“They’re in my room. Come on, I’ll show you.” He ran back to the house and held the door open for Coralis.

But Coralis did not follow. Instead, he stepped from the garage and looked skyward, deep in thought. Henry slowly returned to his side. “They’re not there, are they?” he asked, but he knew. “That’s what he was looking for, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, Henry.”

“They’re important, aren’t they?”

Coralis chuckled. “Yes, Henry. They are very important.”

Silence again as Coralis continued to search the heavens. “What does it mean?” Henry asked softly.

“It means … ” Coralis moved his thoughtful gaze to Henry. “We have work to do.”

Chapter Seventeen

Randall was faced with a most difficult task: to see without being seen. He could perch atop a tower and easily observe all that took place in the village below, but he did not want to draw attention to himself. He was fairly certain he had not been spotted by Dai She and desired to keep it that way. And he also had to be mindful of the sharp eyes of the vulture.

The bell tower in a church provided the refuge he needed while allowing him a clear view of Dai She’s misshapen form. It was almost comical watching the openmouthed stares of children as he rumbled past them on the crowded streets below.

Cuauhtémoc was a thriving municipality. It was apparent there were many different cultures at work here. Colorfully clothed schoolchildren and dark-suited professionals—doctors and lawyers—meandered the streets in equal numbers.

When Dai She entered a clothing store, Randall took the opportunity to look for the vulture. It would be as out of place as he was and probably tucked into its own hiding spot. As he scanned the rooftops, his stomach reminded him just how long it had been since he’d eaten. He had seen marvelously delicious apple groves on the flight in and promised himself he would get back there as soon as possible. Long flights sapped a lot of his energy, and he had taken entirely too many of them in recent weeks.

But his own hunger gave him an idea. He expanded his olfactory sense, seeking the scent of carrion. Even in a town like this, there had to be a rotting animal corpse somewhere that would appeal to a hungry vulture.

His acute vision pierced the alleys, methodically searching. Several rats in garbage bins sent his hunger instincts to the edge of flight, but he managed to squash the urge. His persistence was rewarded on the south edge of town, far in the distance, where he found Viktor tearing into an armadillo carcass. He was jealous of his enemy’s feast, but realized it was one less worry for him. The vulture would be occupied for some time.