Intense vertigo for a heartbeat, nausea so intense Kayla thought she was going to heave up the Chinese food, then the world stabilized.

“You okay?” Riley asked softly. “I don't have a word for the sound you just made, but it didn't sound good. Take a deep breath. It hits some people harder than others.”

Kayla obeyed, took a second as well. “I'm okay now.” Calmer, she looked around, as the wind-and-static feeling vanished.

Blue sky above, and comfortable daytime light levels. Was that meant to be the sun, or something like it, a third of the way from the horizon to its height? Hard-packed dirt underfoot. Stone arcing around them on three sides, but behind them the dirt extended into a narrow road or wide flat path, she wasn't sure which to call it, weaving its way past a grove of trees that fairly effectively blocked most of the view outside. Along one edge of the path, wooden pillars somewhat taller than a person were crowned with balls of what might be glass or might not. The opening they'd come through was now simply a wide free-standing stone arch with a key engraved on the keystone, nestled in an alcove in what looked like a natural stone cliff.

“No reception party,” Riley murmured, fingering at least two of her necklace pendants. “No trap spells, no alarm spells. There should really be at least the equivalent of bells on a shop door. Odd. Well, the track will go to wherever they are.” She shrugged and started walking along the road. Kayla stayed a few steps behind, figuring she could make further decisions once she could see more about their surroundings.

Just past the grove of trees, to one side everything opened up to show a wide and fairly flat expanse of neatly planted trees and small gardens; on the other side, there was a curving wall of red brick, a bit taller than her, with a broad opening in it. Through that opening, everything looked much less manicured.

“This is huge,” Kayla murmured. “And kind of spooky.”

Riley nodded. “The old ones could be dozens of square miles,” she said softly. “Private worlds. And I know what you mean about spooky. It's far too quiet.”

Kayla wasn't sure she was a good judge of time with her adrenaline so high. Riley kept her pace unhurried, maybe giving their hosts time to respond. She really had no idea how long it took for the welcoming party to finally show up.

A fairly fit, medium-height woman whose tawny-brown hair showed creeping grey strode along the road towards them at a pace much more rapid than Riley's. The heavy and extremely intricate golden cuff around her left wrist looked distinctly out of place with her practical-looking faded blue jeans and a mostly-buttoned multi-coloured short-sleeved cotton shirt. She greeted Riley with a bright, friendly smile, although Kayla thought she looked a bit flustered and short of breath.

“Well, hello! What brings you all the way to our little corner of the universe?”

“Following the trail of a few people who all went missing simultaneously and their loved ones want to have them back,” Riley said carefully. “Currently, all clues lead here. Does it sound like something you know anything about?”

“No, I'm afraid not, but two wizards live here, so anything is possible, I suppose. You're welcome to join me for some tea while we wait for them to decide they're fully awake and willing to talk to company, you know what wizards are like, then we can see if they know anything about it. How many? Which kind of people?”

This wasn't where she needed to be, Kayla decided. The other woman was going to give Riley the official story. Kayla was already sure it was going to be bullshit.

She reversed direction. There just might be something a lot more interesting outside that brick wall she'd seen near the magic door in and out.

There was a gentle breeze, somehow, rustling in the foliage all around. The angle of the sun did cast shadows that didn't look quite right. Probably she was just jumpy, but she couldn't seem to convince herself that accounted for all the odd shadows here and there that she thought she saw move more than they should have.

The feeling of being watched got a lot stronger once she was outside the brick wall. She hesitated, wondering whether she was being stupid and putting herself in unnecessary danger. She couldn't help Theo if she got herself killed.

She reached for the ring Riley had used to show her the back yard in a whole new way.

Out of nowhere, it seemed, a cool long-fingered hand cupped across her mouth, and an arm wrapped around her waist from the opposite side. Kayla strangled a yelp of shock, and what sound she did make was muffled by the hand over her mouth anyway. With alarming speed and strength, her unknown assailant yanked her into a grove of trees.

“Hussshhhh.” The sibilant tickled her ear, pitched so low she doubted it carried five feet. Her rapidly pounding heart was probably louder. “I see you, other fae see you. No' all fae fren'ly.”

The body she was pinned against was definitely female, though something seemed subtly not-quite-right; the skin she could see was a soft grey that was nearly black, but there was what looked a lot like short sleek black fur along the back of those hands and arms. And those vividly golden-yellow nails had an alarming shape more like curved feline claws.

“Some fae here unfrenz, you no' wan' themma see you. No' wan' me'ium an' wizar' see you.”

