Free Spirit Past (Book 8) by Jeff Inlo Page A

the half-demon was able to detect the echoes of the portals existence.
    The hiding of one gateway within another was surprising enough, but the properties of the second portal were even more stunning. Gateways usually have distinct paths—a direct link between a point of origin and a final destination. The hidden portal, however, had not just one path, but several.
    "What has he done?' the infern hissed.
    Even though separated by dimensional space and barriers, Reiculf answered through their magical connection.
    "He was prepared for you," the demon master revealed. "The portal to Demonspawn contained an escape rift, a portal that generated random locations. Neltus ended up in only one of those locations, but the portal would create a false trail to each destination."
    Gnafil was so confused, he actually questioned the daokiln.
    "How is that possible? The creation of such a portal would take monumental concentration and an immense amount of time to plan. Even then, it should not create a false trail. I should be able to see where he ultimately landed."
    "Must I repeat myself?!" Reiculf roared. "He was prepared for you! He knew you were coming and so he had the spell ready before you even entered his room!"
    "But what of the false trails?"
    "You are an imbecile! The portal was created within a rift to Demonspawn. Neltus entered both portals at once, but he only exited through the escape rift. That's why the portal to Demonspawn didn't close when you went through. It's still waiting for him to exit. With the portal to my domain still open and waiting for Neltus to complete the journey, his trails are being mirrored. It was an exceptional spell."
    "You are happy he escaped?"
    "Of course not! This just makes me want him more. Follow each trail until you find him!"
    Reiculf closed the rift to Demonspawn, leaving Gnafil to recreate portals to follow every trail he could detect. It would be a long search.
    #
    Neltus had no idea where he would end up when he entered the portal. He constructed it that way. For him to be safe, he needed to make the hidden gateway so random that there would be no way to determine the destination before going through.
    It didn't matter. When he first started developing the spell, he mapped out several safe locations within many dimensions. Though the destination within the portal would switch randomly from one point to another, he had to choose specific sites when the gateway was erected. He avoided the most dangerous realms and focused on areas where he would be safe, at least for a few moments. He knew he would not end up in a pool of fire or in the midst of deadly monsters. All of the destinations were relatively safe, mostly barren lands, hollow caves, lifeless plains, or just empty dimensional space.
    As fate would have it, he ended up in a transitional plane between physical existence and mental awareness. It was the space between thought and action, an area that would be as thin as tissue paper for most decisions.
    He almost laughed at the irony, for he had taken great care in planning his own actions. He almost wanted to explore the area, but he put aside such idle curiosity. Dwelling too long in such a space could lead to confusion, and once confused, he might have lost his ultimate direction.
    Taking up physical space in such a dimension also threatened to destroy him. The realm was not so much an actual destination as it was a space for the connection between decisions and consequences. It was just one more layer that created the whole of existence. Holding a body in such a realm was only possible through the use of strong magic. His crimson energy would keep him intact but only for as long as his reserves lasted, and after casting such a complex portal, he didn't have much magic remaining within him.
    He pulled two enchanted stones from his pocket. Just as he prepared the portal spell in his mind before confronting the infern, he empowered the stones with enough energy to cast one last spell