Werond hung her head just as Serena’s chest caved in on itself.

She was upon her instantly, hands against Werond’s chest, supporting her despite the tremor that invaded her. Werond let out a horrible yell as the battered frame of her body jerked then went limp against her. Eyes screwed up in pain, she let out a moan that betrayed just how long she’d been left hanging. Something wet dripped onto Serena’s arms; she glanced up, then looked away, unable to bear seeing the blood that now trickled from Werond’s wrists.

The door behind her smashed against the wall, footsteps storming into the cell.

“Serena!” Jo yelled. “Was that you?! What –” A gasp; Pavel swore. “Who are you – is that Werond?!”

“What?!” Cruck’aa screeched. “Her?!”

“Pavel, help me get her down, we –”

Something slithered to life, then was pulled taut; Jo yelped, then swore.

“Cruck’aa, what the –” Pavel yelled

“I’m saving us!”

“What?!”

“Cruck’aa, let me go!” Jo screamed.

“Not until you see reason!”

“All I see are these fucking vines on me!”

Their voices exploded at once, a storm that echoed off the stone walls, yet all of it became nothing but noise, shattered against the blood pounding in Serena’s ears; she shoved her body against Werond, fighting in vain to halt her tears, and reached up to grasp her face. Her legs began to buckle as she felt the skin that was pulled tight across Werond’s cheeks, felt the cuts, gashes, and bruises that lined her face, felt the trembling pain that rippled through her body. The edges of her vision blurred as Serena pushed up Werond’s head, staring into the muted amber depths of her eyes. The beginnings of a sob clawed to life within her throat as Werond’s gaze took far too long to focus.

She jerked, eyes widening, cracking open a scabbed up cut that ran across her brow. Her lips moved to speak but not a word came out, for barely visible within the dark red ruin of her mouth was the stump of her tongue, cut by an experienced blade.

Serena flinched and squeezed her eyes shut, hands never moving; she felt Werond jerk against her, tears beginning to flow across her fingers, as a whirlwind pounded to life within her mind.

This wasn’t right, this wasn’t right, it couldn’t have been right – Graham had taken Werond, they’d gotten away, there was plenty of time for them to get away, they should have hidden, should have been safe, why was she here?! Why was Werond here?! Graham had promised, promised there’d be allies, promised she’d be safe, he promised he promised he –

Werond let loose a strangled cry from the depths of her throat, a mangled phrase unintelligible, yet familiar still.

Serena whirled around and shoved her back against Werond, the world blurring in her eyes. Another cry sounded behind her, quieter this time; the sob finally burst from Serena’s throat, her body trembling as she reached back and wrapped an arm around Werond’s thin frame. After a moment, Werond leaned her head against Serena’s shoulder, her body sagging against her.

“The – chains,” Serena signed, hand quivering. “how – break –”

She clenched her hand into a fist as she realized that there was no one to see her signs; voices still a storm of argument, Cruck’aa stood with his arms outstretched, green vines wrapped about them, extending out to curl around Pavel and Jo’s waists. Both had dug their hands under the vines as they tried to rip them off, but they held firm, curling tightly against their bodies. A pace behind them, Doriyah stood with his arms crossed and a single eyebrow cocked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Cruck’aa!” Jo yelled, yanking at the vines in vain. “Let go! Get these fucking –”

“No!” Cruck’aa screeched back. “She deserves none of our help! She –”

“Gods shut up!” Pavel bellowed, staring daggers at Cruck’aa. “None of us care what you think –”

“Well, you should, I’m the only rational one here!” Serena felt her heart plummet as Cruck’aa began moving towards the door, dragging Jo and Pavel with him. “Don’t you touch her either Serena, I’m coming for you next!”

The horror that filled her chest burned away in an instant, dying against the heat that now blazed to life with each thump of her heart; Werond shifted as Serena pulled her arm away, struggling to sign against the fire that now roared through her veins.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do!” She spat. “Let them go, we’re getting Werond down now!”

“I have every right,” Doriyah flattened himself against the wall as Cruck’aa continued to drag Pavel and Jo towards the door. “to tell you what to do when your choices threaten our family! Get away from her!”

