The low murmur of voices warned Maevus to keep her eyes shut as she floated back to consciousness. She was warm, which was good. She was also tied up, which was bad. 

Maevus lay perfectly still, letting her other senses tell her what they could. Seava was gone, the dragon sent back to her world when Maevus had lost consciousness. She was on something soft but not covered by anything. Patches of skin ached and stung, telling her she was plenty banged up from their collision with the tree. She smelled woodsmoke and something savory—stew of some sort, Maevus would guess.

Something stirred beside her, nearly making her eyes fly open. Then, she remembered Volt. He had been with her when Seava crashed. 

A door suddenly opened, then banged shut. A lock snapped to. Silence seeped through the room. Swallowing against a dry throat, Maevus ever so slightly cracked her right eye open. Peering through her lashes, she swept her gaze around. She couldn't see anyone.

"Maevus," Volt's low voice whispered behind her.

She bobbed her head, indicating she was awake. His sigh brushed over her ear, and her eyes opened all the way as she felt him sit up. Rolling onto her back, she stared up into the cloud of smoke that swirled gently against the thatch roof. 

"Are you alright?" he asked. She glanced over, but he was nothing more than a darker shadow in the dim room. He turned to her, hood swaying. "Are you hurt?"

"Scrapes and bruises," she finally answered, groaning as she sat up. They were on a pallet of furs and straw, judging by the soft crinkling sound that accompanied every movement. "You?"

A grunt in reply. He struggled for a moment, bumping into her before he managed to get his legs under him and push to his feet. Maevus craned her neck, wiggling around so she was facing the room.

It was modest. A one-room cabin with a small hearth. It was bare save the pallet she was on and a chair by the fire. Maevus watched as Volt circled the room, searching every nook and corner. A dissatisfied sigh heaved at his shoulders when he returned to the center of the room.

Maevus scooted back, slumping against the sturdy log wall behind her. She tugged at the rope binding her wrists, then closed her eyes to fight the panic beginning to brew low in her gut.

"That storm wasn't natural," Volt murmured, sinking down beside her. Maevus' eyes popped open as his shoulder leaned against hers. He turned toward her, skin gilded by firelight. "An Encant is here."

She gladly turned her mind to that, rather than spiral into the memories and pain brought on by the rough fibers cutting at her wrists. "The one we're searching for?"

"Mm." Volt's shoulders shifted. He was moving his arms. Trying to untie his bonds?

Maevus' heart leaped as Lox yanked at his string, trying to force himself into her world. She pushed back, scared to summon any of her dragons. What if one of their captors returned? What if they managed to kill or wound one of the dragons?

A distant scream sounded in her ears, a wretched sound of loss and pain. Maevus squeezed her eyes shut, banishing the memory.

No, she shot down the threads. Absolutely not. Not yet.

Eight growls rattled her heart, vibrating through the threads. There was a subtle snap and a low sound of triumph from Volt, teeth glimmering in a brief grin. Firelight shone off the blade he held. He gestured for her to turn so he could get to her hands.

"They didn't search you?" she asked in disbelief.

Her own sword and dagger were conspicuously absent.

"They did," he muttered, pushing her shoulder forward so he could reach her wrists. 

Maevus stayed quiet as he carefully slipped the blade between her skin and the ropes. Her bonds snapped and she brought her arms forward, rubbing at her raw wrists. She turned, curious to see where he had secreted the blade, just to blink in surprise.

It had already disappeared.

"There are no windows," she said as he settled back against the wall beside her. When he didn't reply, she added, "And just the one door."

Volt bent his head, staring down at his gloved fingers. Maevus pursed her lips, trying for patience. When that didn't pan out, she nudged him with her shoulder. His lip curled in irritation and Maevus sighed.

"Look," she said. "I could call Veena or Lox or any of my dragons, tear this house down, frighten the villagers into revealing the Encant who called up that storm and then..." Her voice trailed off as her words dried up.

Volt stayed still beside her for a moment. He shook his head. "Did you read the entire order?"

Resisting the urge to punch him, she shook her head. "I didn't see the point. I got the gist."

"You didn't bother to know what his Charm is?" His tone clearly questioned her intelligence.

