“So we’re all reading the same script,” Kayla said, “two wizards and a medium have been expecting a war with the fae and thought they were preparing for it, with the help of four hired goons with uncertain motivations. One bad guy is in a cave accessible only to a water fae, we’ll be retrieving him soon, and the other five are confined in isolation in a single building with at least one of ours always keeping an eye on them. I gather at least three are possibly in bad shape, but last I heard, they're still all breathing, if we actually care.”
Zach would have said something if any of their captives had died. But they'd asked Kayla not to tell anyone about their ability to communicate until they were reasonably certain of intentions, so she wouldn't mention that they'd know if there were any change.
“I’m not sure whether you care,” Callie said, with a trace of growl in her voice better suited to a large mammalian carnivore than a bird, “but no faeling here does.”
“We had a few minor injuries on our side, but nothing life-threatening. Callie did what she could for ours but wants nothing to do with healing the bad guys, and I’m not going to argue with her. Our friend Alison, who's basically a humanoid unicorn, will be taking a wagon to retrieve the last bad guy out of the lake cave, but she’s pausing for something to eat first. Callie has been hanging around to meet you, then she and a friend of hers are going back to where they usually hang out, with a group of house fae who set up a sort of neutral space providing food and beds. They’re a major stabilizing force and Callie says she’ll talk to them and they’ll do what they can about keeping things calm as long as they can.” Kayla glanced at Callie, who nodded confirmation. “From what I gather, most of the faelings who've been trapped here should be able to just... keep on doing what they're doing, just under new management, at least for a while.”
The more Kayla said, the more Des could see brows being drawn together and down, lips being bitten or pressed together, body language shifting to suggest increasing apprehension. Arctos was the exception: he stayed impassive, although that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t feeling anything. Some people kept emotions and reactions to themselves.
“We know who needs help to stay fed and who's self-sufficient,” JC said. “We'll take care of it, if we have supplies. But the house-fae collective would be good to have helping with that.” She traded looks with Des. “Politics are very complicated. There will probably be some unrest. Might be danger for you. Be careful or stay with us.”
“Just how much space are we talking about?” Nora asked. “And how many faelings? This is sounding worse by the moment.”
“Thirty-six square kilometers,” JC said. “Not all equally inhabitable. We think there are roughly a hundred faelings still alive.”
“A hundred...” Riley's eyes widened in shock. “Oh my god.”
“There have been more,” Callie said. “Many more. Some didn’t survive long. A few have been here even longer than me. Draw attention, especially by attacking any human, and simply vanish. I couldn’t even begin to give you numbers. Some have little or no memory of life before they were brought here, and the same drugs have, I believe, inhibited some abilities. Some of us have most or all memories and little or no damage. We live on what we can gather, scavenge, steal, or hunt, with a limited and inconsistent degree of supplementation with non-local supplies. Every faeling I have ever talked to, and after something like five years living with the house fae and being the only source of health care on the island I’m fairly sure I have talked to everyone, every last one is suffering from at least intermittent mental health issues.” She crossed her arms, and met Riley’s horrified gaze steadily, then moved on to Nora, Arctos, Niko. “Is it obvious yet that we desperately need help, and a lot of it?”
“Oh, we had better find Phrixos fast,” Nora said grimly to Arctos. “And handle this properly.”
“Agreed,” Arctos said. “They did all this believing a war was inevitable between fae and wizards?” He sighed. “We'll be lucky if we can prevent it from starting one.”
“Can we, perhaps,” Kayla said acidly, “not forget the hundred or so people who are currently stuck with strangers making decisions about their futures?”
“We won’t,” Riley assured her. “Different skills, right? Arctos can handle the bit about finding Phrixos and getting a tribunal together so the ones who did this face justice, and the rest of us will do the things we’re good at.” She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. “Although this is a lot bigger than anything I’ve ever been involved in before. Helping newly-awakened faelings and their families adjust, mediating when worlds collide, that kind of thing, but this is a couple of orders of magnitude greater. That is a lot of people needing help as quickly as possible.”
Callie regarded her thoughtfully, and her expression softened. “Triage is a useful concept. As JC and Kayla said, for the most part, with supplies, the island can continue to function as it has been, with minimal immediate danger. I’ll be able to help you find the ones most urgently in need of intervention, when you’re ready. There will be fear of change, but handle it properly and it will be all right—for a while, at least.”
“And don’t think we won’t ask you how to handle it properly,” Kayla told her.
