Kaat'n Castle
Midnight, December 31, 794 TSR

LEVEL! shrieked Denali. Level! stop! What are you doing?! Where are we going?! You don't have to hold my arm like that, I'll come with you!

Level didn't want to risk her running away at this point. He dragged his friend up to the room and forced her against the wall. He'd cleared off a space on the table and found a "black-knife." He cut a surface wound in Denali's arm and moved the arm in a circle around the spot he cleared. Holding her firmly with one hand, he poured the contents of the pouch --mostly dust, it seemed -- into the circle of blood. He held the knife in his teeth, placed his other hand on the front of the book and began slowly tracing the emblem in the dust. He titled his head and lay the knife on the ground beside the circle, then recited the words written on the book's cover. Finally, with a jerk of his arm, he brought down Denali's forehead to touch the center of the circle.

The Häs Naledák began to glow red and Level had to remove his hand, for it was burning him. So was Denali; she was glowing too. He let go, but she seemed to be held in place, head on the circle. Level backed away. He couldn't see Denali's face, but she was maintaining a most unnatural position and the aura around her was growing brighter.

A dark soot began to seep upwards from the circle. Denali burst into flames. She made no sound and did not move. Level saw a dark tint spread over her body starting at her head. Then there was a loud bang, like the crash of lightning and Denali crumpled to the floor, nothing but ashes. Level's mouth was wide open in horror and then the soot and smoke seemed to converge on him and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.