Excerpt: Sheltering Wings

Year 2, Day 274
I could hear something. I wasn’t sure what, but I could hear something. For the uncounted thousandth time, I ran my finger along the walls. No cracks. On an impulse, I tugged at my chains. They stood firm. I stood at the very end of the chain, then fell to the ground with all my might. My palms stung with grit and grim, but I stared at the manacles. Maybe they were weaker than they had been.
I yanked again, but they were solid. I banged my wrists together, creating a bell-like tone that echoed about the chamber. In a fit of sudden madness, I began gnawing on them like a beast. Blood mixed with my saliva, clinging to my teeth. I chipped a tooth, but I didn’t care. I had to escape!
Finally I sank to the ground. My lips were stained with blood, and my mouth ached. “God, just let me die! Let me die!” I curled into a miserable heap. “I can’t take this anymore!”
I sank into a deep, deep dream. Crawling out of my window, sneaking out to fly with the bats. I soared on the thermals like a glider, laughing and giggling. The clouds were like wisps of smoke against the pale yellow fire of the moon.
Suddenly the scene changed. I was inside my house, watching from a distance as Devin threatened Mother and Lorien. I saw them carry me out of the house. But as I started to cry, Lorien opened her eyes and stood up. Her legs wobbled as she staggered over to Mother. The short walk took all the energy she had, and my sister collapsed. The hands of the clock raced on, and Dad walked in. His jaw dropped, and he ran to call the ambulance. Then he pressed clothes to their wounds.
Drops of wetness crawled down my cheeks. Could they still be alive? What if it was true? I had promised to protect my sister, but I was sure I had failed.
What if she was alive?

Then I’d do everything in my power to get back to her.

Year Three, Day 22 [[October ‘02]]
Something was different. The room—I would never call it my room—was empty as the day I’d been flung in, but I could feel something different about it. I gazed at the walls. My fingers knew every crack and ridge in those walls. Perhaps, if I ever got free, I could learn to read Braille. I laughed at the idea.
My vision grew blurry. I sat against the wall, knowing that when I woke up, there would be water, bread and my vitamin pill. But this time, the mist didn’t grow. It remained about the fringes of my vision, but I stayed awake.
I heard the door opening, and quickly closed my eyes. Instinct told me this might be my only chance.
Two pairs of footsteps stomped across the floor, growing closer. I remained motionless as I felt a slight pressure on my skin.
“I can’t get a vein,” Palin complained. “He’s too thin.”
“Unlock his wrist,” Devin commanded.
“But my liege..”
“He’s unconscious. And I have my sword if he should wake up.”
I forced myself to remain still. The rattle of a key seemed to boom in my ears, until the pressure on my right hand was gone. A needle entered my veins, but he’d have none of my blood today!
NOW!
My eyes flashed open as I sprang to my feet. The needle fell to the ground and Palin jumped back. “Demon mongrel.”
Devin’s eyes glared red. “So, you think you might escape? Think again!”
I dove to the ground as his sword whirled overhead. My fingers groped for the key. Ah! I hastily inserted it in my ankle chain. The connecting chain broke, and I leapt forward. My whole weight landed on Devin’s sword hand, and the blade fell to the ground.
I pulled myself up and ran, my fingers closing about the hilt. Devin rose, breathing heavily.
“You will pay,” he hissed.
The sword was too heavy for me, after years in chains, but it was my only hope—no, not my only hope. Lord, protect me. The metal seemed to glow in the darkness, but maybe it was my imagination.
A verse flashed in my mind, and I screamed it aloud. “The LORD turns my darkness into light!”
A beam of pure light flashed from the tip of the blade, startling me. The blade no longer seemed like an anchor weighing me down. I waved it towards Devin.
The light bounced off his mirror-like armor and stung my eyes. The whole cavern seemed to be painted in streams of lighting, except for two shadowy patches. Devin and Palin!
I felt a pull, like the suction of a vacuum cleaner. I tried to resist, but the force was too strong. Like a limp spaghetti noodle, I was sucked in.