Lincoln woke with an unidentifiable dread in his stomach.

He was lying on a hard surface on his back. His eyes fluttered open, revealing a thatched roof above his head. Light came through a high window just beneath the thatching. The area was comfortably warm, and someone had taken off Lee's snow gear. He was wearing only a t-shirt and jeans.

Lee stared at the thatching, trying to figure out where he was.

Then he remembered, and he sat bolt upright.

"Woah," said a voice. "Are you okay?"

Lincoln whirled around and found himself face to face with a minotaur. The sight startled him; he put his hands up defensively. "Stay back," he said on instinct.

"It's okay," said the minotaur. "I won't hurt you."

As Lee calmed down from his initial scare, he looked closer at the minotaur. She appeared to be a female, with a more narrow face, a slender body, and a shirt over her round breast. The shirt was leather; it appeared to be armor of some kind.

"Sorry," Lincoln said. "You startled me."

"Do you remember what happened before you fell unconscious?" she asked.

Lincoln thought back. The memory of what had happened — Bill possessing him and coming to the minotaur village, Bill getting Lincoln knocked out, Lincoln watching as a spirit as the minotaurs brought him to this hut — came back easily. "Yes, I remember," he said. "Am I a prisoner?"

The minotaur nodded. "You are. But, like I said, we won't hurt you."

"Thank you," he said quietly. "What's your name?"

"I'm Xítway," she said, making a hissing noise at the beginning that Lincoln would never have expected to hear from a cow. But, he reminded himself, she wasn't a cow — her head just happened to look somewhat like one.

"Heet-wuy?" he repeated, trying out the name.

She nodded. "Xítway." The name rolled off her tongue easier than it did his. "I'm your guard."

He stiffened a bit at the word "guard," then forced himself to relax. "Nice to meet you. I'm Lincoln."

She tilted her head. "They told me your name was Stanley," she said.

"It is, but I go by Lincoln," he said, "or Lee." Though he accepted that Stanley was his "real name," he didn't feel comfortable with it. He frowned. "Wait, who told you my name was Stanley?"

"Andrew did," Xítway answered. "He learned from your brother."

"Stanford was here?"

"Yes, a few hours ago. He plans to come back sometime and visit you."

Lincoln's heart lifted. Stanford knew where he was, and he was going to come see him. That was enough to make Lee feel better. Plus, Ford would never allow the minotaurs to keep Lee captive if he thought Lee was in danger. Feeling a lot safer, Lincoln asked, "And who's Andrew?"

"I'll let him introduce himself," she replied. "He wants to talk to you."

"Is he another minotaur?"

"Yes."

Lincoln frowned. "Then why does he have an English name, but you don't?"

Xítway flicked her ears; she seemed amused. "We minotaurs get our names from all over the place: our old dimension, the native American tribes from this area, the English-speaking humans of today. Our names and our native language are a big mixture."

Lincoln nodded. It made sense. As he'd learned from books in the Order library, the species in the forest came from all over the multiverse to join the humans in creating Bill's prison. The species, such as the minotaurs, had stayed in the area to watch over the prison. The forest around Gravity Rises was one of the only places in the multiverse that had such a diversity of species.

"You know," he said, "I've done research about the different species coming here and forming societies, but I've always wondered. Don't tell me if you don't want Cipher to know, but how do you control the population in the different areas of the forest? Wouldn't there be a lot more minotaurs and other species after so many generations?"

Xítway shrugged. "We have our ways." Lincoln must have been giving her a worried stare, because she laughed and added, "Don't worry, we don't kill our own kind or anything like that. We're not barbarians."

He put up his hands in mock surrender. "I wasn't saying you were."

She grinned at him (which was admittedly a little scary, with her different facial anatomy) but didn't tell him more. Maybe she couldn't share, since Cipher was listening. Fine then.

Xítway glanced to the door. "Well, I'd better get Andrew. Just a minute."

For a second, Lincoln worried that she'd leave the hut and give Cipher an opportunity to escape in Lincoln's body, but she only went to the door (which was hanging halfway off its hinges and letting in the cold air — so why was it warm in here?) and shouted unfamiliar words, presumably from her native language. After a moment, she came back over to Lincoln. "There, someone is getting him."

Lincoln nodded, trying not to show his fear. It was an irrational fear: Xítway seemed very nice, so why should Lincoln be worried about this Andrew? Instead of dwelling on the feeling, Lincoln asked, "Why is it warm in here?"

Xítway shrugged. "Magic. The cold doesn't bother us as much as it does humans, but we still like the warmth. And we knew we'd need it for you."

"Thank you," Lincoln said. It would definitely be uncomfortable to be a prisoner in the winter cold, even with his winter gear. Said gear was off to the side of the hut; Lincoln wondered why the minotaurs didn't take it away to stop him from escaping without freezing. Maybe they would later.

It was only a few minutes before another minotaur entered the hut. "Hello, Stanley. How are you feeling?"

