Part 4, Chapter 3 The Rock of Chaos Summary

Quath and Toby flee, running over unknown terrain, looking for another one of the holes that Quath calls pore-openings. Suddenly Toby stops. He tells Quath he was wrong to run out on the family. Toby believes the mechs are hunting all the Bishops, not just him. Toby tries to flee back the way they came. Quath explains to Toby that the esty is highly unstable at the loci called pore-openings. Thus, even if they can find the same pore and go through it, they may find themselves in another lane, instead of heading back to the city of the dwarves. Quath says it will only be a happy accident if they are able to return. The mechs have just as hard a time finding anyone in the shifting esty.

Suddenly the timestone erupts...