; I didn’t want him suspecting any kind of set-up. Aside from Man-E, I didn’t know if any of you had the acting abilities to fool him, and there’s too much at stake to take any chances. You‘re reactions had to be real.” He stopped again and looked around at the assembled heroes. “I’m sorry, everyone. I don’t like keeping everyone in the dark like this.”

“You do it very well for someone who doesn’t like it,” Teela said.

“Greystar did what he felt was right, Teela. And from what I’ve heard so far, it makes sense,” Duncan said. “But I get the feeling there’s more to the link than just eavesdropping.”

Greystar nodded. “A lot more. It’s our way to Skeletor.” He turned toward the Trollan wizard. “I can still tap it’s excess power, thanks to Montork. Using that power as a conduit for the magic we have here, we should be able to form a portal to Snake Mountain from the other side.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, the last portal practically shook the place to the ground when it blew up,” Teela pointed out.

“True, but this one doesn’t need to be as powerful; the destination is much closer. I won’t kid anyone, it’s going to be dangerous, even with the stone helping from the other end. But I’m fairly sure we can keep it stable long enough to drop in on Skeletor, and probably a lot closer than he would expect. Tapping the stone’s power directly should help us pinpoint our destination a bit more precisely than we did before.” Greystar massaged his neck again, twisting his head from side to side. The tension was obviously getting to him.

Extendar grimaced. “Montork, are you sure what you heard was Malaktha? Could Weldon have been transmitting the message you heard somehow?”

“Hey, pal, I busted my low-slung little backside getting that signal through from Malaktha!! Same way I got the signal from Mekaneck’s group,” Weldon complained.

“He did get our transmission,” Mekaneck confirmed. “Could have done the same for Malaktha.”

“Extendar, the message was genuine, trust me.” He closed his eyes again. “And Teela, don’t give me ‘The Look!’” he said in annoyance before even looking at the captain of the guard.

“We don’t know any of this for sure,” Teela said. She pointed at Greystar and turned to the others. “He’s been prodding us along, giving us whatever little tidbit of information he felt like at the moment, and he’s given us nothing to prove he doesn’t have his own plans for the stones!”

“He did risk his life to save yours back at the temple, daughter, or had you forgotten that?” Duncan reminded her.

“I didn’t forget,” she said sharply. “But we’re talking about the fate of Eternia and two other worlds. I know the Sorceress says we can trust him, but...”

“And we can trust her judgment,” Duncan interupted. “I know what’s at stake, but trust her. And me. Greystar knows what he’s doing.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asked.

“I just...am,” he said gently. “Teela, have I ever given you reason to doubt me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, father; of course not.” she scoffed. “Alright, I’ll go along on your say so.” She shot one last look at Greystar. “Not his.”

“So, if we are going along with Greystar’s plan, what‘s our next move?” She-Ra asked.

“We wait,” Montork said. “Greystar will be able to feel when the stones are being readied for the spell. When that happens, we pay a visit to old bone head!”

“We wait, then, my friends,” the Sorceress had stood back during the discussions so far, but finally broke her silence. “Rest until then; I have a feeling the battle will not be an easy one.”

“That almost goes without saying,” Mekaneck said with a lopsided grin.

The heroes dispersed throughout the chamber; Duncan took the opportunity to speak with Greystar away from the others. “Something on your mind?” Duncan asked as he approached the stranger.

“Just gratitude,” Greystar said quietly. “For the way you backed me up with Teela.”

Duncan smiled. “She can be a little stubborn. Takes after her father,” he smiled. “But she does have a point. You haven’t exactly told us everything.”

Greystar picked up on the undercurrent in Duncan’s voice. His eyebrow arched. “You know, don’t you?”

Duncan nodded slowly, and spoke in low tones. “Yes. And it would go a lot easier here if they knew, too.”

“I had a feeling if anyone was going to figure it out, it was going to be you.” The stranger shook his head slightly. “From the grilling I took back there, I’m assuming you didn’t tell anyone?”

“Not my secret to tell.”

“Thanks for that, Duncan. I’ve used up all my tricks here, and that’s the last surprise I have up my sleeve. I don’t want to take a chance on loosing that with so much depending on us.” Greystar looked Duncan in the eye. “You’ll keep it to yourself?”

“Until you tell me otherwise. You’ve got my word.”

“Best guarantee I’ve had in a while. After all, I know you can keep a secret.” The stranger grinned.

This time it was Duncan who raised a brow. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Greystar glanced over at He-Man and She-Ra. “You’re not the only one who can figure things out, you know,” he answered with a wink.

Ror tinkered in vain with his clamp, trying to figure out some way to get it to work again. Thus far, he had met with no success, as the jaws of the clamp, the only thing that had still been operating in any way, were now malfunctioning as well. He sat back and glared at his weapon, feeling somehow betrayed by the inanimate object.

“Need some help?” Gwildor asked, walking up and inspecting the device.

“One stubby finger on the casing, shortstuff...” Ror began, leaning forward.

