They hesitated for a moment, not sure what they should do, then gave in to their excitement and went back to their story. Owl took a deep, steadying breath. Fixit had been so unexpectedly brave, telling her he had to go, wheeling the AV around with only Chalk and Sparrow for company, leaving the rest of them to wait. Had to be quick and mobile, he had told her, so the wagon and the other Ghosts had to stay behind. She was afraid for him, but she knew that he was determined and that what he was doing was the right thing. Chalk was his reluctant companion; he went because Fixit was his best friend and they did everything together, even the things that one of them didn’t want to do. Sparrow went because she knew how to use the Parkhan Spray.

“We been heading south ever since,” Panther finished up. “That’s how you found us, coming down the freeway to find you.”

“Logan Tom is still unconscious?” Hawk asked him.

“Ain’t said a word or moved a muscle since we got him out.” The other boy gave him a dark look. “So what’s to keep us from being sliced and diced out there on the trail once you take us to wherever, Bird-Man? We ain’t got Mister Knight of the Word anymore. We ain’t got anyone with real skill in the staying-alive way. We got some firepower with the flechettes and the sprays, but nothing like that black staff.”

“Maybe we do,” Hawk said quietly.

They all looked at him, Owl hardest of all.

“Hawk, don’t . . .,” Tessa started to say.

He held up one hand quickly, like he knew what she was going to say and didn’t want her to, Owl thought. Tessa, in turn, it seemed, was afraid he was going to reveal something that he shouldn’t. Owl didn’t know what it was, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with the way he had changed on finding out the truth about who and what he was. She could sense that change, but not yet define it. She watched him closely to see what he would do next, searching for the answer. Then all at once Hawk was staring right at her.

“Can I have a look at Logan Tom?” he asked.

OWL LED THE WAY, wheeling herself with help from Candle, who climbed down off her lap and walked beside her. The others trailed along behind, whispering among themselves. The night had gone deeper and darker, and while the stars continued to fill the sky with their pinpricks of light, the moon had disappeared. In the distance, lost in the blackness, a dog howled.