For the next several hours, the convoy of armored buses traveled deeper into the wilderness, following what appeared to be a well-established but unmarked route through the dense forest.
Vogue maintained his meditative state while keeping peripheral awareness of his surroundings through the defensive field. He could feel the bus occasionally swerving to avoid obstacles or difficult terrain, hear the muffled sounds of the forest outside, sense the steady hum of the powerful engines working to maintain speed.
The other passengers had settled into an uneasy quiet. Some appeared to be meditating like Vogue. Others stared out the windows with obvious fascination, watching the wilderness pass by—many of them probably seeing true untamed nature for the first time in their lives.
