Toshie opened her eyes.

  The air was cold and dark. The ground beneath her was hard. Maybe wood? Her hands and feet were chained together. Her mouth was dry – real dry. She tried to produce some spit to mumble out some words.

  “Yrlith? Brot? Sally?”

  Silence.

  “Anyone?” she tried again.

  “Master Toshie? Is that you?” It was Brot.

  “Oh, Brot, thank goodness. Where are we?”

  “I do not know. I believe I am blindfolded.”

  Toshie realized that was why it was so dark. Brot continued.

  “My apologies, Master Toshie, but I thought you were keeping watch?”

  “So did I. I mean, sorry. Shit. I was staring at the sea and… I just woke up.”

  “No need to worry! At least we are not dead!” Brot was ever the optimist.

  “Sure feels like it,” came Sally’s voice.

  “Sally! You’re alive!” Toshie would take any good news. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’m chained up in my parents' dungeon.” Sally seemed back to normal. “What happened?”

  “Before or after your little spider adventure?” This time, it was Yrlith’s voice.

  “Spider?” said Sally. “Oh, ugh, that’s right. How did I…?”

  “Get saved by me again?” said Yrlith. “Well, these two helped. And they helped us set up a camp, which got someone’s attention, and now we’re wherever we are.”

  “Y’all talk too damn much.” This voice Toshie did not recognize.

  “Hey, at least we’re not alone,” said Sally.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Shut yer damn yaps and lemme rest,” said the voice.

  “Aw, don’t you want to make friends?” Sally was back to her old self.

  “Gonna make me some mince pie if you don’t get quiet.”

  “Ooh, will a cook join our party soon?” Brot asked.

  “I think he means he’s going to cook us,” said Yrlith.

  “Why would he cook us?” asked Brot.

  “Dunno,” said Sally. “Doesn’t sound like he’s good at insults. My bet is he’s been in here too long. How long you been in here, old man?”

  “I swear ta tha gods if y’all don’t shaddap!”

  “Aw, but I’m starting to have fun,” said Sally.

  Yrlith laughed, and Toshie joined her. It felt good.

  “Y’all got no idea where ya are, d’ya?” said the voice.

  “Nope,” said Sally, who had decided to take the lead. “You wanna tell us?”

  “If it’ll get ya to shut yer mouths.”

  “Please, I love story time.”

  “Dark Elves,” said the voice.

  “Not a place,” Sally said.

  “Dark Elves,” the voice said again.

  “We established that.”

  “Girl, ya got any idea what Dark Elves do to prisoners?”

  “Seems pretty standard so far. Chains, blindfolds. Yrlith, does this remind you of–?”

  “I am going to kill you,” Yrlith said.

  “Aw, honey, I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to chain you up.”

  Yrlith sighed.

  “Forgive me, my love. I’ll make it up to you. Now, I think this guy is about to explain what these Dark Elves will do to us.”

  Silence.

  “Aw, not talking anymore? Bashful around ladies?”

  Toshie wondered if Sally would be this brave if they weren’t all tied up. Was the old man a prisoner, too? For Sally’s sake, she hoped he was.

  “Ya done yappin' yet?”

  Sally decided to keep quiet this time.

  “Now, if you’d listen, I said, do y’all know what Dark Elves do to prisoners? Cause it ain’t prettah!”

  Toshie heard a solid whack, and the old man went silent. Someone tugged her chains.

  “Stand.”

  An unfamiliar voice stabbed through Toshie’s ears like an ice pick.

  She made her best effort to stand but couldn’t. The next thing she knew, she was pulled to her feet.

  “Kinda hard to stand with these chains and blindfolds,” said Sally. “Who are you anyway? And what did you do to our grumpy cook friend?”

  There was no response.

  “Ouch!” Toshie yelled as her blindfold was ripped off along with a few strands of hair.

  Toshie’s eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dim light. Her friends were now on their feet, their blindfolds torn off by tall, pale figures. The unfamiliar voice had come from a heaping beast of a guy. He was human, as best as Toshie could figure, but humongous. He looked like the offspring of a professional wrestler and a bear. His blindfold had been shoved into his mouth. Toshie kept hers shut.

  “Walk,” said one of the pale figures. Toshie followed as best as the chains allowed. Two pale figures grabbed the beast of a man and began pulling him out of the room.

  Toshie followed their captors out of their jail room and down a dark hallway. From the slight waving, she figured they were on another ship. Up some stairs and out to the deck they went. Instead of the sun, Toshie was greeted by the glow of mushrooms on the ceiling of an enormous cave.

  She looked behind her and could only see a tunnel of darkness. In front of her was a beach of stones and another dark tunnel. They were led off the ship and into the darkness.