They walked for what felt like hours, each step more panic-inducing than the one before, until Bryony was considering taking her chances and fighting them, literally, with her arms tied behind her back.

But then, as if her captors had been reading her thoughts, they stopped. The pressure left her back. Was it just her imagination, or was there more light behind her blindfold than before? Footsteps pounded away from them. Their captors seemed to be retreating.

“Hello?” Bryony asked, unable to hold her tongue a moment longer. It was either speak or scream.

No response.

“I think they just…left,” Ludo said.

“That makes no sense. Unless we’re locked in here.”

“I didn’t hear them close a door or a gate or anything.”

“You are free to leave if you wish.” The woman’s voice was so close to her ear that Bryony shrieked and took a few quick steps away from it. She had sounded old, almost ancient, deep and echoey.

“Who are you?” she said, heart racing. She couldn’t believe the woman had managed to get so close to her without being heard. Unless she’d been there the whole time, standing quietly, waiting for the right moment to speak and scare the skin off her. That, in and of itself, was a creepy prospect.

“Don’t mind Crescendo,” said another voice that could peel paint off the wall. “She loves the drama. I’m Allegro.”

“You said we’re free to leave,” Bryony said. “We wish to leave.”

“Of course. Though our chordlings won’t be able to guide you back to the surface.”

“The blindfolded guys?” Bryony said. “Why not?”

“Because you haven’t received your augury yet.”

Bryony was no longer creeped out, just royally pissed off. “Actually, we did. From a little girl back in Kestrel. Something about fire and burning and certain death. Wasn’t that interesting, all things considered.”

“Hmm, that is odd,” Allegro said. “A little girl, you say?”

Bryony hadn’t intended the remark to spark a new topic of conversation. “Listen, we just want to get the void out of here and—”

“Is that what your companion wishes too?”

“Of course, he does. Ludo, tell her.” Speaking of whom, he’d been awfully quiet, she only realized now. Which was kind of annoying… “Ludo?” she said when he didn’t immediately respond.

“Er…”

Bryony rolled her eyes then realized she’d gotten no satisfaction from the gesture as no one could see her eyes. “You’ve got to be rutting kidding me. You actually want to talk to these freaks?”

“I saw a vision,” Ludo said slowly. “In a tavern called The Blind Pig back in Slough. There was a door on the wall. Inside, there were…images.”

“That’s ironic,” Bryony said, unable to help herself. “You saw a ‘vision’ and now you’re blindfolded.”