Saelina's sleep was uneasy and she found herself hovering between waking and dreaming; a feeling of dread had snaked its way into her chest and wouldn't leave.

Don't trust them.

A memory flashed in her mind, showing Ezeas staring down at her with cold eyes as she struggled to get away from him.

They're not your allies.

Another memory played in her mind, Ezeas was grabbing her wrist, his voice was low and threatening; fear stirred in her chest as she struggled against him. The feeling that he was about to hurt her was overwhelming and paralyzing.

Was that really how it happened? She could barely remember, anymore, her head was pounding, making it hard to think clearly.

Struggling to wake up, she became aware of something touching her head; the sensation was unsettling and she tried to drag her consciousness out of the darkness.

Sleep.

A weight started settling on her thoughts as she felt herself slip into a dream, once again.

You can't trust anyone.

She wanted to say something, but was not sure what. Some sort of protest, perhaps? Why wouldn't her mouth move?

They'll kill you.

“Who's there?”

The familiar voice cut through her murky thoughts, bringing her abruptly out of her slumber. The feeling against her head disappeared and she thought she sensed a shadow flee from her presence. Opening her eyes, she saw a dark shape take off and another approached her.

“Saelina? Are you alright?”

She nodded at Laelith and opened her mouth to speak but only managed a dry croak. Laelith gave her some water from a skin and she gulped it down before asking what had happened.

“Ezeas saw something crouched over you. It fled when he called out. He's gone after it and I'm going to keep watch at the entrance of the cave. Stay near the fire, okay?”

Saelina managed a weak nod, then saw Laelith's form dash away, as well. She moved her tongue, only to almost cough at the bitter taste of gall. She got up and made her way to the water hole, scooping up handfuls of water and slurping it, clumsily. Feeling the cool liquid run down her throat quickly soothed her thirst. She took the chance to splash her face, hoping to relieve the pain, flashing behind her eyes.

She scooped up as much water as she could hold and let it run over her head, into her hair, relishing the feeling as the droplet ran over her scalp. Breathing deeply, she stared into the dark water, considering dipping her whole head in for a moment.

Something glistened beneath the surface and she leaned over a bit, to get a better look.

Get back!

The warning was so sudden and forceful that she threw herself backwards, just as something exploded through the surface, where her head at been. Whatever it was curved over and landed at the edge of the hole as water sloshed off it, spraying her and splashing on the cavern floor.

The first thing she noticed was the row of razor sharp teeth, jutting from a mouth, which seemed entirely too big for the creature to which it belonged. Flaring nostrils sat atop an elongated snout, occasionally being grazed by the darting movements of a forked tongue. Yellow eyes with vertically slit pupils were observing her, intently, as the massive head cocked to one side and the other, as if properly gauging whether the scrawny creature in front of it was worth biting into or not.

Alarmed trills sounded from phu'rias, as they fought against their restraints, but the animal paid them no heed.

The glowing embers of the camp fire cast a weak light which reflected off the slick dark skin of the towering lizard. It took a step towards her and she scrambled back, further, soon finding herself pressed against the wall of the cave.

Do something!

Dhíanvhúr's voice seemed distant, as if he was losing his grip within her mind. His command snapped her back into focus, however, and she frantically tried to think of something more productive than panicking.

The creature took another step, its clawed foot slapping against the wet floor; Saelina stared at the slick surface as an idea occurred; she slowly reached her hands down, summoning the magic into her fingertips and coaxing it out towards the thin layer of water. It was easy to work with what was already there, simply concentrating on cooling the doused surface, rather than creating a layer of ice from nothing.

As the reptile stepped closer, she tried to force more of her magic through her hands, hoping to speed up the process. Her energy was quickly waning, due to the fatigue which lingered from the last time Dhíanvhúr had assisted her. She could feel the sweat starting to form on her forehead but dared not stir before the water was completely frozen.

With relief she sensed the cold spreading, hardening the surface. The lizard stepped onto the ice and its claw immediately slid outward, causing it to slam awkwardly against the ground. A shrill mix between a hiss and a roar wheezed out of it. Saelina was vaguely aware that the commotion should have alerted Laelith to what was going on and the the nyx had yet to show herself.

The lizard tried to regain its footing, only for the other claw to slide beneath it, landing it unceremoniously on its side. Another screech emanated from its great maw. Saelina saw her chance and started moving sideways to get out of its path.

“Laelith! Ezeas!” she called out, hoping someone would hear her..

The creature's hoarse rumbles were all the reply she received. She struggled to keep the panic at bay, sneaking further away from the struggling reptile. She turned her gaze to the entrance, trying to calculate her chances of surviving a mad dash in that direction; then looked to where the phu'rias were still tied up. A glimmer of light reflected off a shiny surface pulled her attention to a knife, left next to the fire. She got ready to run, only to feel something heavy slam into her body, just as she took her first step.

