Zodea sat in the corner of the room listening to the discussions around her.
She was not particularly happy with her present circumstances. Once again,
she had been thrust into a situation she had fervently hoped to avoid.
She was on her way to the Isle of the Dead with Nim and Ignot. That’s
what they were discussing now with this ugly fellow named Grant.

Grant was a blacksmith. He seemed decent enough, but Zodea just was
not happy about things. She thought she should have stayed with Inspector
Ryder and nurse him back to health. But no one had asked her. It was
expected for her to make this journey and now she was here listening
to plans to build or acquire a boat and set sail to the island.

Zodea didn’t know what to say. She was terrified of the water. She didn’t know how to swim, and even if she did they were going too be far from land. Her worrisome thoughts were interrupted when the men asked her about the map. She had managed to make sense out of the strange script and read them the dire warnings. But they didn’t seem to take it seriously. She was certain that going to the isle and unlocking this crypt would be the end of her. Perhaps it was her (shhh) magical powers that made her nervous.

Zodea tried to deny it, but she was just a tad superstitious. In learning her magic she had learned rituals and folklore as well as the use of magic itself. Dealing with dead was akin to dealing with evil itself. She had seen some of the ‘experiments’ of her former master and wanted nothing to do with such things. And the shins and this guy Joseph Banks.

There were too many unexplained things going on for her taste. It wasn’t fair that she was drug along just so there would be someone to pick up after these guys. Yes don’t worry about it, Zodea will take care of that, or Zodea will do this. All the while going nuts thinking some day they will turn on her and hang her or burn her or ‘something’. Yes, that is most likely it. She’s expendable. She can save their sorry little asses a few times then when it comes time to divide up the treasure… well goodness knows she won’t see any of it. Maybe that is why Inspector Ryder sent her along, so he can claim a portion of the treasure without even trying. Figures. Men are all the same.