And then, suddenly, it seemed as though Time that had stopped, had started again where it had left off.
Deva heard a roaring in her ears and felt herself buffeted in the tremendous force of the whirlpool. She fought to stay afloat, catching a glimpse for a moment of the faces of Urak and Boggoron looking down at her. Then they were gone and the water closed over her. Her lungs ached as she tried to hold her breath. Her eardrums nearly burst. But suddenly she was clear. Torn and battered, she was swept through a narrow opening in the rock and then borne along at a great pace on the surface of an underground river speeding to the ocean. There was just enough space above it for her to take in great gulps of air. She wanted to live. She wanted to go back to Kyra. Oh, what a fool she had been!
