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"Yes, only women," the demon confirmed.
"Did they look like prisoners?" The Amazon's face was fierce, and she looked as if she wanted to storm into the mine and get everyone out—alone, if necessary.
"No, no chains or anything else would indicate that. They also seem to be well fed and have no wounds. Not like the prisoners you freed from the museum ship," Tanael explained.
Women in a mine?
"They come from the poor section of the population. Those who have to take the jobs nobody wants to do, such as searching for raw materials in mines and extracting them. But I've always wondered: What raw materials should they dig for when virtually none are left? Surely this is just a cover when in reality they are looking for something completely different," I expressed my fears.
Edward nodded thoughtfully.
"Myrina is right. There's no point digging here unless you're looking for an artifact, like the Ark of the Covenant or the Grail, that you suspect is hidden deep in the ground at this sacred site." His gaze flitted to Aspasia.
"That would mean that the Knights of John have a five-year head start in their search. But our advantage is that we know that nothing has been found yet, so we can save ourselves a search in the places they have already searched," Tanael summarized thoughtfully.
"That's right. But where exactly can we look in these tunnels then?" Edward looked questioningly at the angels and the demon.
"This passage ends in a cave, the depths of which are being dug. On the other side of the cave is the entrance to another tunnel. That would be one place we could look. However, the path that leads along the cave wall to the other side is very narrow and high," Stephan pointed out.
"Don't forget that we can't be seen from down in the mine without torches, but we can be heard," Tanael added doubtfully. "A single noise, a loose stone falling into the depths, and we would be discovered."
"Are there any guards in the mine?" asked Aspasia.
"Yes," sighed Tanael. "And they pose another problem. Because they're not human."
"Not human? What are they then?" I wanted to know, and my anxiety grew immeasurably. Was it a good idea to try reaching the other side of the tunnel?
"They're demons," Stephan answered my question, which made me raise an eyebrow because, after all, one was standing before me.
"Not the good kind," said our former butler, giving me a cheeky grin. I was still finding it difficult to assess his new self.
"So, there are good and evil demons?" In stories, demons were almost always evil, as they belonged to Satan, the devil. I glanced at Tanael, who stiffened. He knew my conclusion, and I could see that it hurt him.
"It's no different for us than humans, angels, gods, magical beings, and all other beings. Without one, the other cannot exist," Stephan explained.
"To get back to the actual topic," Edward interrupted our conversation impatiently. "What does the presence of demons mean for us?"
"It means we can't even breathe too loudly because they can hear it," Sam confirmed my suspicions. His gaze lingered on me, and I could feel Tanael looking at me, too.
"Is what Sam told me true? Do you have a bad feeling down here? Some kind of premonition?" his voice echoed in my head. When had that happened? Or were the two of them able to communicate without spoken words?
I nodded silently as I searched his gaze. The gold swam warmly in his irises and soothed my restlessness.
"We'll have to be careful. But let me know as soon as the feeling changes or worsens," he said.
"I suggest we set off. Time is running out, and it won't be long before the sun rises outside. The deeper we are underground by then, the better." Stephan looked at Tanael encouragingly. After all, this fact concerned them both. Daylight would be fatal.
"From now on, not a word, a cough, a sniffle, not a single noise!" Tanael admonished us. Then he took my hand in his again to walk ahead with me in the direction from which he and Stephan had returned shortly before.
"Thank you," I let him know about my thoughts.
"For what?"
"It calms me when you hold my hand."
I couldn't see his genuinely happy smile in the darkness, but I knew it existed.
"I can think of a few other things that might distract you from your restlessness," his voice was rough, characterized by an animalistic lust.