"Call me Lincoln," he said. "Are you Andrew?"

"I am. You're okay? No side effects from the knockout spell?"

Lincoln shook his head. "I'm feeling fine. I understand I'm a prisoner here."

"Yes," Andrew said, "and I wanted to ask you some questions. May I?" He came over to the bench and sat beside Lincoln, who forced down the instinctual fear from being so close to someone from an unfamiliar species.

"Go ahead," Lee said, swallowing his nervousness.

"Your brother Stanford came earlier to make sure you were okay. He told us about your deal with Cipher and said Cipher was probably possessing you when you came here. Is that true?"

"He was, yes," said Lincoln. A feeling of shame that more people knew of his foolish deal bubbled in his stomach.

"Do you know why he came here?"

"Not really," Lincoln said. "He didn't tell me where we were going or what we were doing. It wasn't until we got here that I saw your people. And it wasn't until my body had gotten hit by the spell that he told me that we were here to steal something."

Andrew grimaced. "I feared as much. Were you a spirit when he told you?"

"Yes. I watched you carry my body from the cave to here."

"I wasn't here for that," Andrew said, "which I'm sure Cipher knew. Did he seem to have planned this attempt beforehand?"

"Yes, he told me about it last night. Not any details, just that we were going to leave around noon today."

Andrew rubbed at his forehead. "How? How did he know?" He didn't seem to be asking Lincoln specifically, just thinking out loud.

"What does he know?" Lee asked. He didn't know if he'd get an answer — since any information he knew was automatically information that Bill knew, and Andrew couldn't risk giving anything away — but he still wanted to ask.

Sure enough, Andrew didn't answer. Instead, he turned his head to Lincoln and asked, "Can you tell me exactly what happened before the spell hit you? So I can get an idea?"

"Sure. At about noon today—" Lincoln stopped. "Wait. Is it still the same day?"

Andrew nodded. "It's late afternoon."

"All right. Well, we left the Order headquarters at about noon, and we came straight here. We entered along the cliff line, so I didn't see any minotaurs until I floated away from Cipher to look around. When I came back, Cipher was in front of a cave. He stepped forward to enter the cave, and that's when the spell went off."

"It was that fast? You just came here, and Cipher went right to the cave?"

"Yes. He seemed to know what he was doing. After the spell, he told me that he didn't think you'd have magical defenses up yet."

Andrew snorted. "Oh, we're not nearly that careless."

Lincoln glanced to his snow gear in the corner. "Then what are you doing to keep me here, exactly? If Cipher took over my body right now, what would stop him from escaping?"

"Well, Xítway would, for one," said Andrew. Xítway, who was listening from across the hut, stood a little straighter at this. "For two, there's a barrier around the hut that holds another knockout spell. You can't get through."

Lincoln nodded. Good to know. You hear that, Cipher? Don't get me knocked out again.

"Can you tell me what Cipher was trying to steal?" Lincoln asked. "I understand if you can't, but. . . well, he clearly knew what he was looking for and where it was."

Andrew nodded grimly. "He must have known. But I'll still be safe and keep the information from you. I'm sorry."

"I understand." Lincoln glanced away, then back at Andrew. "You're keeping me here so that Cipher can't use me against you, is that correct?"

"Yes," Andrew said, and he at least sounded apologetic. "May I ask. . . when did you make that deal with him?"

Lincoln closed his eyes briefly. "Twenty years ago. I was. . . in a bad place. Feeling desperate. He took advantage of that." He sighed. "He doesn't take over all that often; but now that he's getting closer to escape, he'll probably want to use me as much as he can. I agree that it's best to keep me here."

"So you'll be a willing prisoner?"

"When I'm in my own body, yes. I can't promise the same for Cipher."

"No, you can't," Andrew said with a sigh. "I would ask that, if Cipher takes over, you don't go leave this hut as a spirit. Since Cipher will later be able to see whatever you see."

"All right," Lincoln said, but his heart sank as he realized what this meant: He wouldn't be leaving the hut, as a soul or as a spirit, for who knew how long. It was like the cave all over again — except the cave had offered occasional glimpses of sunlight.

Andrew must have noticed the sorrow on Lincoln's face, for he said, "I'm sorry. I feel bad keeping you here. But I can't think of another choice that wouldn't give Cipher an advantage against us."

Lincoln understood, but he already felt that the hut was too small. He shook off the feeling. "While I'm here," he said, "can you help me?" He explained his inability to join the Cipher Wheel and his hope that the creatures of the forest could help him.

Andrew nodded. "Stanford already asked us to help. We'll do what we can."

"Is there much you can do?"

Andrew hesitated. "I don't know," he admitted. "Cipher's deals are too strong to be broken by anyone other than Cipher himself. We'll have to think of other solutions."

Lincoln nodded, not feeling a lot of hope. Had he destroyed their chances entirely? Twenty years ago, had he ensured Cipher's victory?

He didn't want to think of that. It made him feel too guilty.

