Skinner: Well, well, if it isn’t the elusive Ellia. I must say I have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time.

Skinner: And not too worry, I will take special care to make sure you feel each goblin life you’ve taken.

Skinner: Let’s first start with a sliver under the fingernails.

Scene: As he slides the sliver under her fingernail, Ellia tries to hold back a scream from the pain.

Skinner: Oh, you’re being so brave. Let’s see how you endure another one.

Skinner: There it is. The sweet sounds of pain.

Skinner: Funny thing about pain, while you’re focusing on the pain of the splinters, you won’t even notice that I’ve stripped your feet of their skin, until I remove the splinters. But in case you do, well I’ll just have to use another splinter, but this time on your toes.

Skinner: Shall we get started?

Scene: As he prepares to start peeling her skin, Xi’s sword goes through the back of his head and through his mouth.

Xi: Good thing you screamed; else I would have never found you. This place is a maze.

Xi: Oh, let me get those out.

Ellia: Thank you. Did you get Cessi and Elum?

Xi: Well, we couldn’t get a shot from next to the cell, but then I noticed a window up high across the cell. So we went looking for that window. We did find it though, and Astrin did this incredible shot between two windows and the cell bars. Nailed that ugly beast right in the heart.

Ellia: Xi?

Xi: Oh yes, she has them. She’ll meet us at the back entrance. Provided we can find it.

Ellia: Hopefully Aelyn and Esmy found a way in. Let’s move. We still have to locate Amira.

Xi: And her husband.

Ellia: Her husband too? When was he taken?

Xi: This morning while he was on his way to work

Ellia: She is pure evil. Fine, let’s go.