"Ebo, thank you for meeting us." Marcus takes his hand and introduces the rest of us.

"Um, I hate to be the human in all of this but could we go where things aren't out to take bites out of us?"

"We can not be seen out in the open. Even in Togo, it is best to use discretion," Ebo informs me.

"But I thought they were used to seeing angels."

"At a pa.s.sing glance. There are stories told by village elders. But again it is not wise to be out in the open."

"Who is involved in this civil war?" Jay asks.

"The Tobins and the Mylars."

"Why?"

"Lots of guns and very little sense."

"Were you able to get us a car?" Marcus asks.

"Follow me," Ebo says taking the lead.

As we walk through the forest, I take Miku's hand. I figure she won't make fun of me if I should scream and carry on. I tell her that I will literally watch her back, and she says she will do the same.

About ten minutes later we see light making its way through the forest. We are at the edge. Every part of me wants to run and keep running until I am as far away as possible from all things swamp-like. But I keep my cool and act aloof, as if getting to the edge of the forest is no big deal.

A few yards away is a beat-up rust-colored Jeep with no doors. It looks like it's been in a battle and lost. As we get closer, I think that maybe it's not as broken down as I first thought. But once we are standing in front of it, I can see my first a.s.sessment was right: the thing is a death trap.

"It's not pretty but it will get you where you need to go," Ebo says.

"Can I take a look under her?" Jay asks.

Ebo agrees and the two of them go to the front of the Jeep, open up the hood and talk car talk. I know nothing about cars, but I think doors are a good thing to have. Why didn't the maker of the Jeep think of that?

They come back to us moments later. Jay addresses his leader.

"She's rough, but she'll do."

"Do you have the other things I asked for?" Marcus inquires. Ebo goes to the back of the Jeep and takes out a black duffel bag. He unzips it and shows Marcus a remote control of some kind. It only has one b.u.t.ton.

"What is that?" I ask Miku.

"It's a Stopper."

"What does it do?"

"Remember how Agony was able to control your body?"

"Vividly."

"This controls the synaptic nerves in your brain. The little currents that tell your body to move get their order from that part of your brain. When you press the red b.u.t.ton, it tells your brain to tell the other parts of your body to stop moving."

"So you're frozen in place?"

"Yeah, it's cool. You can't move a muscle for a full fifteen seconds."

"Yeah, cool," I say without enthusiasm. It's hard for me to appreciate the technology, given what I went through with Agony.

"My Seller only had one, so it'll have to do," Ebo says.

"Not a problem. We'll make it work. What about the Para lights?"

"I was able to get three. They had an overstock and I got them pretty cheap."

He shows Marcus a small flashlight. It looks like the kind that goes on the end of the key chain.

"How does that differ from a regular flash light?" I ask Miku.

"It takes away your eyesight completely."

"For how long?"

"It depends. Most Para lights can take you out for twenty to thirty seconds."

"Why don't any of the Para weapons inflict permanent damage?"

"Paras would never invent something that could not be undone. That is the major difference between them and Hun. Hun made up inventions that hurt humanity, but Paras invent things that slow evil down."

"That's crazy. We should be able to attack them with guns and stuff like they do us."

"Then what is the difference between us and them?" she asks me with kind eyes.

I can't think of what to say. It doesn't matter because Ebo is on to the next item.

"I have two holders. You did not ask for them, but they may come to be of help."

"Jay has a holder but we could use a few more. Thank you."

"I have put in something that may help with the human."

"You can call me Emmy."

"Emmy. I will remember next time. I have brought you blankets, a first aid kit and water."

"Thank you," I say to the handsome man in front of me.

"Certainly" he replies.

"What is troubling you?" Rio asks Ebo.

"Yes, I have heard of your powers. What color is my wave Rio?"

"Blue. Filled with worry."

"What is it, Ebo?" Marcus asks.

"I fear that your journey may not be a smooth one. Julian is being held deep in the village. There is no way to get to him without encountering the natives."

"We will be careful," Marcus a.s.sures him.

"Also, there is a Trimeter at the edge of the cave where Julian is being held. It is attached to explosives that require complicated rewiring. The moment it detects that you are Angels, it will go off. You may have just seconds, depending on how they have set the timer."

"The Twins can reprogram it to give us more time. Anything else?" Marcus asks.

"My Seller informs me that the Akons have Quip guns and Soul Chasers."

