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Chapters (95)
  1. Title Page
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
  89. 88
  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. Also by DAVID KLASS
  95. Copyright Page

I see images of a brutal future world: children trying to breathe impossibly thin air, old people roasting alive in unfiltered solar glare, and a lethal sandstorm.

And then I’m looking back into Kidah’s face, and the wizard’s eyes are no longer twinkling and childlike. For a second they’re overflowing with anger and determination to avenge innocent lives brutally cut short. “He’s a monster,” he whispers. “He brings agony and loss with him. Now you understand the pain of my world. Shall we go?”

I give him a slight nod. “Let’s find this guy.”

Members of our group glance at my face as we walk up, and they must see something frightening there, because no one dares to say another word to me.

83

83

They must know we’re coming. We’re in a flotilla of two hundred canoes, fully exposed as we move up the winding river, ever closer to the colonel and his troops.

What those soldiers fail to realize is that not only are we being led by a wizard, but we’ve also got several hundred native warriors who have more combined rain forest savvy than has ever been assembled on one muddy river before. These Indian fighters could sniff out a three-toed Amazon rat at a distance of five miles. So it’s not surprising that dozens of them suddenly prick up their ears and pull their canoes over to the bank at just about the same moment. They inform the city slicker from Hadley-by-Hudson that a mile upriver, the colonel has set a trap.

Kidah responds with a stratagem of his own. His plan is simple. Our canoes will continue forward on the river, as if oblivious to any danger ahead. At the same time, a small group of picked warriors will crawl through the brush and try to surprise the colonel’s men. As soon as I hear the plan I volunteer to join the sneak attack.

Eko and Gisco try to talk me out of it. “You weren’t raised in the forest,” Eko reminds me. “If you step on a stick or spook a bird, your fellow warriors may die.”

She’s got a point, old fellow, Gisco adds. There are times to fight and there are times to stay in the canoe.

But Kidah taps me on the shoulder, signifying that I’m now part of the advance brigade.

Minutes later I’m crawling through thick brush with a dozen of the toughest young warriors in the Amazon. I’ve got a knife in my teeth, freeing my hands to push thorny branches out of the way. I use all the skills Eko taught me on the Outer Banks, and everything I’ve learned from watching the People of the Forest.