The next one around was Adam and Hollis’ bottle-green two-bedroom cottage. Riley had identified one shopping bag as being new purchases for them, and a pair of large reusable shopping bags held an assortment of Erica’s t-shirts, so they paused long enough to drop those off. There were three empty ones past that, then Nora’s, and Riley’s was immediately beyond.

Zach, Alison, and JC held a quick conference.

All of Riley’s things went into the big wagon, along with all four collapsed wagons; those wagons might prove useful when retrieving Nora’s contribution. Alison would deliver Riley’s belongings to her cottage, then return to the Gate.

JC and Zach went towards the new kitchen building, JC with her binder, Zach taking the now-empty smaller cart.

“I know you want to get back to Heather,” JC said. “We’ll try to get through this as fast as we can.”

“We need supplies,” Zach said. “Can all relax after that. Everyone here, enough food and all, lots of destroyed critters, lots of people watching for them. Time for catching breath before next crisis.”

JC heaved a sigh. “Yeah. I was hoping we were done with threats other than faeling trauma and how to get people home. A new unknown enemy is something we didn’t need.”

“We’ll manage. Got this far. Seven of us can tackle almost anything. With more friends and allies, can tackle even more. Will protect everyone.”

“Nice speech,” Nisha said, strolling into sight past a peach tree. “I don’t think I’m even being sarcastic this time. I hope I don’t have to have the whole body for the bounty. They ripped apart really easily and the pieces started decaying very fast. I kept the crystals that were inside.” She opened both of her clawed lower hands and her more normal upper left to display a considerable collection of crystals.

“Crystals are enough,” Zach said. “Rewards are at the house. Be nice to the wisp consort. He’s helping Paz and Orfeo manage that for us. Doing a lot at once.” He contemplated yelling for Alison, but Nisha’s next sentence made him hesitate.

“I’m less interested in rewards than information.” She closed all three hands. “What the fuck are those things? And why does it matter so much to destroy them?”

“Walk with us. We’ll explain.”

Nisha fell into step with them.

“Lloyd was working either for or with someone else,” JC said. “He tried bribing Des and Alison and Suzi—our cat and unicorn and wisp—with a way out when they captured him. We don’t know who, but he seems to have been feeding them at least information. No idea how long.”

“Oh, it figures. If you scrape the bottom of the barrel for people to hire, you could get anything. And?”

“And everything we’ve been able to learn and deduce suggests that those things were slipped quietly onto the island by the same invisible backer, possibly to find out why Lloyd contacted them for a way out and then vanished. For certain, they’re spies, meant to keep spreading and dividing, then come back together and send out a data burst to their creator. Obviously, that is information no one really needs to have.”

Nisha made a sound deep in her throat, something like a growl. “No, no one needs that. So we have another enemy.”

“Or at least someone excessively nosy. Yes.”

“And you’re certain about all these new humans?”

“My wife, yes,” Zach said shortly. “Theo’s husband, Suzi’s husband, Alison’s boyfriend, yes. Kayla, yes. Niko, our low-level wizard...” He glanced at JC. “Yes. All of them, absolutely. Pretty sure about Riley, younger woman, lots of jewellery. Just haven’t known her as long. Major wizard Arctos and fae Nora... dunno. Riley says they’re safe.”

“If you say so. Your wife, huh? How’s she handling the scales?”

“Better than I probably deserve. Loyal and stubborn.”

“Huh. Lucky.” She shrugged, that complicated-looking gesture involving more than just her upper shoulders. “You can quit looking so wary. I promised and she obviously is on the list of people you consider under your protection.”

“I know,” Zach said honestly. “Not worried about you. Just others.”

“Which just proves you do have at least some kind of sensible streak to go with the idealism. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but you might want to ask your tame wizard there if there’s a way to keep others outside the walls or something. It’s going to get hard to stand guard over everyone all the time. So. We know nothing more about our mysterious enemy?”

“They’re strong,” JC said. “And sneaky. Apparently those critters take some real skill, and so does getting one in with no alarms. Niko’s still working on the info he has. Needs some resources from his own island to try identifying something, but we’ve been rather busy and short-handed. Spread thin doing everything.”

“Are you going to do that announcement thing again if there’s another urgent threat?”

“We can’t. It was an improv trick that wrecked the tool Niko used. He might be able to repair it but he isn’t sure.”

“Then you need another way to let everyone know. The top of the fountain is the highest point on the island. I don’t know whether there’s much wind that high to make anything flutter but if you hang something bright up there everyone should be able to see it. Even the not-so-bright sort should be able to figure out that something is going on. So. At the house, you said?”

“Yes,” JC said. “We’re going by there.”

“Were you before I asked?”

“It’s on the way.”

“Gate,” Zach said. “We have supplies coming in.” He glanced at her and grinned. “Jace can make more cookies.”

“I’m not that easily bought, dragon.” But there might have been just a hint of a smile there. “Fine, let’s just take it that I believe you and you aren’t trying to keep me from eating your helpless little friends.”

“You promised. I believe you. Don’t trust you, but believe you.”