"I'm still considering disappearing into these mountains forever," she snarled. "Not bothering with this wretched little quest."

"What's stopping you then?" he snapped back, energy crackling around his fingers.

She opened her mouth to fire back, then snapped it shut. Korie's face flashed in her mind. Savrin's. Letya. Lorn. 

Vraylor.

"So what's his Charm?" she asked instead. Another question occurred to her. "The Encant who made that blizzard...do we have to..." She trailed off meaningfully, dreading the answer. Volt plucked at the ties binding his sleeves. Horror rose in her gut the longer he held his silence. "Volt," she choked on his name, unable to bear it. "Please."

He shook his head, a short, sharp movement. "We have to do what the Queen orders, Maevus. Nothing less and certainly nothing more."

Relief made her shoulders slump and nearly brought tears rushing to her eyes.

"A Sound-Charmed Encant."

She blinked, confused. 

"The one we're searching for...he's Sound-Charmed." Volt lifted a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. 

Maevus' gaze went to the fire, unfocusing as she stared at the orange flames and their blue hearts. Then, she stood and dusted off her pants. "Would you prefer to take the door off, or should I?"

Volt tilted his head back, mouth sliding into a frown. She offered him a hand, pulling him to his feet when he finally took it. "We need to talk to the villagers," he muttered. "Perhaps they know where our Encant went."

The door suddenly flew open with a bang that nearly made Maevus leap from her skin. Something cut her palm and she looked down just in time to watch Volt's fingers close around a knife that had not been there seconds ago.

Where in the hell did he keep them?

Wind blasted into them, sending them both stumbling until they fetched up against the back wall of the cabin. Volt's free hand went up to his face, holding his hood firmly in place. Maevus yanked on Koret's thread, throwing her hands up. Air rushed past her, slamming into the gale attacking them and pushing it back.

"It's like that then, hmm?" a voice distorted by the wind echoed in Maevus' ears.

There was a sharp crack. In the same instant, something slammed into her from the side, a minor explosion making her ears ring. They hit the floor, Volt on top of her. She caught a flash of bright eyes before he rolled off her and sprang to his feet. Cloak whipping around him, Volt bared his teeth in a snarl, lightning cupped in his palms, dark clouds haloing his head.

Voice remarkably calm, he called, "Between the two of us, we'll rip this place clean off the mountain." He let the lightning die, though he kept his hands raised and ready. "We're not here for trouble. We just want to talk."

The wind suddenly died and a figure stepped through the door. Her eyes were bright purple, her hair—long and braided on one side and shaved close to her scalp on the other—salt white. Impervious to the cold, she stood in a sleeveless shirt and skin-tight trousers. A brace of pistols hung low on her slim hips. She crossed her arms, staring Volt down.

He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "We just want to talk."

The Encant reached into her pocket, making Maevus tense. All she withdrew was a sheet of crumpled paper. "You're here for the Queen," she said, voice laced with the musical accent of the north. "You are not here just to talk."

She crushed the paper and threw it at Volt, who didn't so much as flinch. "That puts me in a bit of a bind, you see." Lightning flashed between her fingers, wind ruffling her hair. "The villagers do not want you here. And yet...I cannot simply set you free."

Maevus pulled Veena's thread tight, warning the dragon to wait for an opportune moment. Then, she waited to see what Volt would do.

He sighed, shoulders slumping forward. "You can't stop us," he said, voice soft. "And we're not here for you."

The Encant's pale hair lifted with a snow-laced gust of wind. The room darkened with storm clouds. Maevus, moving slowly, carefully undid the buttons on Kinai's oversized coat. She didn't want it in the way if this came down to a fight.

"He's long gone," the Storm-Charmed woman said. "None of us will tell you where."

A long silence followed that pronouncement. The Encant shifted, bright eyes darting back and forth between Maevus and Volt as the latter held his tongue. Maevus didn't offer anything. He was thinking up a plan to get them out of this.

She hoped he was, at any rate.

"You don't have to," Volt finally said. Lightning chased itself up his arms. "But you are going to let us leave." He gave a mirthless half-grin. "We're not really welcome here, anyway."