was red from the stinging, wind-whipped spray coming off the surf, as well as from the exertion of rowing the little dinghy to shore. Another wave caught her, pushing her toward the shallows, rocking her back, then forward, before passing beneath her and setting her boat on an even keel once again. The shadow of Captain Kalderson’s ship was lost in the predawn black.
Isabel was alone … well, almost alone. Slyder was nearby, as always. Her boat ran aground in the surf. She steadied herself as she hoisted her pack and gathered her resolve, then stepped into the water and dragged her boat toward shore.
After securing the dinghy just inside the jungle that hugged the beach, she built a small fire and ate breakfast while her clothes dried. She didn’t worry about the light of the fire attracting the enemy. If they found her, so be it. If they didn’t, she meant to find them.
She wasn’t sure how Phane would react to her arrival, especially since she wasn’t bringing him the Sovereign Stone, but she was confident that he wouldn’t kill her, at least not right away. He wanted to use her against Alexander, and besides, she was a valuable captive if nothing else. Phane would keep her alive to use as leverage, probably offer her in exchange for the Stone. Regardless, his machinations would work against him. He would take precautions, no doubt. But she would find a way to circumvent those precautions and land a killing blow.
One way or another, she would see Phane bleed.
Slyder landed, cocking his head at her quizzically. She scratched him under the chin.
“It’s just you and me now.”
He leaned into her affections.
She sat quietly, staring into the flames and pondering her future as the orange glow of her fire gave way to the light of dawn. Her clothes dry, she strapped on her pack, checked her sword in its scabbard and set out into the jungle.
It was a different kind of forest than the Great Forest of Ruatha, but it was a forest nonetheless. The trees reached high into the sky, shading the undergrowth and providing a framework for the multitude of climbing vines that seemed to thrive in the warmer, wetter climate of Karth. The canopy above was an intricate network of vegetation, teeming with life. Birds and small mammals woke with the dawn, filling the air with sounds of countless jungle denizens starting their day.
Isabel kept Slyder low and close as she carefully threaded her way through the dense undergrowth. She wasn’t sure where she was going but reasoned that she’d find a road near the coastline. From there, whatever passed for civilization on Karth couldn’t be too far.
She’d walked for nearly an hour when she heard a noise in the jungle that didn’t fit. Frozen in place, her ears straining, she waited. The instant she heard it again, she linked her mind with Slyder and directed her familiar to the source of the noise.
Her forest hawk came to rest on a tree limb overlooking a young boy buried to his armpits in sand. Using Slyder’s eyes, Isabel plotted a course to the child and set out, cautiously and quietly. When she stepped into the clearing, a dog challenged her. He was big, built very much like a wolfhound, standing three feet at the shoulder. He had a long snout and powerful jaws, and he was very unhappy with Isabel’s presence.
The child was now nearly up to his neck in sand. Isabel might have been more concerned by his plight if she hadn’t been preoccupied with the dog. She reached out with her mind and touched the animal, soothing him and gently gaining control of him. He sat down with a barely audible whimper.
“Will you help me?” the boy said. “Please?”
Isabel started toward the child without hesitation. He looked to be about ten years old, and had dark eyes, black hair, and a swarthy complexion. She could see fear in his eyes but also determination. He meant to live.
“No! Stop!” he said. “You’ll just get stuck too.”
Isabel stopped, perplexed.
“Get a stick or a vine and pull me to you,” the boy said.
She looked down and saw her feet sinking into the sand. Sudden realization flooded into her mind. She remembered Wizard Kallentera telling stories about the quagmire sands of Karth that could swallow a horse without any trace. When she looked behind her and saw a safe spot within reach, she quickly sat down and worked her feet free. Then she