38Alone on the hilltop in the drenching rain, Cryssa watched as the battle began.
Dozens of sharks charged out of the shallow surf, racing headlong toward the oncoming army. Many of the sharks carried guardsmen on their backs, armed with nets and clubs and sharp-edged weapons.
It was only then, as the two sides charged toward each other, that Cryssa had second thoughts about setting the attack in motion. All along, she had hoped that if she called on her army, the Sharkites would surrender without a fight and let her go. Now that a battle was about to start, a fight in which lives might be lost, she wished that she had tried harder to find another solution.
At the same time, she knew in her heart that there wouldn't have been another solution. If the Sharkites were willing to fight
