In the entryway, dissenters kept their distance from the dragon. Florence slid off Quince’s back, and Kaylee and Ishibashi followed, staying close behind the warrior woman for protection from flying components. As they moved through the space, Florence held off anyone trying to rush at them, and Kaylee and Ishibashi used their throwing stars to take down any menacing approaching attackers. Florence sliced the air with components in rapid succession, turning clockwise in a circle and striking dissenters at every tick. The panicked crowds that were rushing down the stairs from their rooms skirted around the enormous dragon and began clambering for the exits. Many of them crashed to the ground in mid-escape after being hit by a spell from Simber’s team passing through.

When the enemy activity around Florence slowed down, Quince swiped his tail from side to side, rounding up enchanted dissenters and placing them in piles near the windows that faced the lawn. Florence and her team cautiously began picking up and tossing frozen and otherwise incapacitated dissenters outside in preparation for the next step of their plan.

Then Quince noticed a rogue group of dissenters whose spells had worn off trying to sneak back in through the door by the kitchen. Their sights were on Thisbe as she rode by on Simber, and they were poised to knock her flat and bring her to Frieda Stubbs, as the woman had requested. But Quince saw them coming and blew a huge fiery breath down the hallway in their direction. He turned them to charcoal and accidentally set the broken tubes on fire, requiring help putting it out from Gorgrun’s team. After that, Florence sent Quince back outside to assist Gorgrun and the Grimere fighters.

Things were miraculously going better than expected, but there were two questions on Florence’s mind: First, where was Frieda Stubbs? Florence had been searching for any sign of the woman, but found none. And second, why hadn’t Fifer arrived yet? She should have been here by now. Florence desperately hoped that Fifer wasn’t having any problems with her part of the plan—that could be devastating for more than just her. And now more of the frozen people were thawing, which meant Florence had to start fresh with a new round of freeze spells. With so few spell casters, things were getting dicey. If everyone started waking up at once, they’d have a brand-new battle on their hands, only this time they’d be scattered and without a plan. Florence dug in, pelting everybody she could find who was stirring, and wishing Simber would come back with Thisbe, Rohan, and Sky—she could use the help.

Luckily, one of Florence’s questions was answered when fresh screams arose from the lawn. The mansion shook and rattled like it was sitting on top of a giant beating heart. Florence rushed to the windows to see the rock barreling across the lawn from the jungle with Panther bounding beside her at a frantic clip. Following behind them was the source of the shaking—the stomping, roaring mastodon, Ol’ Tater, whom Fifer had brought to life. Panther and the rock kept just out of Ol’ Tater’s reach, wanting the beast to follow them but knowing he would turn on them in an instant, for he had been created without any sense of right or wrong and would stomp on anything or anyone if given the chance.