She spun around to face him. There was still something about him that was familiar, but she couldn't place it. She was sure she'd never met him before. She decided to keep a careful eye on him.
"My girlfriend is in danger. I need to get back to her." She tried to keep her voice calm, but she didn't like the way he leered when she said girlfriend. "Do you know how I can get off this island and get back to her? The demon, Marchosias, was trying to kill us, and suddenly I wound up here."
At the demon's name, the old man grew serious. "That old demon? Why would he want to kill you?"
"You know who he is?" she asked with rising hope in her voice, though it shouldn't surprise her. If the old man had lived here long, then he would know of the powerful demon that shared Water's domain. Shelly wished she knew of any other islands in Varun's—no, it was Poseidon's—demesne.
