There was only one important concept in the world: only Phrixos remained, and Phrixos needed to go down. Disabled if possible, but if he died, that was acceptable.

In the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, Phrixos spun around, searching for a way out.

Erica had planted herself blocking the inward-swinging front door, arms spread slightly from her sides.

Des crouched halfway to the kitchen, tail lashing and ears back, and Zach could hear the low warning rrrrrrrr deep in her throat.

Suzi hovered in the doorway of the library, her wings spread about two-thirds of their normal extent, and her breathing was fast; the dark border to her wings only fed Zach's rage.

Theo blocked the doorway to the sitting room, a webbed hand on either side of the frame, hair dripping water from a recent soaking.

And Alison was already at the second-floor landing on her way down, with JC presumably still with Kayla somewhere behind.

*Give him a chance to surrender,* Suzi said. *We have to.*

Hissing, Zach circled, tail twitching. *Make it quick.*

“Monster,” Theo told Phrixos, and her voice was less running water than ice. “How many lives have you destroyed?”

“How many families?” Suzi said angily.

“No more,” Des snarled.

“Nowhere to go,” Alison said. “Surrender.”

“Well now,” Phrixos said. “My motivation for that would be what?”

“Less likely Zach will kill you.”

“Or just hurt you,” Theo said.

“After everything,” Suzi said, “we're okay with that.”

Erica simply nodded agreement.

“Please refuse,” Zach said, still circling. “Really want to hurt you.”

“Y'know,” Kayla said from the stairs, “my friends are such good people they're even giving you this last chance. I wouldn't. But I don't want them wasting time on stupid action-movie dialogue. Decide now, asshole. Three – two – o...”

The kitchen door slammed violently open, and Barry charged in with a bellow of rage. Clothes and body were so heavily coated with mud that he looked scarcely more human than most fae did, but that build was unmistakable. Of more immediate concern was the full-sized axe he was swinging in both hands, and the utter fury twisting his features into a caricature.

Des ducked under the axe and scrambled madly up over the railing onto the stairs to join Kayla and JC.

Erica grabbed Suzi's wrist and practically threw her to Alison, at the foot of the stairs; Suzi's damaged wings closed with a snap, and she curled herself up tightly. Alison caught her and gave her a shove in JC's direction without looking away. Zach saw, peripherally, Kayla reach out to steady her as she uncurled.

Theo started to sing, though she had to duck a wild axe-swing, and edged towards Erica.

Phrixos darted into the dining room. There was no external door, and they had a more immediate crisis, shoving that all-consuming priority back a step. Zach dropped to a half-crouch, watching for an opportunity. Theo singing Frere Jacques gave the whole scene a bizarre kind of soundtrack.

*Someone cover Kay's ears!* Theo pleaded. *It's hitting her too!*

Des moved down another step, hastily, and wrapped both arms around Kayla, holding her with one ear tight against Des' bare chest, the other covered by Des' hands, and Zach heard Des purring. Kayla resisted briefly, still trying to orient on Theo, then figured it out and yielded.

It was less effective on Barry. Maybe he was just too worked up, because it had certainly worked quite successfully under other conditions. He swung the axe again, this time at Erica. She was strong but didn't have the fastest reflexes. Zach darted in to block his descending forearm with his own, deflecting it into the nearest wall.

*Get him to turn!* Zach said. *And then stay back! Mine!*

“Hey, Barry,” Alison called. “From what our siren says, you're overcompensating, eh? Zach's a girl now and he's still more of a man than you are.”

Barry, axe raised and gaze on Erica still, whipped around to face Alison.

Zach leapt for Barry's back, pulling himself up higher by digging his claws in as deeply as he could, through mud and vegetation and clothing and skin and flesh.

Barry bellowed profanity and dropped the axe, apparently not stupid enough even under this provocation to slam himself in the back with an axe. Too bad: Zach was sure he could have gotten out of the way unscathed, and while it would have resembled a cartoon, it would have effectively finished this fight. Zach clung, despite Barry's attempts to reach back and seize him, and after several tries, got his tail wrapped around Barry's ribs, both to secure himself and to squeeze. How did that paralyzing tail-sting-thing work, anyway? He had no idea how to control it, but it would certainly be useful right now!

Barry tried smashing backwards into a wall, but encountered only Erica with arms outstretched, her hands at the level of his shoulders, and she shoved him back into the middle of the room. Well, he'd said not to help, but that one seemed like a good call.

Finally, Zach got one arm across Barry's throat. He gripped that hand in the other, letting his own weight and Barry's movements create the pressure.

He'd figured out the motor controls for having a very snakelike tail, surely he could find the way to do just one little thing!

As Barry's breathing grew more laboured and raspy, he began to turn more towards Theo, who was still singing. That reduced some of the violence of his struggles.

Aha!

That sensation actually reminded him of a cough, a sudden brief muscle spasm that ejected something, except of course that it was in his tail. Well, eloquent analogies weren't his forte. One of the geeky types could figure out that kind of thing. The important part was that Barry shuddered and spasmed, then collapsed. Zach kicked free and landed lightly on all fours beside him.

Theo stopped singing, and Des released Kayla, who shook her head hard.

“Phrixos?” Zach asked. “Dining room still?” He didn't wait for an answer, just jumped over Barry and ran for the farthest of the three doors.

“Yes,” JC said unnecessarily.

