The world exploded in a flash of white. Men screamed. Bodies toppled. Lightning crackled. A whoosh of wind tore at hair and clothing. Jessica’s consciousness returned to her body.
Then there was silence.
Jessica stumbled, black spots dancing before her eyes.
At her feet lay a body—the Pengali drummer, his face covered in blood and a hole torn through his chest. To her right, two females helped up a young male, trembling hands clutching his belly. Rivulets of blood pulsed down his fingers.
A wave of wild panic gripped her. There was no one she recognised, none of the people she had come to love. Iztho—where was Iztho?
Jessica whirled around to where she had last seen him.
He was still there; he lay on his belly, very still, his eyes closed, discharged pearls all around him, his hand d
