Faira’s eyes darkened as Joshua addressed her by name, widening in amazement as he extinguished Adriane’s fireball like a candle flame.
	She glanced to Alexandria as the collector mentioned the deranged woman, and Faira’s face paled.
	[i]Slaves, then.[/i] Her lip pulled down in a defiant glower. She glanced over as Rosaline struggled to a stand.
	Her attention turned to Rosaline as the glass woman fell back to her knees. Keeping an eye on Joshua and Marianne as they spoke, Faira stepped toward Rose as the woman finished addressing the Collector and tried to stand for a second time.
	“You okay?” She placed the tip of the sword against the floor and bent down as the flames extinguished. She extended her free hand toward Rosaline in an offer to help her up.
	She looked up at the sudden motion on the stairs, half raising the sword again, the blade scraping gently over the floorboards. She jumped and gasped as Marianne spoke from among the group, before quickly looking back to the new arrival.
	“What is [i]that?[/i]” Faira breathed, standing partially back up as the spidery humanoid turned its sinister, dark eye sockets to the group,  a shiver running down Faira’s spine.