Callie smiled. “A few small luxuries creeping in would go a long way, since we have been very close to living like animals. Blankets. We haven’t had music to listen to, other than the odd siren-type. Soap that hasn’t been concocted by one of our house fae, and that includes shampoo. Toothbrushes and toothpaste. Hairbrushes other than the few that have been stolen from the house, and for that matter, hair ties and clips. Something as elementary as a few decks of playing cards or books. Fidget toys.”
“Dollar-store stuff, mostly,” Kayla said. “At worst, thrift-store stuff. And I saw your reaction when Jace made basic peanut butter cookies.”
“Mm, yes, food is a whole category of its own. We’ve been eating primarily fruits and vegetables, raw or cooked, with a few nuts and, for those who come to the house fae or have skills of their own, a small amount of chicken or pigeon or fish. Now and then someone manages to get some honey from the bees, but it vanishes quickly. Other than that, only basic bread, some of it drugged to keep the recipient docile. Chocolate would go very far. So would jam or maple syrup. Sugar and that sort of thing, so baking isn’t restricted to sourdough bread. Even plastic cups and cutlery would be a drastic change, although I’d have to ask the house fae I live with about other kitchen tools they could put to good use, and the best specific ingredients for that matter.”
“We can check with them,” Kayla said.
“Less of a luxury, medical supplies—gauze, tape, saline to flush wounds, suture kits, decent tweezers or forceps for pulling foreign objects out of people. By far, most medical care I provide involves injured faelings who have as often as not injured each other, or occasionally by environmental accidents or botched attempts at catching one of the feral chickens. My homemade ointment works well, but scavenging jars and getting wax from the honeybees, on top of gathering the two plants in it, and then using some of the cooking oil and actually preparing it, is a nuisance that eats a lot of time for me and helpers.”
“All of that is very straightforward,” Nora said. “And as soon as I’ve checked on our injured bad guys to make sure they’ll survive long enough to face punishment, I’ll get on that.”
“They’ll be punished?”
“They’d better be,” Kayla said. “We haven't gotten into anything near the worst of the crap those psychopaths were pulling here.”
“With Phrixos involved,” Niko said, “that does not surprise me in the least. I ran years ago, and changed my name and my appearance, largely to get out of his sight after he developed a grudge against me that went insanely out of proportion beyond the original disagreement.”
“He'll be found,” Arctos said. “I give you my word.”
“I'd believe him,” Niko said in an aside to JC, who shrugged and nodded.
“Punished how?” Callie persisted.
“They have committed atrocities, clearly,” Arctos said. “And I do not use that word lightly. Wizards have few laws, but near the top of that short list is, do not start a war with the fae that will ultimately involve all of us. We will arrange a tribunal of wizards, fae, and others, who will hear whatever evidence we gather by then, and that tribunal will come to a consensus on appropriate retribution. By the time a situation gets that bad, there is no question of rehabilitation. It will be straight-up punishment, to prevent them from doing further harm and to remind others of the consequences.”
“To prevent a war with the fae,” Nora said, “the wizards will throw these criminals to the wolves without hesitation. At that point, their life expectancy drops drastically, although it is still likely to feel much too long to them.”
Callie considered that. “But from what I’ve heard, they might not all be alive to face that. I’ll come with you and make sure they won’t die.”
“That’s a sudden change,” Kayla said.
“I hate that building. I hate them. I was a nurse before they kidnapped me. I believe in life and healing. But I want them to pay as much as possible for every single thing they’ve done. For every faeling I’ve put back together and every one I couldn’t and every one who vanished.”
“Sounds like a healthy bit of catharsis,” Kayla said.
Nora nodded. “I’d appreciate that. I don’t have healing gifts, only knowledge and experience.”
*Just how much do we trust Kayla's new friend Riley and her friends?* Des asked privately.
*If Kay says it's safe, it's safe,* Theo said promptly.
*Niko seems okay with them,* JC said.
*Niko?* Alison asked, amidst a wave of considerable surprise.
*Apparently, our low-level local wizard, who has a history with Phrixos.*
*Oh, that sounds fun,* Zach said acerbically. *I'm not trusting anyone unfamiliar without reservations, but as long as they seem to be for real, I'd say we go along with it.*
That was more or less the consensus: they'd been through too much to trust easily, but they clearly needed outside assistance from some direction.
As for Niko, well, one secret aside, and keeping one big secret even from good friends was something Des had some sympathy with, he was someone JC trusted and had spent quite a lot of time with for several years now.
“Kayla keeps tha',” Des said flatly, gesturing to the intricate gold cuff. “No' negotiable. No one else has power like tha' over us.”
“That seems reasonable,” Arctos said, and looked at Nora, who nodded.
“Well,” Riley said, and took a deep breath. “We have a lot to do.”