“Uh,” Kayla said. “I think...”

The dining room was empty.

A thin dark near-circle, just about the right size for one person to stand in, remained on the wooden floor, still wet.

Zach couldn't stop the shriek of sheer frustrated rage. He didn't really try, although it didn't help much.

Des, right behind him, drooped visibly. “Magic circle,” she said miserably. “Jumped somewhere.”

“He has to still be on the island!” Alison said.

“Um, well,” Kayla said, rubbing her forearms absently. “I have good news and bad news. I'm pretty sure I know where he teleported to. The bad news is that I just felt the gate thingie open. And it's too early for Riley.”

He had no idea how she knew that, but she sounded extremely certain. Which meant...

“He got away!” Zach slammed one scaled fist into the wall. That felt good, so he did it again.

“Zach, chill, okay?” JC and Alison obligingly moved aside so Kayla could come down the stairs; she stepped carefully around Barry, leaving Theo to check for a pulse. “I know, I'm pissed off too, and it can't be nearly as bad as it is for you after this long. But Riley and I found you. And I bet we're not going to have to look for this psycho alone. He isn't going to stay free for very long, and he's going to be shitting himself the whole time. The lot of you just gave him a scare he's sure not going to forget in a hurry. Please. I know your adrenaline is through-the-roof high right now and the disappointment's enough to gag on, all I have to do is look at the lot of you even if I couldn't figure that out alone. But we'll track him down and we'll make sure he pays, and he's not going to be kidnapping anyone while he's running for his life.”

Slowly, Kayla's words penetrated. He stopped pulverizing the dining room wall, and slid his hand into her offered one.

She hugged him tightly, not wincing at all from the scales, completely unafraid even when he returned it. “I'm not letting him get away,” she said. “Not after what he's done to you and to everyone at home freaking out.”

“And to dozens more faelings,” Theo said. “Literally. This island is something like thirty-six square kilometers. There's practically every kind of habitat you can think of. And there are probably at least a hundred fae who've been trapped here, some for years local time, some with no memories left and some with partial memories.”

“They've done this to a hundred other people?”

“No,” JC said. “More. Some have died. Or been murdered. They were at least considering wiping the island clean, no witnesses, no evidence, and running for cover. Fae aren't people to them. Our lives have no value at all. And there were a lot of humans they hired as guinea pigs, so they could watch how the fae trapped here killed them.”

Zach felt Kayla take a couple of very slow deep breaths, and her nails skittered harmlessly along his scales as both hands clenched into fists; he saw her close her eyes. The others probably couldn't see her expression change, but he recognized fury, deep enough to drown in, when he saw it. He tightened both arms around her, wordless support.

“Sorry,” Theo said apologetically. “It's bad. It's all bad. I don't know what to tell you that's good. Except that we took down six out of seven and you're now in charge. Every fae on the island has these,” she tapped one wrist cuff, “and you've got the master.”

“All right,” Kayla said briskly, pulling herself together and gently disengaging from Zach. “We'll find number seven later. Right now, it sounds like we have some clean-up to do. Can we find something to use to make sure the six we do have are all seriously restrained? Is there somewhere we can dump them all so that it doesn't take as much effort to keep an eye on them? And possibly the most important, is anyone hurt?”

“Suze is,” Des said. “Fireball. Wings. An' Erica. Barry go' me, no' ba'.” She slid a hand along her tail, and it came away red. “Was slow.”

“Barry got away!” Suzi said. “The flock might be hurt!” She used the bannister to pull herself closer to Des, and started spinning silk to wrap tightly around the cat's injured tail, despite the tear tracks that still showed against her luminous cheeks and the stiffness of her wings even folded carefully.

“Will run and check,” Alison said. “Won't take me long.”

“Okay, those other questions,” Theo told Kayla. “How long are we holding them?”

Kayla fingered a bit of copper on a cord around her neck. “I can yell for help right now.”

“If it takes them two minutes,” Theo said, “that'll still be an hour here. Remember, real-world, you've only been here a few minutes. Go for it.”

Kayla untied the cord and took the copper in both hands. As she bent it back and forth briskly, it snapped at the narrow part in the middle. “Done. Okay, where are all our psychos?”

“One's in a cave at my lake,” Theo said. “He can't get out unless he can dive really deep.”

“Two are in the stable,” Alison said. “Thoroughly restrained.”

“Our friends Orfeo and Paz are watching them,” Theo added.

“One's in the kitchen pantry, unconscious,” JC said. “He probably had an overdose of sleepy meds even before Zach paralyzed him. No idea if he will wake up, let alone when. Obviously Isabel is upstairs, and she doesn't look healthy. And Barry's right here. Three in the house, two in the stable, one over a mile from here.”

Kayla nodded. “Sounds like we've got a lot to do before Riley gets here with the SWAT team. Pick a place to put at least the five we have handy, make sure they're all restrained, do whatever we can for injuries and hope Riley brings paramedics, and check on whoever Suzi's worried about. Getting Theo back in the water is probably a good idea too, I bet, and whatever else any of you need. I know you're all upset. It's a ghastly let-down that even one got off the island. But let's concentrate on what we can do, and we'll get to the bits about setting the bloodhounds on him as soon as we can.” She glanced down, and pulled her phone off her belt. “But give me a minute to send a quick text message. Or maybe several of them.”

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