Chapter 50
“I have found both freedom
And safety in my madness;
The freedom of loneliness
And the safety from being understood,
For those who understand us
Enslave something in us.”
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― Kahlil Gibran, The Madman
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MIKHAIL
I fly west, determined to find the Sata'anic Forward Operating Base. I do not stop for food or water because there isn't any, just endless desert and the merciless sun. I do not sleep because, the moment I try, all I can think of is the terror in Zakriti's eyes.
On the third day a star falls out of the sky and burns up. I follow it, praying it's an omen. On the fourth day I collapse, too exhausted and thirsty to fly another beat. I crawl towards Ninsianna, but it is Amhrán who sings to me, Amhrán who sustains me, Amhrán who begs for my return.
I lay on my bac
