She looked where he was pointing, and her mouth turned down into a frown of doubt. On the center of the man’s black shirt were angel wings, neatly embroidered in white thread.

“Angels with wings on their chests,” Nix murmured as she dumped the spent shells from her pistol.

“Angels came and set fire to the trees,” Benny added.

“Uh-oh,” she said softly.

“Listen, much as I’d love to find out about those machines and where these people come from, somehow I don’t think now is the moment.”

“No,” she agreed. She checked all her pockets for bullets and found only two.

“That’s it?” Benny asked, a note of panic in his voice.

“The rest are in my backpack.”

She thumbed the two shells into the gun and closed the cylinder. They both looked at the pistol for a moment.

“Hope we don’t need more than two shots,” said Benny.

“No kidding.” As she holstered the pistol, she glanced back the way they’d come, indecision stamped on her face.

“Look,” Benny said, “Carter and those other people said they saw the jet. If we circle around to find Chong, we’ll probably find them. Even with everything that just happened on the field, I’d still rather talk to Eve’s folks than . . . these guys.”

“Yes.” Nix brushed a tangle of red hair away from her face. “Damn it.”

They rose silently and moved deeper into the forest, going as fast as caution would allow and sticking to paths that were heavy with fallen branches or uneven ground. Benny did not believe that “all-terrain” could possibly mean that.

With minds full of questions and hearts heavy with regrets, they fled from the angels and their impossible machines.

FROM NIX’S JOURNAL

Tom taught us that you can’t prepare for every emergency or every threat.

“The trick isn’t to practice too many specific danger scenarios, but to learn the skills that are common to all. A smart warrior is always observant, always aware of his surroundings, always aware of his resources, and always ready to adapt to situations as they change.”

Chapter 30

30

“NIX,” PUFFED BENNY AS HE SLOWED TO A WALK, “MAYBE WE’RE DOING this wrong. Maybe we should go back and try to talk to those people.”

She made a face. “Really? That’s your plan?”

“I—”

“Or is that what you think Tom would do?”

That stung.

“Now wait a minute—” he began, but she shook her head.

“No,” she snapped, “don’t you have a clue as to how you’re behaving lately? You keep telling me and the others to back off so you can handle things. You were going to charge those lions and—”

“What does that have to do with Tom?” he demanded.

She peered up at him, her green eyes surrounded by a sea of freckles and wild red curls.