“Very much,” Niko agreed.
“Is the building they're in secure?” Arctos asked.
“Held us overnight for a couple of weeks,” JC said. “All are stripped completely naked. Only one door. Each room has a toilet and sink. Checking on them now and then.”
“And that includes Nestor, a medium, and four others?” He glanced at Riley. “Could I have one of your protection charms? The most broad-spectrum one you have? I'll replace it later, since I’m going to turn it inside out into a suppression charm.”
“We need to get family and all into the loop as quickly as possible,” Kayla said.
Riley nodded while she rummaged in her bag. “Absolutely. Is there anything they probably should not hear? Here, Arctos, will this work?” She handed him a pendant on a faux-silk cord.
“That’ll be fine,” Arctos said.
“I suspect,” Kayla said, “that if you asked that of at least three, they'd be outraged at the idea of keeping secrets from their respective partners.”
Des nodded emphatic agreement.
“I already texted Max,” Kayla added. “I told him I've got the whole bunch safe but it's very complicated and hard to believe, and to get Heather and Levi and Wade and head for our house. I sent that before I texted you, so I don't imagine they'll take very long. I told him to text me back when they're all there. I’d say fifteen, twenty minutes from when I texted him.”
“Two minutes there,” JC said. “An hour here. Fifteen minutes there, eight hours here.”
“True,” Riley said. “But it does mean that I can open the Gate to get them here extremely quickly, from their perspective, after that text. We really should try to set that reunion up carefully. It's going to be a shock, after all.”
“You're good at that sort of thing,” Nora said. “I suggest you and... Niko? Or would you prefer Xeno?”
“Niko's fine,” Niko said. “It's been my everyday name for years and it's the one that Jace and the others are used to.”
“You two focus on that.”
“And once I finish dealing with security,” Arctos said, “I’ll look for workrooms. Let's see what info I can track down as far as records and journals.”
No one offered the ones that they knew of. Not yet.
Riley heaved a sigh. “It sounds like this was an enormous and extremely disturbing project they had going here, and I can’t say I’m looking forward to getting the full picture even though I know that’s going to be necessary. Sorting all of this out is going to take a while, and we’re probably going to have to depend on you for a lot, even though what you should have is time to yourselves.”
“We don’t mind helping,” JC said. “And we can do a lot. As long as Max and Heather and Levi and Wade can stop wondering what happened to us as quickly as possible. They're suffering too.”
Plus, Theo and Zach and Suzi and Alison would be better able to concentrate once they could stop agonizing over that. Personally, Des desperately wanted to hug Ramses and Ryu, but there needed to be safe space for them first.
“So let’s get on with it,” Kayla said briskly. “Standing around here isn’t going to do any of us any good.”
“I need to get back to the kitchen,” JC said. “Too much on the go to leave it long.”
“Callie? Zach’s currently standing guard over our prisoners. You know where, and you know he can handle any of them if they get out of line. Could you show Nora and Arctos where?”
Callie nodded. “Let me get my basket in case I need anything from it, although I imagine you have the real thing instead of improvised, and tell Sly what we’re doing.”
“Meanwhile, Riley and Niko and I can start trying to figure out how to handle four extremely worried loved ones.”
“You told me you’d get some sleep,” Callie pointed out to Kayla. “You’ve been up a long time. Shorting yourself on sleep will not help anyone.” She looked at Riley thoughtfully. “You, too. You’re more tired than you’ll admit.” She looked at Des, then JC. “Faelings are resilient and can get away with postponing sleep—for a while. You and your friends will make sure that you all get some rest before you fall over, correct? I’m not going to babysit you and chase after you to remind you.”
“We will,” JC said. “But not all at once. Erica needs dark to rest, will once it is—not long now. Rest of us will take turns on catnaps. We might not get much before Max and all, but we’ll find a little, and rest better after that.”
“Make sure you do,” Kayla said. “It’s going to be madness for a bit, all on different schedules, until we can sort that out. Or maybe we’ll end up taking shifts or something, who knows? But we’re all gonna have to look after ourselves, eh?”
JC nodded. “I’ll get blankets for you.”
Nora picked up her red bag. “Not a bad idea, Riley. How early were you up to drive to that nexus? Early, I bet. Everything seems under control for now. Sleep. We’ll need your strengths and skills.”
Riley rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’m a bit tired, but... oh, all right, you do have a point. I just don’t know how I’m going to fall asleep.”
“You’re in luck,” Callie said brightly. “Kayla already has an offer from a lovely siren to help with that. I imagine she’ll be fine with you, too. I’ll likely be gone when you get up, but you know where I am. I’ll do what I can.”
