THEY TRAVELED IN A different direction from the way to the beach. Lieutenant Theron and Jas were accompanied by three soldiers, each in a single vehicle. After traveling for an hour or so, they stopped. Jas didn’t see why until she got out. The land before them looked similar to what they’d covered: vegetation of bright copper and other reddish hues, but through the plants before them, patches of water glinted that Jas had failed to spot. If they’d continued on their path, they would have driven right into the swamp.
The soldiers pulled down two boxes that had been stowed on their vehicles’ roofs, and as they opened them, the interiors sprung out and began filling with air. In a short time, two dinghies lay next to the water. Oars were slotted together, and coils of rope with rubber-tippe
