He kneed his horse, riding closer toward the farm. The others rode around him, and dust rose from the dirt road. The fields rustled at their sides.

  She could be anywhere, Riff thought. Hiding in the fields, in the barn, in the farmhouse attic . . . or maybe even long gone, fled to the mountains.

  "Midnight!" he called out. "Midnight, we're here to help you! If you can hear me, come and talk to me!"

  The fields rustled. A large black bird, similar to a crow but beating eight wings, fled into the distance.

  No pirilian.

  No skelkrins.

  Riff rode on, his gun raised and loaded. His companions rode around him, weapons ready. Even Romy had finally ceased her blabbering and raised her pitchfork.

  "Midnight!" Riff called. "I know you're here. Come and talk to me. Come--"

  Stalks of corn creaked at his right side.

  The air popped.

  A flash of purple appeared on the barn's roof.

  A ball of golden light hurled down toward him.

  Riff shouted. His horse reared and neighed. The light missed them by inches, slamming into the dirt road, digging a hole.

  Nova shouted and lashed her whip, sending sparks of electricity toward the barn. Steel shouted and pointed his sword, and light blasted out from the blade.

  "No!" Riff shouted. "We want her alive, don't--"

  The air popped again. The purple figure vanished from the barn. Purple flashed again to Riff's left. She stood in the field of wheat! He glimpsed yellow eyes, a lavender face, a black hood and cloak. She raised her palm and more qi energy flew his way.

  Riff winced. He tried to dodge the blast of light, to ride away, knowing he was too slow, knowing the qi would hit him.

  A whip cracked.

  Nova's lash swung through the air, faster than the speed of sound, and slapped the ball of qi away. The energy slammed into a rock on the road, shattering the stone.

  Nova winked and gave him a crooked smile. "Watch your back, pilgrim."

  He groaned. "Cowboy talk later. Catch her!"

  Nova nodded. "Let's rustle up that varmint."

  "I said no cowboy talk!"

  The air popped again as Midnight ported, now appearing on top of the silo. Her qi blasted down, screeching through the air. The blast hurtled toward Steel. The knight swung his sword, parrying the blow.

  Midnight vanished.

  Riff heard her shout behind him.

  He spun around--too late. Her light blasted forward, heading toward Nova.

  And Nova was facing the wrong way.

  "Nova!" Riff shouted. He rode his horse toward her, leaped from the saddle, and tried to grab her, to pull her down.

  He was too slow. Midnight's qi slammed into Nova's golden armor, knocking the ashai from the saddle. She slammed onto the ground, screaming in pain, her armor cracking.

  Steel screamed too. Riff turned his head to see Midnight appear a hundred meters above in the sky, her light blasting down onto Steel. The knight's armor cracked, and he fell too.

  Before Midnight could fall down to her death, she ported again, now appearing upon the farmhouse roof, and her light flared out.

  Twig was screaming. Piston leaped off his saddle, placed his hammer's head against his shoulder, and began firing bullets through the hammer's shaft. The fire riddled the farmhouse.

  "No firing!" Riff shouted. "We need her alive!"

  "She's killing us, Captain!" Piston shouted back.

  "There she is, in the sky again!" Romy cried out. The demon snarled, leaped off her horse, and beat her wings. She soared into the sky, claws stretched out, fangs bared. Before the demon could reach Midnight, the pirilian vanished again.

  This time, Midnight appeared on the road only several feet away from Riff.

  She raised her palms and pointed her light at him.

  "Wait!" Riff shouted. "Midnight, wait!"

  She shot her light toward him.

  Riff grimaced and fired his gun.

  Blood splashed.

  The air popped.

  Midnight vanished.

  Riff found himself lying on the ground by his horse. He grimaced in pain; an ugly burn covered his thigh. Purple blood speckled the road. He had hit Midnight. Stars damn it, he had hit her, the very woman he needed alive, the very woman whose life might just save the cosmos. Yet perhaps she still lived. He saw no corpse.

  "Midnight!" he shouted, struggling to his feet. His wound smoked and sizzled. "Midnight, listen to me! Stop fighting us. I'm here to help you. My name is Riff Starfire. My father, Aminor, sent me here. Can you hear me?"