“And don’t forget it. I keep promises. That doesn’t make me your friend.”

“I know.”

He’d heard that before from kids who had been hurt by adults, who needed to make sure that boundaries and terms were clear before accepting even a gift or a favour, because they’d learned to watch for the hidden price tag. Despite his limited and irregular formal training, his volunteer position had become a job in part because he had the patience and sympathy to deal with that. Would the same approach work on a traumatized faeling?

Well, so far so good.

JC let the whole exchange slide right by, probably less from lack of interest or caring than just trusting Zach to know what he was doing.

“How many did you catch and destroy?” JC asked, in the silence that followed.

Nisha opened her hands to count crystals. “Mmm... six? Sounds about right.”

“We’re doing one item for each from the house, excluding the kitchen because we need to keep everyone fed and the three top-floor suites because we don’t trust what’s in there. Gord’s workshop is okay. Just in the interests of fair play, we’re trying to do one person at a time and Paz is currently wandering around the house with whoever’s turn it is. We’re trying to encourage people to vary what they take and leave things for others, but we’re not telling anyone they can’t have anything.”

“If I wanted to, I could have gone in the house and helped myself. I doubt you’d bother starting a fight over a few odds and ends. A lot of others could too, if they thought of it.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“The aversion to the house runs pretty deep. An express invitation and clear conditions and company seem to help. Some feel safer going to the house fae for their rewards.”

“So it isn’t really the objects themselves that are the reward for killing something that is potentially a threat to everyone anyway, it’s the invitation and effort. And it’s got most of the island hunting these things, sometimes just for sport, which makes everyone safer. Gotta give you credit for cleverness.”

“Part of that was Emma,” JC said. “She knows the island better. But it’s also a way to start spreading a few small luxuries around and helping everyone feel a bit more optimistic.”

“Optimistic. Really.”

“First step,” Zach said. “Broad assessment. Assemble team. Stabilize situation. In this case, make sure of necessities for all.” Being married to a consultant who handled a variety of organizations and businesses in any possible condition had meant picking up some things. “Second step. Detailed assessment. Assign roles and responsibilities. Reassure anyone affected. In this case, add more comfort. Physical and mental. Third step. Start making changes. In this case, getting people safely home or finding new ones.”

“People no longer being on the island doesn’t guarantee they’re home or safe.”

“Think of a way to verify it. We’ll see what we can do.”

“You think I care?”

Zach shrugged. “You brought it up.”

“Ha. So I did.”

They were practically at the house. JC glanced at Zach, then said, “Come? I’ll show you. Meet you at the new kitchen, Zach? I can leave this.” She tapped the red Trapper Keeper binder, with its bright cover design and the flap closure keeping everything safely inside. “And we can pick up something for Riley to eat.”

Zach nodded.

“New kitchen,” Nisha echoed.

“Plans built into the island by the wizard who created it,” JC said. “Not Phrixos or Nestor. Dead, possibly thanks to Isabel, so they could steal the island. Niko’s activating them so our human friends, who are less resilient, have somewhere to sleep. Also the new kitchen is huge and will make it easier to feed a lot of people. I can’t promise enough real prepared food to give everyone on the island a full meal every day, but we’re aiming for a major upgrade on what the other house fae have been doing. They’ve been struggling with limited resources. We have better coming in. And as we get more organized and get more volunteers and get more people home so there’s less demand, it’ll get better.”

“For however long you continue to have the extra resources.”

“I think they’ll continue. But does uncertainty mean we shouldn’t use them now?”

“Be nice,” Zach told Nisha. “JC is stronger than she looks. Plus, can ban you from house fae help. Will see you later.” It wouldn’t hurt to give her another excuse to behave well. To reach the new kitchen and get Emma to work on food for Riley, he needed to adjust his path, though part of him would have preferred to keep an eye on Nisha.

Still, there was a lot to do before he could go back to Heather.

Besides, he wouldn’t be far away if JC felt the need for backup.

He hadn’t been inside the new kitchen building before, but his immediate first impression was that it was massive overkill for the dozen or so intended residents of the island. On the other hand, Alcaios had clearly been inclined towards spacious structures rather than cramped ones, so why not?

It wasn’t a single room, either: two hexagons of similar size, both of hex-patterned mesh of shining polished copper, were joined along one edge. He hesitated briefly over which door to use, then pushed open the one that had voices and motion behind it.

He stepped into a huge six-sided room. Apart from where the walls were broken by four other doors, they were lined with rows of copper mesh shelves. The vertical distance between them varied, and for all he knew might be adjustable, but one could probably get the contents of at least a small store onto them comfortably. The lowest was at a consistent height off the floor, probably around two feet or a bit over; he wondered whether that was to allow space for oversized or bulk items.

At a comfortable distance from the shelves was a generously-wide hexagonal counter, accessible from both sides. The upper surface wasn’t copper, but might be some sort of pale marble with black streaks; there were cupboards underneath. A broad gap faced directly towards the door; there could be one on the opposite side, that would make sense, but his view was blocked. Emma, not far from the door and facing outwards, was deftly cutting up potatoes.

