Dexter sat, breathing heavily, next to Tipstaff, Lila and Kaden. Fletcher was still unconscious, and the rest of them were very badly injured. They were hidden, though. For now. Ezra wasn't. The women finally came upon a clearing in the dense, humid rainforest and Dexter could do nothing but watch as Ezra was stripped of her clothes, too dazed and weak to even try to fight back. It wasn't that weird, nudity, as most women there were only partially clad themselves. Which was something else the viewers noted; there wasn't a single man. Ezra was still bound, and the women were cheering and roaring, towering over Ezra. They dragged her to a wooden trunk, wood at the bottom of it.

"Is that?" Kaden asked, just as Dexter exclaimed

"No."

But it became clear what it was as they attached the chain on Ezra's wrists to a rope at the top. She was on her tip toes, still blindfolded and gagged, unaware of the fact that women were bringing forth torches of flames. They were dancing and screeching cheering as Ezra began to get more and more panicked, the foggy daze Macon put her in realising she was in danger. She thrashed and writhed to free herself as the first woman, clad only a cloth around her waist and through her legs with her hair braided with leather bands, dropped the torch.

"What do we do? We need to do something!" Dexter said as the flames caught. Another woman, this time pale with a crazy blonde mane of hair and wearing nothing at all, dropped another torch. The flames weren't yet at Ezra's feet but they were about to be.

"I- I don't know," Kaden said, as a women stepped forward and threw Ezra's clothes into the fire. A third woman dropped her torch and that's when the flames touched Ezra and she howled through the gag, her legs kicking up to try and escape the heat.

"They're going to kill her!" Lila cried, rising from her chair like that was going to help. Dexter grabbed Kaden's wrist as Ezra let out another shriek and the woman screamed with her.

"What do we do?!" He asked, panicked and helpless.

"I don't know!"

The flames were getting higher, nearly at her thighs now, the smoke billowing around her. If she didn't burn to death she would choke to death.

"Get her down." Said a voice. It rose above the animalistic noises, loud and clear. The chaos stopped as two women doused the fire with wooden buckets, another one untying Ezra. She collapsed on the ground, blindly backing up, her legs bleeding and blistered. She was sobbing.

Dexter had never seen her so vulnerable. She was confused, injured, restrained and naked in a place she had never been before with people she had never met before.

"You." Said the woman, walking out from her place within the trees, her skin dark as night. She was dressed in beads, her crazy curls falling to her waist, beads and feathers in and on her hair. She was clearly their leader. She was pointing at the girl who threw the torch in first.

"Who is your leader?" She asked. Her voice was low, husky.

"You are," Said the woman.

"Correct. So you will do as I say, including alerting me for anything new," She gestured to the girl, "Including visitors."

She stepped towards Ezra, kneeling. She pulled out a stone, sharpened to a deadly point, and sawed through the chains with it. Once Ezra's hands were free, the woman took the gag out, then slipped the blindfold off.

"Do you remember me, child?" She asked as a tense, hushed silence settled amongst the rioting women. Ezra was still crying and she shook her head.

"No," She whispered, shuddering.

The woman hesitated.

"What is your name, child?" She asked.

"Ethel. My name is Ethel."

"That… That's not good, is it?" Kaden asked.

"No. No, it isn't." Dexter replied, his eyes glued to the mirror.

The woman frowned then gently rested her hand on Ezra's head.

"Your mind has been broken." She said finally. "Hissta, Saraha, get cloths for the child. She will be in my place of rest until she is well again." She said. Then she scooped Ezra into her arms and walked away, into a large, woven tent. She sat Ezra down on a blanket of fur.

"This will hurt, my child." The woman she as she gingerly placed her hands on Ezra's legs.

"No, no please, I'm sorry for whatever I did, please!" She begged. Dexter inhaled sharply but said nothing.

"What, exactly, is she doing?" Tipstaff asked. No one answered him. No one knew.

The woman closed her eyes and then slowly but surely the angry red welts faded, until Ezra's legs were red, then pink, then their usual pale selves again.

"She's a sorcerer," Lila said slowly.

"My name is Zafaria. You may call me that. I will call you Ethel if this pleases you. Tell me about yourself. I feel like I know a different version of you."

Ezra was staring at her legs, only partially listening. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was naked and slipped the blanket over her, gasping when the blanket touched her legs and she didn't feel any pain.

"My legs- the burns- they hurt-"

"I am a healer, child. Tell me who you are." Zafaria said, not used to being disobeyed or half listened to.

"My name is Ethel Gallows. I have a family, in Ireland, but I don't think I'm in Ireland anymore. I have four brothers. Three younger, one older. Where am I? Why am I here?"

Zafaria considered for a moment, then stood, reaching up to a woven basket. She pulled it down and sat it on her lap.

"I know you as Ezra Bloom. You're a sorcerer. One of the most powerful to ever live. Before I became a part of this tribe, I fought in the war with Malevolent. You saved my life in that war, child. You saved me and you didn't even know me."

Ezra was shaking her head.

"I did none of those things," she said. Zafaria shook her head and passed her the basket. Ezra took it sceptically. Inside were letters. That Ezra had written to this woman, this Zafaria. She read the most recent:

Zafaria

Dexter did it! We're engaged now. Officially. I'm still not sure what to do about the whole Hades thing, but I'm sure we'll think of something. We always do. We'll beat this one. I know we will. Dexter's father Macon brought back Anton, Saracen and Ghastly. I don't know how or why or how long they will stay with us. But they're here. How are things on your end? How is the tribe? It's been four hundred years and they still don't suspect you're magic.

Sorry, this is so short. Hope to hear back soon!

-Ezra Bloom x

Ezra was breathing heavily, shaking her head. "Who is Dexter? Who is Anton and Saracen and Ghastly? Who are you?" She asked, her voice rising to shrill yell.