“Fuck you!”

“See, this is what I was talking about!”

“Cruck’aa!” Jo spat as Serena dug her nails into her palms.

“No, you quiet!” There remained no spark himself left in his yellow eyes. “We’re in this mess because of her! We almost died because of her –”

“Gods, damnit Cruck’aa!” Pavel yelled; he lunged at him, only for the vines to stiffen, holding Pavel at bay.

“Because she thought it best to hide everything from us! All of this is her fault!”

“Cruck’aa!” Jo yelled.

“And not just her!” Cruck’aa continued, staring directly into Serena’s eyes. “You fell for everything! Everything! She dragged you into her bed and look where it’s gotten us! You’re just as guilty as she is, how do you not see that?!”

“Go to hell!” Serena screamed, tears spilling down her face.

“Not until I send her there first!” Cruck’aa spat.

Flames erupted across Serena’s body, filling the room with a blinding orange light. Everyone before her flinched back as a wave of heat smashed into them, Cruck’aa almost pulling Pavel and Jo to the ground.

“Bahamut’s Teeth, I will burn you alive if you come anywhere near her!”

“You can try!” Cruck’aa yelled, orange rippling in the whites of his eyes.

“Serena?!” Pavel screamed as the vines began to smoke.

“Serena! The flames!” Jo yelled, sweat glistening across her face. “Stand down, you’re going to –”

“She lies!” Cruck’aa flicked his wrists, and the vines vanished; Jo and Pavel threw themselves against the far wall along with Doriyah, all staring with wide eyes. “You don’t have it in you to –”

Serena flung out her hand; the stone in front of Cruck’aa exploded as her firebolt smashed into it, sending super-heated fragments flying into the air. Cruck’aa screamed as the force threw him back, bits of rock cutting through his feathers; Pavel and Jo screamed, both shielding their faces and falling to the floor.

“Not – another – STEP!”

The flames from her body roared into the ceiling, ripping a scream from everyone within the room – save Doriyah, who, after a moment’s hesitation, took a single step forward, hands up.

“I can break the chains.” He said.

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Serena stared at him, flames dancing across her arms; behind her, in the one spot where nothing burned, Werond lifted her head.

Without waiting for an answer, Doriyah marched over, reached above and around her flames and, as easily as one broke a stick in half, ripped the chains from the stone. The flames vanished from Serena, her rage along with them, as she caught Werond before she hit the floor, weighing nothing like was before. As she sank down, cradling Werond in her arms, Doriyah knelt and snapped the manacles around Werond’s wrists, throwing them and the chains into the corner of the cell.

“You’re welcome.” He said, dusting off his hands. “Now, what else do I need to solve for you people?”

…

The decisiveness of Doriyah’s actions seemed to have shocked all of them back to a working normal, everyone too stunned to reignite the argument. As Doriyah helped Serena move Werond to the room outside, depositing her just beside the cell door, Jo divvied up enough tasks to keep everyone busy for hours. But the tasks were few, and the shock temporary; Cruck’aa’s anger quickly returned, but he found no chance to act upon it now that Pavel and Jo were watching his every move. But then even Pavel seemed off, refusing to meet Serena’s eyes, and Jo had been quieter than usual, enough to plant a seed of worry within her chest. All of that had been shoved to back of her mind, however, thanks to the mountain of the task that was healing Werond, and by the time she had finished, the sun had already spent hours below the horizon.

There was little doubt within her mind that whoever had tortured Werond was an expert at it; the wounds across her body had all been inflicted in just the right way to cause the most pain without permanently crippling her. And while each wound only required a small bit of work to heal – sizzling as cuts closed with new skin and bruises lost their color – the sheer number of injuries that Werond had sustained was more than Serena had seen anyone suffer through. And the intimacy she achieved with each had only twisted her stomach into a tighter knot.

Yet the gashes and marks that covered every inch of Werond paled in comparison to the destruction of her tongue. Serena had never healed another person’s mouth before, and the already difficult process had been made worse when she realized that there was no way to return Werond’s voice; her tongue had been neatly severed at the base, and no amount of healing would force it to grow back. And by the time Serena had realized her limitations, she’d already exhausted herself trying.