“I’m not touching it, I’m not touching it!” Gwildor assured him, spreading his hands wide. “I just thought you might need some technical help; seemed you were having problems with it.”

Ror grabbed the weapon and turned it around in his hands. “It’s dead. Nothing works now.”

“Not surprised. Everything’s failing now; I hope Skeletor gets that spell going soon. If reality weakens much more, we may never be able to set things right.”

“It’ll work out. We’ve got He-Man, She-Ra, and the Sorceress on top of things. If anybody can get us through this, it’s them.” Ror set his clamp down gently, like a wounded friend.

“You seem pretty sure,” Gwildor said.

Ror looked past Gwildor, not really focusing on anything. “They always get us through the rough times. Besides, we can’t blow this, shorty. Everyone’s counting on us to save the day; we mess up, and three worlds die.” He shook his head slowly. “I can’t face that possibility, Gwildor. I won’t let that happen; we can’t let it happen.” He looked Gwildor in the eye. “You’re not so sure about our chances, are you?”

Gwildor plopped down beside Clamp Champ. “This sort of thing is a bit out of my league. I’m not very fond of adventures and such. It takes a certain...frame of mind to live like that. Like a hero. I just don’t have that kind of mindset, I guess.”

Ror cocked an eyebrow at the Thenurian. “But you’re here, now, helping us try to save the world. How do you explain that?”

“I have to be here; we need the key, and I’m the only one who can really keep it going at all during this. I don’t have a choice.”

“You could tell us to go take a flying leap.”

Gwildor looked shocked. “How could I do that? I mean, everyone’s, well,...”

“Depending on you?” Ror said with a smile. “Sounds kinda like a hero’s mindset to me.”

Gwildor sat for a moment, silent. He cocked his head to the side, and finally spoke. “Never thought of it like that. Hanging around with all of you so much must be rubbing off on me.”

“Better watch it, little guy; if you’re not careful, you might turn into a heroic warrior or something.”

“Now you’ve got me really nervous,” Gwildor said with a crooked grin.

He-Man leaned against the castle wall, his shoulders sagging. She-Ra noticed his apparent weariness, and strode over to him. “You look awfully pale, brother,” she said softly.

“Just a little winded, still. I really gave out back there,” he said, his voice terse.

“I didn’t exactly set any speed records myself, you know; Skeletor got away from both of us,” she pointed out.

“But you got a lot further than I did, sis. I can’t believe how quickly my strength gave out.”

She-Ra rubbed her chin. “We were both weak.” She looked at him again, concern contorting in her face. “Brother, you really do look pale. Almost like...” her breath caught in her throat.

He looked down at his hands and saw she was right. His skin tone was noticeably lighter. He met her eyes as he realized what was happening.

“Grayskull’s magic is weakening,” he whispered. “I’m changing back into Adam!”

Greystar wandered through the main chamber of the castle, trying to ignore the suspicious looks from Teela and Extendar, trying to convince himself it didn’t bother him; he failed. They people he would be proud to call friends, but he had set up a barrier of secrecy that prevented anything but a grudging trust right now. The worst part was, it was more a matter of faith in the Sorceress and Duncan than in him. He hoped he had made the right choices, and that it hadn’t cost him trust that might be sorely needed later on.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw She-Ra escorting He-Man into one of the alcoves at the far end of the chamber. He turned and managed to catch Duncan’s eye, motioning the weapon’s master over to him.

“What’s wrong?” Duncan asked, seeing the concern in Greystar’s face.

The stranger nodded in the direction of the alcove. “He-Man and She-Ra just headed over there, and they were in a hurry. I need to check it out, but I need someone to run interference for me in case it’s something they don’t want everyone to know about.”

Duncan’s brow creased. “I hope it’s not what I’m thinking.”

Greystar rubbed his neck. “I think I know what you’re thinking, and I hope you’re wrong, too.” With that, he walked off, trying not to call attention to himself.

Unfortunately, Teela had noticed. She’d seen He-Man and She-Ra head in the same direction moments ago, and wasn’t sure why Greystar would be following them. She started after him, but had only taken a few steps when Duncan appeared in her path.

“Where are you off to in such a rush,” he asked.

She tried to skirt around him, but he caught her arm gently. “Greystar headed after He-Man and She-Ra. I was just going to make sure everything’s alright,” she said.

“Everything’s fine; Greystar just needed to ask them a couple questions. He doesn’t need any help doing that.” Duncan moved around so he was partially blocking her way.

“Why do you keep standing up for him, Father? Do you know something I don’t?”

“Yes. I’m your father, Teela, so I’ll always know things you don’t. It’s part of the job.” Duncan smiled, cocking his head slightly.

Teela gave him a withering look. “So, in other words, I’m supposed to keep my nose out of what they’re doing?”

“That about sums it up,” he said. “Just let them be for now. I’m sure Greystar will let us all in on what’s going on when the time is right.”

Teela “harrumphed” and walked back the way she had come. “Kids,” Duncan said, laughing softly to himself.

