“Fifer, no! She just gave the dissenters permission to attack us, and some of them are in such a frenzy that they might not hesitate to use lethal spells. If Frieda or some crazy follower of hers kills you, she wins too… and I lose. Again. You and I alone are not strong enough to defeat them. Let’s be smart. Come on. Follow me.” Sky grabbed Fifer’s hand, and the two, staying low, slipped through the dining room and to one of the windows that had been shattered in a skirmish. Fifer froze the guard standing there with his back to them. Then the two jumped through to the lawn. They got up and ran for the fountain, beyond which they could see Lani and Samheed standing with Florence, having a heated conversation without being attacked. The spats and skirmishes around them had diminished significantly due to the meeting inside the mansion. Fifer and Sky soon reached them.

“He’ll help us when he can,” Florence was saying passionately. “I believe that. I don’t care who the new head mage is now—Simber won’t turn his back on me. Or any of us. It doesn’t matter what he’s instilled with. Following a bad leader is not in his nature. It can’t be! Or I’ll take him out with my own bare hands!”

Lani saw the two coming and reached out to embrace Fifer. “We’re so glad you’re back. Some terrible things are happening.”

“Yeah,” said Sky, “we figured that out.” She patted Ahab’s sword. “I’m ready to fight.”

Lani flashed a grim smile. “That’s good. But, Fifer, you’d better not linger—I think Aaron wants you to go to the Island of Shipwrecks before Frieda sees you.”

“Thanks, but I’m not going anywhere.” Fifer spoke firmly and didn’t elaborate further, having more important news to share. “Simber’s locked in the theater.”

“What?” said Florence. “How?”

“Frieda sent him in through the 3-D door. Once he was inside, she took the door down, and now he’s trapped.”

Samheed blew out an impatient breath. “Well, of course she did.” He shook his head angrily. “She doesn’t trust that he’s fully with her, and she knows she can’t fight him.”

“Where’s the 3-D drawing?” asked Florence.

“Frieda has it,” said Fifer. “She’s surrounded by her dissenters. They’re planning to banish all of us from the mansion. Aaron and me and all of our friends. You.”

“It’s like a siege,” said Sky. “Only they’re going to keep us out, not in.”

Florence closed one eye and looked at the sky, her nose wrinkling. “That’s… crazy. Isn’t it? How does that hurt us, exactly?”

“We have water,” said Samheed, pointing to the fountain. “We can get food from Quill. So I’m not sure their idea is going to work.”

“Components,” said Fifer grimly. “We don’t have access to them. What we have on us is it.”

“And we’re severely outnumbered,” said Sky.

Florence studied the newcomers. “We need that door drawing back so we can get Simber out. It could take days for Octavia to draw a new one.” Florence glanced around the lawn looking for allies, seeing a few small groups of people, creatures, and statues standing together. “Where is everybody?”