David Knight has been plagued by dreams his entire life, only to have all memory of them vanish when he awakens. Now the dreams are coming with more frequency, and they seem to be drawing him to the Amazon. A scientist with a PhD in ichthyology and a dedication to learning all he can about lungfish, whose existence dates back to the Devonian era, David is determined to see what the Amazon holds. His hopes seem about to be answered when Dr. Carlos Avila contacts him. It seems the Brazilian archeologist discovered the remains of a previously undiscovered species on a tributary of the Amazon, and he’d like nothing better than for David to join the expedition to see if more of the creature can be found. Of course David leaps at the opportunity and flies to Pesadelo Bay to join the mismatched team. Once there, he discovers not only does Dr. Avila have his own agenda, but a former conquest as well as a friend who’d saved his life years before are part of the team and are engaged to be married. Meanwhile, the need to sail up the Amazon to find what ... or who ... is calling him there has become more and more pressing, and David must decide which is the most important -- learning what Dr. Avila really is searching for, or finding the answer to his dreams?

Lagoon of Dreams

I stood on the dock and admired her and most especially her new name. I had left orders for it to be stenciled on her bow after she’d been brought up to my specifications.


Even though it was supposed to be bad luck to change a boat’s name, every boat deserved a name she’d be proud to carry. The cruiser I’d chosen had already had at least one name change, and I refused to let what had been painted on her bow remain—the shipyard’s owner told me it translated roughly to Any Man’s Whore. She deserved better than that.


Now, there her name was in elegant calligraphy—Desejo do Cora??o, my Heart’s own Desire


It didn’t seem to take as long for the Joto make her way up the Amazon as it had the Adelina, but the closer I got to the tributary that led to the Lagoon of Dreams, the more anxious I grew. I chewed my nails down to the quick and bit my cuticles until they bled.


Chapter 117