Saelina slammed into a rock, protruding from the ground, and her head knocked painfully against the stone. Her barely healed shoulder twisted, and it felt like something within had been torn. Her vision swam as she tried to get her bearings. The lizard had not gotten full control of itself on the ice, but had somehow still managed to throw itself at its prey; it had not been able to fully control the jump and ended up sliding off to the side of the rock, after colliding with her. It was still scrambling to run at her, hissing furiously. Saelina tried her best to move away, but the ice presented her the same challenge as the lizard.

Carefully planting one foot in front of the other, she slowly made her way towards the entrance, glancing at the creature behind her, every two steps. It was slowly getting to its feet, digging its claws into the thin layer of ice for better grip. She saw her window close and decided to sprint. Behind her, the scratchy sound of claws searching for purchase spurred her to run faster.

She made a grab for the knife as she sped past the fire, only to feel her fingers fumble and the knife escape her hold. She watched in horror as the blade fell into the glowing embers. She had to force herself to stop and take stock of the situations. The lizard was still struggling with the ice but was getting closer at an alarming speed. The phu'rias were tied and she would not have time to untie the bindings. The knife was laying among the ashes, within her reach. She took a quick breath and plunged her hand into the coals and grabbed the knife, clenching her teeth against the searing pain.

Without pausing, she ran over to the tied mounts and started slashing away at their restraints. The lizard was gaining on her, no longer running on ice and she tried her best to focus on the task in front of her, keenly aware that she might feel a giant mouth close around her at any moment.

The phu'ria closest to her, tore itself loose and before she could grab it, it turned and jumped on the attacking creature. Saelina had no time to be surprised as she started on the next rope, sawing away at the threads.

Behind her, the sounds of snarling and snapping jaws send slight shivers through her and she could not entirely silence the feeling of guilt at sacrificing the raptors to save herself. The second rope gave way and she continued to the last one, hoping her insistence on freeing all three was not going to be the decision that doomed her. A loud yelp sounded, and she feared she might have cost their party a mount.

The final line gave and the phu'ria bolted at the monster, screeching, aggressively.

“Saelina!”

Laelith came running, looking haggard and limping, slightly.

“What happened?”

Saelina looked towards the fighting animal only to discover that two of the phu'rias were tearing into the lizard, ferociously. The third was laying on its side, completely still, a nasty wound still oozing blood along its flank.

The lizard was not faring much better, bleeding from several deep gashes; it was losing strength and fast. Its swipes at the attacking raptors were slow and lethargic. In the throes of death, it managed to shake off its attackers and made one last attempt at reaching Saelina, its eyes focusing suddenly on her as it leaped.

Saelina never saw the sword being unsheathed; she was barely aware of what happened as Laelith jumped in front of her and moved her blade but the next moment the lizard's body fell to the ground in front of the captain and the head rolled over in front of Saelina, the yellow eyes no longer seeing anything.

The headache, which had been kept at bay by adrenaline, rushed back, causing Saelina to stagger and slide down to the ground. Laelith came rushing to her side.

“What's wrong?”

Saelina fought back the nausea rippling through her and stared at the nyx.

“Where were you?”

“I was attacked, out in the tunnel. It seems whatever was in the cave stirred up a nearby nest of cave crawlers, I had to lead them away from you.”

“I called for you,” she said, her voice flat and tired.

“I'm sorry, I didn't think something was hiding in here.”

Laelith reached her hand out but Saelina slapped it away.

“I'm fine.”

A look of hurt flashed across the nyx' features but Saelina ignored it, trying to rest her battered body against the cave wall. She touched her shoulder and her hand came away bloody; with cold resignation, she took off her jacket and shirt, before tearing the latter to make some bandages. The bleeding was light and it was manageable to tie the strips of cloth around the wound without help. Laelith observed her progress with a guilty expression but Saelina pointedly ignored her.

Ezeas came back, looking furious; his expression changed to confusion when he took in the scene but Saelina could not bother to care as she held her pounding head between her hands. Laelith quickly explained the events and the group found a cave, further along the route, to spend the remainder of the night.

Both Laelith and Ezeas tried to examine her but she rejected their attempts. Logically, she was aware that her two companions were not to blame for the lizard's attack but at the time, she could not rid herself of the feeling of being abandoned when she needed them.

When she lay down, her body lost the last of its strength and she wondered whether she would even be able to turn in her sleep.

I do not appreciate being ignored!

His voice was so sudden, she felt a small shock, internally.

I've ignored you? was all she could think.

Would I say so, if you hadn't?

She tried to think back through the last hour. She had heard him, once, but he had sounded so far away.

I didn't mean to. I don't even think I heard you.

You feel weaker than usual.

Does that have something to do with it?

It's possible, he answered, but she thought he sounded unsure.

The words from her dream still played in her mind as she tried to sleep. Was she being a fool for trusting Ezeas and Laelith? Maybe even for trusting Dhíanvhúr? The thought was unsettling and her sleep was uneasy.