Kayla forced herself to relax. It wasn't like straining against those very strong arms was making the slightest difference anyway, but none of this sounded threatening.

In response, carefully, her captor released her, then made sure she had her balance before backing up a couple of steps.

Kayla spun around, and found her—rescuer?—standing quietly just out of arm's reach. Sheer surprise kept her trying to reconcile what she was seeing past any polite limits.

An anthropomorphized cat, or a neko; neither, but unmistakably a cross of cat and human, or at least humanoid. A too-beautiful-for-human face, golden-yellow lips and eyes bright against that grey-black skin, framed by wildly thick black hair that was probably shoulder-length; black feline ears twitched halfway between the normal human ear position at the side and the normal feline position up much higher. Darker tabby stripes showed on her skin, anywhere she lacked that sleek black fur—fur that extended down the outer surfaces of arms and legs, some details hidden by a sarong of golden-yellow fabric tied into a skirt though leaving her small breasts bared, but a long black feline tail was unquestionably twined lazily around one hip. And though her legs were human, those feet were digitigrade—elongated maybe half again, wide black feline paws instead of toes and ball, feline hock in place of ankle. Around each wrist and each leg just above the hock, colourless bands caught the light, glassy-smooth and apparently seamless.

“I'm sorry,” Kayla said quickly—and as low as she could—dropping her gaze as soon as she realized she was staring. “That's rude.”

The cat only smiled. “No' ru'e. Was human before here, I know.” She regarded one furred and clawed hand impersonally. “Is s'range.” She shrugged philosophically, dropped her hand. “No' speak well, sorry. Some sounz har' for felines. Say if no' un'ers'an'. Looking for Theo an' frenz, yesss?”

Kayla bit down on her instinctive emphatic response, and said much more softly, “Yes. They are here?”

“Are here,” the cat confirmed. “Many faelings here. No' all remember life before. Theo an frenz remember all. Are mos'ly fae naaoo though. S'ill wan' find if no' the same?”

She wasn't kidding about having difficulty with some sounds. Vowels had a peculiar roundness to them, drawn out and stronger, with the sibilants strong and the R trilled into something like a throaty purr. The TH was somewhere between a lisp and a hiss and it was the same for the initial sound of Theo's name and the initial sound of the word 'them'. The W was very much a vowel, M and N were strongly emphasized, K sounds slurred to something closer to a G, other consonant sounds were distorted, and T and D seemed to be missing entirely—but she could understand it, if she listened closely.

“I don't freaking care if they've all turned permanently into the Creature From the Black Lagoon's identical stunt doubles, as long as I find them.”

The cat nodded. “Will help you. My frenz help you. I show you where. My fren' es'plain easier.” She beckoned and turned away, leaving Kayla to follow. Was it the feline feet that gave her hips that pronounced but rather sensual sway as she moved? The yellow fabric had honey-brown leopard-like spots scattered across it, and a border-stripe of honey and black and metallic gold embroidery.

A friend who could explain easier would certainly be helpful. Kayla was sure she was catching at least the main part of what the cat-woman was saying, but only by concentrating closely, and she got the distinct impression that it was some effort on her guide's part to say as much as she had.

The cat, checking often that Kayla was still near, led her to what might be the same curved wall, although it wasn't the same break in it. She paused there to wait.

“Sorry is far.”

“This place is enormous. I wasn't expecting nearly this much space.”

“Is much more. Har' to es'plain.”

“And Theo and the others are here somewhere in all this? Together?”

“Are here. Theo an' JC an' Alison an' all. Are safe for naaoo. Where... har' to es'plain. Is maybe same again to my fren'.”

Kayla shrugged. A fae guide was probably going to make sure that she found exactly what she'd come with Riley to investigate: the things that the people in charge didn't want anyone to see. And the cat did know names, at least, so presumably had met her friends at some point.

Weirdly, although their surroundings inside the wall had felt like a sort of mild room temperature, neither warm nor chilly, and the trees had been in full leaf, out here she saw a lot of flowers on the ground and on trees, smaller leaves, no fruit, as they walked. The temperature dropped slightly, although not enough to be uncomfortable. The ground was less flat, and then it became a rather thin forest.

“No' much more,” the cat assured her.

The forest probably barely deserved the name, since it didn't take them long to get through it. It opened rather abruptly onto open ground along the edge of a substantial body of water. The cat paused at the edge, yellow eyes scanning the area intently, then nodded.

