Fifer directed her falcons to drop her into her room and invited them to remain there for safety’s sake until they were needed again. She communicated with Gorgrun’s team to make sure that, as they continued to sweep the upstairs, they wouldn’t send any fire or spells at the birds while searching methodically for those who might be hiding. Seeing that the upper floor was under control, Fifer ran out to the balcony and downstairs to assist Florence, Thisbe, Kaylee, and Ishibashi on the main floor. Another wave of dissenters was waking up and struggling to their feet to try to fight off the intruders, and Thisbe and Florence had their hands full. Pelting the ones in her way before they could reach for their components, Fifer went to the window nearest Simber and called out to him. “Can you do without Sky and Rohan? We could use more help in here!”

Panther and Ol’ Tater’s herding technique was working well, and the outdoor team was fierce enough to make Sky’s and Rohan’s contributions minimal at best. Simber immediately flew the passengers to the mansion and dropped them off.

Fifer ran to confer with him. “What’ll you do when the rock is full?” she asked. “Make a corral with the statues and dragons?”

“That’s the plan,” said Simber. He didn’t stick around to elaborate and flew back to be a part of the circle that included the rock, Panther, and Ol’ Tater. As Florence tossed people through the windows, Panther herded them, and the others moved fluidly based on Ol’ Tater’s whims to keep the dissenters surrounded but safe from the stomping mastodon.

“Follow me,” Fifer told Sky and Rohan, helping them in through the window. “There are still plenty of people hiding in the cubbyholes and crevices, and we haven’t found Frieda yet. Gorgrun and the Grimere fighters are covering the second floor, driving everybody downstairs. We’ll join Thisbe and continue on the first.” She started down the hallway, then ducked and hit the floor, crying, “Watch out!” Components came flying their way. Sky got hit by a backward bobbly head. Rohan released the spell, and the three scrambled to find cover before venturing forward again.

Florence saw them coming. “Good,” she said. “I’m going outside to help make the corral. You three join Thisbe and keep sending frozen bodies out to us.” She hesitated, then spoke quietly to Fifer. “The momentum is changing in our favor. But stay strong and be on your guard.”

Fifer nodded, and they got to work. The ranks of dissenters had thinned inside the mansion. With the largest attackers having relocated outside—Quince, Simber, and Florence—some of Frieda’s followers who were still in hiding crept out to see what was going on and to look for a means of escape. But Thisbe, Sky, Rohan, Kaylee, Ishibashi, and Fifer were on the move, hunting them down and making every attempt to attack before being fired upon. They forced them with swords to the windows or froze them and dragged them there, confiscating their components and tossing bodies one at a time onto the lawn for Simber and Florence to deal with. But there was still one person they hadn’t run across yet.