Eva soon saw what Otto meant, as he made his way to the front of the herd.

A dazed Rovender Kitt was hog-tied and strapped to the back of the hovering glider. Besteel stood, patient and unmoving, with the muzzle of the boomrod aimed at Rovender’s head.

“Oho! She comez!” Besteel gloated. “She iz smart one after allz, eh, Cærulean?”

“Don’t do as he says, Eva Nine,” Rovender shouted. “Save yourself and Muthr. Get out of here!”

“Enough!” Besteel pistol-whipped Rovender with the butt of his boomrod. He shoved the muzzle back into Rovender’s face. “You getz down here and on ze glider, leettle prize, or dis one dies. Now!”

Eva slid down Otto’s back toward his head.

Tunnel biters. Not. Safe.

Otto, Eva thought, stopping on the water bear’s head, tell the herd to back up.

The water bear hooted, low and gruff.

“No more stalling,” Besteel growled, pointing the boomrod at Otto. “Or I finish whats I started wiz dis cow. Get down here! I do not ask again.”

Otto’s herd backed up and created an open sandy circle around the huntsman.

“Yez, dats more like it,” Besteel said, waving his weapon at the herd. “Now come down here, leettle one.”

Eva stood, pulling out the Omnipod.

“No, no, no.” Besteel wagged a clawed finger at her. “No trickz wiz your toy. Give zat to me. Come on.”

Eva held the Omnipod up high.

Besteel aimed his boomrod at her.

A hot, gusty desert breeze played with Eva’s thin beaded braids as she glared at the huntsman.

Besteel squinted at her, his heavy chest heaving with each breath. The humming, charged boomrod remained aimed at the girl, unwavering.

She glared.

He squinted.

Eva blinked, then slumped her shoulders with a sigh. She threw the Omnipod down. It landed in the sand out in the center of the sandy circle created by Otto’s herd.

“Very goot.” Besteel approached the clicking device slowly and steadily. With one pair of arms he groped around in the sand for the clacking Omnipod, never taking his eye, or his aim, off Eva. Besteel scooped up the device and held it tightly in his talons. “Now comez down here and we leave. Nize and easy.”

Eva crawled back up to the top of Otto’s armored back. She turned to the huntsman and folded her arms. As she did so, the herd opened up even more, giving Besteel more space.

Eva stood silently. Watching.

“You leettle shrew! No trickz!” Besteel yelled. “Getz down here NOW!”

Eva held her ground. All that could be heard was clicking.

“So be it.” Besteel’s voice was cold. “I kill your friend.” He turned around toward his glider to shoot Rovender, but found himself face-to-face with an enormous sand-sniper clicking to the cadence of the recorded call playing on the Omnipod.