Thaddeus Diggory
Awoke to darkness. Memory foggy. Body tired. No idea what day it is; no concept of time. Two women here as well—the quiet angry one and the infernally chatty one. We explored as best we could with the meagre supply of candles we have between us. Didn’t find much. I proposed that we take shifts keeping watch and sleeping. Conserve our energy. They agreed. Nothing unexpected until one of them wandered off without any warning and almost got herself lost.
The absolute idiocy astounds me.
She finally made it back, claiming to have found a way out of the darkness. She and the other one are arguing over whether or not to stay here. I jot down these small notes by candlelight, my concentration constantly shattered by their dispute.
I am beginning to fear that this trial will be worse than I could possibly have imagined. I pray that death comes quickly.
Ariel Irene
Dear Diary,
Ariel, this isn’t the fourth grade. You can just write letters to your sister, even if she’ll never read them.
Dear Esther,
I can’t stay long. I need to go back and find the others, but I found more light now than I’ve had all day, and I don’t want to lose this chance to write to you.
My trial started today. I suppose it’s the punishment, more than the trial, but that all seems like semantics now. I hardly remember most of the last few days, but I woke up in absolutely pitch black darkness. I knew right away, of course, that this was it—it was beginning. And I couldn’t help but think of you.
What would you say if you could see me now?
Before I could make a plan, I realized that there were two others with me: a man and a woman. They are as unlike one another as they could possibly be. I don’t know their stories, so I assume they don’t know mine. It’s probably for the best. Once we’re out of the dark and going our separate ways, I don’t want them running their mouths about me.
The man—he has some horribly English name that I can’t remember—stood up and took charge right away, trying to act like he was the appointed leader of our little death party. But I hate to say it, he had some good points: there was no way to tell, in the dark, what time it was, what day it was, anything like that. I was ready to go and find a way out, but he said we should rest first. If I hadn’t felt tired, I wouldn’t have let him win, but I do think he was right. The other girl with us is a talker, and when she was part of the conversation, she hardly let him get two words in edgewise. When she wasn’t talking, she was walking around with a candle that she had on her, trying to find walls, looking for writing, who knows what else. But eventually, she agreed to take shifts with us. We’ll need our strength if we’re going to make it through.
It feels cruel, now, the false hope they offer: you might make it out alive, so it’s not technically a death sentence, but with so little information or training or equipment, it feels like a foregone conclusion that none of us will survive this thing. I can accept that I deserve to die, but I wish they’d just do it and be done with it.
I dreamt of you and woke screaming.
That didn’t do me any favors, so I offered to take watch and let the others sleep. Eventually my candle flickered out, and I was going to try and rummage around for a new one, when I felt the breeze. I must have looked like a mad woman, if anyone could have seen me, chasing it out as fast as I could, tripping over what I can only hope were loose rocks and tree roots.
I realized I could see before I processed what that meant. There’s enough light to write now, and I’m confident there’s an end to this darkness not too far away.
I really ought to go. I’ve been gone too long, and I was supposed to be keeping watch. If Pemberthy or whatever his name is finds out that I left him and the other girl there sleeping with no one watching out for animals or anything, I’m sure I’m in for an earful.
Love you always,
Ariel
Update: I got an earful. From both of them. I’ve spent what feels like at least an hour arguing with Lilo about whether or not I really found a way out.
Lilo Talei
What a DAY! I know this is supposed to be a punishment, but I feel like it’s actually going to be a golden opportunity. There’s no way it’s going to be as hard as everyone’s made it out to be—all those rumors have to be scare tactics, they’re just too outlandish to be true. I’m going to pocket as many specimens as I can. I found a couple things that looked interesting even just poking around this cave with a candle—gemstones of some sort, I think, although I’ll have to get them checked out once we leave. I’ve heard stories of valuable healing herbs growing in the nooks and crannies of this place, too, so I’ll be keeping my eyes open for those as well. Heck, if I’m lucky, this thing could carry me through the next year. Imagine that—time to plan a really big job, and then I’ll be set for life.
Got to go now. Can’t let the others catch me taking inventory. No need to get them suspicious. I don’t want them asking for a cut, after all.
You’re reading The Ravenswing Report, a rapid-fire, limited-run serial from Sara Dietz at Blinking Blue Line. To learn more and access the Table of Contents, click here.
I LOVE how immediately their personalities are all right there. Lilo's super open and evidently lives in the moment since she's so talkative but writes straightforwardly, Ariel is all reflective and thoughtful, and then Thaddeus, hey, for all we know, he's genuinely evil.
...despite believing with all my heart that this is going to burn me (Jude?? There's even a name connection??) I like Thaddeus.
My prediction: Lilo's going to get herself eaten or poisoned or cursed or something, and Ariel's going to murder Thaddeus. Or the other way 'round. I'm torn at this point.