XXIXHalfway up the long climb, the curving side of the concave pillar stopped sloping inwards and curved gently outwards. It was immediately clear they couldn't carry on ascending as they had. It would be impossible to cling on and climb at the same time.
Finn stopped. He needed to rest. More than once he'd seen spots dancing before his eyes from the effort of their ascent. He was breathing heavily. His leg and back muscles burned, and his forearms ached from grasping the iron rungs. How long was it since he and Diane had eaten and drunk properly? He could feel the distant ground sucking at him. At the same time, it was so distant it seemed unimportant: a realm of shadows and twinkling lights, all detail gone. It was already growing dark. There was little wind down in the underworld, but
