Hefting the bright patchwork bag a little higher on his shoulder, Justin eased his way around the last hut on his way out of the dark village. He was pretty sure he was going the right way, but the weak light of the jade half-moon made the shadows jump and gave the night a very unsettling feel.
He swallowed down a massive ball of apprehension that tried to choke him and broke into a sprint, covering the handful of yards that separated the village and the tree line in less than a minute. Justin burst through the gap between pale blue trunks and paused for a second to glance back the way he came to look for Sajah or Anuht. With a sigh of relief that he couldn’t see either alien, Justin set a quiet but quick pace through the forest. He stayed as close to the tree line as he dared to lessen t
