David comes crashing into Ishtar"s cave, his lungs near exploding. Ishtar and Dorinda have been eating by a small cook fire. Alarmed, Ishtar jumps to his feet and spills his plate of food in Dorinda"s lap. “David! What"s happened?”
David"s voice barely breaks through the panting and wheezing. He leans forward, hands on knees to force out the words. “Two men - ambushed me -”
“Take a moment. Calm yourself.” Ishtar leads David to the bench and urges him to sit. David takes large gulping breaths, but his words still come out spastically.
“I was following the path - Judiah cleared for me. I saw this glow - just ahead. I followed it - and it led me to a clearing. I saw the Palace across the valley -”
One final deep intake of breath and David"s voice relaxes enough to speak fluently. “A volca
