How to Save a Fae (Heir of Dragons Book 2)

coming up with something like seven in all. She searched amongst them for signs of Mau, of Strider, but came up short.
Less than a dozen, it seems. I'm sure they have my weapons locked up, and it's going to take me awhile to regain my strength. There has to be something around here I can use to cut these ropes with. I could even try loosening the knots with my teeth—provided they don't notice. As soon as I feel up to it, I think I can take them on. Better still, if I attack them while they're distracted, they won't know what hit them...
She spent a long moment scanning the nearby mass of Wuffs, and discovered amongst them a shape that didn't fit. It was neither the horse nor the Faelyr; the figure in her sights was humanoid, but differed from the Wuffs in some crucial way. She rubbed at her eyes with her forearm and focused once again.
The longer she stared, the more certain Minx became that she knew this person.
And not only did she recognize the figure—she found it was someone she'd never expected to see again.
Her gaze drifted leftward in an attempt to keep the shuffling figure in frame. It was that of a young woman; and more than that, Minx's assessment brought to light other features that further solidified her initial suspicion. The young woman, wan and silent, was striking for the cloudiness of her wide eyes. Her long, silvery hair reached well past her elbows, and her hands—quite out of step with the rest of her delicate features—were green and scaly. Dragon-like.
Minx raised her aching head a few inches from the ground, her dry lips struggling to spit out a single word. “A...A... Alla...?” she blurted.
That exclamation used up all of her energy. Her pulse soared the moment that Alla turned and met her baffled gaze, and the shock proved too much for her system in its current state. Minx dove once again into unconsciousness, her body going slack against the ground.

Chapter 8
She was being guided through the forest. That much was clear. Her previous lapse into unconsciousness had done much to clear up her vision, and even the pain in her skull had been dampened over the course of hours so that she could better focus on her surroundings. Her shifting eyes took stock of everything as she was dragged through the foliage, dense shackles fixed around her wrists and ankles. These were so heavy she almost missed the ropes. The hardware on her ankles kept her from attaining a stride of full length. As a result, she shuffled behind her captors unsteadily, always on the verge of losing balance and tumbling to the ground.
Minx was relieved to find Mau nearby—though the Faelyr remained unable to communicate with her and was being dragged along by a pair of muscled Wuffs. She'd been outfitted with an imposing iron muzzle and a chain of lead. Their usual telepathic bond had been inexplicably interrupted for a second time, and Alla's presence in the vicinity promised of familiar treacheries. It's just like the last time. They must be using some kind of Zuscha technology to interrupt our link. But why? I thought Alla was a friend. What reason could she have for double-crossing us in this way?
The hunger plaguing her gut was almost as fierce as the pain nipping at her skull. She'd been hungry earlier in the day, prior to her capture, and in her hours of captivity she'd been given nothing to eat. Her stomach groaned audibly as her captors dragged her onward, and she knew Mau, too, was likely running on empty. What do they plan to do with us? Unless they want us to drop dead out here, they'd better feed us something. This is inhumane, even for the Wuffs.
No matter how many times she looked around, there appeared no sign of the stallion, Strider. The animal, like Mau, had almost certainly been captured by the Wuffs, but there was no trace of him to be found in the Wuff caravan. Maybe the horse is up ahead somewhere, carrying gear. Or, could he have escaped? It was possible, too, that the poor thing had been slain by the savage warriors. Whether Strider had escaped into the wild or been killed, the loss of such a powerful steed would require no few apologies to The First upon their return to Pan.
If we ever return, that is. Minx felt the weight of the shackles on her wrists and knew that her odds of survival were not high. In her recent battles against the Wuffs, she had never been backed to the wall in this way—had never been captured by hostile forces during war. At the mercy of these savages, she felt her already frail spirit wavering. What will they do to me? And to Mau? She did her best not to focus on the grim eventualities; instead, she sought to maintain an inner calm and plan her next move. Her captors had bound her well and she could think of no way to escape in the short-term; but the moment an opportunity presented itself, she'd try and fly the coop. With an eye toward the unexpected, she began watching for just such a chance.
She had no way of knowing precisely where they were headed. Perhaps Minx and Mau were being taken toward Pan—though, if this was the case, their route didn't look in the least bit familiar. She recalled Alla's presence, and her propensity for dealing in living stock. Are we being taken to Karn—the human city? This, too, seemed doubtful. They were wandering through a dense wood, the sun long out of sight and the terrain unfamiliar to her tired feet. Maybe we're heading to some Wuff stronghold, or to the lands of the Zuscha. Alla has used Zuscha technology before, and was pursued by dark Fae during our last meeting...
Minx studied the Wuffs before her, once again spotting