A league west of where they intercepted the sea, Flindra and Leitho encountered the edge of the swamp. Here the coastline consisted of a thin strip of muddy beach that disappeared into a bog. Patches of the hardy swamp grass even intruded into the intertidal pools - it apparently was resistant to salt water.
Flindra silently asked the Spirit to guide her and then set a slow pace to avoid stumbling blindly into a trap. She was not comfortable this close to the swamp grass. The vision of the dead Ranger she had seen seemed to haunt her thoughts. She countered the image by focusing on the task at hand.
After several hours of moving west along the beach, they encountered an area where they needed to pass through several hundred feet of swamp grass. Either that or swim.
"I don't like the looks of that," Flindra said in a low whisper. "If there's going to be a trap it will be in there."
Leitho nodded his head in agreement. "It was difficult enough to spot the death webs in the daylight. In this darkness, it would be impossible. Do you sense anything from your crystal?"
The orb was quiet when she probed the sphere with her mind; it did not sense any danger. She didn't feel it was necessary to draw it from her tunic since it seemed so calm. Flindra then projected the power shield forward. She encountered nothing as it enveloped the area in front of her. She drew it back to its normal position at skin level.
"I'm not picking up anything from my orb. Do you sense anything?"
"No, but I lack your awareness." Leitho was quiet as he thought of the next move. "Let's dismount and lead the horses. We'll be closer to the ground and should be able to see any traps. I'll go in first - if there is any trouble, I want you to turn tail and run. That is an order."
"I will obey you, sir," Flindra answered with a nod of understanding.
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