Page 2 of Memory of Ashes

“Then send someone else underground,” the miner insisted.

“How many have actually died?” the councillor asked.

“Six so far.”

“Perhaps we should stop the mining until we identify the cause,” a voice said.

Everyone turned towards the geologist. Her cheeks burned beneath their scrutiny. She was clearly new to the meetings. Amelia already knew what their answer would be. Stopping mining wasn’t an option. They’d looked at her as though she were mad when she’d last suggested it.

“His Majesty won’t halt production over the deaths of six miners.”

Of course he wouldn’t. Deaths were always acceptable until they became inconvenient.

“We need answers,” the councillor said. His polished tone rang with authority. “We can’t afford to wait any longer. We’ll assemble a team,” he said, addressing the elders in the room. “Guild Masters, choose a representative from each of your guilds.”

No one had suggested sending guild representatives before. They could sacrifice a few common miners; in their eyes, workers drawn from the poorest parts of the city were replaceable. But now the stakes were higher. They were willing to risk more to find out what they were dealing with.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down her spine. No one volunteered. Their eyes were glued to the floor. Every instinct told her to remain silent, but the words escaped anyway.

“I’ll go for the archaeologists,” Amelia said into the silence. “If it gets me out of these meetings,” she muttered.

The elder guild master nodded without looking at her. “A fresh pair of eyes might make all the difference.”

What if she fell ill? Could she become a carrier of the sickness? She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. This was her chance to prove herself.

“You leave at noon.”

Her hands trembled as she packed.

“Keep your mask on whilst you’re down there,” Emin ordered.

*

The carriage waited in the courtyard. Four others joined her. The mine overseer looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. He grumbled about going down there again.

Of course, he preferred to leave the actual risk to the miners beneath him.

The guild had been denied access since the initial survey. The palace had been eager to begin harvesting as soon as the mineral’s usefulness was discovered, and further investigation would only have hindered the work.

Not much had been recorded about the mine, and this was her opportunity to contribute to the records and perhaps make a discovery of her own.

They set off on their journey, mostly in silence.

She recognised Karl, the geologist. He’d been the only one to greet her upon her arrival. The rest had mostly ignored her.

As they moved away from the city, the colour of the landscape faded and the lush greens of vegetation slowly disappeared. There were no buildings in sight, and the dry earth crumbled under the turning wheels of the carriage. Gradually, the ruins she’d heard about came into view. The others pressed on. Their impatience to reach the mine gave her no time to examine them.

When they arrived, Amelia stared wide-eyed at the miners still moving in and out of the mine. A man doubled over, coughing into his sleeve.

“Try not to get in anyone’s way whilst you’re down there,” the overseer muttered.

Amelia put on her mask and tightened its straps as they descended into the mine. Torches flickered as she passed them, illuminating traces of the coveted mineral.

She focused on the sound of her footsteps. It was like any other excavation.

The air felt wrong, like the static had faded, leaving an unnatural stillness.

They followed the overseer until the tunnel opened into a cave. They passed miners, one of whom was being carried out on a stretcher. Blood streamed from his mouth and nose. It was too late for him. She pressed the mask closer to her face. Because the sickness had not spread beyond the miners, everyone assumed its cause lay underground.