“No unfrenz here naaoo.” She beckoned Kayla out of the trees towards the water; more nervously, Kayla went with her. Details weren't currently a high priority, but she could see a trio of islands, each with a willow, in a small lake that seemed to be bordered on much of its circumference by a natural-looking cliff, not overly high, over which water poured down in a narrow fall.

The surface underfoot wasn't grass, it was short ground-cover of some sort, and along the very edge of the water, it turned to pale clean sand.

Water splashed, and someone surfaced a short way out, then stood up to wade closer to the edge. Another extremely striking someone. This one had skin that was the white of a pearl, right down to the lustre, and a cascade of very long hair of a piercingly bright blue that made her think of summer sky and pure water. It was the same super-saturated colour as the filmy sarong crossed at the front and tied at the back of her neck into a very basic dress of sorts that really did nothing to conceal the sensual curves beneath. Delicate pearly-blue webbing showed between her fingers—which bore long glossy nails of bright blue, matching her smiling lips and her dark-lined eyes, and what looked like shading of blues and watery greens over her eyelids. Transparent colourless bands circled wrists and ankles, matching those of the cat-woman. She came to the edge of the water, but not out of it entirely, and held out a hand invitingly to Kayla. “Theo never doubted that his friend Kayla would move heaven and earth to find him.”

Kayla glanced back, found no trace of her feline guide. Placing herself in the hands of strangers made her distinctly uncomfortable, but both had mentioned Theo. Warily, she crossed the open space to the edge of the water.

“It's safe. As safe as it ever is here, at least.” The blue woman perched on a large rock that let her keep her feet in the water. Kayla had the distinct impression of powerful tension, something not meshing properly in the water-woman's words and demeanour. “I need to explain something quickly, then I'll tell you about your friends.”

“All right.” Kayla sat down on the ground-cover at the edge of the water, legs crossed. “Although I hope we mean the same thing by quickly.”

“How long ago did your friends disappear? In the real world?”

“Less than a full day. We figure around midnight Friday, it's Saturday afternoon now.”

“That was what we thought. Did the friend you came with explain about faelings and the phases? And wizards and mediums?”

“Yes. And wizard islands and timeslipping and as much else as she's been able to cram into a couple of hours.” Probably best not to mention Xeno at all.

“Your friends had to basically sink or swim when they found themselves here and changed. Before noon in the real world, they'd been here for two weeks and their fae blood finished waking up. That was over a week ago. So what's going to seem sudden from where you've been standing, hasn't been at all from this side. They've had time to get over the worst of the shock and start to adjust. And for faelings, changing doesn't feel particularly wrong, just a bit strange at first. Being trapped and helpless is much worse to deal with.”

“All right,” Kayla said warily. “So don't assume that they're freaked out no matter what.” Something about the water-woman's vocal patterns kept triggering bells, though the sound of it was certainly nothing she'd ever encountered: on the low side for a woman, but with a clarity that made her think of water trickling over rocks, overall the same kind of not-quite-human beauty as her appearance, although she wanted to keep listening. Something about the physical mannerisms, as well, the way she carried herself, little gestures...

“They aren't freaked out at all. It's really important that you understand this. They're, well, starting to understand, past the associations with being grabbed to be lab rats. It isn't something forced from outside, it's something inside all along that wakes up. Some ways it's amazing and it makes everything bigger and brighter and more real. Some ways, there are limitations that can be frustrating. But it's what they are. The biggest worry, as far as being actively fae, is how loved ones are going to handle it.”

“If they're worth worrying about, then that'll be a lower priority than getting them back safely. Been through the whole 'if you aren't what we want you to be we don't want you' thing.”

“I know,” the water-woman said softly, and caught her blue lower lip briefly between perfect teeth. She abandoned the rock to kneel directly in front of Kayla, in the water. “Look at me. Think of it as the most spectacular trans makeover ever.”

Words and body language were already screaming the information at Kayla while she searched the water-woman's face for anything familiar. 'Spectacular' really was a good word, but despite that...

“Theo?” She heard her own voice crack in surprise.

“Still me. Mostly.” She definitely knew that smile.

Any other words got lost as Kayla grabbed Theo for a fierce hug. The distinctly different shape was a bit disconcerting—hormones and surgery and the like could have dramatic effects and she was used to that, but not generally in a matter of hours or even weeks—and the perceptible coolness more so, but it didn't matter. Theo returned it, enthusiastically, but Kayla thought with some restraint.

“God, Kay, it is so good to see you,” Theo said in her ear. “I knew you'd find us, if we could just survive long enough. We're all okay, more or less.”

