Day 13

The Ravenswing Report

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Return to Day 12

Lilo Talei

I found Ariel’s knife earlier and put it with the rest of my treasures for safekeeping. I don’t think she knows I’m onto her, so maybe I can just play it cool until we ride this out or die trying. Best case scenario, it’s just another thing for me to pawn off once we get out so that I can keep M. off my back a little longer. Don’t want him nosing around and ruining my big plans.

The rest of the day was fine, although I’m just about ready to drop from exhaustion. After a lot of arguing, we decided to go over the mountain instead of around, so the walking is starting to feel like hiking, and it’s going to feel more like climbing before too long. I’m already starting to notice a difference in the weather, but I don’t see any snow on the mountaintops, so here’s hoping we don’t freeze to death like little incarcerated popsicles. I think Thaddeus wants to make camp sooner than later since we’ve come to a good spot—not that I know what makes a good spot or a bad one—but I’m not going to complain. I’m tired enough to go to sleep for the night right now, and the sun is barely starting to set. All this worry about Ariel has me tense, and then trying to keep it hidden from her has me double-tense. I tried to bring it up with Thaddeus earlier, but he was distracted trying to convince Ariel not to go over the mountains, so I don’t think he heard me. And then I sided with Ariel (because why wouldn’t I, given the circumstances) and that pissed him off. So now he definitely won’t listen to me. I still don’t know if he knows she literally ended a person’s life over her sister’s accidental death, but I need him on my side if we’re going to get through this.

Well, looks like it’s time to go help rustle up some dinner. Duty calls.

Ariel Irene

Damn Lilo. I’m sitting here with three huge welts on my leg from these stupid scorpions because she stole my knife out of my bag while I was sleeping. I reached for it as soon as I felt them on me, but it was gone. When I couldn’t find it, I tried to brush them off, and they spooked and got me good. Thaddeus says I’m lucky it wasn’t worse, that sometimes these things cause neurological damage.

I haven’t confronted her about the knife yet, but I know it was her. It couldn’t have been Thaddeus, and I know I didn’t lose it. I don’t lose that knife.

We did our best to double check the camp after Thaddeus made sure I was okay, but he’s refusing to sleep tonight. He doesn’t want to risk anything else happening… as if he could notice more of them in the dark, let alone do anything about it. I think he also wants to keep an eye on me to make sure my symptoms don’t get worse, but he doesn’t want to say it. I never thought I’d be grateful for his overprotective dad persona, but I’ll sleep easier for it tonight.

And tomorrow, Lilo’s going to pay for what she did.

Thaddeus Diggory

Bark scorpions. Bark scorpions! With three stings, it’s a miracle she isn’t struggling to breathe or worse. Brother Tancred used to tell us that one scorpion sting was a coincidence, two was bad luck, and three was an act of God. I still don’t know why Ariel is here, but surely it can’t be that bad.

I’m going to sit up for a little longer to monitor her, although there’s not much I can do without a proper antivenom, especially if she does get worse. Not that I’ve told her that, of course. It wouldn’t do her any good. But I won’t be able to sleep knowing I did less than I could have done, and if she dies on my watch… well, best not to dwell on hypotheticals.

Things were tense today—Lilo is still acting unusually distant and awkward, and she hardly strung a hundred words together all day (which, for her, is akin to a miracle). At one point, she tried to pull me aside, but I never could tell what she was trying to say to me. She and Ariel sided with one another against me when discussing our next steps, but she kept acting like she wanted to talk with me alone. By the time we made camp and I remembered, she was already asleep, and then the scorpion debacle started. I’ll have to bring it up with her again tomorrow.

The terrain is getting more challenging to navigate, and harder on the body. I hope that the swelling in Ariel’s leg has gone down some by the time we need to begin our hike, or she’ll be in for an unpleasant day. Which reminds me, I need to look around and see if I can find anything to use for pain relief for her. Anything to take the edge off would do her a world of good.

It’s only going to get harder from here, I think. I hope and pray that we’re strong enough to make it to the other side of this. We’ll put up a good fight, if nothing else.

Proceed to Day 14

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.