There was no question what it meant. Even across the huge divide between our species, I could recognize that emotion.

"You love her," I said.

"Jara Hamee loves," the Hork-Bajir said. "Kalashi, Jara Hamee free. Want free."

Ax swiveled his stalk eyes back toward me. "l think I believe him."

"Yeah. Me, too, Ax."

"Hey. You guys down there?" Cassie called down from above. "We have company coming."

"What kind of company, Cassie?" I heard Jake snap.

"Fifteen, maybe twenty people. They're strung out in a line. Coming this way."

"And I have an equal number coming from the southeast," Rachel said.

"And ... oh, man. They have Hork-Bajir with them! It's not even dark and they're bringing Hork-Bajir out! In the open!"

"They want our boy here real badly," I said. "lt's a big risk running aliens through the woods when it's still light enough to see."

"They're converging on you," Cassie reported. "l have a small troop of Hork-Bajir coming up, too. Oh, man. This isn't good. You guys

are practically surrounded. You have maybe five minutes till they're all over you."

"Talk about bad timing. It's getting late," Marco pointed out. "lt's almost dinnertime. My dad will give me much grief if I don't get home in time for dinner."

Jake laughed. So did I. It was just so ridiculous having to worry about being grounded when we were halfway surrounded by Yeerks.

"We could easily escape," Ax said. "We can all morph some small animal or bird and not be seen."

"That wouldn't help old Jara Hamee here," Marco said.

"Distraction," Jake said. "We need to draw the bad guys away."

"But the Yeerks are looking for a Hork-Bajir," Ax pointed out. "Will they be foolish enough to follow any of us?"

"We can only hope they will," Jake said tersely. "We can get away, but I don't think we can leave Jara Hamee behind."

But I had a different idea. Unfortunately, it was a dangerous idea. A very dangerous idea. And the danger would all be on someone else. Not me.

I hesitated. It makes me sick when other people take risks that I can't take. "Look, uh . . . there might be a way . . ." I said at last.

"What?" Jake asked.

"They want a Hork-Bajir to chase, right? Well, we could give them one."

"Morph a Hork-Bajir?" Marco asked. "Ewwww."

"Jara Hamee isn't just any animal," Cassie objected. "He's sentient.

He's self-aware."

"Ax morphed me once," Jake pointed out. "And Cassie, you morphed Rachel."

"l'm just saying we have to get Jara Hamee's permission, at least," Cassie said. "But whatever you decide, do it quick!"

"l'll do it. I'll morph the Hork-Bajir," Rachel said. Suddenly I saw her glide down through the trees on her huge eagle wings. "l need to change morphs, anyway. It's getting too dark for eagle eyes."

"No. I should do it," Ax said quickly.

"No way," Rachel said. She was already starting to demorph. "l have dibs."

"Dibs?"

"l spoke first," Rachel explained.

Ax let it go and focused his main eyes back on the Hork-Bajir. "Yeerks are coming. One of my friends wishes to morph you. To trick the Yeerks.

Do you agree?"

"Jara Hamee hates Yeerks," the big Hork-Bajir said. Like that was all the answer he needed to give.

"0kay then, turn around, Jara Hamee," I ordered the Hork-Bajir.

"Close your eyes and don't look till I tell you. If you open your eyes this Hruthin here . . . this Andalite . . . will slice and dice you. You got it? Eyes closed."

The Hork-Bajir turned around obediently. I would have laughed if I wasn't feeling half-sick with worry for Rachel. I mean, this seven-foot-tall monster was taking orders from a twenty-inch-long bird.

But my sense of humor was slightly damaged right then. Rachel was going to morph a Hork-Bajir. And then she was going to draw off the Yeerks.

She was going to make them chase her.

It made me sick to think about it. It had been my idea. My brilliant idea. And she would take the risk.

Rachel began to emerge from her eagle body. She rose up swiftly from the pine needle and rotting leaf floor of the forest. Up and up, a weird, misshapen, nightmare creature made of fair human flesh and dark brown feathers, bright yellow beak, and lengthening legs.

I would have given anything to be able to go in her place. But I can't morph. I would be safe in the sky or in the trees while she was trying to outrun the enemy.

It was the story of my life lately. My friends

went into danger, and I stayed safe. All because I couldn't morph.

In a minute Rachel was no longer a bird, but a human girl. A human girl who even now, even with all of us scared, managed to look like some smiling magazine cover girl.

"You don't have to do this, Rachel," I said.

"lt's Rachel's greatest thrill," Marco said. "Morph a Hork-Bajir? Hey, she'll finally get to become on the outside what she's always been inside."

"Shut up, Marco," I snapped.

Rachel gave me a look that said, "Don't worry, Tobias." But she said nothing because she was now fully human. We still didn't want the Hork-Bajir to know we were human. We didn't want him to hear a human voice.

The Hork-Bajir stood peacefully as Rachel reached out her slender fingers to touch the creature's back. The Hork-Bajir went slightly limp as she began to "acquire" him. To absorb his DNA and make it part of her.

"Guys?" Cassie called down from the sky. "l'm serious now. The bad guys are definitely getting close. I can see them."

With my hawk's hearing, I heard the sounds of heavy creatures stomping and crashing clumsily through the woods. I heard the metallic clank