Lion Head Mesa the man that was used up

a dark shadow raises above the rocks; her eyes wander, turn to it, fix upon it, burn there. her gaze might seem a challenge, but her posture—slack shouldered, low-breasted—is not.

they are upon even ground, here.

and after their mother's death, they are the remnants that will carry on her legacy—

because god knows the girl that fled will not do it for them.

i'm hhh— hhss— hhhttshorry, she finally manages, keeping her eyes fixed on Aventus.

sstthhhorry, she repeats, for emphasis. damned tongue.

maybe one day she'll learn to exist without her voice, as her mother had. how had Astara done it?