No sign of the black bat. But now the same far cry came from his left, above the trees. A flight of black flickered through the branches.

They passed into a clearing, and Johnis pulled up right next to Silvie. He scanned the perimeter for bats. No flying beasts that he could see, but they rustled through the treetops on both sides now.

He spun his head to Silvie and saw that she was studying him with that same soft look that seemed frozen on her face.

“Did you hear that?” Johnis asked.

She just stared at him. Obviously not.

“None of you can hear that?”

“Shut your flap, Scrapper,” Billos snapped without turning.

They walked on. The horses’ hooves clumped softly. The trees rustled.

The sky shrieked softly on both sides.

Johnis shivered. Something very wrong was happening, and he seemed to be the only one who knew or cared.

“What do you hear?” Silvie asked.

Johnis wasn’t sure she could handle the truth. He gave it to her anyway. “We’re being followed by Shataiki bats on both sides. They’re crying out. You don’t hear them?”

“We hear your fear,” Billos said, looking at him. “The Shataiki are the stuff of legends; they don’t exist. Evil is everywhere you look and wears the face of a Scab, not some ghost in the sky. Everyone knows that.”

No one disagreed.

“You do realize that you and I will be leading campaigns together one day,” Johnis said. “We should work together, but you’re so bitter about nothing that you’re exposing your flank to the vilest creatures at this very moment. Thomas would be proud.”

“He’s exposing his flank to a ghost,” Darsal answered. “Look, maybe we will lead campaigns together if we survive the month. Only Elyon knows. But our objective today is to retrieve the cacti and return them to the village in one piece. That would have been much easier if Jackov were sitting on that horse instead of you. Do you disagree?”

She had a point. “You may be right. But if you do want to return to the village in one piece, you’d better at least listen. They’re following us this very minute.”

As if to agree, a long cry cut through the air on their right. Johnis spun and pointed. “There!”

The black bat rose from the treetops slowly, banked, and soared overhead, pupilless eyes staring down like two shiny red tomatoes.

Eeeaaaak . . .

“There, you see it, right above? Don’t tell me you can’t see it!”

They all looked up. “No, we can’t see it,” Silvie said. “And if you want us to take you seriously, I suggest you set this nonsense aside.”