The allied species began planning in earnest the next day. Some perytons and hippogriffs had gone to patrol the Manor the night before, and they reported nothing suspicious. A few servants were guarding the Manor from the outside (the hippogriffs had handy invisibility magic that kept them hidden as they watched), but that was it. Also, there was no sign of any creatures in the area that could fly and were big enough to carry humans. All those creatures had been smart enough to flee to other islands. Thankfully, then, Bill and his servants couldn't mount an attack of their own. They were confined to the island with the Manor.

Everyone was happy with this news, and they started gathering supplies and creating groups of people to attack from different fronts. Gideon and Geneva were especially helpful with providing the layout of the Manor, including the location of a secret bunker entrance where Bill might try to hide. And there was also the entrance to the Order, which had been caved in but still probably provided a hiding space. And there was the graveyard hidden in the center of the Manor. There were all sorts of places to hide, unfortunately — and plenty of places to set traps.

Though there were only eleven enemies at the Manor, the allies didn't let that lull them into complacency. They got information from the Northwests about the types of resources at the Museum. And they made careful note of their own resources: mostly different types of magic (both offensive and defensive), but also five guns, four stun guns, various knives and daggers, forty-two knockout patches, and the grappling hook.

"Pacifica," asked Gideon, "what kind of magic did you use to attack Mabel back when the township started? Can you use that?"

Maybe he was crazy, but he thought Pacifica flinched a little at his wording. She recovered quickly, though, and replied, "It's called hexal magic. Only I can use it; it's hereditary. But the book about it is back at the Manor, and it's too complicated for me to use without instructions."

No magic from Pacifica, then. Although, "Andrew," said Pacifica thoughtfully, "can you teach me some of your magic? I think I can learn it quickly."

Andrew and Enoch both stiffened a little. "No, I don't think so," Andrew said. "Magic doesn't usually transfer between species."

"I know," Pacifica said. "Still, can we try? Just in case? I've used multiple types of magic before."

"No," Enoch blurted. Then he shied away, embarrassed.

"I think Enoch shares my concerns," Andrew said. He kept his voice gentle, but he wanted to be clear. "It hasn't been long since you stole from us, Pacifica, and I don't think we should try to teach you our magic. In case you, for whatever reason, use it against us."

Pacifica opened her mouth to retort, but then stopped, looking over her shoulder. The anger in her expression changed to guilt. "Okay. You're right."

Gideon was surprised at this change in Pacifica — he had been two days ago, too, when they'd tried the Wheel for the first time — and he wondered what exactly had happened to change her mind and make her act like this. He'd have to talk to her about it later, though. For now, they had to plan.

Lee joined in the planning, of course, but he found it increasingly hard to concentrate. Like an interminable Order meeting about how to more efficiently find those who had seen the supernatural—except this time with anxiety rather than boredom to distract him. He found himself making excuses to go get water, or warm up by the fire in the minotaur camp, or check on Mabel to see how she was doing as she rested, with Dipper in and out to spend time with her. She was doing all right, besides being tired — and Lee couldn't help but notice how tired he was, too. It wasn't like it'd been easy to sleep last night after his excursion, not to mention Cipher's spell.

Lee was coming down the stairs from the twins' attic room, thinking how fortunate Mabel was to have a good brother in Dipper, and vice versa, and how lucky Lee was to have his own brother, and to have the younger twins as relatives, and how sad it would be to have to leave them (his thoughts inevitably ended back on that topic, regardless of where they started), when he noticed Fiddleford waiting at the bottom of the stairs. 

Fidds looked nervous. That wasn't a good sign.

"Lee, I need to talk to you," Fidds said, though his words were so mumbled that it was hard to make out.

"What is it?"

Fidds glanced around, clearly wanting to go somewhere private, though Lee couldn't think of anywhere private in the burgeoning Mystery Museum. Most people were outside right now, but anyone could walk in at any time. Still, Lee suggested they go to the parlor, which was empty for now while Pacifica helped with the planning outside. (She was good at that kind of thing — even better when the plans didn't involve insane delusions, as it turned out.)

When they got to the parlor, Fidds mumbled something about needing to get some furniture in here, since it is a parlor and all. He leaned against the wall. Lee folded his arms, already wanting to escape. Both men were silent for an awkward moment.