  The fields rustled. Nova moaned on the road, still alive, her armor cracked. Twig was leaning over the ashai, bandaging her wound. Steel struggled to his feet; his breastplate had shattered, but it had saved his life.

  No Midnight.

  No more qi light.

  Piston slowly lowered his hammer. "She ported off to die, Captain." The gruffle spat. "Probably lying dead in the fields."

  Twig gazed around with wide eyes, then covered her face and trembled. Romy flew back down to the ground, stood beside her horse, and looked around with huge, haunted eyes. Groaning, Nova struggled to her feet and came to stand beside Riff. She raised her whip; the lash crackled with electricity.

  "Midnight," Riff said again, speaking softly now. "Midnight, we're putting down our weapons." He knelt slowly and placed his gun down on the ground. "You're safe."

  He looked at the others, gesturing for them to do the same. Romy put down her pitchfork, and Twig tossed down her wrench. Piston grumbled but let his hammer drop with a thud. Nova growled and clung to her whip, but at a glare from Riff, she spat and let it fall to the ground; it coiled up like a snake, its electricity dying.

  "Steel, you too," Riff said.

  The knight stared back, sword in hand. Riff knew that Solflare was a part of the knight as much as his arm, heart, and soul. But finally Steel tightened his lips, put down the antique sword, and took a step back.

  "Midnight, our weapons are down!" Riff stepped farther away from the pile of weapons. The others joined him. "Now come out. Let us tend to your wound. Let us help you."

  For a long moment he heard only the rustling fields.

  And then, slowly, Midnight emerged from between the corn stalks.

  Riff's plasma blast had grazed her hip; her purple blood dripped. She gazed at him with huge, luminous eyes like those of a cat. She pulled back her hood, revealing a purple face, indigo hair, and long ears.

  "Riff?" she whispered, and those eyes flooded with tears. "Riff from Earth? Aminor's son?"

  He smiled tremulously and reached out to her. "It's me. You're safe. We're here to help. We--"

  Roars tore the air.

  The earth shook.

  Twenty creatures rose from the field, towering giants of crimson skin, blazing white eyes, fangs and claws.

  Skelkrins, Riff knew at once.

  "Midnight, behind you!" he shouted, racing toward her, trying to grab her.

  He was too slow.

  One of the skelkrins, a beast of horns and warty red skin, fired a massive iron gun the size of a man.

  A black web blasted out, tipped with metal shards, and wrapped around Midnight. The pirilian fell, screaming, thrashing as the web tightened around her, constricting her, sealing her within a cocoon.

  "Kill them!" Riff shouted to his companions. "Shoot them down!"

  The other Alien Hunters raced toward their pile of weapons. Riff clenched his jaw and ran forward instead, trying to reach the trapped Midnight. She was still thrashing within her cocoon, her screams muffled. A shining black membrane was growing along the web, thickening into a shell, sealing Midnight until her screams died, until she couldn't even thrash.

  Riff reached the cocoon and leaped forward, trying to grab the encased Midnight.

  The skelkrin who shot her stepped forward. He was a massive, towering creature. Easily over eight feet tall. Easily a thousand pounds of muscle and jagged black armor. The creature's fangs shone, longer than daggers. His white eyes swirled like exploding suns. The beast swung his arm, and a fist the size of a frozen chicken slammed into Riff's head.

  Riff flew through the air.

  He slammed against the ground, seeing stars, tasting blood.

  "Riff!" Nova shouted.

  He blinked, trying to see through the haze. He managed to push himself up to his elbows. The world spun, and he made out twenty skelkrins or more looming above him. One of them--the brute that had hit him--lifted Midnight in her black encasing. He held the bundle to his chest; Midnight seemed small as a baby in swaddling clothes against him.

  "Midnight!" Riff shouted and pushed himself to his feet. His jaw screamed in agony.

  The ground shook as the skelkrins turned on their jet packs. Smoke rose in clouds. Fire raged across the fields. The skelkrins blasted up into the sky, carrying Midnight with them.

  At his side, Nova lashed her whip again and again, sending up lightning bolts toward the fleeing skelkrins. Piston growled, grabbed his hammer, and began blasting bullets out of its shaft. Steel lifted his sword, pointed it skyward, and shot up beams of light.

