The way seemed immeasurably longer than the way up had been. It was
really a little longer--the gas was settling fast--until, staggering,
each half-supporting the other, they reached a level where the air
was no longer choking poison. Ladna grew able to stand alone; swaying
a little, she followed Torcred down the treacherous slides in the
canyon's mouth.
On the soft wind-piled sand below the great rifted rock, where Torcred
had last seen the visionary stranger, they sank down to rest by common
consent. Torcred listened anxiously to the girl's hoarse breathing.