I nodded. “Might not end the effect.”

“You could let us be taken prisoner,” Foil said. “Fly away, get help.”

I shook my head.

“Keep it in mind as a last resort.”

“Last we saw, Nursery was pissed. If I leave you, you all get the Nursery treatment.”

Chastity’s voice was low, dangerous. “I told myself I’d never have a baby. I’ve changed too many diapers, given too many baths, fed smelly food to smellier cousins and whatever. I’d sooner die.”

“Let’s not let it come to that,” I said. “And while we’re assessing what to do and what not to do… Precipice.”

“Sorry,” he said. “Panic.”

“If it was a gun or a toy I’d take it away from you,” I said. “It almost fucked me up when I tried to lasso him.”

“Sorry,” he said.

The bulge where the stuffed doll had been driven into the floorboards was opening up now. The bits of flesh that had been competing for space at the edge of the hole were now rising tall. One reached out to start pumping seeds into the ear of one of Lord of Loss’s soldiers. Another started trying to feed on the stuffed animal. Futile. The stuffed creation fought and smashed until it was pulled down.

Others were creeping out, trying to seize on fallen soldiers. All together, they stopped, leaving those soldiers alone.

“She’s here,” I said. They’ll be controlled instead of acting animal.

“She’s there,” Aroa said. She grabbed Candy by the shoulders, spinning her around.

Candy blew a kiss.

I couldn’t see a result, aside from a stagger on the distant Nursery’s part, where she stood by a building. But I felt a general change in the movements of Nursery’s creations. Some started groping for unconscious and injured soldiers again.

“Two out of ten,” Aroa said.

“I don’t trust your reviews,” Candy said.

“If you want to pose while using your ability you have to do way better than that.”

“You’d lie just to make me feel bad because you get your—”

“Focus,” Chastity said.

“Okay. But I’m out of power, just so you know. I hit her with a quarter tank of happiness oversaturation.”

The battlefield was Nursery’s, even if she wasn’t in control; she was keeping one hand on her head and looking around in alarm, but she was still creating mist. Any hard impacts broke the ground and released monsters.

Lord of Loss, immune to those monsters, was stomping around, tearing everything up. Some of his soldiers were still there at the edges.

I had to digest the flow of events, scouring my brain to think of how we were supposed to get out of this.