She sighed and leaned her head back, resting it against the stone wall; Werond’s head lay in her lap, body stretched sideways into the corner of the room. She did not stir as Serena stroked the top of her head, other hand atop her stomach. She had passed out the moment they’d moved her into the room, though she’d woken up briefly during the healing process. Yet her struggle to consciousness had been anything but pleasant, and the entire time while Serena held and whispered to her, Werond seemed to stare through her. Not even a kiss could banish the faraway look within her eyes, and as she slipped back to sleep, Serena couldn’t stop the tears from flowing anew.

“Racoon’s done.”

Serena’s eyes popped open; shadows danced across the stone walls as flames licked up from the firepit in the middle of the room. Jo, who had cobbled it together with the rocks and twigs Pavel and Doriyah had scavenged for, crouched before it, gently rotating four skewers of meat suspended above the fire. From their residence in the far corner of the room, Pavel and Doriyah perked up, ripped out of whatever they had been discussing in raised voices. And by the door, Cruck’aa let out a noise of disgust, before throwing it open and storming out into the night.

“Cold as the Nine Hells out there.” Jo mumbled, eyeing the door as it swung shut.

She stood up and arched her back, a few pops sounding over the crackle of the fire, before grabbing two of the skewers and offering them to Pavel and Doriyah. The pair eagerly accepted the food as Jo chimed into their conversation, back hunched with the same weariness that had crept into their voices.

With a sigh, Serena leaned her head back against the wall; she’d heard bits and pieces of what everyone else had been doing while she was left to heal Werond, but even then, she wasn’t sure what they had figured out. Cruck’aa, after his scouting, had claimed that they were in a swamp, though everyone kept calling it a forest, much to his irritation. From all that Pavel and Doriyah had dragged in for the firepit though, Serena was inclined to agree with them. She wasn’t sure if racoons lived in swamps either, nor was she sure about eating them, but Jo had claimed that it was all she could find.

“Serena?”

She jerked her head up; Jo stood over her with a meat skewer in each hand, steam trailing off into the darkness that rippled across the ceiling.

“Did you want one?” She asked. “You didn’t say anything.”

“Oh, sorry…” The knot in her stomach unraveled. “Yeah, I’ll take one, thanks.”

“Sure. Mind if I eat with you?”

Serena shook her head as she accepted the skewer; the meat was blackened in some spots, and it smelled like it shouldn’t be eaten at all, but it tasted alright when she tore a chunk out of it. Like a chicken baked in a barrel of grease.

“How is she?” Jo grunted as she slid down the wall next to her. “Any better? Worse?”

“She’s – fine – did – my – best.” Serena signed, before passing her skewer to Jo’s outstretched hand. “I healed everything I could. The gashes and bruises were easy, but…” Her heart jumped into her throat. “I-I couldn’t do anything about her tongue. I tried but…”

Her shoulders slumped, chest growing tight; after a moment, Jo reached out and laid a hand on Serena’s shoulder, both skewers held in the other.

“You did your best, that’s all you can do.” She nodded at Werond. “I’m sure she appreciates it too; you can’t do everything.”

“I know…”

“Don’t let it get to you too much then. Easier said than done though, I know, but we’ll find a way to get it back. I’m sure there’s some magic you can learn that does the trick.” Her hand dropped. “She wake up at all?”

Serena’s chest grew tighter.

“I mean, she did, but…I don’t know Jo, she seemed…off.”

“I imagine. Been hanging up for gods know how long.”

“Jo,” Serena twisted to stare at the older woman, looking odd with a skewer of racoon in each hand. “it wasn’t that it…when she woke up, she just stared right through me, like I wasn’t there.”

“She’s probably traumatized from the whole ordeal Serena. Who wouldn’t be? Getting tortured isn’t an experience anyone just walks away from, and getting her tongue ripped out to boot probably hasn’t helped matters.”

“But –”

Jo’s hand shot out, shoving the skewer at Serena’s face, forcing her to jerk back least it poke her cheek.

“Stop panicking and eat the meat.” Jo said.

