NOTE: Because of the wide-ranging plot lines included in this volume and the next, there is a need to take you away from Elreth and Aaryn at times into the point of view of two other characters. I hope you enjoy them! Watch carefully at the beginning of the chapter to see which character is narrating! The human character you're about to meet is named "Erika," but she goes by "Rika" (pronounced REE-kah.)
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RIKA
Rika stood over the flames of the center fire, the largest of their camp fires and the one they had all gathered around after the evening meal. Andy, the digital analyst and sample collector, sat on the ground just behind her, his back to the thick log they'd dragged next to the fire, his hat tipped over his eyes. He looked like he was dozing there, arms folded across his chest. But something told her he was listening very carefully.
