Chapter 1
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SKID and Rob stretched out on the gazebo benches; I sat on the rail, propped my foot against the post, and looked out over Silver Lake. School was out—we were feeling free as birds, as lazy as old dogs. We now had the first three pieces of the armor of God in our possession: belt, breastplate, and shield. Three down, three to go. Summer spread out before us as wide and smooth as the lake. Casually I said, “Our last sign was the raven cruising toward Council Cliffs. Not much to go on . . . Dowland could’ve dug a hole anywhere along a path and buried the next piece.” “Those trails go for miles,” said Rob thoughtfully, his arms folded, his eyes drifting drowsily around the gazebo rafters. Skid shrugged. “We have all summer.” “I’m not worried,” I said. Looking for the armor of God was a big part of our lives now, even though we’d only started last fall. Reece had predicted that the quest would change my life, and she was right. Sure, I still had lots of regular duties at Camp Mudjokivi: pool cleaning, driving kids with disabilities around in the golf cart, campfire setup and cleanup, night hike preparation—whatever Dad needed. We always