This chapter is going to remedy a problem that I came across while writing the battle at the Lake of the Elephant. Let me know if you can guess what the problem was.

-owl

The paths they followed were narrow, very narrow. Even when Essix let Rollan see through her eyes, drawing attention to a wider path nearby, Lishay refused to let them move paths. Lishay said they took them because the Tergesh rode the wider paths. Because of both the width of the paths they were taking, as well as the different terrain and climate, all the spirit animals other than Essix and Zhosur were in passive state.

Not only was the slimy, damp jungle encroaching on the path they were walking, but Rollan was also being attacked by the blood-sucking insects that buzzed continuously alongside them. Then again, it seemed like most of them had that problem, and it wasn't just Rollan. It was a small mercy. Part of him wanted to see how Meilin would be handling the constant annoyance. She always surprised him.

"So, wait," Rollan asked as they walked. "The Rhino Riders' spirit animals are rhinos?"

Lishay shook her head. "No. They don't bond with spirit animals, with or without the Nectar. Almost as soon as they can walk, each Tergesh child is given a rhino calf. They train and grow up together. Their bonds are almost as deep as true spirit animal bonds."

Rollan shuddered. It could not be too comfortable to spend who knew how long as a child, sitting on a rhino's back. And, speaking of being uncomfortable, the biting insects were back in force, and now it seemed that they were only going after Rollan. "Why do they only go after me?" he exclaimed.

Tarik chuckled. "They're annoying us, too. I just think you're noticing them more."

Well, that wasn't as comforting as Tarik presumably wanted it to be. Rollan was starting to feel sick. In his experience, that wasn't fun, and it certainly would be less so while trekking through a jungle.

Half an hour of walking later, Conor nearly tripped, only being stopped by Rollan, lunging to intercept the blond boy. The entire group paused to let Conor recover. All of them, even Essix, shot Conor looks of concern. Luckily the boy seemed to recover soon enough, and they were on the move quickly. Abeke and Rollan made sure to stick close with Conor.

Once they were walking again, Conor sighed. "I'm fine, guys, you don't need to worry about me. I'm just a little dizzy."

"Why are you dizzy, though?" Abeke asked, worried.

Conor shrugged. "I've been dealing with a headache since we got off the barge. I've also been getting glimpses of a man, shrouded in darkness and wearing a crown that looks like a snake. At his feet is an enormous crocodile. I'm wondering if the headache is because of the visions."

Tarik paled and turned to Lishay. "General Gar? The New Devourer, perhaps?"

Lishay nodded, her lips pulling down into a frown. "I would wager on it. Conor, are you wearing the Silver Wolf?"

"Yes, why?"

"The Silver Wolf gives the wearer a sharper sense of smell and hearing. Sometimes it even leads one to see what is coming."

Conor frowned. "That may be, but what does it mean that I keep seeing glimpses of the Devourer? And, honestly, it really stinks 'cause it's making me dizzy."

"You could always put the talisman in your pack," Lishay suggested.

"I don't trust myself not to lose it. I'd loath to lose it over something so stupid."

"If we walked on a wider path," Abeke said, "one or two of us could walk next to Conor and make sure he doesn't fall or anything."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Lishay bit her lip. "If we walk on the wider trails, we run the risk of meeting the Rhino Riders."

Rollan frowned, he had seen accurate — to the best of his knowledge — drawings of rhinos, and there was no way that even the smallest of them would be able to fit though the wider paths that he had seen.

As if she could read his mind, Lishay turned to Rollan. "The Zhongese rhinos that the Tergesh rise are a smaller variation than those which live in Nilo. And, as much as I would rather not run the risk of meeting the Tergesh, I will let you make the decision, Tarik."

All eyes turned to the tall man. "We'll take the wider path."

Almost as soon as they stepped foot on the wider path, Rollan had the concerning feeling that they were being watched. Nothing jumped out at them immediately, though, so Rollan took his place on Conor's left as Abeke walked at his right.

There was a piercing cry from Essix, and it became obvious that they were surrounded. Rhinos with riders on their back burst from the foliage. All the riders had weapons, though a few also carried what looked like a straw.

Immediately they were drawn into battle. Rollan grabbed the sword that was at his hip and began brandishing it around him, fending off any Rhino Riders that came close. Beside him, Abeke was trying her best with her bow, though seeing as the entire point of archery was long range attack, she wasn't doing too well. Uraza fought beside her, and there was a gleam in the cat's eye that made Rollan uneasy, and he was on her side!

Conor was fighting well enough, his ax in hand. However, where Abeke's weapon was better suited for long range, Conor's ax was really only good for very very close range. Occasionally Conor would get a hit on one of the rhinos, but their skin was so thick that it didn't really do much. Next to him was Briggan. The wolf seemed to be doing better than Conor.

Lishay was fighting with her bow, unfortunately running into the same problem that Abeke was dealing with. Zhosur was clawing at everything within reach, occasionally helping Uraza or Briggan. Tarik was nowhere to be seen. Then again, Rollan had been fairly certain that he had seen the tall Greencloak slip into the trees, unnoticed.

Rollan was starting to feel woozy. Just like he had been feeling slightly sick earlier, the feeling was coming back. It was then, of course, that the Riders with the straw-things began to use them, making their function obvious. They were blow guns. The darts that came from them were covered in a slimy-looking black gooey substance.

"It's poison!" Lishay screeched, falling to the ground in a heap.

That was the last thing Rollan heard before, between the on-coming illness and the blow darts, he too slumped to the ground.