“'All' being who? Can't find Des. Heather and Levi and Wade reported Zach and Suzi and Alison missing. We weren't sure about JC and Erica since they fit the pattern but we couldn't confirm it.”

“Bingo. What's up with the one you came here with? We aren't hugely thrilled with mediums right now.” Theo sat back, though still close, the lower edge of that blue sarong drifting gently in the water that lapped against her legs, and Kayla reluctantly let go.

“I think Riley's one of the good guys. A wizard friend of hers got us here and is going to come looking for us if we aren't back in half an hour. She was hoping for a diplomatic way to get them to give you back, basically.”

“Well, that would be nice, but it's not going to happen. They know they're doing stuff that's going to piss off everybody else on all sides and they really don't give a crap. They aren't going to admit it and they aren't going to stop. Short version: research, expecting a war between fae and wizards. They kidnap faelings just before midway to study because kidnapping real fae would be noticed and piss off the fae. They try using a combination of drugs and conditioning to break down memories and identity, but Jace and Erica figured that out first—we missed some meals but worth it. There are a lot of other faelings on this island, dozens of them, now all basically fae, and there were more who aren't here anymore, so this isn't new. Extremely variable levels of memory of anything before being here or ever being different. Because of these,” Theo tapped the glassy band around one wrist, “whoever is wearing the gold cuff Isabel never takes off, I bet you noticed it, has a really uncomfortable amount of power over us. We used to have collars on that gave us a really painful shock for any sound. They took those off a few days ago for some reason, we aren't entirely sure why but we've made sure they believe that we're successfully broken and harmless anyway. Des got her collar off early somehow but, well, she's a cat.”

“Des... what... that was Des?”

“Absolutely seriously. The only reason she didn't jump on you with a question about Ramses and Ryu is not wanting to give you a shock. Plus it's really hard for her to talk. Although she's getting better, slowly.”

“They're at our house.” She tried to visualize the lanky computer tech and compare that to the graceful cat. Well, maybe. It was a stretch, but possibly less of one than Theo if you knew Des well. She was fairly sure her capacity for disbelief had overloaded in the past couple of hours; anything seemed possible in this Looking Glass reality.

“Good, one less thing for her to worry about. Suze's dogs?”

“Levi found them when he went looking for Suzi, they're safe, just a bit rattled.”

“Also good, she's been really scared for them. We can talk, by the way. Sort of a telepathic thing. It makes sense in context, I promise, it's just really complicated to cram over three very full weeks into a few minutes. That's how JC asked Des to go investigate why Isabel suddenly got all agitated and headed for the Gate, Des normally stays away from the house during the day. Just take my word for it if I know things that are happening somewhere else, okay?”

“Right. Priorities. So is there a reason I can't get that cuff? Thump her on the head with something heavy, if necessary?”

“She's paranoid, and she's the only human woman on an island with two wizards, four men with a normal sex drive who might get a tad annoyed when they find out how she's been lying to them all along about their real role here, and a lot of fae with mixed feelings. She has, as far as we can tell, serious protections. But we've had time and we have a plan. We can get you a chance to get that cuff. They know a lot less about their most recent lab rats than they think they do. Actually, there's a lot they don't know about any of their lab rats. And, well, we made some friends.”

Theo had made friends, even under appalling conditions. There was a surprise. “Good, then let's do that. What comes next?”

“The pissed-off lab rats openly revolt. They had to do the cuffs, because without them they'd have no chance of holding us, and they had to put them on before we changed because faelings are magic-resistant. Also strong and fast and resilient and don't tire easily, and each with different extra stuff.” Theo shrugged. “Which balances out. For me, it's miserably uncomfortable being out of contact with the water for more than a few minutes. You suppose Max, assuming he can put up with a water-fae wife instead of a human husband, would mind getting a waterbed? But we can deal with the wizards.”

“Sweetie, Max is so absolutely frantic terrified right now, he's not going to give a shit about anything except whether you're safe.”

“I hope so. Who exactly is that friend of yours? Jace says Isabel is really worried. Jace just swapped out the drugged tea Isabel tried to give her. There are advantages to the bunch of them forgetting constantly that Jace is even alive. Actually, Isabel just told your friend that Jace is a wizard-created golem kinda-thing. I think she actually forgot that Riley might wonder about our French maid Barbie-girl there.”

“Your what?”

“Pretty sure Jace had some heavy-duty repressed submissive impulses along with the house fae genes. Poor Jace, the last twenty years might've gone better if any of us had realized that.”

