August had stopped walking and Sam, who had been gazing up at the strange wildlife these fairy roads had to offer, bumped into him. She took a step back, startled, and then made a face when she saw him standing still. "We need to keep moving," she said, trying not to sound annoyed. She was about to push in forward and move around to walk in front of him when he spoke and she went as still as he was.

[i]"Sam."[/i]

It was his tone that had made her pause. It had been quiet and serious, hinted with a chilling type of fury. The kind of tone that made her stop and listen. She looked over at him, suddenly not so annoyed and feeling very uneasy. He told her to untie him and give him his sword. If she valued her life. This...was a trick. Had to be. Dorothea voiced the same thought and the rational part of Sam's mind completely agreed, Though there was something about his expression and voice that made another part of her doubt that. He was stark still and was gazing intently at something, not taking his eyes off of it.

"What are you talking about?" Sam started to say as she turned to look at whatever he was gazing at. She didn't think she finished her sentence because she had locked eyes with the statue. It was just a statue. That's what the logical mind of a girl who had lived in real world New York for her whole life kept saying. But she felt something, looking at the statue. Maybe it was because the logical New York girl had reminded herself she was now in a completely illogical world and had to keep an open mind. Maybe it was because she had heard Alphonse's uneasy whisper about not ever seeing a statue here before. Maybe it was because she saw August's expression (a genuine expression she thought) as he looked at it. Maybe it was because, like August had told her the previous night, she knew that things weren't always what they appeared to be. Or maybe it was because she just didn't like the look of the statue itself. But looking at it gave her the peculiar feeling of dread.

She looked over at August, gray eyes flashing. "Is this a trick?" she whispered, almost hoping that it was. "If you're tricking me, August, I..." She couldn't finish the threat. She had looked back at the statue and felt her hands make up her mind for her. She ignored the protests that Dorothea would undoubtedly offer as she began untying the ropes around his wrists. It took an agonizingly long time and she could have just cut the ropes with the sword, but Sam didn't fully trust herself with the weapon. She did eventually let the ropes fall to the ground and she pulled the sword from the sheath. Sam hesitated, gazing at August as though searching for signs of deception. But her instinctual unease about the statue outweighed her unease about him and she held the sword out to him, hoping beyond hope this wasn't some sort of ruse.