“Wait here,” Eva said, hopping out. She approached a pedestrian who looked like a hairless rabbit with small arms hopping along on three stilt legs. Eva held up her hand, palm out, as she had seen Rovender do. “Greetings,” she said.

The rabbit pedestrian slowed, glancing at Eva with its many round eyes as it passed.

Eva spoke loudly and clearly. “I was wondering if you could tell us where we could get some water, please?”

The pedestrian hurried past her and continued on its way.

“What? Hey, wait!” Eva turned back to look at Muthr.

“It ez only a messenger,” a voice came from across the street. “Zay only zuppoz to talks to za recipient.” A grotesque, lump-faced, heavyset character strolled over to Eva. Striking cobalt blue wattles hung near its tusked snout in front of large mustard eyes. Its heavy natty jacket was worn and frayed, and it dragged on the ground, concealing most of the creature.

“Namez Caruncle,” the creature said, eyeing Eva. “You lookings for ze port?”

“Um, yes,” Eva said, “the port would be great.” She felt uneasy near the large character. He smelled sour, like he had taken a dip in the same vile drink that Rovender carried around.

“Well, ez jus over zat way.” Caruncle gestured with a curled, atrophied arm.

“Okay. Thanks, Carnucle.” Eva trotted toward the Goldfish.

“Caruncle,” he corrected her. “Zow. You haves flying macheen? Did you builds it? I never seen nothing likes these style. Howz haves you gottens dis?”

Eva climbed in, next to Muthr, who glided the hovercraft around toward the direction Caruncle had indicated. “Thanks again for your directions,” Eva repeated.

“And automatonz driver, too?” Caruncle pointed at Muthr. “No ones in Solaz has zeese things essept za queen. Are you a queen? A prinzess?”

“No, just a human.” Eva waved as the hovercraft took off. “Bye!”

“Youz stoles it! I knows dis!” Caruncle yelled after them. “Your zeecret is zafe wif me, Justa Human!”

“We are almost ready,” Muthr said, pouring water from the lake into the Goldfish’s fuel reservoir. They were parked in a run-down dockyard on the outskirts of the city. Eva looked in the distance at a tall spiked, yet graceful, building towering high above all else.

“That must be the palace,” she said. She blocked the sun from her eyes with her hands, squinting at the details of the otherworldly architecture.

Muthr rolled up next to her. “It is wonderful,” she said.

“The castle?” Eva sighed, thinking of her not-so-wonderful encounter with Queen Ojo. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“No, Eva.” Muthr brushed Eva’s bangs out of her eyes. “It is wonderful to be with you once more.”

“I’m glad we’re back together too,” Eva said, embracing the robot. She could feel the warmth emanate from Muthr’s enameled torso right through to her silicone-tipped fingers.

“How is your hand?” Muthr asked. “What happened to it?”