Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Calum shifted away from the annoyance.

Drip.

There was water running down his face. He opened his eyes and the crimson afternoon light sliced down above his head from a grate. A leak slowly dripped water from above. The whole room was rancid with a flowery scent Calum couldn't place, it made him dizzy. He was in a cell.

Something was shifting against his skin. He realized Edwin was curled around him, their face pressed against his shoulder. Calum moved his arm to tap their shoulder. They startled awake. His eyes were wide and bloodshot. Tears cut clean trails down his soot-soaked face. Even underneath the dirt he could see fresh scabs across Edwin's nose and chin.

"Hey...what happened?" Calum asked.

"I don't know, one minute I was fighting the dogs...I did something to them...I think it was magic. I d-didn't...I didn't want to hurt them. They were so...angry. I wanted them to be at peace." He clung onto the fabric of Calum's shirt. "I woke up here with you."

Calum stared at him, taking time to notice all the details. His hands shook, one of his fingers was bleeding, his pupils were dilated in the dim light. He squinted at Calum every few moments, like he was having trouble focusing on him.

"I was fighting Tarif, the High Welf appeared...I can't remember much but I think she had you with her." Calum gingerly touched a lump on his scalp.

They paled. "We're back in the colony."

"It'll be okay, we'll figure it out-"

They kept running their hands over their face. "We're already dead."

"Edwin."

He flinched hard, yanking himself away from Calum's body. He paced over the opposite side of the already small room and slammed a fist into the rough sewn stones. His fist left a small imprint of blood.

"N-no...I can't."

Calum started to stand, and found his wings were a dead weight behind him. He couldn't move the muscles. He couldn't feel his back. Edwin's wings dragged along the floor behind him.

"Can't what?"

"I can't...make these mistakes anymore. I have to follow the rules. I can't... I don't want to hurt you."

It wasn't an explanation. It was a cry for mercy. It was begging.

"You won't."

"She'll make me." The sentence was a barely indistinguishable from a breath. "When she does, I'll do it without hesitation. I'll do it and feel nothing."

"Delikiae," Calum's voice cracked, he reached out his hand. "Please."

Edwin met his eyes, and took a step backwards. He pressed up against the wall and the red sun just managed to swallow his ankles. He sank to the floor, leaving himself pinned up against the wall. Curled up before Calum was a small child.

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." Tears and blood flowed his face. "Mum?"

Calum pressed his hand against the rock walls and forced himself to stand. "It's Calum."

Edwin stared at the floor; they didn't seem to have registered Calum's voice. He crawled over to them and tried to think of something to say. His mouth was empty of comfort, their future was unknowable to him. All he had was a burn in his gut and the belief they would make it out of this.

He scooped up Edwin's hand and held it to his chest.

The sun crawled up their bodies, it seemed like this day would never end. Somehow, they were in there for hours, but wasn't until the shadow of the evening was clawing up the ceiling did either of them stir.

Calum ripped off the hem of his pants and bandaged his wing the best he could. He wondered if the High Welf was so strong that he could get infections with his faux wings. Right now, he hoped so. His other wing lay over Edwin, who'd been asleep for quite some time now.

A shape appeared in the grate near the ceiling. Calum squinted, and realized there was a hawk peering into the cell. It squeezed between the bars and landed on the ground. Calum scooted back against the wall as it stalked towards him.

"Uh...hello?"

The hawk jumped onto Calum's leg. He held his breath as it walked up his thigh with very sharp talons. It stopped, and stared up at him. Calum was completely frozen in place, unsure what to do in this situation.

"I don't have anything for you," he whispered.

The hawk flashed its blood red tail feathers and nipped at his hand.

"Ow!" Calum yelped. "I don't have anything! There's no food here."

It jumped onto his shoulder. Calum stiffened. Was this someone's pet? Could it have been sent from Fardown? From Holly?

Something dropped into his lap. Calum's first reaction was panic. Thank the gods it didn't poop on him. It was a little scrap of paper.

"Oh, thank you." He picked it up, and started to unfold it. "I don't know if I can do much with this, I can't r-" The words died on his lips.

He could read it. The was one sentence written in neat, flowing handwriting. He could tell it was welven, a language he didn't know. He couldn't pick out the individual symbols, but the message was clear.

Do not fear death when she offers her hand.

"Wh-what?" He stared at the hawk. "What does this mean?"

The hawk bent down and grasped Calum's thumb in its beak. It was gentle this time. Calum felt no pain as it pried his hands away from the message and revealed the faint light coming from his palm.

