Going to Tree of Issis

The Banshees darken the sky in waves, led by Toruk or Last Shadow.

Hadrian sits astride his mount, flanked by Nuala and Dejah on their respective banshees.

They soon reached the place for Dejah with sudden excitement. The Gates of Iss was before them, an inverted pyramid that seemed to grow up out of the river: a massive, sandblasted structure that dwarfed everything around it, like a madman's vision of an earthly water dam.

Dejah shook her head, eyes wide and said "This was definitely man made and they made everyone belive this was natural formed,"

Hadrian peered closer. Every inch of the Gates' surface was covered with the strange lattice of lines he'd seen in the Thark temple. But those etchings, he now realized, had been crude carvings, primitive imitations. This was the real thing, a pulsing web of living machinery built for some powerful, specific purpose.

Toruk beating its huge wings to slow its descent followed by Dejah and Nuala.They soon landed on its flat, wide roof.

Dejah reached out a hand, touching the intricate line work. "I've never seen this material before…"

Dejah was staring at him and said"Your feet."

As Hadrian glanced down. A blue aura spread out from him, forming a glowing pattern against the latticework on the roof of the Gates. Tentatively, he took a step. When his foot touched down again, a flare of blue energy rose up.

Hadrian guessed it was something to do with Medallion and took it and just like he thought.It too glowed blue, its forked lines seeming to come alive in the Gates' presence.

Then the surface of the Gates seemed to open up in front of them, stone falling away like sand rushing down an hourglass. A stairway wove itself into being, leading down into the heart of the structure. Together they began their descent. The walls of the Gates surrounded them, the staircase constantly forming new steps just ahead of their feet.

Hadrian couldn't tell how far down they walked—at least to the level of the river's surface, probably deeper. When they reached the bottom, the medallion flared bright. Ahead, a portal opened in the blue stone. A corridor knitted itself into existence just as the stairway had done before.

Hadrian peered ahead but the passageway was dim, lit only by the blue glow of the medallion. He glanced over at Dejah, and Nuala

They returned his gaze. Once again he felt that bond between them.

They both drew their swords as one, in a single fluid motion. As Hadrian lifted both his sleeves revealing the glowing Ten Rings.

Also with a wave of his hand a glowing white globe floated revealing the stairs below

They only had only taken a few steps when the corridor sparked to life. An eerie, diffuse light filled the air, seeming to follow them as they walked. At its edges up ahead they could still see the corridor weaving itself into existence, forming new stone and mortar work before their eyes. Dejah Thoris shook her head in disbelief. These are machines created with nine rays."

Abruptly the corridor stopped.Hadrian stepped forward toward the wall—and again his foot began to glow. An intricate lattice of energy rose up into the air, glowing and twisting all around them. The walls began to melt away, shaping and swirling, expanding outward to form a new, much larger chamber. When the energy faded, Dejah,Hadrian and Nuala found themselves standing in a cylindrical, highceilinged room. Faint lights danced along the rock walls, glowing in the now-familiar lattice pattern. Almost in a trance, Dejah ran her fingers along the blue-lit wall. She glanced at the floor, then held out her hand to Hadrian."Themedallion."

Hadrian passed it to her. She knelt and placed it atop a softly glowing mark on the floor. The medallion flared again, seething briefly with light. Dejah snatched her hand away—and the medallion rose up, stopping to hover just a few inches above the floor.

Hadrian grabbed Dejah's hand, and together they stepped back as the floor beneath them came alive, glowing with luminous text and symbols. Abstract shapes connected by radiant lines, arcs, circles. When it was done,they stared in awe at the final pattern. The nine-legged spider. Its legs stretched outward from their common origin point: the mark directly beneath the hovering medallion. "Nine," Dejah whispered. "Nine rays." She darted around the floor, pointing and gesturing at the grid of lines and continued"This entire structure runs on Ninth Ray isolates. I was right! they are dependent on the Ninth Ray,so they are afraid of it being revealed."