Day 1

They’re gone. They left me. I was running to the landing when I saw the boats pull away from the docks and make for the open sea. The entire way down I was shouting and screaming, but they didn’t hear me. Or if they did, I was ignored. I shouldn’t have taken so long to leave the house, but I had so much I wanted to hide away for when we come back, things I couldn’t stand for the Wanton to get their ashy paws on. Still, I told people I would be there. Why couldn’t they wait just a little longer? Why?

Page 2

Day 4

I’ve been stowed away in my home, hiding whenever looters come. Watching all of my careful work taken apart has been a lesson in humility; so many of the hiding places I thought were just so clever have been emptied out. I’ve watched them cart away family heirlooms and essential supplies, unable to do anything about it lest I be discovered. Even the contents of my pack, the few things I thought would stay with me, are gone.

Page 3

Day 7
The looters came so quickly today I could barely hide anything. Most of my food was taken.

Why am I here? What am I waiting for? For our people to raise an army and come back? When will that happen? How long will I have to hide?

These questions all plague me. I don’t have much to do but sit around and think about why I’m still here, why I’m still scraping at what’s left of my life. For all questions may overflow, answers are in short supply. Just like food. And hope.

Page 4

Day 10

A strange thing happened today. I heard someone coming for the door and took to my hiding place, clutching a knife I have managed to hold on to through the looting. Footsteps padded gently into the house and when I peered out, I realized I recognized the face. Her name was Elisaya. We had been friends, until she joined with Karris and his Kelari. Elisaya gazed around the room and then shook her head sadly, sighing and saying, “Poor Arcadeus.”

Page 5

Day 10 (continued)

Her sympathy surprised me. I was almost out of food, and my rising hunger told me I needed a friend. I decided I had too little to lose, and everything to gain, in hailing her. So I did, and though at first she was shocked, she greeted me warmly. After leaving to return with a meal, we talked. At the end, she tried to convince me to leave my home and to join up with her. Though I resisted, I told her I would consider it.
When I told her that, I thought I was lying, but now, alone and in the dark, I am beginning to think I was telling the truth.