In the very centre was a free-standing sink with three basins, also copper; Crimson was at it, washing dishes. Behind it loomed something at least as wide and very tall and solid, but it was the matte black of cast iron, so maybe that was the oven.

Emma glanced up and smiled. “Hi! All going well so far?”

Vester peeked around from behind the stove, a long-handled wooden spoon in one hand, probably just to see who it was.

“So far. Most are too tired to be hungry. Just want to sleep. Not Riley. She’s exhausted. Still has to open the Gate again. Nora has our big haul of supplies coming. Food for her?”

“Sure. It’s not fancy, but it’ll be healthy and filling.”

“House fae are really good at that,” Crimson said.

“Foxes turn out to be really good at hunting little spy critters,” Emma said. “Zach, there are plastic containers on the shelf towards the back, go to your right. Could you grab me something of a reasonable size for some soup? Something with a sturdy lid.”

Zach nodded, and obeyed.

As he circled, he could see one mesh door, unmarked, midway along one wall, and then two solid copper doors, both very close to a single corner; one had a single silver snowflake as a raised design on it, and the other had three in a triangle. And there was indeed a second gap in the counter to allow access to the centre from the far end.

“Snowflakes?”

“The door with one is a fridge,” Emma said. “The other is a freezer. They’re both huge, with the same sort of shelves we have out here. The door near them is a laundry room, and the one over on the other side goes to a dining room.”

Zach looked through the stacked containers until he found one with a lid that would screw on securely, and brought it to Emma. “Dining room?”

“Go look, easier than me explaining it.” Emma took the container and went to the front of the stove. Zach followed. The stove had a broad surface marked with inlaid copper circles, and more metal doors above and below than he would have thought could be useful, but what did he know? In defiance of the generally old-fashioned look of the thing, there were a lot of knobs across the front.

While Emma began to ladle soup into the container, Zach went past to peek into the dining room.

This was where the other door, the one next to the main kitchen door, led to. It was certainly intended for more than a dozen, although possibly Niko had done some tweaking. But then, maybe Alcaios had meant to allow for expansion and flexibility, or guests, or an aesthetic that included empty chairs. Who knew?

The circular tables continued the copper theme, with a single pedestal support and frame in copper, though the top itself was the same marble as the kitchen counters. The four chairs around each were copper but shaped in a way that looked quite comfortable, with thick seat cushions of black-marbled white.

There were fully six tables, arranged around a copper-and-marble stand in the centre that had a fountain of water next to a small stack of glass tumblers, along with several shallow recessed sections of varying shapes and sizes in the top and open-fronted cubbyholes below. All were currently empty, but one trio of narrow parallel ones on top looked like they might be for silverware, so maybe the intention was to allow some degree of quick self-service without going into the kitchen proper. One corner, that probably leaned towards the fridge and freezer additions, had an open door through which he glimpsed a toilet and small sink.

There would be room here for their seven, their loved ones, Nora and Riley, Arctos, Emma, and the fox trio to all sit down at once to eat—although the seating arrangements made his head swim after only seconds of contemplation. So he went back to Emma, watching her wrap two of JC’s flatbreads in a clean dish towel, tucking a spoon for the soup into the folds.

There would be fresh sourdough bread in time, Emma had told them. She’d brought with her some of the sourdough culture the house fae collective used, though apparently it would need generous feeding to develop enough for her to use it, as would its parent. Or twin. Or whatever. But for the time being, JC’s flatbread was more than adequate.

“She should be able to find a bit of fresh fruit to go with it,” Emma said. “We’re out of cookies and sugar to make them with, so no dessert.”

“Grapes,” Zach said. “Will be fine. Thanks.”

“Any time.” She smiled, eyes dropping shyly. “Can’t wait to meet your wife. She’s a lucky lady. The others, too.” The smile faded, and her brows drew down. “I’ll be patient though. I don’t want to freak them out, talking to someone they can’t see properly. Kayla’s just not normal.” Zach couldn’t help his snicker at the observation, but Emma didn’t stop. “How does someone not used to all this just never bat an eye at people who are all different, obviously not human, generally capable of being dangerous to her, and she has no way to tell what most might do? And that’s just strangers. How does someone never react at all to men she knows now being girl fae?”

“Kayla is... her. Ask her yourself. She won’t bite.”

“Maybe. Anyway. Are these okay or do I need to find a bag?”

“Smaller cart. Will put in that. Should be okay.”

Emma rolled her eyes, picked up another dish towel, and rolled it up. “In a corner, with that to support it. I don’t trust that lid under too much pressure. Both towels and the dishes all need to come back.”

Zach nodded. “Thanks.”

He arranged the soup with care in the deep bed of the cart.

Next stop, the Gate, or at least Kayla and Riley’s hideout near the Gate. Then they could find out just what Nora had assigned her friends and family to collect, and how well they had succeeded. Once that was all put away as quickly and efficiently as possible... then Zach could go join Heather in the lilac glass cottage.

And then he’d have to decide whether he was comfortable doing what she expected, which was for him to crawl into bed with her like always.

On the other hand, maybe there was a bright side to the task at hand taking a while to do.