The underground shelter was uncovered, allowing sound to freely enter and leave the shelter. The evening sun’s light danced between shadows of jagged, far-reaching branches, which shifted within the frigid breeze. The dwindling firelight could only keep Olpi and Elero warm for so long.

Olpi winced at the pain in her hip. On instinct she went to rub the spot, but her hands were still tied behind a thin support beam. She leaned her back against it and sighed: “Are you still annoyed at me?”

“Of course not,” Elero sarcastically remarked. “These are just friendly kicks.”

“Look, I’m sorry. Owen could be back any minute. Do you think you could use anything in here to take him down?”

Elero slowly flopped onto her stomach, wincing even with the smallest movement. “Take him down?” she said. “I doubt I can swing a blade right now, even if we manage to find one and cut ourselves loose. What’s Owen doing now?”

Olpi tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. Luckily, Owen had left the shelter uncovered so she could hear him clearly. That also meant they couldn’t be too loud or he’d figure out that Elero was awake. “I can’t tell what he’s doing,” Olpi said. “He left with chalk and incense. I think he’s crushing up the chalk, but I don’t know why.”

“Then we’ll have to be quick.” Elero urged her. “You know more about the situation than I do. Got any ideas?”

Olpi’s gaze gravitated towards Owen’s bag, and she almost laughed at the irony. Almost. “Secrets got us into this mess…” she began. “And maybe secrets can get us out. Do you think you can pass me Owen’s bag?”

Elero smirked. “So you can use common sense after all.”

Olpi let out a hollow chuckle. “He kept his bag away from me so it seemed important. It’s ok to rummage through an enemy’s secrets, right?”

“Whatever you say, you nosy elf,” Elero said as she wormed her way over to the opposite corner. She reeled her feet back and kicked the bag towards Olpi.

The bag sailed across the mat, coming to a sudden halt as it tipped onto its side, loudly spilling a portion of its contents. Olpi winced at the noise. “Careful,” she cautioned.

Elero rolled her eyes and scooted towards the ladder. “If I could just climb out of here…” She paused and glanced back at Olpi, who still had her hands tied behind her back. “Nevermind. Just search the damned bag. I’ll keep watch here.”

Searching the bag was easier said than done. Olpi rotated herself so her back was to the bag. Then, she strained her neck to get a look at the items. She could ignore the pain in her neck but when she stretched her arms behind her, the bindings constricted her blood flow. She fumbled through the items: a pouch filled with dry grain, three holy symbols (one of which was smaller), two normal rings, and an envelope. She scooped up the useless items and began stuffing them back in the bag.

“Anything?” Elero asked.

“Just an envelope so far,” Olpi said, stuffing the envelope into her pocket.

Elero cursed under her breath. “He’s…” her voice faded.

Olpi tried to look back at her but the muscles in her neck were already at their limit. Her grip tightened on Owen’s bag. “What? Is he coming back?”

“Keep going,” Elero urged, her soft whisper barely audible over the crackling fire. “Don’t look at me. Look in the bag, deeper this time.” Olpi hesitated. “Keep going,”

Olpi reached further into Owen’s bag, then her ears twitched. A pair of thudding footsteps, increasing in rhythm, matched the rapid beating of her heart. She took a breath, knowing that Owen’s was their only chance to get free. It didn’t matter that he was coming back. She had to find something. Anything.

The footfalls stopped as a looming shadow blocked out the light. Bits of snow descended down the ladder.

Olpi stretched to the very limit of her range of motion and her fingers fumbled around something sharp, which stabbed into her palm. She muffled a cry.

The shadow shifted. A meaty hand reached on one side of the hole. 

Elero pressed herself against a wall just out of view, still struggling to get out of her sleeping bag.

Owen dragged something heavy and metal across the ground: the shield. He shifted it back over the hole. His footsteps turned, then left.

Olpi let out a sigh of relief. “Elero,” she whispered.

“I know it was reckless, but we had no other choice,” Elero whispered back.

“It was reckless but that wasn’t what I meant to say,” Olpi said as she grabbed the source of the pain in her palms. From out of the bag she pulled two needles.

Only one of the needles, halfway full with a clear liquid, had pricked her. The other one was full of green liquid. “Oh no.” She tucked them under her sleeves then tightened the bag.

“What?” Elero asked.

  Olpi forced a smile: “I’m alright. I found an antidote. If we can get this to Frey, he can kick Owen’s butt for us.”

“That’s great but did you also find something to cut us out?” Elero asked.

“…oh.” She was grateful she couldn’t see Elero’s face, because she could practically feel the disappointment boring into the back of her head.

“How are we supposed to get the antidote to Frey?”

Olpi opened her mouth to respond but then her ears twitched. She rotated her body around to face Elero, who silently wormed back to her previous spot. Olpi tightened the bag, then kicked it to the opposite corner right as the shield was pulled away.

Owen descended foot by foot, hand over hand, until he was on even ground with his two captives: Elero, who lay on her side with her eyes closed, and Olpi, who lowered her head as if she hadn’t moved since he left.

Owen glanced at his bag, then at Olpi, then to Elero.. “I heard something down here.”