"This is my fault," Fidds said. "This whole thing with Bill possessing you, it's — it's my fault."

You brought me in here to say that? Lee thought irritably. Of course it's your fault.

That was his anger talking, he knew. Hadn't he said two weeks ago that he was the one responsible for his deal with Bill, not Fidds? But the deal never would've happened if Fidds hadn't erased Lee's memory, so the man certainly wasn't innocent.

"I don't know what to do," Fidds said. It seemed he was ashamed to be saying this, but that he couldn't not say it. "I'm so sorry — but you know that — and there's no way to stop this, and — and I was responsible for your death, in a way, thirty years ago, and now I'll be truly responsible."

Lee said nothing. He could think of plenty of things to say, but he'd learned over the years to keep his thoughts to himself in times like these.

"I'm — I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying to you about this. It's not your fault I'm feeling guilty — or your fault that you have to—" He faltered.

Lee sighed. "Let's just agree that it's Bill's fault," he said. He didn't want to deal with Fidds' emotions. It was hard enough ignoring his own.

"Yes, but—" Fidds' cheeks grew pink with embarrassment. "I guess I just want to say, if there's anything you need me to do for you. . ."

He trailed off, probably realizing how pathetic that sounded.

Forget about keeping his thoughts to himself. "You can't die for me, so that's a pretty useless offer," Lee said.

Fidds cringed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Lee resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Actually, I've thought of one thing you can do."

"You have?" Fidds asked.

"Yeah. Stop apologizing all the time. It's annoying."

Fidds opened his mouth — probably to apologize for frequently apologizing — then shut it again.

Lee sighed again, feeling a twinge of guilt for his behavior. "Listen, I. . . I appreciate that you want to make things right. Right now, that means helping with the Cipher Wheel, no matter what we have to do. It's too late to change things, so we just have to move forward."

Fidds nodded, though he didn't seem to feel any better. It seemed he may break down crying at any moment — there were alreadysome tears rolling down his face from under his eyepatch — and Lee felt overwhelmed by the thought of being here for that.

"Well, I'd better get back outside," Lee said, "and help with the plans. I'll see you later."

And with that, he left the parlor. The irony was not lost on him that the event he had been avoiding was now an excuse to avoid something else.

Planning continued through the rest of the day, until everyone knew where they would need to be and what they would need to do. Gideon explained the sudden magical connection between the Symbols — and Pacifica verified it, having seen the threads appear after the Wheel yesterday but not getting the chance to say anything about it in the chaos. The news made some people even more worried about bringing the Symbols along, but Ford was adamant about it, and the other Symbols agreed that they'd go crazy sitting here at the Museum while the others were at the Manor. So the plans had the Symbols together, with the weapons they needed to keep themselves safe. They would go with Andrew and some others to find Bill and defeat him, while the rest of the allies would focus on capturing the servants and securing the Manor.

Finally, Melody — ever the stickler about time, even when there was no sun to guide her — informed everyone that it was nighttime, and they'd better get a good night's rest in order to be prepared for tomorrow. Things started to wind down, and the Symbols gradually went back inside. Ford, who had been getting ideas from anyone who offered them about ways to exorcise Bill from Lee's body, wasn't happy to stop, but Lee was glad to, and he was already in bed attempting to sleep by the time Ford came in.

In the lab, Andrew and Enoch were preparing to sleep themselves. "I'm coming tomorrow, Papa," Enoch said. He was rarely this firm, but right now he was adamant. Not about going to the Manor — he would definitely be there — but about going to get Caleb.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Andrew asked.

"I'm coming." It wasn't strictly an answer to the question, but Enoch was determined to see his uncle before going up to the Manor.

So the next morning, as the allies were preparing to leave, Andrew and Enoch left with two of the giant wolves — who could leap over the rifts — and went to the Chiu house. Andrew knocked on the door. "I'll get it!" someone yelled, and a few seconds of pounding footsteps later, Candy opened the door. "Hi, Uncle Andrew!"

"Hello, Candy," Andrew said. He was happy to see his niece again.

"Oh, and you're my cousin!" said Candy, having noticed Enoch.