  "Wait!" Riff shouted. "Stop! You'll hit Midnight."

  One of the weapons--Riff wasn't sure which one--hit a skelkrin above. The beast's jet tank exploded in the sky, raining down sparks and bits of red flesh. The other skelkrins kept soaring.

  "Stop!" Riff shouted. "We can't hurt Midnight!"

  He stared upward, wincing. The skelkrins rose higher and higher, leaving trails of smoke and fire . . . until they vanished.

  Riff turned to stare at the others. They looked back at him, some grim, others gasping. Romy shed tears. Dust and blood covered them all.

  "They're taking Midnight back to their starship." Riff's heart banged against his ribs, his fingers shook, and blood dripped down his leg. He gritted his teeth and leaped back onto his horse. "Hurry! To the Dragon Huntress. Ride!"

  They all leaped onto their horses. They galloped down the road. Dust flew, stinging Riff's eyes, and he could barely breathe, and fear colder and darker than the depths of space flooded him.

  * * *

  Skrum blasted up through Cirona's atmosphere, clutching the wriggling Midnight in his arms.

  Fire and heat blazed around them. Midnight screamed inside the fleshy membrane he had wrapped her in. The cocoon would protect her frail body from the vacuum of space. As his jet pack roared, thrusting him into the emptiness, he held her close to his chest.

  "You are safe, precious." He licked the cocoon, savoring its sticky sweetness. "You are safe inside your shell. It is when I open your shell that you should scream."

  They shot through the last layers of atmosphere, twenty skelkrins and their prey. Of course, they needed no space suits like humans, no sticky cocoons like the one that engulfed Midnight. They were skelkrins. They were the galaxy's strongest predators. Their hard skin could withstand even the vacuum of space. Their lungs could last without air for hours, even days.

  "We are the galaxy's most evolved hunters," he said to the cocoon. Midnight still writhed inside. "And soon you, Midnight, will lead us to every corner of the galaxy on our conquest. Yes, precious. I'm going to break you into a million shards. I'm going to clone each one into a new you. And I'm going to thrust you into a million starships. You will become the engines of our fleet, porting us across the universe. As our enemies still use fuel or hyperjets, we will use Midnight-engines." Skrum licked his chops. "You, precious child, will bring about a skelkrin cosmos."

  She screamed. She wept. He smiled.

  The skelkrins kept blasting upward, moving through open space now, leaving the planet far below. Skrum looked up and saw his warship there, a massive crab with iron claws. He directed his flight toward the ship.

  The hangar doors opened above, a mouth to swallow them. Skrum shot toward the entrance, flew through the hangar, and finally landed on the hard metal floor. The others entered behind him and the hangar doors slammed shut with a thud.

  Skrum tossed Midnight down. She clanged against the floor. The other skelkrins laughed, kicked her, spat on her shell.

  "Enough!" Skrum shouted. "She's not to be harmed. Not yet. She must reach the emperor alive."

  He shoved the other skelkrins aside. They hissed and snapped their teeth at him, but they withdrew. Skrum stepped toward the hardened, black shell and knelt before it. He tore open a rent with his claws, exposing Midnight's face.

  She gasped for air. She screamed.

  Skrum spat on her face.

  "You thought you could escape me." He trailed a claw across her cheek, cutting a thin line. Purple blood beaded. "My sweet Midnight, it's time to go home."

  He rose to his feet. He turned to face the others. "We go to the bridge. We bomb this planet into desolation. And then we fly home in victory!"

  Their roars shook the warship, and Midnight screamed again.

  Chapter 23

  The Crab's Claws

  "Giga, fire up the engines!" Riff shouted into his communicator, riding his horse back into town. "We got to fly!"

  Dust rose around him in clouds as he galloped. The skelkrins were gone into the sky. His fellow Alien Hunters rode around him, eyes dark.

  Riff tugged the reins, and his horse reared and halted. He leaped from the saddle and ran, kicking up dust, toward the HMS Dragon Huntress. The ship stood in the yard. Several children had been coloring with chalk on its facade; they fled as Riff approached. He yanked the airlock's outer door, raced upstairs, opened the second door, and barged into the main deck. Steel ran close behind, and the others soon leaped in too.

