Chapter 13

• The darkness of the willows swallowed the rider as he slipped silently among the bending branches. Every careful step seemed to echo the ancient, silent promise of the night_ a promise that the earth would reveal its secrets only to those who dared approach with reverence and resolve.
• In the heart of that shadowed grove, Bart Williams broke the stillness with a measured observation. "It strikes me," he said, his voice low and tentative, "that the chief departed our camp in quite a hurry this evening." His words, though casual in tone, carried an undercurrent of apprehension.
• Jim Case, ever blunt, nodded. "Indeed he was. And if you had seen the spectacle at Grinder's place, you wouldn’t be surprised. Were I in his boots, I’d have made a similar dash."