"Hi," he said shyly. "My name is Enoch."

"Come in! Dad and I are ready to go."

"Oh? Your mother is okay with you coming?" Andrew asked.

"Well, not yet, but you can help me convince her."

Andrew and Enoch entered the house and found Caleb and Yingtai in the living room on the couch. Caleb immediately stood. "Enoch," he said in surprise.

Enoch started at his uncle. Suddenly, the human house transformed into a small cave, and Caleb was chasing Enoch and trying to get the dagger. Enoch's breaths became shallow and quick.

"Enoch." Caleb took a step forward and knelt down so that he was below Enoch's line of sight. Showing himself as vulnerable. "Enoch, I'm sorry."

Enoch couldn't respond at first. He focused on his breathing, trying to calm it down. He was safe here. His papa was here, and Caleb wouldn't try to hurt him.

Finally, he managed to speak. "You lied to me," he said. "My whole life, you've lied to me."

"I know. And I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you."

Enoch found that doubtful, since Caleb had deliberately planned to take the dagger when Andrew was gone and Enoch was the only one to protect it. But he kept quiet.

"I lied to you about my family and about Cipher, it's true," Caleb said. "But Enoch, you have to know that I never lied about that fact that I care about you. And on that day with the dagger, I made sure the humans didn't hurt you. I always wanted you to be safe."

Enoch could feel Caleb's sincerity. Even if Caleb had been wrong about a lot of things — for one, helping Bill escape would definitely destroy Enoch's and everyone's safety — even if he'd been wrong, it was clear he'd at least still cared about his family. About Enoch.

But could Enoch trust him? What if he did something awful again, thinking it would help the people he loved?

"I'm sorry," Caleb repeated.

Enoch took a deep breath. "Okay," he said.

Caleb got back to his feet. "Can I give you a hug?"

Enoch stiffened, his ears tense.

"No," Andrew interpreted, watching his son.

Another deep breath. "No, it's okay." Enoch took a few steps forward.

Caleb met him in the middle and gently wrapped his arms around him. Enoch felt stifled again — he was in that gloomy cave, and he had to get away — but he managed to quiet those thoughts. It's okay. I'm safe. I'm with my uncle, who loves me, who is sorry for hurting me.

After a minute, Caleb pulled away. "Is it time to go?" he asked Andrew.

Andrew nodded, then turned to Yingtai. "Can Candy come?" he asked. "We've planned for Enoch to be a messenger, and do minor healings or combat magic if necessary. We could use Candy as a second messenger, and Enoch can protect her when they cross paths."

"I don't need protection," said Candy, folding her arms. From the look on her face, Enoch couldn't help but wonder if she would be protecting him instead.

"I don't know," Yingtai said.

"Aw, Mom! It'll be a bonding experience!" Candy came over and put an arm around Enoch's shoulders. The height difference made this awkward, but she managed it. "Enoch and I will get to know each other and help fight evil!"

Yingtai pursed her lips, then looked to Andrew. "Can you promise me that she'll be safe?"

"No," Andrew said bluntly. "But I can assure you that she will probably be fine. We have healers, and she won't be engaging directly with the Northwest servants. I also doubt they'll try to hurt any humans."

Yingtai thought about this. "Is it just the Northwest servants? Or will you be attacking Order members, too?"

"Most Order members are in their homes; we helped transport some of them over the rifts. There are a few that we didn't take because their homes were near the Manor, and we didn't want there to be any chance of them getting involved with Cipher there. We will only be fighting Northwest servants, and we don't want anyone to get hurt, if possible."

"They'll have no qualms about hurting you," Yingtai warned him.

He nodded.

Yingtai was quiet for a minute or so. Candy looked extremely impatient, but she didn't say anything for fear of interrupting her mother's thought process. Finally, "All right," Yingtai said. "You may go, Candy."

"Yes!" Candy cheered.

"Don't get into any unnecessary danger. Help when you can, but keep yourself safe. Understood?"

Candy nodded. "Thanks, Mom!"

Yingtai looked to be having second thoughts already. "I almost want to come myself, just to make sure you two are okay," she said to Caleb.

