“Why don’t you stay with us?” Eva kept her eyes on her braiding. “You’ve been so amazingly helpful, and, despite the fact that I can pull water from the sky, we’d be totally lost out here without you.”

Rovender chuckled, his gaze drifting off into the distant clouds. “No, Eva Nine. I must keep moving. Keep searching.”

“Searching? For what?” Eva stopped.

“Solace.”

“The place where we are going?” she asked.

“No, not there.” Rovender closed his eyes. His face appeared etched with pain. “After my partner passed, I could no longer stay at my village. I could no longer stay anywhere.” He opened his indigo eyes, blinking the memory away. “And so I packed all our belongings and I left.” He patted his rucksack. The numerous items dangling from it jingled in unison. Rovender opened a pocket and pulled out a piece of jewelry. To Eva it looked like an ornate necklace made of jeweled seashells. He contemplated it as he held it in his calloused hands.

“That’s beautiful,” Eva said.

“So was my partner,” Rovender replied, and put the necklace back into his rucksack.

“So you left . . . to go where?” Eva asked.

“Anywhere.” Rovender looked out at the horizon.

Otto stopped walking. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and let out a low growl.

“Mr. Kitt!” Muthr looked up from the Omnipod. She pointed back over the Wandering Forest. “Up there!”

Above the treetops soared a large bird emitting a low hum.

“Sheesa! That’s Besteel!” Rovender sneered as he grabbed his spyglass hanging from his pack. He peered into the eyepiece. “He is on his glider, combing the forest.”

The giant water bear let out another low hooting sound.

“We have to take cover now!” Rovender lowered the spyglass. “He’ll have trouble spotting us in the wood.”

“Head for the trees, Otto,” Eva said aloud. And hide us as fast as you can, she thought to her mount. Otto turned and made his way toward the tree line, letting out a low, creaky call that sounded like branches rubbing together.

“He’s not going to make it in time,” Rovender said, grabbing his rucksack. “We need to make a run for it.”

“Hold on! Otto will make it.” Eva kept a wary eye on Besteel. The huntsman circled over the forest, then headed in their direction.

“I don’t know what Otto has in mind, but tell him not to leap, Eva,” Rovender said. “Besteel will discover us for sure.”

Muthr spoke over the whine of her motor as she raced alongside them, “Mr. Kitt, Eva, what is that?”

Several large wandering trees broke from the forest and barreled across the flats straight toward Eva and her companions.

“I have no idea. Eva, what’s going on?” Rovender asked.

Protect. Hide. Safe.

“Don’t be afraid,” Eva said. “They are here to help.”