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The eudorite mines…
He turned northward and gazed out over the sprawling city, picturing the dark expanse of the Howling Mountains as he’d seen it the day he and Drystan had arrived at Crafford. Riona was brave to the point of folly, and she knew her time in Rivosa was running out. Perhaps, in a desperate attempt to find answers, she had gone to search for the mines. A spark of possibility ignited within him. Few people were brave or foolish enough to venture into the Howling Mountains, which meant the land would be nearly untouched. He might be able to follow the tracks her horse had left.
“I think I know where Riona is,” he said as he turned back to Amaris. “I hope you know how to ride.”
ChapterForty-Seven
The Lady
It felt like they walked for an eternity—an eternity with only the dark tunnels, howling wind, and Dig’s unsettling, keening cries as company. Riona studied him as they walked, the threadbare pants slung low around his hips and the grime coating his fair skin. How long had he been wandering down here? Did a part of him remember whatever family he’d left behind? She had just opened her mouth to ask when he stopped at the mouth of a tunnel and turned back to her, a grim expression on his face.
They had arrived.
Riona gripped her pendant, suddenly uncertain. The screeching wind had frayed her nerves, leaving her jumpy and unsettled. “Can you tell me anything about the mines? The layout? Where I might find the overseer?”
He said nothing, just pointed down the tunnel.
I’m on my own, then.
She set a hand on Dig’s arm, and he stiffened at her touch. “Thank you for your help. Wait for me here, and once this is all over, I’ll see you safely to your family, wherever they may be. You don’t have to spend another day in these terrible tunnels.”
He nodded and stepped aside.
Riona crept down the tunnel, her heart in her throat. Gradually, the sound of snoring drifted to her from up ahead, where she saw several naturally-formed archways in the stone on either side of the makeshift corridor. Each was covered with a curtain of heavy wool. Peering around the nearest curtain, she discovered a large, dark cavern filled with rows upon rows of cots. She could just make out the silhouettes of the slumbering forms atop the mattresses. There had to be more than fifty men in this room alone, each with one ankle chained to his cot.
The prisoners sentenced to work here. How many of them have gone mad after listening to this relentless wind?
She continued on, silently thanking the Creator that they seemed to be keeping track of day and night. The tunnels were quiet and empty, every room she passed dark. Unfortunately, the smooth walls provided no alcoves in which to hide; she would be discovered the second she encountered another person, but there was no helping that. She’d come too far to leave without answers.
Grab any evidence I find and run,she reminded herself.That’s all I have to do.
Exactly. It’ll be easy,Auberon’s voice whispered.Then it’s the simple matter of betraying your kingdom’s secrets and confronting the king. What couldpossiblygo wrong?
Gradually, the caverns she passed changed from makeshift dormitories to private sleeping quarters. Riona looked into one and was surprised to find it furnished like a lord’s manor. A curtained archway in the center of the cavern led to an adjoining room, where a canopied four-poster bed sat, dripping downy cushions and rich furs. Ornate rugs covered the ground, and a wardrobe full of finely-made cloaks and tunics stood open behind the desk. This was how her uncle was paying the men who ran the mine: steeping them in finery, granting them riches he could not afford to bestow. All to keep them quiet and content in the place that would become their tomb.
They thought the king was rewarding them for their loyalty. They didn’t realize he was only buying their silence.
Riona walked down the length of the tunnel, peering into each room she passed, then returned to the first sleeping chamber she had found. It was the most lavishly decorated, which meant it likely belonged to the overseer. If she was going to find answers anywhere, it would be there.
A snore rumbled from the adjoining room, and Riona hesitated in the archway. She had to search now—it would be impossible to slip into the overseer’s quarters once the workers were awake. She had already been away from Innislee for a full day, and the longer it took her to find the information she needed, the harder it would be for Amaris to explain her absence to the court.
Riona crept to the desk in the center of the main room. It was a massive, pretentious piece of intricately carved wood, more suited to beauty than function. She had stolen a box of matches from the tavern in Crafford, and she waited for another rumbling snore before striking one, hoping that the noise would mask the sound of the flame flaring to life. Under its faint, flickering light, she began to search the drawers.
Several minutes—and several burnt matches—later, she found something: a letter from the king. It was dated just over a month earlier, right around the time Riona had returned from Beltharos. It was unsigned but clearly written by her uncle’s hand:
I know the cave-in left the prisoners uneasy, but you must clear it as quickly as possible. Because this is the only mine that hasn’t failed, it is imperative that it runs at maximum efficiency. That collapsed tunnel is full of ore waiting to be mined. I am sure the prisoners will be jumpy and discontented, so be sure to remind them of thedepthof their gratitude for the mercy I have granted them. Most of them would spend the rest of their days rotting in a cell if not for this opportunity. Their labor will finally win us this war.
The next letter was from the Treasurer.
My friend, I am sorry to hear of the cave-in. Send me the names of the deceased, and I will see to it that their families are alerted of their deaths. I shall make up a story, of course, but the loved ones should still be told. Their service to the crown has earned them this much, despite the severity of their crimes.
I know this is against the king’s orders, and I ask for your silence on the matter. Those men gave their lives for their kingdom, and few people will ever know the roles they played in ending this war. Some nights, I question how we can continue like this, sending them to that foul place and deceiving them into believing that they will one day earn their freedom. Yet I suppose there is no use in philosophizing when nothing will change. My Creator and my king have forced me to bear the cost of this terrible operation, and I will repent by remembering each and every man I sent to his death.
I understand that the mine’s production will be limited to about half of its previous output while you clear the cave-in and move the bodies. Keep me apprised of the situation. As we have discussed, despite our king’s desire to employ every ounce of ore for the military, as Treasurer, I may need to sell a portion of the yield to maintain the kingdom. Your loyalty to Rivosa and your discretion in this matter will be amply rewarded.
For the roles we play in this undertaking, may the Creator forgive us all,
Cathal
