High above Ol’ Tater, Fifer and her birds were heading toward the mansion.

“Thank goodness,” Florence muttered, laying down a row of dissenters who were struggling to their feet. “Simber!” she shouted, and in seconds the cheetah screeched around a corner and flew to Florence’s side, his riders slipping and sliding as they tried to hang on. “It’s time,” Florence told him. “Leave Thisbe with me—you can keep Rohan and Sky, but Kaylee, Ishibashi, and I need a little more help here. Run out the back way and speak to Panther first. I’ll set Fifer in motion.”

“Got it,” said Simber.

Thisbe slid off, and Simber galloped down the hallway with Sky and Rohan past what was left of the smoldering tubes. Thisbe saw them and gasped. Could that situation get any worse? Now what were they going to do? There weren’t answers. Instead, Thisbe turned her attention back to the dissenters, more of whom were thawing from being frozen.

“Help me keep them from escaping,” Florence said, but Thisbe was already firing off components and freeze spells, inside and through the windows at the bodies on the lawn. Once Simber was outside, Florence signaled above to Fifer and her birds to be ready.

Fifer signaled back to let Florence know she understood. She shouted orders to her jungle companions.

In response, the rock came to a sliding halt near the fountain, sending a long ribbon of sod flying into the air and pelting disoriented Artiméans. Ol’ Tater slowed down, then tried to stomp on the rock, but he couldn’t lift his foot high enough. So he did no harm to the rock, but he continued trying, and the pursuit kept Ol’ Tater occupied for the moment, which was helpful. The rock opened his giant mouth and waited for the plan Florence had talked to him about to begin.

Simber, with his passengers, ran up to Panther and touched noses with her in greeting. Sky and Rohan eyed the black cat warily. Her fangs dripped with saliva and were a little too close for comfort. Rohan drew his legs up in front of him.

Panther was a bit of a wild card, but she listened to Simber. In Panther’s ear he whispered, “Rrround up the fleeing ones and chase them into the rrrock’s mouth. Trrry not to bite anyone unless they’rrre rrreally annoying.”

Panther crouched and backed up. With an earsplitting screech, she sprinted into action, tearing across the lawn and circling around the dissenters. Ol’ Tater saw her moving and gave up on stomping the rock. He pursued her instead and, in the process, essentially kept the dissenters from daring to make any moves at all for fear of him turning on them. Panther herded these captured foes toward the rock. With her fangs and ability to chase them down, combined with Ol’ Tater stomping around and being terrifying, dissenters willingly jumped into the rock’s mouth for their own safety, some of them surrendering once they realized everything they were up against.