Gunnar watched the approach of the contrasting colors ahead: white sand, turquoise water, and brilliant green jungle foliage.

And above the jungle, murky, gray smoke.

Seated around Gunnar in the dinghy were Ahlund, Justin, Lycon, Adonica, Borris, and Pool, who worked the oars with long, steady strokes to propel the tiny boat toward the beach. The seawater was so clear Gunnar could see a full twenty feet straight down, to the very bottom of the shallows.

The island was ...