"Well, I'd better go," said Andrew, getting to his feet. "It was nice to meet you. We'll let Stanford know that you're awake, and he should come back soon. We'll do our best to help you feel comfortable while you're here."

"Thank you," Lincoln whispered.

Andrew moved to the door of the hut. He was halfway through when Lincoln felt a tug on his soul.

"Wait," Lincoln called. Now? Cipher was going to come now? At least he had let Lincoln and Andrew finish their conversation, but Lincoln had no desire to get pulled out of his body.

"What is it?" asked Andrew, turning to face him.

"Cipher's coming," Lincoln said. Andrew and Xítway exchanged alarmed glances as Lee added, "I think he wants to talk to you."

~~~~~

"I'll go talk to the minotaurs," said Bill. "I'll be back later." With that, he disappeared.

Pacifica glanced at the spot where he'd been. She was in the kitchen, making herself dinner — or, attempting to make herself dinner. She frowned down at her ingredients and wondered if the Northwest servants would make her a meal if she went over to the Manor. She needed to talk to the servants anyway; maybe now was a good time.

If everything had gone according to plan, then Lincoln would be here making dinner. He would have successfully stolen the dagger, and Pacifica could use it to start the township. But he hadn't been successful, and he wasn't here. Instead, as Bill had told her, he had been captured by the minotaurs.

Pacifica was really worried for Lincoln. What would the minotaurs do to him? Would Bill help him escape? Pacifica had wanted to go immediately to the minotaurs to break Lincoln out, but Bill had forestalled her, saying that Lincoln was unconscious and that it wasn't yet the time to rescue him. For now, Bill had said, she needed to make plans with the Northwest servants to rescue Lincoln and to steal the dagger. So, she thought, maybe she could go to the servants now and get a decent meal out of it.

She sighed and started putting away the ingredients and dishes that she'd gotten out. All the while, she worried about Lincoln.

"Oh, poor Pacifica. You can't go crying to Lincoln anymore. He's getting tortured by the minotaurs, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Pacifica grit her teeth. "Shut up, Mabel," she said. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you."

"And why's that?" Spirit Mabel jumped onto the counter and swung her legs.

"I'm going to get rid of you, that's why," Pacifica replied. Even through her worry about Lincoln, she felt a small thrill as she thought about defeating Mabel. "I'm going to take the dagger from the minotaurs, and I'm going to run you through with it."

Mabel made a disbelieving, scornful noise. "First of all, Bill told you that you can only cut my hand. I wouldn't call that running me through. And second, that dagger probably doesn't even exist. Bill is just leading you on. There's no way to get rid of me."

"You're wrong," Pacifica snapped. "My grandfather's magic will work. The Northwests have plenty of technological resources, too."

"Why use the Northwests? What happened to your precious cult?" Mabel's eyes widened in mock distress. "Did they abandon you?"

"They're cowards," Pacifica said. Half of the Order members hadn't even shown up the other day to research the prophecies. They were all too worried about unimportant things like the effects of the gravitational anomalies or their families. "But they don't matter," Pacifica assured Mabel. "The Northwest servants will help me. We're going to go to the minotaurs, steal the dagger, and rescue Lincoln. Then I can finally be free of you."

"You'll have to find the real me first," said Mabel. She waved her hand through Pacifica's shoulder, and Pacifica felt nothing but a ghostly chill. "I'm not physical, remember?"

"And thank Cipher for that," Pacifica muttered. Then she forced a sweet smile onto her face. "Don't worry about that. I'll find the real you. Enjoy your last few days of existence."

Mabel rolled her eyes. "It won't work," she said. "It's not a magical dagger at all. And even if it were, Dipper would protect me against it. You'd only end up hurting him."

Pacifica flinched. "I wouldn't hurt him. I'll make sure he's not around."

"Good luck with that. I keep him with me at all times."

Pacifica scowled. Yes, Mabel did keep Dipper with her at all times. He was like a bodyguard. An unsuspecting bodyguard who had no idea the monster who employed him.

Mabel raised an eyebrow and smirked, and Pacifica composed herself. "You can't hide behind him all the time," Pacifica said, keeping her voice calm. "You'll slip. And when you do, I'll be there with the dagger."

Mabel rolled her eyes again, but Pacifica thought she saw a hint of fear in the spirit's face. Good. She knew her time was limited. She knew Pacifica would win.

Pacifica turned away and left the kitchen, headed for the passage to the Northwest Manor. She could see Mabel in her periphery, following her, but she found the spirit easy to ignore. She could almost imagine what it would be like to have no Spirit Mabel bothering her all the time. The thought cheered her immensely.

The first real smile in hours came to her face. Yes, Pacifica would win. She would get the dagger; she would make sure Lincoln was safe; she would find Mabel and get her out of the way.

And then Mabel could never hurt her again.

AN: Xítway means "friend" in Sahaptin (pronounced the way Lee said it: Heet-wuy or Heet-wae, with the emphasis on the first syllable) and I love my precious minotaur girl