“Don’t shoot him,” hissed Madison, “that’s my husband.”

“It can’t be,” said Isolde.

A figure stood up on the bridge, and beside him another, then another. They were more than a hundred yards away, and hard to distinguish, but Ariel could tell they weren’t wearing Partial uniforms.

“That’s him!” Madison fell to her knees, racked with sobs. “That’s him, he’s alive.”

“Meet us on the far side,” said Haru, and ran south across the bridge. A few other figures joined him, while some hung back, dropping down to take up firing positions and cover the women’s final push across the street. Ariel didn’t know what to think and stayed crouched in cover, aiming right back at them.

“Come on,” said Isolde. “If they were bad guys, they would have shot us.”

“Unless they want us alive,” said Ariel.

“That’s Haru,” Isolde insisted. “You don’t know him like we do—I recognize his voice.”

“Get off the road,” Kessler yelled. “No matter who it is, we have to get out of the open.”

Ariel growled in frustration but realized Kessler was right. She took one last look at the shooters on the bridge before jumping up and running to the trees. Xochi and the others had knocked down enough of the fence that they could scramble over it, and Kessler and Nandita were helping Isolde. Khan was screaming piteously, awakened again to his life of endless pain. Isolde cleared the fence, with Kessler and Nandita close behind. They hadn’t even pushed through to the service road at the top of the hill when Haru came crashing through the underbrush, screaming Madison’s name. She called back and ran to him, rushing into his arms with Arwen pressed between them: the first reunion of a real family in thirteen years. Ariel saw Isolde and Xochi crying; even Kessler’s eyes were wet. Ariel wanted to cry too, but the tears didn’t come. Nandita was as emotionless as ever.

“I found you,” said Haru, “I found you. I found you.”

“I thought you were dead,” said Madison.

“We have to go to ground,” said Haru. “We’ve made too much noise already. Every Partial on the island can hear us, and—” He stopped abruptly, looking back and forth between Arwen and Khan. “The screaming baby’s not Arwen? There are two babies?”

“This one’s mine,” said Isolde. Her eyes were sunken, and her voice dripped with fatigue. “Nearly a month old.”

“Then this is about to get real interesting,” said Haru.

Madison frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Haru’s companions burst through the foliage, with Senator Hobb in the lead.

“We need to hide,” said Hobb. “Can you get that kid to shut up?”

“Congratulations,” said Haru dryly. “You’re a father.”

Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Isolde stared at Senator Hobb in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“Isolde?” Hobb looked half-surprised and half-terrified.