As they reached the lava flow Chahda gave the now-faithful pirate dog the last of his hamburgers, and the boys climbed across the lava to the beach. Only then did Rick dare to stop long enough to call the Swift Arrow.
"We found Shannon," he said triumphantly. "Now we have to get out of here. We'll give you the details later."
The boys pushed off in the vinta and paddled toward the east in order to get farther away from the guards before putting up the sail. Then, because the slight breeze had shifted, it was necessary to tack the cranky craft until dawn was pale in the east before they reached the Swift Arrow.
As the MTB moved quietly south, out of danger, Rick reported. "We saw Shannon, as I told you on the radio. I'm sure it was he. They're on the cliff at the back of the village. I'd guess the shelf where we saw the fire is over a hundred feet up."
"No sign of Briotti?" Zircon asked.
"None at all. Of course we couldn't see onto the shelf. There wasn't enough light and it was too high."
Scotty rubbed his chin. "How did they get up there?"
"Must be ladder," Chahda answered.
"A pretty good prison," Zircon commented. "No danger of escape, once the ladder or steps were removed, and the whole village serves as guard. The big question is, how do we get them out of there?"
Rick had thought about it during the tedious trip back. He had turned over every possibility in his mind and eliminated all but one. What's more, he wasn't sure that would work.