Call Spirits in Your Past **Book Two**

Chapter 11 (Friday late morning)

A shrieking call announced the descent of a large hawk. Verspri pressed his back further into the shade of the rock, licking his dry lips again. They just stayed dry.

"Is that..." Dryda pointed a shaky hand to the sky.

Ana stood up. "It's a bird," she said. "So either it's Kwayo come to save us or a scavenger come to eat us."

Verspri nearly choked.

Past Dryda, an asleep Manuel rolled over, mumbling. Verspri glanced around the scattering of rocks and prone bodies lying halfway in any patch shade. He, Ana, and Dryda were the only ones awake. Dryda because she'd just regained consciousness, Verspri and Ana because they were technically "on watch."

And, because Verspri couldn't fall asleep. His mouth was too dry.

The hawk circled closer, and Verspri muttered under his breath, "it's just a hawk, it's just a hawk," just in case it wasn't, well... But then it landed and shifted to a Kwayo-shaped human, minus the shoes. Verspri leapt to his feet.

"Kwayo!" Ana shouted. "You're alive!"

Kwayo bowed dramatically, and Verspri snorted.

"Hmmublub?" Manuel muttered.

Kwayo pointed at him. "Is...he okay?"

"Considering that we've been out in the sun for a few hours, yeah, I'd say that we're all marvelously fine," Verspri said hotly.

"Good news!" Kwayo exclaimed, as if he hadn't heard. "I found a town!"

Verspri's mouth fell open. But Kwayo added, "or, a ghost town. And it's through a tunnel. I mean, it's above ground, but you have to go through a tunnel in a hill to get there. I mean, you could probably get there above ground too, but it's like invisible or something--"

"Kwayo," Ana said. "Stop."

Kwayo shut his mouth and nodded.

"Are there people there?" Dryda asked, rubbing her temples.

Verspri rolled his eyes. "He did say it was a ghost town. I don't think so."

"Unless there are actually ghosts there," Ana countered.

Kwayo just smiled. "I think one of them is kind of like a ghost. He turns people invisible. Sort of."

"One of them?" Ana asked, hope practically trembling in her voice. "As in, there's more than one?"

Kwayo nodded.

Verspri's eyes widened. "Really?"

Kwayo planted his hands on his hips. "Yep!"

***

Sweat soaked through Verspri's shirt by the time they reached the wide, gaping tunnel. He'd wanted to take it off, but Razón reminded him repeatedly that he'd just get sunburned.

"Tunnel," Isaac gasped, as if the one word required all his effort.

Verspri nodded, too tired to respond. He'd been awake since dusk the previous night, and now it was...he glanced at the sky. A little after noon. Or maybe before. Who knew anymore?

"You know what I feel like?" Ella said, shuffling into the tunnel. She reached the shade and flopped over, sending up dirt. "I feel like one of those sailors who hasn't seen land in months. Only opposite."

Verspri knelt on the ground next to her. "I'm really thirsty," he said. "Water would be nice."

"Yeah," Tamy said, stumbling beside him. Verspri had to look away. Both her arms had swollen up in angry, red bumps. Apparently she was allergic to ants; either that, or those ants gave awful bites.

"Hurry up, slowpokes!" Kwayo called, somewhere ahead of them. "We're not there yet!"

Verspri groaned. Without meaning to, Segundo popped out and leaned on the tunnel wall.

"But this is so nice," Ella muttered. "It's nice and cool, and I'm hot, and..."

"Get up here!" Kwayo shouted again.

Verspri groaned again, but pushed himself to his feet. The rest of their class straggled into the tunnel, sweaty and red-eyed.

"Are we almost there?" Kessa asked.

"We'd better be," Zillie's arms were trembling, and one of his eyelids kept twitching.

Shaking vibrated the tunnel, nearly making Verspri face-plant to the dirt, only Segundo's grip on his arm keeping him upright.

"Thanks," Verspri muttered.

The dust raining down in front of them sharpened into a form. Whatever words Segundo had been about to say wilted on his lips, and the tunnel fell silent.

"Hello," a small woman smiled at them, legs hidden in a cloud of dust. "I am Asha. Welcome to our town."