Though I think it’s lovely that some folk like to go around gathering ghost larks and pinching their return folds—a quiet way of informing the sender that their message wasn’t delivered—that’s not what I want to believe.
That my message wasn’t received.
Instead, I want to believe that little lark made it to Mah. That she got my note, but hasn’t yet been able to respond.
That sheheardme.
My entire body aches with the thought, and I bind my arms around myself, holding tight as I whisper to Caelis.“Hov ahka nuieljuak. Hov-at haquil.”
I love you. I’m here.
No response.
My next words crack.“Nuieljuakui taf maruli …”
You’re not alone …
But I am.
If I had something sharp, I’d cut off my foot and slide the iron shackle free just to hear his voice again. Something I didn’t consider until this very moment.
Guess I’m breaking my promise to myself. Withering into a mindless mess.
I groan, toss my arms across the floor, and bang my shackle against the ground—over and over. A clanging drum that echoes off my tight confines.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
How disappointed Pah would be at my sudden lack of composure. Oh, how he’d scowl. One of those looks that used to make me soil myself before I grew wise enough to keep my mouth shut and behave.
Mostly.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
My stomach grumbles.
Again, I glare at my uneaten meal, trying to mine the will to crawl over there and eat the wretched thing.
I’m not stupid. If I’m to find a way to escape this place, I’ll need strength, no matter where it comes from. But in the wake of my scribbled signature and the hidden message within, it’s hard to look at that rusty pan and the wriggling meal without wanting to projectile vomit across the stones.
I look past the bars instead, into the dark tunnel beyond, wondering how many daes have passed since I walked too willingly into this trap.
Too many.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
I roll onto my side and knot into myself like a calcifying dragon, arms bound around my back like a sweep of wings. Imagine the embrace is not my own, but that of another—tight enough to squeeze the breath from me.
