For some time I had been in the darkness, though how long a time I knew not.  For a space, there had been nothing and no one, a silence to match the darkness.  I watched the darkness, and listened to the silence, and then I slept, my back against the wall, the chains holding me fast.  I awoke to a small scraping sound, and then my leg was bitten by something with the smell of animal to it.  Quickly I struck at the sound, causing the thing to squeal in pain and fear, and then I struck again and again, till no further sound came from it.  With groping hands I found the limp body, broke its neck to be sure it was dead, then fed upon it, using its blood to replace that which flowed from my leg where I had been bitten.

The chains with which I was bound kept me from moving more than a short pace from my original position, yet I was able to reach the water which ran from the walls on my right.  It took many handfuls to slake my thirst, and then I brought a bit of the water to my leg, where the unseen animal had bitten me.  The bite no longer bled, but it throbbed somewhat with pain, so I pressed the water upon it to draw the pain away.  In that realm of eternal darkness, it was no surprise that the pain remained.

A time later, a scream broke the silence.  I knew the sound of Comir's voice, and called to her that she was not alone - and reminded her that she was yet a warrior.  Her faint reply of obedience barely came to me; then there were no further screams.  As warriors we sat within the darkness and silence, awaiting whatever would come.

Six times I lured unseen animals to me so that I might feed, before there came the sound of steps beyond the door.  Metal was slid aside, the door opened, and quickly I squeezed my eyes shut against the brilliant glare of a torch.  Footsteps neared me, my arms were once again held, and the cuffs of metal were removed from my wrists, only to be replaced with smaller, smoother metal as my arms were forced behind me.  Next was the collar about my throat opened, that, too, being replaced by another, smaller collar of the same sort.  The cuffs about my ankles were opened, though not replaced, and roughly I was taken from the room to the space beyond the door.  I heard the sound of chain and saw a male in leather and metal bring a chain to the collar about my throat.  The chain barely touched the collar and was held there, and the weight of the chain added itself to the collar.

The male then moved aside, and I saw, the chain also running to them, Fayan and Comir, facing from me, their arms, too, behind their backs.  Presently the chain moved again, and I turned a bit to see Larid added behind me.  When she and Binat were secured, the males, one holding the chain before Comir, one to either side of us, a fourth with a torch, moved in the direction we faced, pulling and pushing us with them.  He with the torch was left at the large door, and then we retraced our steps to the air above.