Day 7

The Ravenswing Report

Photo by Geranimo on Unsplash

Return to Day 6

Ariel Irene

Another long day in the same spot. I should be grateful—after all, I’d be dead without them—but it feels so tedious. I’m ready to move, to go, to do something. I’ve been doing my best to point out the nuts and berries I recognize so that Lilo and Thaddeus can collect them, but the only things I know about foraging are the things we learned from park rangers as kids… My meagre knowledge feels useless compared to theirs. I hate feeling useless.

The last time I felt like this, Esther, was right after I lost you. And we all know how that ended.

I still feel his hands on me, still see the fear in his eyes as I…

Best not to dwell on it. I know you wouldn’t want me to. But the nightmares have been so much more prevalent since we got here. They were frequent while I was waiting for my trial and frequent in between the trial and the start of this whole ordeal, but I’ve had at least one every night since we got here. They’re so vivid, Esther. I wake up thinking I’m still in that moment: your blood on my hands, or his, or the blurry face of the judge handing down my sentence. I have to run my hands through the grass or splash my face in the creek to convince myself that this is real and that is not.

It doesn’t help that I feel like I’ve been hallucinating. Things that shouldn’t exist, I swear I’m seeing from the corners of my eyes. Do you remember the unicorn phase we went through as kids? Stuff like that. I haven’t brought it up with the others yet—I don’t need them thinking I’m crazy on top of whatever else they’ve decided about me.

Thaddeus Diggory

I asked Lilo about the wedding ring today. She pulled it out of a pocket and handed it back to me silently. I couldn’t read her face—did she feel guilty for having taken it? frustrated that I’d noticed? did she even remember where she got it? I have a vague memory of her saying that she’d been arrested for theft, so I suppose it serves me right not to have kept my guard up… but isn’t the point of this whole thing to reform us? To make us see the error of our ways?

As if I don’t already know everything I did wrong back then. But I’ll serve my time. I’ve certainly earned it.

In happier news, I think Ariel will be strong enough to travel again by tomorrow. I’ll wait and tell her in the morning. No need to get her hopes up if I’m wrong… and no need for her to run off as the sun sets and start the whole process over again.

Lilo Talei

We’re all getting restless. I hope Ariel is better soon so that we can keep moving. We’ve built up a good store of food and even some medicinal herbs that Thaddeus said he recognized from his days in a monastery boarding school, which is great, but it’s going to be heavy to carry, especially if Ariel isn’t feeling strong enough to help. We’ve tried to keep her engaged, to make her feel like part of the team, so she won’t leave again. We all came here together, and by golly we’ll all make it out together, even if we drive each other half mad in the process. Just to prove those smug prison guards wrong.

I’ve kept my eyes peeled (what a random expression) for more gemstones or rare herbs and spices to add to my collection, but I haven’t found anything nearly as exciting as that musgravite a few days ago. Once we get moving again, I think I’ll be able to squirrel a few more treasures away. Just to be on the safe side. I can’t risk being unprepared if M. comes after me when I get out.

Proceed to Day 8

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.