Superbly written! You show us how very ill-prepared Abiene is for any of this lock-picking, skulking, fighting business, and the resultant vulnerability of a pure mage without her magic. Happily, Dar-Ma was an asset once freed.
I was disappointed that Valdi ran off, but that disappointment was cleansed by her triumphant return at the end of the episode.
The trio Abiene has just assembled does have some capabilities. Valdi has an axe -and she knows how to use it. Dar-Ma is level-headed, clever and has claws. Abiene has a few matches/candles and boundless courage to get this far. Nevertheless, this might be a great time to escape?
’Now I understood the battered appearance of so many of Jerric's personal items.’