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A sound froht turned Khalif One of the bandits was alive and trying to craay

Khalif raised the curved knife, ready to finish the man, but then held himself back “Kill him, Jinn”

The shaking boy stared blankly Khalif stared back, fir

“Your brothers are dead, Jinn The future of the clan rests with you You ”

Jinn continued to shake, but Khalif was all the enerosity had almost destroyed the son

“You must never have pity,” Khalif said “He is an eneth to kill our enemies, they will take the waters fro and death”

Khalif knew he could force Jinn to do it, knew he could order him and the boy would follow the command But he needed Jinn to choose the act himself

“Are you afraid?”

Jinn shook his head Slowly, he turned and raised the pistol

The bandit glanced back at hirew steady He looked the bandit in the face and pulled the trigger

The gun’s report echoed across the water and out into the desert By the ti boy’s eyes

CHAPTER 2

INDIAN OCEAN

JUNE 2012

THE NINETY-FOOT CATAMARAN LOLLED ITS WAY ACROSS cal three or four knots in a light breeze A brilliant white sail rose above the wide deck Five-foot letters in turquoise spelled out numa across its central section—the National Underwater and Marine Agency