A loud crash exploded behind them. Eva turned to see Besteel rising up behind her from broken planks—he had jumped more than twenty meters down to her bridge. As she pushed the angry Halcyonus fisherman aside, Eva heard the hum of Besteel’s charging rifle. “You are mines, leettle runner.” He aimed the weapon at her.

Eva stood, facing the towering huntsman, trembling. “Why are you chasing me? What do you want?” she yelled.

“You are a prize worth all this running about,” Besteel said. The boomrod’s muzzle was centimeters from Eva’s chest.

“I am not a prize! You’ll never catch me!” She spit into the predator’s face.

Stunned at her ferocity, Besteel blinked the spittle out of his eyes. It was only for a second, but it was all that Eva needed—she dove off the bridge and plunged down to the bitter green depths below.

As the emerald surface of the lake rushed toward her, Eva’s mind replayed Hostia’s warning about hunting turnfins, diving spiderfish, and never being able to hide.

CHAPTER 26: FAR AWAY

Perhaps it was the cold temperature of the water that knocked the girl unconscious. Or perhaps it was the fear that filled her heart as she plummeted down, down, off the bridge and hit the lake’s surface like a doll.

Eva Nine sank into the blue-green depths of the great lake, the sun’s rays reduced to pale dancing ribbons of light playing above her. A large shadowy form emerged from the dark gloomy deep to claim her limp figure.

A behemoth.

Otto’s legs propelled him up toward the surface. Paddling like an enormous many-legged turtle, he gently came up under Eva’s body and carried her toward the sunlight.

Breathe. Little one. Air.

Eva lay, unmoving, upon the large armored back of the water bear as he swam about under the footbridge.

She did not see the fishermen on the bridge lowering ropes to rescue her.

She did not see Rovender jump down into the water and swim toward her.

She did not hear Muthr scream, louder than a robot should, for her daughter.

And she did not feel the large arm of Besteel grab her up as he flew over Otto in his glider and carried the girl far, far away.

Eva blinked her eyes as white light burned into her retinas.

Am I back home in the Sanctuary? she thought.

A smell, of chemicals and acid, assaulted her nose.

No, I am not.

Groggy, Eva sat up. A sting of pain shot up from her elbow in her right arm. She rubbed her shoulder.

I think it’s just bruised. I’ll check it later. She felt the Omnipod still tucked safely in her pocket.

Eva rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand and checked her surroundings. Every direction she looked seemed blurry and distorted, like a hologram before a holo-bulb goes out. On shaky legs, she rose.