means that this new hunting party is probably going to gain on you pretty steadily.”
“We could play them off against Phane’s people,” Hector suggested.
“Please don’t,” Ayela said. “These are my people, my brother is probably leading them. Were it not for the influence of the Sin’Rath, they would be pursuing Phane’s soldiers rather than us.”
“Maybe I can lead them away,” Alexander said. “I’ve been working on other illusions, and I can project a pretty good image of you, Isabel.”
“If they fall for it, it might buy us some time,” she said. “At this point I’ll take what I can get. This jungle is thick and I think it wants to kill us; I can only imagine how hospitable the gloaming swamp is going to be.”
“You don’t have to do this alone, Isabel,” Alexander said. “You could always find a place to hide until I can come help you.”
“Nice try, but we’re not stopping. With your help we should be able to avoid some of the more dangerous parts of the swamp and make our way to Siavrax’s laboratory well before any of our pursuers get close. And who knows, maybe the swamp will make them change their mind, or at least thin them out.”
“You really think they want to go back to Phane empty-handed?” Alexander asked.
“I guess there’s that,” Isabel said.
“The edge of the swamp is still a few days away,” Alexander said. “Once you get there you’ll need to make a raft. The swamp looks pretty deep in places and there’s no telling what’s beneath the surface.”
“I was trying not to think about that,” Isabel said. “Are you sure there isn’t another way?”
“Not unless you can fly,” Alexander said. “Siavrax’s hidden laboratory is built inside the top of a stone mountain that rises from the middle of the swamp. I’m pretty sure he picked the location for just that reason.”
“I wonder if Asteroth can hear me from here,” Isabel said.
“Even if he could and even if he could get past Andalia, where would he land?” Alexander asked, motioning to the jungle around them.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Isabel said. “The swamp it is.”
“Try to get there as soon as possible,” Alexander said. “You’ll need time to make a raft, and it doesn’t really matter if you leave a trail because you’ll be able to lose them easily enough once you’re on the water.”
Isabel nodded and looked over at his projection, smiling sadly. “I wish you were here,” she said.
“Me too,” he said, fading out of sight.
They pushed through the day, moving as quickly as possible through the dense brush. Isabel periodically checked on the progress of the Regency soldiers through Slyder’s eyes and was relieved to see that they were falling farther behind.
Midway through the afternoon she heard an odd chittering coming from above. When she looked up into the thick canopy she thought she saw movement. Stopping to look more closely, she was sure of it.
“Tree rats,” Ayela said. “We must keep moving.”
“Tree rats?” Isabel said.
“Large rodents, maybe twenty pounds, with very sharp teeth and claws,” Ayela said. “They hunt in packs and have been known to take down creatures much larger than themselves.”
“Hector, Horace, keep your eyes open,” Isabel said.
As they continued through the jungle, the tree rats followed in the canopy above. Isabel thought there must be about twenty. A few times she got a good enough look at one to know that she didn’t want to see them any closer.
She tried to link her mind with them but failed, a fact that made her even more nervous. These little beasts weren’t natural creatures. She presumed that they were yet another of Siavrax Karth’s creations. What purpose he’d intended them for was beyond speculation.
When they reached a clearing, Isabel stopped, smiling at the patch of odd flowers near one side of the open space—deathwalker root. “We’ll stop here for a few minutes,” she said, as she started pulling flowers from the ground, one by one.
“Be careful,” Ayela said. “The powder in those flowers will make you sleepy.”
Isabel smiled up at her. “You know about the deathwalker root?”
Ayela nodded. “Healers often use the roots to make a poultice, and the powder in the flower sacs is a potent sleeping agent that can be prepared in a variety of ways. Some tribes use it to create a poison for their darts, others use it to help sick people rest through the night.”
“We’re going to use it to make a healing salve,” Isabel said. “Your brother took my potions,