“I have a solution for that,” he replies, this time sounding as serene as the Lake Baku inhabitants. “It’s what I’ve done to anyone who’s tried to stop me.” He gestures to his security team, and three of them step forward. In their arms are four sloth bakus, ready to be powered up and leashed—to us.

Panic rises in my chest, and both Tobias and Kai gasp in shock as they realize Eric is willing to update them too. “It’s not just us! People on the outside know too,” I cry. I don’t know if that’s really true, but we’ve been sending messages to Ashley, and she would have sent them on to Zora and River back at Tobias’s cottage.

“Oh? I’m afraid you might be mistaken about that.” He steps aside.

“Oka!” Kai cries out from behind me.

My hand flies up to cover my mouth. Oka is there, but he’s a crumpled heap on the ground at Eric’s feet. And behind the unconscious baku is Ashley. One of the security team members is dragging her out from inside the cottage. There are tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. They caught me almost right away after you left. He’s…he’s got Jupiter.” And sure enough, I see Jupiter pinned beneath the feet of the security baku nearest to Ashley.

“It’s not your fault,” I say to Ashley, into the silence left by Tobias and Kai. I’m surprised by the lack of protest I’m hearing from both of them, but especially by Tobias. He’s supposed to be our leader, and he’s letting us down at the crucial moment. I turn back to Eric.

“Things would have gone so much smoother if you had simply let your little beetle baku update you, as I instructed it to. But Tobias and Kai and Ashley—it doesn’t have to be this way for you. You can have your bakus back. As long as you give up this quest to stop the update from rolling out this evening. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to pair you up with one of these sloth bakus…and your originals will be destroyed.”

To their credit, Ashley and Kai both hesitate. But when Ashley yelps out a cry of alarm as the security panther sinks his clawed paw deeper into Jupiter’s body, I give her a nod. They both rush forward, collecting their broken bakus. Ashley mouths “I’m sorry,” to me, but I don’t blame her. I know the connection they both have to their bakus.

I would never want them to be separated.

“How about you, Tobias?” Eric asks, looking up at Toby’s beautiful golden eagle baku.

“Lacey, I…”

“Go with Aero,” I say, my voice soft.

“But…”

“Come on, bro. I think Mom and Dad want to have a word with you.” Nathan folds his arms across his chest.