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Description
A soft moan roused me from my sleep. Beside me, Bobbie stirred. "Zelda? What -- "
"You're in the Pit of Torture," I said, leaning wearily against the wall. "You were knocked out, then thrown down here."
"Where's Ben?" Bobbie asked, looking panicked. "We were -- "
"He's here," I said softly. His plea for help still echoed in my ears. "They have him."
"You mean -- he's being tortured?"
I didn't answer.
Abruptly the torturers entered into the little puddle of light our single lantern cast. Ben was roughly thrown next to us, and then they left as silently as they came. Ben stopped himself from hitting the ground with difficulty. A whimper of suppressed pain escaped his lips. I noticed that his hands were now unbound, but I didn't pause to mull over the meaning of it. "Ben?" I whispered.
He didn't acknowledge our presence, but slowly sat down on the ground as carefully as possible. He kept his body stiff, and his eyes were huge with pain. That's when I noticed the thin lacerations that covered his arms and continued up his sleeves. Lines of blood were just visible on his lower neck.
"Oh my god, Ben," I said weakly. Bobbie just sat there, her eyes humongous.
"May I -- ?" I asked, my fingers hovering near the hem of his shirt. He gave one short, terse nod. Even his palms were covered in blood.
Carefully I pulled his shirt up over his head, Bobbie helping me on the other side. We did it as gently as we could, but I could tell it hurt Ben a lot. The lacerations continued up his arms and covered his whole torso, stopping just above the waistline of his jeans.
"Oh my god, Ben!" Bobbie murmured, taking in the thin cuts that spread across his body. "What did they do to you? Why aren't you healing?"
Ben closed his eyes and took long, deep breaths. "A stake..." he whispered, pain lacing his voice." They...used a stake. Coated it with...poison. So that I won't... can't... heal." He sucked in a painful breath as a breeze swept past; sending eddies of dirt spinning in its wake.
Bobbie looked very upset now. "Why didn't you use your super-strength to... you know... beat the crap out of them?"
"Gave me... a potion. Disabled my abilities." Blood welled up on Ben's mouth, probably from a cut he made by biting his lip. He licked it away, and I knew that it wasn't just the pain that was bothering him.
"But... you'll die!" Bobbie had probably never seen a human being -- well, a part-human being -- treated this way. Not in real life, not someone she cared about.
"Do you think they care?" I answered for Ben.
"How could they do that?" Bobbie's eyes shone with tears. "How... could they?"
"At least I could heal Zelda," Ben murmured. "Even if I can't heal myself."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Bobbie begged me. I viewed Ben's suffering and automatically blinked back tears. "No," I whispered. "They disabled my magic, too."
"So I'm the only one who still has their powers, and they don't help any," Bobbie said desperately. "We have to get out of here!"
"What, with near-vertical walls, guards patrolling the top, and an injured vampire?" I snapped. "Not gonna happen."
"Well, at least I'm trying to think of how we could escape and not just sitting around thinking we're all doomed!!" I'd never seen Bobbie this angry: tears streamed down her face and she was yelling at the top of her lungs.
"It's easy for you to think that everything's going to turn out fine," I retorted. "You've never had to deal with this -- any of this!" I waved my hand to include Ben, the Pit, and our general situation.
"That's right, I haven't!" Bobbie cried. "And I'm tired and scared and hurt, and I don't know what they're gonna do to me!" Her voice cracked and she sobbed, sinking to the ground. "And Ben's hurt and you're mad at me and I don't know what to do!"
I stared down at Bobbie, completely blown away. Ben had opened his eyes and viewed the whole scene with them wide open. It was hard to determine what he felt -- he could be terrified, or sympathetic, or anything. Then, to my surprise, he got up awkwardly and crouched next to Bobbie.
"Hey," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"
She lifted her head, startled, and sniffed. "No, I'm not. But thanks for asking," she added, her voice thick with tears.
"Hey," Ben said calmly. "Everything going to be okay. Okay?"
"How do you know?"
Ben blinked. "Because," he told her. "It has to."
Bobbie had stopped sobbing, but tears still rolled down her face. She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Thanks," she said sadly, "but I don't believe that."
"Well, why don't you make up a story where we get out of this mess?" Ben asked as cheerfully as he could.
"Well, we wouldn't be able to escape by ourselves, probably, but with outside help..." I could already see her brain whirring.
I crouched down next to Ben. "How did you do that?" I whispered.
He gave me a half-smile. "Little sister," he explained, pointing to himself. "Remember?" Then he winced as he bent his bleeding arm. "Shouldn't have done that."
I looked at his injuries worriedly. "Isn't there anything we can do?"
"I don't think so," he said, staying still. "All I can think of is making sure I don't do anything to make it worse."
I glanced up in alarm as Bobbie stood. "Hey, where are you going?"
Bobbie looked back over her shoulder. "Saw something," she called. "Hold on a sec."
Ben cocked his head at her. "What..."
"Leave it," I said tersely. After training in magic for years, I couldn't fail to spot a seer at work. I watched as Bobbie walked away until she was almost out of sight. The she stopped.
"Ha!" Bobbie exclaimed. "You'll never guess what I found!"
"Come over here and tell us, quietly," I called to her. She jogged back toward us, a grin plastered across her face.
"I found a trapdoor!" Bobbie declared as soon as we were within earshot.
Ben blinked. "What?"
"I found a way out!" Bobbie grabbed my hand and started dragging me away. "We've got to go through it!"

