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They set off again, the miners trailing behind their small group. Riona shivered as the wind howled in the distance, mingling with the cries of the dying from elsewhere in the mining system, where the fight still raged. Her gaze drifted to the Rennox. Its hulking stature dwarfed the scrawny young man walking beside it.
“How exactly did you come to be allied with Rennox?” she whispered to Amaris. “How did you even discover I was here?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you once we’re in Crafford and you’ve had some rest. And once that’s over, I expect thatyouwill answer some questions of mine.”
Riona nodded, dreading what was to come. There was no telling what would happen once they returned to Innislee. Her uncle had been keeping the eudorite mines a closely guarded secret for years. Now that Auberon knew they were crafting eudorite weapons, Rivosa might never again have peace. It would only be a matter of time before Emperor Hyperion sent his army to stake his claim on the Mountains, and she knew her uncle would not allow so much as a sliver of ore to fall into Hyperion’s hands. He would fight the Erdurians with every resource at his disposal until the bitter end. Neither side could win. Erduria had more men, but Rivosa had eudorite weapons.
They would fight until they destroyed each other.
This is all my fault,Riona thought, miserable. She had never intended for Auberon to learn that his suspicions about the mines were correct. She had only hoped to use him to find Cathal’s murderer and root out the corruption in her uncle’s court.Because of me, both our peoples will be slaughtered.
As they walked, Rennox began to materialize from the adjoining tunnels, standing with their crude spears like silent sentinels. They were waiting, Riona realized, as one after another fell into step behind them. Eventually, a group of more than a dozen trailed them, their spearheads occasionally scraping against the ceilings of the tunnel. It didn’t escape Riona’s notice that while none of the creatures lay dead among the bodies they passed, some bore deep gashes in their stone flesh.The eudorite blades—they’re strong enough to wound a Rennox, she realized with a mixture of awe and trepidation. If that was what it could do to stone, it would have no trouble cutting through steel armor.
Finally, a sliver of daylight appeared in the distance. Riona let out a sharp breath, relief washing over her. She glanced back, and Auberon’s tight expression softened when their eyes met. She felt the ghost of his fingers skating across her skin, the brush of his lips against her forehead. The broken, helpless way he had said her name echoed in her ears.
Riona. Aramati. Beloved one.
That meant nothing,a voice whispered in her mind.He only came to verify that the mines exist. To him, you are still a prize to be won, and that is all you will ever be. He only saved you because he could not allow his brother’s future bride to be killed.
For the first time, the voice was not her own. It was the voice of the man who had taught her all her life that Erdurians were ruthless, heartless, remorseless monsters. It was the voice of the king who was willing to sacrifice countless more lives for the chance to destroy his enemies.
And the words it spoke were ones she no longer believed.
When they were only a couple of yards from the exit, a few of the Rennox broke from their group and formed a wall before the mine’s entrance. More moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder behind Riona and the others, trapping them between two impenetrable lines. The creatures lowered the points of their spears as one. Auberon immediately stepped in front of Riona and Amaris and lifted his sword. Behind them, the miners lifted their own weapons.
Only Dig seemed unconcerned. He stepped forward and held his hands out before Auberon. When the prince stared at him in confusion, he nodded to the eudorite sword clenched in Auberon’s hand.
Understanding struck Riona. The folk stories claimed that the Rennox were territorial, but perhaps they weren’t trying to protect the land. Perhaps they were protecting the ore. “They want it back. They won’t let you take it out of the Mountains.”
Dig nodded again, an expectant look on his face.
The prince’s fingers tightened around the sword’s grip as he turned to Riona. “We have to show the court this sword. They must see the proof of what the king is planning to do to my people. With these weapons…” His gaze drifted to the Rennox, lingering on a deep gash in one creature’s torso. The blow would have disemboweled a human, even one wearing plate mail. “Riona, he willdestroy us.”
The Rennox slammed the butts of their spears on the ground, the sound reverberating down the tunnel. Auberon didn’t so much as flinch. He fixed Riona with an imploring look. “Help me reason with them.”
One of the creatures stepped forward, and her heart stuttered. There was no doubt in her mind that the Rennox would kill him if he attempted to take just one step closer to the exit.
Let him try to take the blade,her uncle’s voice urged.His death would solve all our problems. Prince Drystan no doubt knows the rumors of the mines, but those rumors hold no substance without the things Auberon has witnessed this day. If he dies, the Emperor will be left with only suspicion.
Riona silenced the thoughts. She could not condemn the prince to death, not after he had risked his life to save hers.
“Auberon,” she whispered. “Hand it over.”
He set his jaw and reluctantly placed the sword in Dig’s waiting hands. When the prince glanced over his shoulder at her, there was no mistaking the anger and defeat on his face. The same emotions rushed through Riona as Dig collected the miners’ swords and handed them over to one of the Rennox. More proof of the mining operation slipping through her fingers, just like the letters.
Without a word, the Rennox parted before them. Auberon led them toward the exit, still eyeing the creatures warily. Amaris practically dragged Riona along, a smile spreading across her full lips when they emerged into the bright sunlight. Dig shuffled along behind them. He hissed at the rush of light that spilled over them, throwing up a hand to shield his eyes. The sun was high overhead, the sky a clear, cloudless blue. Riona grinned. She had never seen such a beautiful sight. Even the miners laughed and clapped each other on the back.
Riona directed them to the small clearing where she had left her mare, and Auberon helped her onto the saddle. “Not quite home yet,aramati,” he murmured, his hand lingering on her thigh for a heartbeat longer than necessary, “but you’re safe now.”
Until my uncle learns that I know the truth about the mines,she thought, but she held her tongue.
While he, Amaris, and the miners left to fetch their horses, Dig approached her and ran his hands along her mare’s flank, gazing at the horse with a mix of fear and amazement. In the sunlight, she could see for the first time the extent of the grime coating his skin. It was a grayish-brown, weeks upon weeks of dust and dirt caked on his flesh. A scraggly beard covered his narrow jaw, the same mousy brown as his hair.
“We’ll find a river where you can wash on the way to Crafford,” she told him. “And I’ll buy you a change of clothes when we reach the town.”
Dig looked up at her through his curtain of lank, tangled hair and shook his head. When Riona frowned, he turned back to the entrance of the mine, where the Rennox were standing in the shadow of the overhang, watching them. Each held its spear like a walking stick, the eudorite point gleaming even in the low light of the tunnel.
“Are you afraid of leaving?” Riona asked softly.