Had she not already had much larger issues to deal with, that probably would have triggered her usual sense of sadness, frustration, and sympathy in response to anyone living in denial of something that hurt no one. “Riley says the old lady at the barbecue was a fae who meant to be nice because she saw someone unhappy.”

“Take your pick. Jace has the most generalized mess, I was pretty much happy with my life, everyone else between. An awful lot's been dragged to the surface lately and it's still coming.”

“Right. And she just tried to drug Riley?”

“Memory stuff maybe. Something about her's dangerous?”

“The old lady's great-grand-daughter hired her to come clean up whatever mess the old lady left behind. I gather she's from a very large family of mediums who back each other up. And that one of the most powerful wizards around is friendly with them. And is going to come looking for her if she disappears.”

“That was thoughtful of the grand-daughter. No wonder Isabel's rattled. They don't have much chance of getting out of this without finally being caught. They're doing tea and chitchat. There is... oh god, Kay, there is just so much about this that it's going to take ages to explain, things we've managed to piece together over the past three weeks, and there's just no time for it right now.”

“I don't need the details right now. I'm fine taking your word for it. For anything. Give me what I need for the moment, and the rest can wait until later.”

Theo took a deep breath, which did interesting things to the view, and nodded. “All right. Don't care how many reinforcements your friend Riley has available or how upset they're going to be about this situation or anything else, we're not cooperating with anyone about anything until you're the one who has that cuff. If anyone's going to have that kind of power over us, it's going to be someone we trust, not another wizard or medium we don't know. We can choose that much, at least. Can't exactly take a vote for every fae on the island, so it'll have to be good enough that the seven of us are unanimous on it.”

“If that's what'll keep you safe, then anything it takes.”

“It's not going to be much fun for anyone while we do this, but it shouldn't take long. I can't come to the house easily, I get really uncomfortable really fast out of the water. I'm going to, Des thinks she's got a way, but first I need to do something else, something right here, for this to work. Erica's coming. She physically can't talk anymore, so she's not going to be able to answer anything for you. I know there are several million things you want to know, and we'll try but right now, you getting that cuff is the highest priority. After that, well,” Theo flashed her a smile. “At that point, in a sense we all belong to you, and if you want us to play nice with your new friend and her friends, we will—unless we have any reason to think they're a threat to you. Maybe someone knows a way to get rid of these cuffs. Zach assures us that they are not breakable, and even Des can't get out of them, and they can do scary things to us.”

“That'll be the next priority. Along with figuring out explanations to Max and the others. And whatever else the bunch of you need to cope with all this.”

Theo wrapped both hands, cool and wet, around hers. That webbing felt a bit odd. Bright blue eyes met hers earnestly. “Please, Kay, try to keep remembering. For us, it's been over three weeks, and I promise, being fae is fine no matter how insane that sounds. It's just... part of what we are. Yeah, it was a shock and it wasn't handled well, but honestly, I think it would be really a tough call if someone offered to just make us completely human, and a big part of that's going to be reactions. You know how people get all confused about how you could have surgery and they think about doing it and they squirm half out of their skin? But you said once you healed up a bit and all the nerves remapped, it felt right instead of wrong for the first time? We didn't realize things felt wrong because we didn't have any basis for comparison, but now everything feels right. About being what we are, anyway. Is that making sense?”

“Mm, yes, it does to me. And Max is familiar with the idea, he'll get it. We can hammer it into the others somehow, if setting a good example isn't enough.” Being feline or aquatic seemed like a big leap, but if that was how they were experiencing it, she wasn't going to argue.

“I hope so. And we do understand it being a shock, it was for us too, it's just... we got over it. It's being kidnapped that's a problem. And we all got some extremely painful shocks every time we made any sound for a while, so that may trip us up at moments. Me less than most. Zach really badly. He got a lot of shocks.”

“Fucking shock collars,” Kayla muttered. “I really want a word with these psychopaths. After you're safe. We'll figure out any complications from being fae somehow. I get the feeling Riley will have some ideas in that direction. This seems to be the kind of thing she and her family deal with all the time.”

“And she found you. That's helpful. There's Erica. She'll get you to the house safely. Love you. Good luck. And please be careful.”

Kayla stole another hug before she even bothered to look behind her to see what improbable sort of thing Erica now was. If it meant her t-shirt was thoroughly wet, she didn't care—it would dry. “Love you too. And I'm too damned angry to need luck, sweetie.”