Page 48 (1/2)

"My sister asked e," Michael said

"Sara did?"

"Just, you know," Michael said, and gave an aard shrug "Be careful"

The distance to the power station was forty kilometers, nearly a full day’s ride Within an hour of leaving, the group fell silent, even Arlo, lulled by the heat and the prospect of the day ahead Portions of the roadway down the mountain ashed away, and they had to stop and lead the aniun to stink, and Peter was glad to be riding up front, out of the pluh and hot, the air breathless, without the slightest breeze The desert floor shined below them like hammered metal

At half-day they stopped to rest The HD createred the animals, while the others took positions on a rocky outcrop above the cart, Theo and Peter on one side, Arlo and Alicia on the other, to scan the tree line

"See there?"

Theo was using the binoculars and pointing toward the shadow of the trees Peter held a hand over his eyes against the glare

"I don’t see anything"

"Be patient"

Then Peter saw it Two hundred meters distant, a barely detectable , in the branches of a tall pine, and a gentle shower of needles, floating down Peter drew in a breath, willing it to be nothing Then it ca to the shade," Theo said "Squirrel, probably Not ry son of a bitch to be out in the day like this"

Theo whistled a long, windy note through his teeth to signal the others Alicia turned sharply at the sound; Theo pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then a single outstretched digit toward the tree line Then he held up his hand, cupping it in the shape of a question mark: Do you see it?

Alicia replied with a closed fist Yes

"Let’s go, brother"

They clambered down the rocks and rendezvoused at the cart, where Rey and Finn were sprawled over the grease bags, chewing on hardtack and passing a plastic jug of water between them

"We can draw hi stick she began to draw in the dirt at their feet "Switch out the water for grease, move her down a hundred meters closer to the trees, see if he takes the bait He probably already smells it We set up three positions, here, here, and here"-she scratched these in the dirt-"and catch him in the cross fire Out in the sun like that he’d be easy"

Theo frowned "This isn’t a smokehunt, Lish"

For the first time Rey and Finn looked up from the cart

"What the hell," Rey said, "are you serious? Howout"

"Theo, there’s just the one," Alicia said "We can’t just leave him there The herd’s only, what, ten clicks?"

"We can and ill And where there’s one, there are others" Theo arched his eyebrows at Rey and Finn "Are we ready to move out?"

"Who cares?" Rey rose quickly from the floor of the cart "Flyers, nobody ever tells us anything Let’s get the hell out of here"

Alicia regarded them another mory she was But she’d said it herself, at the gate: chain of command

"Fine, you’re the boss, Theo," she said

They continued on their way By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was midafternoon For the last hour they’d descended in full view of the turbine array, hundreds of theonio Pass, like a forest of man-made trees On the far side, a second line of , ripping away their words theany conversation irew hotter; it felt like they were riding into a s Fro the Eastern Road, another ten kilometers to the power station

"All eyes, everyone," Theo called over the rush of the wind He took another moment to scan ahead with the binoculars "Let’s close it up Lish on point"

Peter experienced a quick flash of irritation-he was in second position, the point was his to take-but let the feeling pass without cos over between hiot to the power station, they’d all be friends again Theo passed her the binoculars; Alicia heeled her mount and rode briskly ahead an extra fifty , she held up an open hand, then dropped her palround A thin, birdlike whistle froo," Theo said