He went over and put an arm around her. "Then I'd be too worried about you to be any help," he said. "You should stay. We'll be all right."

Watching the two of them be so close to each other made Andrew somewhat uncomfortable, but he tried not to show it. "Caleb, you'll be with the group entering the Manor from the east. The rest of the group will tell you their plan when we get to the Museum. Candy will start with you, until she needs to carry a message. Sound good?"

"I'll be with the group entering from the west," Enoch added. "We probably won't get to spend much time together, Candy, since we're starting in different places and need to be running messages the whole time."

"We'll swap stories afterward, then," Candy said.

"That sounds good to me," Caleb said. "What do you say, Candy? Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah!" she replied.

"Not yet," Yingtai said. "Get your coat. You'll probably be flying to get there, and I don't want you freezing to death on the back of a peryton."

Candy's eyes lit up at the idea of flying on a peryton, and she ran upstairs to get her snow clothes.

A few minutes later, the two wolves leapt across the rifts with four passengers on their backs. Candy sat in front of Caleb on one wolf; she was clearly thrilled. On the other wolf, Enoch sat in front of Andrew and watched his cousin. She seemed cool. Her enthusiasm was a bit much — why was she so excited to put herself in danger, anyway? — but she was still pretty cool.

They got back to the Museum. Things were already in motion. Wolves, hippogriffs, and perytons transported people across the rifts and came back as those near the Manor hid themselves and prepared to strike. The Symbols were outside along with the other humans, bundled in winter clothes. Janice Corduroy and Danny Valentino were coming to the Manor; some of Danny's sons were there, begging their dad to let them come, but he refused. Geneva stayed near Gideon, wishing him well, though she wasn't coming herself.

"If you find my husband, don't hurt him," she instructed some nearby dryads. "Just get him somewhere safe where he won't be able to do any harm." They nodded. Gideon quietly thought that Gaston wouldn't be anywhere near the fighting. If he were still in the Manor at all, he'd probably be hiding in a corner somewhere.

Across the yard from Gideon, Lee and Andrew were talking quietly, making sure everything was in place. "We have plenty of guns," Lee said. "You could use one." In a rural town like Gravity Rises, almost everyone had a gun. Ford had gotten his out, and Danny, Janice, and Melody had all gone home to get theirs. Danny had brought two. Mabel and some of the others had balked at the idea of bringing "real guns," but it'd been agreed that all their resources needed to be available, regardless of whether or not they were used. The guns were mostly handled by the humans, though two dryads had taken them — Melody's and one of Danny's — as well; Danny had taught them how to use them yesterday.

"I've never used a gun before, and it seems more dangerous for me to have one than not to have one, if I'm untrained." Andrew put a hand on the sheath at his side. "I'll be all right with my knife and my magic."

"If you say so."

"Lee!" The hissed word came from Ford, who was marching up to them through the snow. "What are you two doing?"

"Making plans, Ford, like we've been doing for more than a day," Lee said, trying not to let exasperation taint his voice.

"Don't make plans without me. I see that knife, Andrew. You had better wait and let us try our other ideas."

"Of course," Andrew said, calmer than Lee could've been. "We don't want this either, Ford. I've already said we'll try all that we can."

"If it's safe to," Lee said. "There may not be time to try your ideas, for whatever reason. If we're in any danger from Bill while we're there, Ford, we'll have to act quickly and do the one thing we know will stop him."

Ford stared at Lee. "I can't believe you're acting like this."

"I'm being realistic. We have to keep people safe, and if that means attacking Bill right away, then that's what we'll do."

"Lee is right, but I hope that won't be the case," Andrew said.

Ford looked between the two of them, anger and pain clear in his expression, then turned and stomped away.

Andrew helped with some last-minute preparations, then got back on the wolf that was transporting him and Enoch. The Symbols went to their various rides: Dipper and Mabel together on a hippogriff, Gideon with his amulet, and the others on a peryton or doubled up on a hippogriff. Janice offered to ride with Candy on a hippogriff, but Candy insisted on riding a peryton and ended up with Rowan, whom she instantly liked.

"All right," Andrew said. "Let's go."

The flying creatures took off, and the wolves jumped over the rifts — and they were on their way. On their way to stop a demon.