The demand was so strange that Serena complied before she realized what she was doing. As she tore another chunk off, Jo bit into her own, and continued to talk with a half full mouth.

“Look, I’m not going to undermine –” She swallowed. “Undermine what you’re saying Serena, but Werond’s probably been on the verge of death for a while. She’s not going to be herself right now, and I highly doubt she’ll be back to normal anytime soon. She’s lucky you managed to spot her in the corner, I’m not sure how any of us missed her, but it would have…” Jo grimaced. “Let’s not think about that. Regardless, I know you’re worried, and you have every right to be, but you’ve driven yourself sick from all that overthinking you’ve been doing. Don’t deny it either, I’ve seen the faces you kept pulling for the last while. Take solace in the fact that you’ve done everything you can and move forward with what tomorrow brings you. I’m sure Werond will bounce back, you just need to give her some time. Alright?”

Serena sighed and nodded; waiting was the last thing that she wanted to do, but she couldn’t argue with Jo’s words. Much of her was too tired to do so anyways.

“Good. Now take your dinner.”

“Why did you feed me?” Serena signed, before accepting the half-eaten skewer.

“Because you were going to forget to eat if I didn’t.” Jo smirked. “Plus, it kept you quiet for a moment.”

Serena rolled her eyes as Jo pushed herself up with a grunt, dusting off her bottom. She tore another chunk from her skewer as she walked towards the door, firelight flickering against her body, only to jerk to a halt halfway there. She flipped around and stepped back towards Serena, her voice lowering to a whisper.

“Listen…” She leaned towards Serena. “don’t mention this, but I think you should know, Cruck’aa was bitching up a storm about you out there. He’s still pissed about – hey hold up, just listen.” Jo raised a hand as Serena straightened up, heart thumping. “He was bitching about your reaction to everything, but I told him off. I know where his mind is coming from, but he had no right to do any of that. Cruck’aa’s not going to let it go though, and while I don’t think he'll try to do anything right now…I’m sure he still has a lot to say. It’s just…something to be aware of in case he brings it up again.”

“Why – can’t – I – talk – him?” Serena signed, fingers shaky.

“Because you have your hands full with Werond, and don’t need to be dealing with his grumpy ass right now. Not to mention that we’re in a shit situation, so anything to make it worse is unneeded. Hells,” Jo scratched her chin. “I almost didn’t tell you. But my heart beat out my head. Just – be ready, but don’t go out making trouble with him. Last thing we want is more strife between everyone.”

Something popped in Jo’s knee as she stood back up; with a finger to her lips, she spun on her heel and walked out the door, pulling it shut behind her. Neither Doriyah nor Pavel seemed to notice, their argument almost drowning out the crackle of the firepit.

Serena’s gaze seemed stuck on the door, and it wasn’t until the heat of her dinner had faded did she rip her eyes away. It had taken far too long for her heart to calm, but even now, she tore at the meat harder than she meant to, a bit of it falling onto Werond’s chest. She snatched it and threw it into the fire, unable to push aside the frustration that itched across her body. A part of her almost wished Jo had kept everything to herself, but another part of her was glad that she had the time to prepare. Cruck’aa had been completely out of line after all, and he needed to –

Something sharp stabbed at her gums as she bit into the skewer; Serena swore and fished out a bit of pinkish racoon bone, sharp as a knife. She flung it into the fire, listening as a bit of fat sizzled off it. Pavel glanced over but quickly returned to his argument as Doriyah said something that sounded ridiculous.

Now wasn’t the time to get worked up over whatever stupid argument would fall out of Cruck’aa’s beak this time. There were more important issues at hand, the biggest currently asleep in her lap, and so long as Cruck’aa kept to himself, Serena would do her best to ignore him. It would do none of them any good – Werond especially – if she tried to pick a fight now, as much as she wanted to scream at him.

With a sigh, Serena leaned her head back and tossed the half-finished skewer into the fire; she snapped her hands clean and laid one just below Werond’s neck, the other gently stroking her hair. It was only by the grace of the gentle rising and falling of Werond’s chest, did the anxiety within Serena’s fade enough for her to drift into a fitful sleep.