Sand Creek

Why does the caged bird sing? That is its nature. Isabel Warren yearned to escape her gilded prison. The bars were gold and her every creature comfort was provided by the diaconate, but she wanted more: she dreamed of Sand Creek, where she could fly, breathe the cold, clean air, and die free.
But the monsters -human and inhuman- wouldn't let her go. They liked her right where she was. Still, the mystery and terror and promise of the unknown called to her. Sand Creek beckoned. She would stop at nothing to make it her home.
And those who wished to keep her in her safe, metal ring would stick at nothing to keep her from getting there.