Description
A soft moan roused me from my sleep. Beside me, Bobbie stirred. "Zelda? What -- "
"You're in the Pit of Torture," I said, leaning wearily against the wall. "You were knocked out, then thrown down here."
"Where's Ben?" Bobbie asked, looking panicked. "We were -- "
"He's here," I said softly. His plea for help still echoed in my ears. "They have him."
"You mean -- he's being tortured?"
I didn't answer.
Abruptly the torturers entered into the little puddle of light our single lantern cast. Ben was roughly thrown next to us, and then they left as silently as they came. Ben stopped himself from hitting the ground with difficulty. A whimper of suppressed pain escaped his lips. I noticed that his hands were now unbound, but I didn't pause to mull over the meaning of it. "Ben?" I whispered.
He didn't acknowledge our presence, but slowly sat down on the ground as carefully as possible. He kept his body stiff, and his eyes were huge with pain. That's when I noticed the thin lacerations that covered his arms and continued up his sleeves. Lines of blood were just visible on his lower neck.
"Oh my god, Ben," I said weakly. Bobbie just sat there, her eyes humongous.
"May I -- ?" I asked, my fingers hovering near the hem of his shirt. He gave one short, terse nod. Even his palms were covered in blood.
Carefully I pulled his shirt up over his head, Bobbie helping me on the other side. We did it as gently as we could, but I could tell it hurt Ben a lot. The lacerations continued up his arms and covered his whole torso, stopping just above the waistline of his jeans.
"Oh my god, Ben!" Bobbie murmured, taking in the thin cuts that spread across his body. "What did they do to you? Why aren't you healing?"
Ben closed his eyes and took long, deep breaths. "A stake..." he whispered, pain lacing his voice." They...used a stake. Coated it with...poison. So that I won't... can't... heal." He sucked in a painful breath as a breeze swept past; sending eddies of dirt spinning in its wake.
Bobbie looked very upset now. "Why didn't you use your super-strength to... you know... beat the crap out of them?"
"Gave me... a potion. Disabled my abilities." Blood welled up on Ben's mouth, probably from a cut he made by biting his lip. He licked it away, and I knew that it wasn't just the pain that was bothering him.
"But... you'll die!" Bobbie had probably never seen a human being -- well, a part-human being -- treated this way. Not in real life, not someone she cared about.
"Do you think they care?" I answered for Ben.
"How could they do that?" Bobbie's eyes shone with tears. "How... could they?"
"At least I could heal Zelda," Ben murmured. "Even if I can't heal myself."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Bobbie begged me. I viewed Ben's suffering and automatically blinked back tears. "No," I whispered. "They disabled my magic, too."
"So I'm the only one who still has their powers, and they don't help any," Bobbie said desperately. "We have to get out of here!"
"What, with near-vertical walls, guards patrolling the top, and an injured vampire?" I snapped. "Not gonna happen."
"Well, at least I'm trying to think of how we could escape and not just sitting around thinking we're all doomed!!" I'd never seen Bobbie this angry: tears streamed down her face and she was yelling at the top of her lungs.
"It's easy for you to think that everything's going to turn out fine," I retorted. "You've never had to deal with this -- any of this!" I waved my hand to include Ben, the Pit, and our general situation.
"That's right, I haven't!" Bobbie cried. "And I'm tired and scared and hurt, and I don't know what they're gonna do to me!" Her voice cracked and she sobbed, sinking to the ground. "And Ben's hurt and you're mad at me and I don't know what to do!"
I stared down at Bobbie, completely blown away. Ben had opened his eyes and viewed the whole scene with them wide open. It was hard to determine what he felt -- he could be terrified, or sympathetic, or anything. Then, to my surprise, he got up awkwardly and crouched next to Bobbie.
"Hey," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"
She lifted her head, startled, and sniffed. "No, I'm not. But thanks for asking," she added, her voice thick with tears.
"Hey," Ben said calmly. "Everything going to be okay. Okay?"
"How do you know?"
Ben blinked. "Because," he told her. "It has to."
Bobbie had stopped sobbing, but tears still rolled down her face. She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Thanks," she said sadly, "but I don't believe that."
"Well, why don't you make up a story where we get out of this mess?" Ben asked as cheerfully as he could.
"Well, we wouldn't be able to escape by ourselves, probably, but with outside help..." I could already see her brain whirring.
I crouched down next to Ben. "How did you do that?" I whispered.
He gave me a half-smile. "Little sister," he explained, pointing to himself. "Remember?" Then he winced as he bent his bleeding arm. "Shouldn't have done that."
I looked at his injuries worriedly. "Isn't there anything we can do?"
"I don't think so," he said, staying still. "All I can think of is making sure I don't do anything to make it worse."
I glanced up in alarm as Bobbie stood. "Hey, where are you going?"
Bobbie looked back over her shoulder. "Saw something," she called. "Hold on a sec."
Ben cocked his head at her. "What..."
"Leave it," I said tersely. After training in magic for years, I couldn't fail to spot a seer at work. I watched as Bobbie walked away until she was almost out of sight. The she stopped.
"Ha!" Bobbie exclaimed. "You'll never guess what I found!"
"Come over here and tell us, quietly," I called to her. She jogged back toward us, a grin plastered across her face.
"I found a trapdoor!" Bobbie declared as soon as we were within earshot.
Ben blinked. "What?"
"I found a way out!" Bobbie grabbed my hand and started dragging me away. "We've got to go through it!"