Greystar slipped into the alcove, looking for the twins. He saw He-Man leaning against the wall, his skin pale and his harness seeming unusually loose on his chest. She-Ra stood next to him, and carefully positioned herself to block the stranger’s view when she noticed him. “Greystar, we need the Sorceress. Please get her for us, will you?” she said.

“No need,” the stranger replied, making a beeline for He-Man. “I can help here.”

“I really would prefer the Sorceress’ help, no offense intended,” she said, still planted firmly in his way.

Greystar stopped, and crossed his arms, sighing. “I can keep him from changing back into Adam just as well as she can.”

She-Ra’s face twitched slightly, but she kept her composure. “What are you talking about?”

The stranger started forward again. “Adora, we need to get things moving. Skeletor’s back at Snake Mountain, I’m sure. It won’t be long until he’s ready to start the spell and we have to go. We need He-Man, so let me help us keep him.”

She-Ra was still holding back her shock, especially at his use of her name, but she tried to hide it.

“I know all about it, Adora. Something along the lines of ‘From the power’ or ‘the magic’ of Grayskull when you raise the sword?” He tried to squeeze past her, but her arm shot up, stopping him.

“It’s ‘By the power of Grayskull’, actually,” He-Man offered. “Let him through, sis.” She-Ra hesitated, but He-Man motioned for her to move aside. “He helped you before when your powers were failing; let’s see if he can do the same here.”

She relented, but hovered over Greystar’s shoulder as he came up beside He-Man. “You just need a little extra boost here,” Greystar said as he placed a hand on He-Man’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and bent his head slightly.

He-Man felt a rush of power run through his body as it swelled slightly. Some of his strength returned. The ache in his leg subsided, and he noted that his skin tone had deepened once again.

“No hypnotic pep-talk?” She-Ra asked.

“No time,” Greystar replied. He removed his hand, and stepped back. “Better?”

He-Man stretched his arms out and back. “Not up to full power, but a lot better, yes. Thanks.”

“No problem,” the stranger said, turning to leave. She-Ra looked at her brother, asking with her glance if he was all right. He nodded, flexing his right arm for emphasis. She smiled back and fell in beside Greystar.

“So it wasn’t your ‘hypnotic tones’ before, it was your hand on my shoulder. Some kind of magic transfer through direct contact,” she surmised.

“The oldest ally of the magician: misdirection,” he said.

“But you were misdirecting the good guys,” He-Man pointed out, following closely behind.

“It’s not something you enjoy, but sometimes you have to do it. You both know what I mean,” he said with a smirk.

“And just how did you know about the swords and us?” She-Ra pressed.

“Later,” he replied, picking up the pace. “Skeletor’s beginning the preparations. We’ve got to start getting that gate open.”

“You didn’t really think you were going to get an answer, did you sis?” He-Man quipped.

“Silly me,” she answered, shaking her head.

Greystar slipped through the portal as quietly as he could; he wasn’t sure if they could catch Skeletor by surprise, but he had no desire to give up any advantage they might have, no matter how slim the chances. “Everybody keep it down,” he said as loud as he dared. There was a loud chanting coming from the throne room; Skeletor was obviously of the mind that the louder the spell was cast, the better. It worked in their favor; the more noise he made, the less chance he’d hear them.

The others were spreading themselves around the antechamber. Swift wind was having the most trouble treading lightly, as his metal horseshoes struck the stone floor. The rest of the heroes tried to move as silently as they could, Duncan positioning himself at the one window in the room. He peered out carefully, and spotted Spikor and Two Bad standing guard below. He assumed the other lackeys were posted around the stronghold to fend off an attack. It looked like Greystar’s strategy had worked; apparently, Skeletor hadn’t expected an attack from within the walls of his home.

Man-E led Andrea behind a rather grotesque statue of a serpent, a fact she wasn’t crazy about. “Great. More snakes,” she said, keeping her voice low.

Man-E took a good look at the sculpture for the first time. “Sorry, but it’s the best cover I see,” matching her tone.

“It’s okay; I insisted on coming,” she said, suppressing a shiver.

“You broke in here the last time you were on Eternia, right?” he asked. “How’d you manage it? The whole place looks like one big snake.”

“Wasn’t afraid of snakes and such then,” she answered queitly. “Took a trip to clear my head after all the problems with the military; stopped at a peaceful looking lake in Florida to go fishing and almost got eaten by three hungry gators. I was stuck up in a tree all night with them hanging around, waiting for me to fall out.” She looked down and closed her eyes. “After everything that had happened, there was a moment there when I almost decided to give them what they wanted.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” he said, putting a finger under her chin and lifting her head. He smiled. “Must have been a terrifying night; I can see why you’re not too fond of anything with scales. Didn’t keep you from knocking Hiss for a loop, though.”

“Adrenaline is an amazing thing,” she joked. “Any idea what we’re supposed to be doing?” she said, trying to change the subject; her skin was crawling just thinking about Hiss’ snake form.

“Waiting for the right moment.”

“And that will be?” she asked.

“Beats me,” he said with a shrug.