"I've heard about Soul Chasers. It's a ball controlled by the owner. It's supposed to be thrown to the ground like a Splash. Then a funnel of wind rises out of it. It pulls the nearest soul toward its center. Then it strips it away, killing the soul in a matter of minutes," Ameana says.

"There is a release b.u.t.ton that deactivates it, but you would need to get to the center of it and release it before it sucks you in completely," Ebo adds.

"I thought Chasers were just a rumor," Rio says.

"The only person who could have come up with such a device is Hun," Jay tells us.

"Hun's supposed to be dead," Marcus says.

"And you're supposed to be six feet underground right now. You know things are never as they are supposed to be, Marcus," Ebo cautions.

"Hun is alive?" Ameana asks.

"I have not seen him with my own eyes, but for someone who is dead, he gets a lot of work done."

"How many Soul Chasers?"

"At least two."

"What does it do to humans?" I ask.

"It would harm you as well but it would take longer for you to die. But we angels are pure soul, so it will kill us in a matter of moments," Ebo replies.

"The sun is setting," the twins say.

"Yes, you should be on your way. Take the Jeep straight down then make a left turn, go ten miles and then make another left. You will arrive in Totsivi. There, you will see the light coming from a cave. Julian is in there. And be carful. The Akons must know you are here by now."

"Thanks. How much do we owe you?" Marcus asks.

"It has been taken care of."

"By who?"

"The Sage. He must really like you."

"Yeah, we're best friends," Marcus says dripping with sarcasm.

"Jayden, I wanted to say how sorry I am about Reese. The Pa.s.sing was beautiful."

"Thanks," Jay mutters.

I can tell he isn't ready to talk about Reese with strangers. He shoves his hands in his pockets and stares at the ground.

"Thank you for everything, Ebo," Ameana says as she shakes Ebo's hand.

"You are as captivating as I was warned you would be," he says to her.

Ameana is clearly uncomfortable with the compliment. She flashes Ebo a smile and goes to put the duffel bag back in the Jeep.

Ebo turns to Marcus. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to embarra.s.s her."

"No, you're right, she is stunning."

"For some that matters a great deal. And for others they require...more."

"What do you mean?"

"Forget I said anything. I have broken a few Splashes...forgive me." He is embarra.s.sed to admit it. He can't look me or Marcus in the eye.

"It's cool. Thanks for all your help."

Marcus is brief and official where as before he had been courteous and grateful. Even in West Africa he couldn't get away from the gossip. I wonder what bothers him more-that they think he and I have something together or that we don't?

We all pile into the Jeep and take off down a red dirt road. Jay is driving. Marcus sits shotgun. The rest of us get in the back. Miku is the smallest one so she sits partially on our laps. It's a tight fit. The sun is just about faded from the sky. Togo is a beautiful country.

As we make our way to the city of Lome, we see a number of African women dressed in colorful print dresses. They have jugs on their heads. They carry them with skill and grace. Some of them have their kids with them, others have partners they share the load with. Seeing them make their way across the land, it looks more like a dance than a daily ch.o.r.e.

The road is rocky and difficult to drive on. Jay doesn't seem the least bit put off. I lean forward and ask him how he's doing. He tells me he needs complete concentration in order to "get to know" the car. The boy is not well.

I had never thought about going to West Africa before, but now it's on my "must go again" list. There is something so calming and earthy about it. The trees spread out in the air as if they are praising the sky. There are more stars above us now than I've seen in all my years of living in the city. No wonder it was chosen as the starting point for humanity.

We pa.s.s by a fork in the road and Jay takes a left. By the time we make the second turn, the sun has set completely and darkness covers us. We enter Totsivi. A row of hills surrounds the dilapidated village. There are broken down tables lined up side by side in what used to be the street market. Nothing is moving anywhere except our car. Jay slows down. Marcus tells him to keep going.

A man comes out of one of the huts with a Bazooka. Jay sees it before the rest of us. He brakes and turns the car around.

"Hold on," Jay says as he fights to keep the car under control. The man fires the rocket directly at us. Rio spreads his wings so that they cover us. The rocket goes over us and lands at what we now realize are his targets; a group of men on the other side of the street who each have the letter "M" carved on their faces.

They take cover and duck into one of the huts, but it is too late. They are blown up as are the surrounding huts they took shelter in.

"Keep going," Marcus shouts over the roar of the screaming and burning taking place. Jay turns the car and goes back the direction we were headed in originally. The man who had fired the Bazooka is now joined by more members of his team. They also have a scar on their face. It's the letter "T," but the top of the letter is slightly off balance, like a scale.