Chills of excitement ran down my spine upon receiving the second message from Xanthia. The first had told us to prepare, the second was clearer and carried more hope. Coming was a simplistic word, but the connotations around it were deep - it meant far more than simply the fact that she was on her way. It was a statement of rescue, an affirmation of love, and a declaration of war.
For a few moments, I considered that Xanthia was coming into this war blind. She had no idea what enemy she was up against, and neither did I. Short of Chillingsley and the ape, I had seen no other signs of life on the island, but there was sensation deep within me which told me there was something ungodly here, something ominous and beyond the realms of any human (or animal) code of ethics.
Without a hint of a
