“Is that the dark ship? How close are they?” I asked.

Malachi shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Your presence aboard House of Wisdom endangers both yourselves and your hostages. Open a channel of communication immediately so we may discuss the safe return of the hostages and continued safety of the ship Homestead. This is SPEC Orbital Control vessel Pangong, addressing the persons who have illegally entered the vessel House of Wisdom . . .”

The woman’s voice droned so calmly she might have been a machine, but the words filled me with dread. Adam would hear a threat, no matter how mildly she spoke. To him, the message was proof that he had been right all along. They had always been after us. They would never leave us alone. The family would be frightened, the children crying, Adam raging. She ought not to have mentioned Homestead’s safety. That would only tell them they had none.

Malachi said, “There’s a reply. Sent about an hour ago.”

An hour. We had been out of contact so long. I nodded minutely.

“You dare call us criminals?” Adam’s voice boomed from the speakers so loudly I jumped. “You dare accuse us of endangering our children? We have lived our entire lives beneath the boots of your oppression, and you speak to us of your laws? Save your breath and your condescension. We have no need for your lies. We have broken free of the chains you use to bind us. We have achieved the frontier you would deny us. We are prepared to make great sacrifices to keep our freedom. There is no fate worse than surrendering to be your prisoners again.”

A fragile hope, so small I had barely acknowledged it, splintered.

“Are you prepared to sacrifice your children to enslave us? Are you?” Adam spat out the question derisively; even without seeing his face, I knew his expression would be twisted with scorn. “Go and ask your masters. Ask them how many of their beloved children have to die. Ask them which we ought to kill first.”

The message ended. My heart was hammering in my throat. Tens of thousands of kilometers of empty space between us, and I feared Adam’s anger as though he were right beside me.

“We need to talk to them.” I swallowed painfully. “We have to make him understand it’s too dangerous to come here.”

Malachi didn’t move. “You want to contact Homestead?”

There was something in his voice that made me look at him. “They can’t come here. You know that. You haven’t been able to shut off the security web yet, and even if you could—”

“I know.” The words were soft, but there was something in Malachi’s voice that tightened the knot of fear in my throat. “But, Zahra . . .”

“You don’t think they’ll listen,” I said.