  Riff made for the bridge, shouting all the while. "Giga, fly! Fly into orbit!"

  Her voice rose from the bridge ahead. "Happy to comply!"

  Smoke blasted out the windows. The ship shook madly. They were soaring into the sky before Riff even reached the bridge. He stumbled up the last few steps, falling and banging his knee. The ship rattled madly, roaring as it ascended. Riff fell again, dragged himself into the bridge, and somehow made it to his chair. Blood kept seeping down his leg.

  "Captain!" Giga said. "You're hurt. Are--"

  "Just keep flying! Find the skelkrin ship. They have Midnight."

  Giga gasped, shut her mouth, and nodded. At his sides, Nova and Steel made it to their seats and sat down. The ship kept shaking madly as it soared through the atmosphere. The bulldog fell again. Finally they found themselves in open space, Vega shining in the distance.

  Ahead flew the skelkrin warship.

  Riff had seen the vessel on his monitor before, but now it loomed before him. The massive ship dwarfed the Dragon Huntress. Its metal claws reached out, each large enough to crush the Dragon Huntress. Its spikes gleamed in the sunlight. And its guns were blasting out plasma, raining death down onto the planet below.

  "They're killing the colonists," Nova whispered. Tears filled her eyes. "They're burning them all."

  Slowly the skelkrin ship began turning toward the Dragon Huntress.

  Its guns fired.

  "Giga, dodge!" Riff shouted.

  The Dragon swerved in the sky. Riff nearly fell from his seat. They dodged one blast of plasma, but another blast slammed into them.

  Sparks flew. Fire raged across the bridge. A thousand lights blinked and warning sirens wailed.

  "Fire back!" Nova shouted, leaping to her feet.

  "Wait, no!" Riff said. "Giga, cancel that order. We can't hurt Midnight."

  More enemy fire flew. Plasma blasted all around them. The Dragon Huntress flew madly, dodging blast after blast until another bolt hit them. The windshield cracked and nearly shattered.

  "Captain, we've lost an engine!" Piston shouted through the communicator.

  "Riff, we might have to kill her!" Nova shouted. "We have to blast them out of space, Midnight or no Midnight."

  Giga turned toward Riff. She stared, awaiting his orders. "Captain?" the android whispered.

  Riff clenched his jaw. He couldn't flee--not with Midnight aboard the enemy vessel. He couldn't fire back--not without killing her.

  "Giga," he said, "fire at their cannons and engines. Not their main hull." He clenched his fist. "We're going to cripple the bastards."

  Giga's eyes flashed and her lips peeled back into something almost like a snarl. "Happy to comply, Captain," she hissed . . . and fired.

  Searing red plasma blasted from the Dragon Huntress like dragonfire.

  The inferno slammed into the enemy ship's cannons.

  Explosions filled space.

  The skelkrin ship rocked madly. Shards of metal flew out. Flames blasted through the escaping air. Riff caught his breath, suddenly sure the entire warship would crash down to the planet, taking Midnight with it.

  But the great metal crab remained flying. Its main plasma guns had shattered. The cannons thrust out in broken shards, reminding Riff of those old cartoons where the villain fired a shotgun with a rock in the barrel. But the Crab's smaller guns, a dozen of them across its hull, had survived the assault. They now turned toward the Dragon Huntress and shot out smaller bolts.

  "Evasive action!" Riff shouted. He was sure he had heard that term somewhere before. It seemed to work. Happy to comply, Giga raised the Dragon Huntress higher. The blasts shot beneath them.

  The skelkrin vessel came charging toward them.

  "Giga, fly beneath the bastard." Riff stood at the windshield, staring at the warship barreling forward. "Fly under it, and we're going to cripple its engines. We can't blast it apart, but we can make sure they're not getting away with Midnight."

  Giga nodded and the Dragon Huntress dipped in orbit, then charged forward. Enemy lasers flew above them. Streaks of light filled the sky.

  "Lower!" Riff shouted. "We're going to slam together!"

  The Crab came charging forth. Soon the two ships were only a kilometer apart, then only meters apart.

  Nova screamed.

  Giga snarled.

  The Dragon Huntress dipped in space. Riff grimaced, grabbing onto the dashboard.