Haplo, returns to the Nexus from Abarrach, leaves an extremely cursory report of his time there, and plans to depart again for Chelestra without seeing Xar, but Xar gets to him before he can depart. Xar tortures him to cleanse him of disloyalty and to find out everything Haplo didn't report about Abarrach. He discovers Haplo had been travelling with Alfred, and that there are Sartan on Abarrach using necromancy. Haplo didn't want to reveal the existence of necromancy because he was afraid Xar would want to use it, whereas Haplo now knows it is a magic that should be avoided at all costs.