Larkspur Mittel: The Lark & Owl Trilogy

1- I wish I could believe that

Hero had little time to spare.

The sun would set soon and she would be out after curfew. But she couldn't pull herself away. The lark boy who sung above her on the roof of the western minaret was her friend Adelmus, and his song reached as far away as the Marshlands and Owlsdorp, they said, and beyond the desert where the deguls traveled.

Hero pressed her cheek against the cool pink stone of the tower, and listened. His song was both powerful and soft, and though she'd once been envious of his talent, she was now proud of his position. She was also thrilled to finally be up in a minaret herself, a forbidden place to non-singing larks.

Just a few minutes earlier, she'd been swift and light on her feet up the winding, narrow staircase. She'd slipped through the great door of the minaret with Adelmus at the changing of the guards.

"This is crazy," Adelmus had said as they climbed the tower, "Why did I let you talk me into this?"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Hero replied cheerfully, trying to peek out of the occasional, recessed windows.

"Say, why are all the windows on the city-side?" She'd asked.

"How am I supposed to know? They were built thousands of years ago!"

"So you can only see the desert from the roof?"

"I guess so."

"Oh that must be a sight- I'd love to see it just for a moment..."

"No! You can't come up with me- don't even think about it. We'll be in such a muddle if we get caught! I don't know Hero, I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe you should go back down?"

Adelmus had stopped climbing for a moment to catch his breath, and pulled at his long sleeves.

"We won't get caught, and besides, you'll never get in trouble," Hero had been a step ahead, and turned to him, holding onto the strap of her old, worn satchel.

"Adelmus, you are the 4th Minaret Eve-Song Lark- you alone were chosen to sing every sunset to keep the deguls from attacking the city. Everyone depends on you and the other three singing larks! You'll never get into trouble, not like the rest of us."

"Besides," she'd turned to continue climbing, "I'll just say that you didn't know."

"But you definitely can't come on the roof!" Adelmus had followed her, "The Hummerlads will know if you are up there with me."

"How will they know?"

"I don't know, they just will. And no looking out any of the windows- you'll be seen!" He'd pulled her back by her satchel strap as she tried to see out another window.

"I know, I know, I'll sit quietly and wait below in the stairwell, just like we planned."

"I wish I could believe that."

Hero made herself comfortable on a step as promised, and glanced up the narrow, stone staircase. She watched as the shadows deepened into the evening, and imagined the scene on the busy street below. People were getting ready to go home by the new curfew.

Adelmus began his song. He started slowly, his voice clear as well-water, low-pitched, and sonorous. Hero did not understand the words, as they were in an ancient desert language that he'd been taught especially, after winning the coveted position of 4th Lark for the western minaret. She was surprised at how powerful he sounded from up there.

Before being chosen as 4th Lark, none of the other kids in Wobash Cynders would have dreamed that Adelmus could sing so powerfully.

He scared easily, only ate non-living things, and could not fly yet, even though he'd been given mighty wings with his new role. He hated them, he said, preferred to keep his feet on the ground, and kept the mechanical wings tucked safely under his long sleeves. His flying lessons had gone very badly.