Iseldis thought she'd be dead by now, helpless on the ground where she'd fallen, felled by the witch's dark magic, but Roland had diverted the elf's attention. Perhaps together they'd have stood a chance, but they'd been forced to fight alone, and individually they were too weak. From her back, Iseldis lifted her head to see Roland trying to strangle the witch from behind. She tried to get up, but it was no use. Her head fell back to the soft dirt. She had to get up. One breath, then another, and another, until she was nearing the strength to stand. Not enough to endure more than a single hit, she knew, but enough she might be able to make a difference.

Groaning softly, she rolled onto her side, pushing a hand into the dirt and slowly finding her way onto her feet. There was a ringing in her ears, one she soon realized was the sound of the witch's magic overwhelming Roland, and she turned to see a torrent of it washing over him. Gritting her teeth, Iseldis charged and lowered her shoulder into the dark elf's body, with just enough force to disrupt her.

That was as far as her plan went, though, and it was a poor one. The witch staggered a step sideways, but she had lost her temper by now, frustrated with the effort required to deal with the pair of humans. She lashed out with a backhanded strike that caught Iseldis across the brow, and then one of the lower spider legs stabbed out, and she had no defense against it. The thin weapon pierced into her midsection, doubling Iseldis over as blood began to run over the leg, onto her robe, and drip into the dirt.

She gasped for breath and then fell, collapsing onto her back once more, grasping weakly at the leg and writhing as the elf stood over her, fuming. "This is only the beginning, human," she said. Iseldis only lasted another second before the pain was too much, and the darkness took her.

...

She woke with a start, her heart pounding and breath coming rapidly in and out. Once again she'd expected death, only to find herself very much alive. Iseldis was disoriented, though, seeing only darkness around her and unable to determine where she was. She couldn't move her arms, which were trapped at her sides, nor her legs, as both were seemingly bound by some thick material that covered her up to her neck.

It took a few seconds of her head pounding to realize that she was upside down, hanging from the ceiling perhaps. The dry material constricting her... webbing, perhaps, though not quite the same kind that had snared her during their flight. She remembered the wounds she'd suffered, particularly the one that should've been fatal, and while she couldn't confirm they were gone, she felt intact, whole. Iseldis was still far too drained to cast more magic any time soon, but the witch had kept her alive. She didn't know if that was something to be thankful for.

More than that, she felt another body wrapped tightly against hers, back to back, a larger one with broader shoulders. There was no way to confirm in the total darkness, but...

"Roland?" she asked, at a whisper at first. "Roland, wake up. Roland, is that you? Wake up!"