[Child of the 7th Age]

Daisy awoke that morning with a severe headache. She felt bitterly sad and alone. One look about the cell told her that Bird was nowhere to be seen. The walls were dark and dingy, and not a shred of light illuminated the tiny hole. Daisy couldn't tell morning from night except for some voices she heard coming from outside.

To make matters worse, the cell was so small she could barely stand up without banging her head against the rock overhang. The only creature who could be comfortable in such a place, she reflected, was a pint-sized neekerbreeker.

When she and Anee had been in with the other hobbits, Daisy had complained about the noise and crowding. Now, she would give anything to be back there again. She wondered how Anee was doing. Surely, the girl would watch out for Lily and her brother, and see that they had enough to eat.

The day crawled by very slowly. Daisy remembered that the attendents weren't even allowed to come into the cells which housed only a single prisoner. They could only kneel by the grate and push food through to the other side. Daisy wondered how the elderly Pansy managed to make it from one day to the next.

She fell back asleep on the hard dirt floor. When she awoke, it was mid-morning. Her back and legs were cramped from the tightness of the quarters. Breakfast had been sitting for some time inside the grate. It was a good-sized chunk of bread, about the size of a small loaf. She couldn't help but laugh. Maybe Gamba was feeling guilty for mishandling his part in their battle.

When she picked up the loaf, it seemed curiously heavy. A minute later and she realized that this was not an accident. Carefully, Daisy took the loaf and broke it in half. On the inside, where the bread was scooped out, was a full set of Locks keys. For one moment, she suspected this was a trick by the guards. She waited for the sound of betrayal, listened for footsteps, and wondered what to do. Minutes passed, and then hours. It now seemed more likely that this was no trick. No one came to her cell to search or investigate. Somehow Gamba had located these keys and passed them on to her. She found a small spot where the ground was softer and piled dirt and hay over her treasure.

Later that day, when Daisy's dinner arrived, she wasn't surprised to see another loaf of bread. This time, there was a small dagger inside. Again, she hid and buried her treasure.

This pattern continued for a number of days. No one spoke to her during that time. Gamba must have been afraid to draw any attention to her by even the slightesst whisper. But, even without an explanation, she knew she was meant to hold onto these things until the night of the rescue.

Other than that, the days passed slowly. Most of her time was spent listening to noises and conversations outside her cell. She tried to exercise her body as best she could in such a small space, but it was not easy. Sometimes, she slept for endless hours, and dreamed of Kali and the Seas. Her best times were those, plus the infrequent moments when Bird actually paid a visit and told her what was going on outside. Mostly, she counted the minutes and days until the rescue would take place. Surely, it could not be too much longer.