There was a mark carved underneath his skin. It was an upside-down triangle, but the top side was bent downwards, like a V-shape. It pulsed a deep red color and kept in time with Calum's heartbeat. He felt a flush of warmth in his chest.

"Can you tell me what this means?" He asked the hawk.

The message on the paper had changed, now it read only the same symbol on Calum's hand. It was familiar, but as hard as Calum tried to remember, he couldn't. He glanced up; the hawk's pupils had been replaced with the same glowing mark. It leapt off his shoulder and disappeared through the grate.

"Calum," Edwin was shaking his shoulder.

Calum opened his eyes. It was completely dark now. The only light source came from streetlamps outside. He could just make out Edwin's face.

"Did I fall asleep?"

"Only for a bit. Look."

Edwin gestured to a small crow perched on the edge of grated window. Calum stared at it, suddenly unsure if he was really awake or still dreaming. It leaned back and started preening its feathers.

"She brought this," Edwin help out his hands.

He was holding a small rolled up paper. It was tied with twine and a dark green leaf had been stuck in the knot. The leaf was rough and the edges were covered in spines. A jolt went through Calum's body. It was painful in a way he couldn't describe.

"Holly." Edwin's voice cracked.

Calum pick up the paper and unrolled it without thinking. It was a short message, and the shock of being unable to read it snapped him back to the present.

"Oh uh, what does it say?"

"Be strong."

The silence in the cold, musty, room crackled like paper over a match.

"Are you okay?" Calum reached out and touched their arm.

"No, obviously." It was sharper than Calum was expecting. "This is the only thing keeping me...here. The thought of rescue wards off the far worse outcomes, even though I know we'll most likely be dead by the time any Crow reaches us."

"We're going to make it out of this."

Edwin squeezed his eyes shut and leaned back against the wall. "I'll try to believe it."

"No serious. They made a mistake jailing us together. We'll fight out way out, and then fly away."

His eyes stayed shut. "We'll be shot out of the sky. The wall in lined with turrets."

Calum bit his lip. "Could we use...magic? You did earlier."

One of his long-lashed eyelids peeked open. "What I did, was the last resort kneejerk reaction of a dying man. Anyone can use magic in that situation."

"Well if you're so sure we're going to die, sounds like the odds are for us."

Despite himself Edwin smiled. "Thank you."

Calum glanced up. "For what?"

"Having hope for my sake.

Calum sat down next to him and wrapped a wing around Edwin's shoulders. "Not just for you. It's real hope, and I can't ignore it when it burns so fierce."

Edwin touched Calum's palm with two fingers. Lovingly at first, then drew their hand away quickly. They frowned.

"You're hot."

"Thanks."

He swatted the back of Calum's head with a wing. "Your skin is warmer to the touch than normal. It's concerning."

When Edwin reached out again, a shock jumped from Calum's hand to theirs. All the hair along his arms and the back of his neck stood up.

"Ouch." Edwin clutched his hand. "What is going on with you?"

"I don't know. Burning?"

"You don't get a burning twice. This is different. You might be onto something. Calum I...think you're channeling magic."

Calum blinked. "What does that...mean?"

Edwin's eyes were wide and clear now. His lids were less red and dark. There was a glow about him. "Magic is just another energy source, like pushing, breathing, electricity, fire, life. Everything has a little bit inside."

"Is hope a kind of magic?"

"I guess!" He shrugged. "I think this is even bigger. I think you've caught the attention of something powerful. Don't ask me what, that's the exhaustive list of all my knowledge."

Calum nodded. "Do you think I can learn to use it in like...a few hours?"

Edwin smiled, as if what Calum said was a depressing joke. "Highly unlikely."

"Worth a shot?"

"No...no forget it. I'm probably wrong."

Calum frowned. When he reached out for Edwin's hand the spark was gone.

"It's something." It wasn't a question.

Edwin rolled his eyes, but they'd grown heavy once more. "Um...Calum?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something I need to tell you. Not now, I really need to rest, but I have to tell you before tomorrow. Don't let me forget."

Calum stared at him. Edwin was squeezing his hand. Calum couldn't see his eyes but there was a tautness to their frame that struck a heavy chord in him. There was something deeply, horribly wrong and Calum could taste the gathering static in the roots of his teeth, he could hear the rumbling of the coming storm.

"Sure."

"You have to promise."

Calum squeezed Edwin's hand in return. "Get some rest, we've got a big day tomorrow."