Morgana woke, a patchwork of grey stone loomed overhead.

For a moment she didn't know where she was.

Until it all came crashing back.

She sat up, moldy hay bending underneath her hand. Blood crusted the back of her head, matting her hair, the wound had dulled to a mild ache. Morgana's ring still glowed scarlet and Caliath hadn't shown up. She didn't know if that meant someone had prevented him from coming to their rescue. Or if it meant that something bad had happened to him. Morgana imagined herself dead asleep during the night as the diamond on her ring had turned obsidian. No. Caliath couldn't be in danger. If that had happened surely the diamond wouldn't be scarlet. Surely the Goddess wouldn't allow any more bad luck their way ...

She curled into a ball, a poor attempt at finding warmth. It was the cold that had awoken her and because of that she guessed it to be early morning because it was always coldest right before dawn. Morgana was exhausted. Last night, her sleep had been interrupted by Aelys's echoing sobs, as if they were stones tapping a window during the night.

Morgana had refused to cry, had refused to give in to despair. She needed to be strong. For her and for Aelys. For Briar.

There was always a solution.

There would always be a way out.

The utensils from last night's supper were on the floor next to the iron bars. A silver tray that held an empty plate and cup. All they'd received for dinner was a bread roll and a glass of water. Chains clattering against stone signaled that Aelys was up and, shortly afterwards, a breakfast of cold porridge arrived.

Then hours of silence went by until lunch came, which was a thin, bland soup that had a couple of slices of carrots and a few slivers of onion in it. Morgana wondered whether Erik's grand plan was to have them starve to death on such meagre food.

Morgana searched her cell again, for any means of escape. Aelys did the same. But still they found nothing that could help them.

***

Time passed in an agonizing crawl, marked only by the serving of meals.

Morgana and Aelys's days were filled with plots of escape, long silences, and fantasies about warm fires and delicious meals, of comfortable beds, and freedom. Silent guards would deliver their food to them. Guards who wouldn't tell them anything about Briar or when they were going to see the royals.

After days of this, Morgana lost her temper.

She threw her breakfast tray at the iron bars. Broken ceramic tinkled over the guard's armor and gruel splattered his visor.

"If you can't tell me whether Briar is alive or not, then get me Valerio. He can fucking do it!" she'd screamed.

He'd turned and left.

As punishment, she didn't get any food for the rest of the day.

***

Morgana longed for a bath. She dreamt of fragrant bubbles and hot water that would soothe her cramped muscles. She was sick of feeling like a block of ice buried under a pile of snow. She was sick of numb limbs, dry skin, and stale clothes that had begun to smell. Her scalp itched. Dried blood had flaked onto her mattress. Morgana had been counting the meals and figured they'd been in the dungeons for about a week.

"I'm surprised Damon or Mother haven't seen us," Aelys's voice was weak, hoarse from disuse.

"I'm surprised they haven't visited you." It was something Morgana had thought about, earlier in the week. Surely Larania would've visited them, shocked that her two daughters were imprisoned, or even Damon, curious as to why they'd ended up here. "Unless Erik is keeping them from doing so."

"That's possible."

They fell into a morose silence.

Every day Morgana tried to conjure the elements and her magic. She even tried to summon the grimoire at one point.

She failed.

Every.

Single.

Time.

Morgana knew that the strongest witches had the ability to melt iron. Unfortunately, that wasn't her. The manacles were too strong, snuffing her power out completely as if it were a firefly squashed under a dirty boot. In her whole life she'd never felt more small, more helpless, and lost than she did right then.

Everyday Morgana and Aelys schemed of ways to escape. Which was why, later that night, Morgana tried stealing a knife during dinner. She waited until the guard had left the room because she thought that no one would watch them during mealtimes. Morgana was about to slip the knife up her sleeve when a spy, who was lurking in the shadows, used her earth magic to rip the knife out of Morgana's grasp. Morgana's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Of course they were guarded during mealtimes. How could she have been so stupid? It was the only time of day when they were given objects that could either be used as a weapon or as a tool that would help them escape.

A couple of days later Aelys had another plan. She lay on her side and groaned, as the guard brought out their lunch to them.

"My stomach hurts so much," Aelys gasped, wrapping her arms around her belly. "I need the healer."

The plan was to have the healer come into Aelys's cell where she'd take him hostage with her chains until they were free. It was a dicey plan. So much could go wrong because it would be easy for the guards to disarm Aelys. But at this point they had nothing else left to try.

The guard slid Aelys's tray towards her. His eyes narrowed, lips pressed together, dark hair peeked out from under his erudium helmet.

Aelys winced and cried out.

The guard quickly left the room. Even though she was a prisoner, Aelys was still the Golight Princess. Morgana and Aelys swapped hopeful looks.

After a short wait, the guard returned with a tincture from the healer and shoved it through the bars. "That should help."

"But the healer doesn't know what's wrong with me." Aelys picked up the small orange bottle. "What if this doesn't work? I really need to see Matthias."

"If it doesn't work then you'll get a different tincture." The guard walked away, his armor clanking until it faded down the corridor.

Morgana and Aelys stared at each other. Perhaps the guard knew what they were plotting and that's why he wouldn't bring the healer into the dungeons. Hope of escape trickled away like water in a leaky bucket. Morgana was beginning to think that she wasn't going to get out of here. Aelys would be released, eventually. But Morgana was doomed, just like Briar ...

Soon, Morgana's days were an endless cycle of the same questions: how could she have ever thought that their plan would work? How could she have been so stupid for dragging Aelys, Caliath, and Briar into this when they'd achieved nothing in the end?

When she'd achieved nothing in the end.

Another day went by.

Then another.

Morgana squeezed her eyes shut, feeling hollowed out, as if she were a void where hope went to die. She'd exhausted all possibilities for escape. With nothing left to lose, she prayed to the Goddess and hoped there'd be an answer.