Arthur grabbed Mary's hand and pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind them. "I found something," he began, but the words died in his throat. His eyes grew heavy, his vision blurred. He wobbled, struggling to stay upright, then crashed to his knees.
Mary stared down at him, her own eyelids drooping. She swayed, fought against the sudden exhaustion, and lost. Her knees buckled. They both collapsed to the floor, unconscious before they hit the ground.
Arthur woke first. Cold stone pressed against his back. Chains bit into his wrists and ankles, binding him to the cave wall. He turned his head and saw Mary slumped nearby, still unconscious, similarly restrained. But someone else was missing—James. Where was James?
Confusion clouded his thoughts. He pulled against the chains, testing them, then froze. A man stood before him, smiling, a small remote held casually in one hand.
"Don't even think about it," the man said. "I know you have considerable magical reserves, but if you try anything—" He raised the remote, thumb hovering over a red button. "—I press this, and you won't like what happens next."
Arthur strained against the chains, gathering his will to unleash a blast of magic. Nothing. The chains were suppressing his power. He tried to slip into the void, that random ability that sometimes saved him, but it wouldn't come. Not now. Not when he needed it most.
His magic was gone. He couldn't move. Mary lay unconscious beside him. And somewhere, that button waited to be pressed.
"There's nothing you can do," the man said, stepping closer. "You're helpless. One sudden movement—well, you can't make any anyway—and you're dead. Nothing can save you. Nothing can—"
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening. His thumb jerked toward the button.
Then the cave plunged into absolute darkness, and Arthur heard screaming.