Kylee glanced back, studied the roots Falise slumped on. Made sure the Four weren’t getting entangled. “It flattens out again up top. Can you get the litter up there? Maybe drag it?”

“What about Soukup?” God, was Kylee, too, thinking about leaving the man to his fate?

Kylee gave her a conspiratorial squint. “He’s gonna squeal like a bloody bastard, but if it don’t kill him, he’ll still be alive.”

“Huh? That doesn’t . . .” She didn’t finish as Kylee bent down, grabbed Soukup by his official jacket, and lifted.

And yes, he screamed as if he were being gutted. Kylee settled the man over her shoulders, then picked her way down the root tangle, one careful step at a time.

“Don’t forget the litter, Falise. And keep the robot people from doing anything stupid.”

It took Falise two tries to stagger to her feet, catch her balance on the now shifting mass of roots, and grab hold of the litter handles. Only then did she start down the other side. The “robot people” were already on the move, following along behind Kylee Simonov and the panting and whimpering load she carried.

Falise wasn’t really watching, being more concerned with her footing, with her failing strength. But, by chance, she happened to glance up as the Second, staggering and stumbling on the wiggling roots, went reeling sideways.

The tooth flower. That’s what the thing was. It shot a pod down like a blur. Brilliant colors flared inside as it clamped around the Second’s right shoulder. The bald man’s eyes popped wide, his mouth open to expose a perfect arc of teeth. Then he screamed as the long needlelike spines lining the pod’s rim drove deep into his flesh. The way the plant went about reeling the kicking man into the air looked effortless.

The Second was still screaming when another pod clamped tightly on his left shoulder and a third on his hips. Impossibly, the long spines had to have driven clear through the man’s pelvic bones given how deep they were.

“What happened?” Kylee called from where she was struggling up the steepest part of the slope.

“Go!” Falise cried. “Just go! It’s too late.”

She didn’t remember dropping the litter. Didn’t remember much of anything as she scrambled past the First where he stood looking at the Second’s struggling body.

For Falise, the only thing that mattered was the airtruck. And lifting off. Getting away.

When she reached the top, she was blinking away tears, gasping for breath.

“Hey!” Kylee’s harsh voice snapped. “Get your shit together!”

Falise turned, sucking for air, wanting to be sick. “Tooth flower. Got the Second. Just . . . just snapped shut and hauled him up into the air.”

Kylee, sweat on her brow, damp on her cheeks, nodded. “Yeah, I get it. Where’s the litter?”

“Back . . . back . . . I . . .”