Mary's Letters

Vault

Uncle,

Thank you again for all your help.
I know I could never hope to repay you, but it
pains me to know that I won't even have the
chance to try.

At any rate, I'm leaving these extra funds
behind, as well as the extra passports. It would
be too risky if we were searched at the border
and the money would raise too many suspicions.

I think we all want a clean start anyway.

Drafting Studio

Red Letter #5

Dovecote

Dear Mother,
If you are reading this, that means Juni made it
home safely! I imagine he's going to be quite tired
after such a long flight, so make sure he gets some
treats and rest. School is going well, though I do
miss you terribly. Unfortunately, even though the
dean gave me permission to keep my birds here on
campus, I'm afraid it's getting a bit too cold for
them as the semester marches on, so I've made the
decision to send them all home before the winter
months arrive. All that to say, expect some more
letters soon!

Dearest Mother,
This should be the fifth letter you've received
from me this month. Though I know statistically,
it is very unlikely that every single member of my
flock has found their way home. And please, please
don't tell me if they didn't arrive! It's going to be
hard enough now that I am truly on my own.
and I am slowly making friends, so please ignore
the dramatic despair of my previous letter. Things
are indeed looking brighter, but I still maintain
that three years is too long a time to be away
from home.

penned in blue

Herbert,

"wedding doves," whom I, of course, recognized
immediately. And, yes, I got the hint. So here's
your letter. I know it's long, long overdue.
The mahew life suits me I think. Not that I didn't
love Mount Holly, of course, but after years of being
confined in a tiny dormitory, the small place Daniel
and I have picked out in Reddington feels more like
a stately manor! Once we've finished unpacking and
setting everything up, I'll insist on you making an
exception to your reclusive lifestyle to come, share a
meal and admire our somewhat less impressive but
much more personal view of the town.

We are returning east
and should arrive on tuesday.

if coast is not clear,
lower the SD to warn us.

Safehouse

It has now been six months.

Six months of living in this airchoked
cavern of boredom and dread. Six month
since we said our silent goodbyes to our
families.

Six months of planning. Six months of
rehearsal. Six months of heartache.

But no regrets.

Everyone who knows me intimately thinks
I have left the country. Everyone else
assumes me dead.

And maybe that's all that is left for us. The
long walk and steps leading up to the gallows. A
steep price to pay for ideals, I concede but a price
that somehow seems cheaper and less cruel than
another two fortnights bunkered down here
beneath the sand and soot.

And yet as I write this I have never felt so close
to the sky and my dreams. Tomorrow, we will
reclaim our birthright. Tomorrow, the Crown of
Orinda will finally return to Oris.

The first step taken is half the journey.

May the Black Shores guide us,