“Nope! I’d be okay, just don’t lose me because I can’t swim!”

“Unnessesary. There are faster ways,” said Goldie.

🎵 “Oh! Do you have access to a ship?” asked Melody.

“No, we could drive.”

“The car! Of course!” said Glissa excitedly.

They can take Sassy with them through the portal and bring her back there. Once she is nearby she can open a portal and we can rescue Evey,” suggested Octavia.

“I believe I can help with that. Here.” Nadia approached and held out a small map in her hands. “I fear it is not close.”

Octavia looked at the map. “Oh dear. Am I reading this correctly? That’s several hundred kilometers away. Who here is the fastest? >>

"Sassy, what do you need to be able to connect the house back here?"

“I’d need to be in the house to connect it back here. If I can get into the house I can make another portal somewhere.”

“Good. Where is the nearest portal we can use?” asked Octavia. They were making progress.

“Okay, what are our options? We’re not trapped here, we have the portal I came through. I know the network it is connected to is vast. Where is the next closest connection? Can we not travel there and come back here through normal means? >>

"We know where she is, we just need to get to her. Please, have a seat and take a deep breath.”

“Evey…” said Saffee weakly. She felt so helpless. Instead of sitting she collapsed into Aldrea’s arms and started sobbing.

“Useless! You’re useless!” yelled Saffee.

“She doesn’t mean that!” said Glissa to Sassy.

Octavia and Aldrea stepped up and gave Saffee a chair to sit on.

“I know what you’re going through,” said Aldrea empathetically. “We’ll find a way. >>

"If there was a way I wouldn’t keep it from you, I swear. I made this pocket dimension. I can connect back to it from anywhere but to connect out I’d need some kind of anchor.”

“But… When you came here you just appeared. I saw it. How did that happen?” asked Glissa.

“I can’t! There’s no link between this pocket dimension and that house anymore.”

“That’s not good enough! Make a damn portal, Sassy! What do you need? More Mischief? We have a stockpile! Whatever you need we’ll get!”

“I’m sorry, Saffee. That’s not how it works. >>

“SASSY!” she shrieked.

“That wasn’t me! I swear! The drow must have done something on her side! She… She probably destroyed the box! The connection is severed, Saffee.”

“Unsever it! Get us in there! Now!”

>>

She quickly saw that the front was off of the furnace, no doubt from the pilot being off for the summer. This worked in her favor multiple ways.

There was no hesitation, Evey dove into the furnace and started crawling through the vents of the house.

Even if the pilot was lit she could hopefully squeeze into a vent, hot or cold, and bypass the blockades she faced. She had to try.

Evey darted into the room, her boots thumping on the concrete floor. Stealth didn’t matter, speed did. >>

"You may be faster but they have relentless numbers. But go on, wear yourself out. What next? Climb these shelves? To what end? Such hopelessness! Tahh ilta, tah ilta harl, ussta orbben!”

Still panicked, she drew her dagger and stabbed the other two spiders who had made it this far with her as she got to her feet again.

The drow laughed at her misfortune. “Where to now, little Evey? Where do you think you can go that my spiders can't reach you? >>