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I can’t exactly blame him for being mad. I’m not very happy myself. “Promise.”
As soon as they’re far enough away, I start toward the fence.
Erik grabs my arm to stop me, but I drag him along. “They’ll be back in a few minutes,” he says.
“Dante is going to rush us out of here. I want to take a look around without him hovering over us,” I say. “Are you coming with me or waiting around?”
Erik follows me. Now that we’re so close, I feel pulled to the fence. It’s not what I would expect. It’s thick steel, and sturdy, but I don’t see any cameras or guards. It looks more like a boundary than a safety measure, which makes it easy to climb. As soon as I’m over it, I spot the mines. Erik holds a finger to his lips. Like I need him to tell me to be quiet. And then I see it.
A light moves not far from a nearby truck. It’s held by a worker. It looks like he’s escorting a group. I’m too curious to keep from taking a few steps forward to look more closely. The truck is parked near a grove of trees and it’s unlikely to be seen, but I understand the need for caution.
“Ad,” Erik says in a low voice. I hold up a hand, indicating I know what I’m doing.
The group continues, moving closer to the actual drills. For a moment my attention wanders to the mining spot. I’ve seen pictures of the drills, but I hadn’t come close to understanding their enormity. They are massive, even larger than the aeroship we saw when we first arrived. Since mine operations are shut down for the night, the gears don’t grind into the ground. Instead they sit ominous and dangerous in a cavernous hole in the world. Part of me wants to creep closer to see how far the abyss extends, but then movement catches my eye. The group stops at the perimeter of the site, and I see him.
Leave it to Cormac Patton to wear a suit into a labor camp.
“Is that…?” Erik whispers as he comes up beside me.
I nod. “Someone should explain occupational-appropriate attire to him.”
Erik chuckles lightly and tugs at my shoulder. It’s clear he wants me to step back farther away from the tree line. But I don’t need him to protect me. I pull away and move a few steps forward. I expect him to go back to the fence, but he follows me.
“If he sees you,” Erik warns.
“He won’t.”
And I know I’m right—unless he’s looking for me. Cormac is paranoid enough to always be on alert, but he can’t expect us to be here in the belly of the Guild’s operations. It would be stupid of us to come so close to their operations after our escape.
The mining group is too far away for me to hear them, so I gesture toward a cluster of boulders that’s closer to them. Erik shakes his head, but I ignore him and tiptoe forward. We’re still near enough to the grove that if anyone from the Guild group looked up, they would see only darkness and branches.
Cormac and the other men’s attention stays on the mining site, and I tread quietly to the rocks. Straining, I can barely make out their conversation.
“How long until the site is expended?” Cormac’s voice, even from a distance, sends a tingle of apprehension running through me. I wasn’t sure I would ever be so close to him again. For one moment I consider running forward and pushing him into the drill site. It’s not a bad plan except that Cormac is only one cog in the machine of the Guild. Their operations might stall for a bit but his death wouldn’t be enough to destroy the entire system—even if it would be satisfying.
“You realize Jost is going to kill you.” Erik’s eyes dart around us, dutifully watching for trouble. “If Dante doesn’t first.”
I shush him and turn my attention back to the group. The space behind the rock is tight and Erik leans in against me to stay hidden. I’m not sure he’s ever acted this nervous around me.
Cormac is nodding. “We’ll need to expand farther in then. Unless you think we can risk the stability here longer.”
The man next to him, who I can’t help noticing is dressed in jeans and a plain shirt, responds, “I don’t think so. We risk a temporal collapse if we continue, but expanding won’t be easy. The natives are already restless in these parts, and Kincaid’s men are getting greedy.”
“They get that from Kincaid,” Cormac says. “No doubt he’s filled their heads with talk of his glorious revolution against the Guild. If they only knew him like I do.”
“Several Sunrunners have picked fights with miners in the last few weeks.”
Cormac waves off the warning, unconcerned. “We’ll send more Remnants in.”
“Will you be bringing her here soon?” someone asks him.
“Perhaps. If we open a new site, Pryana will have to come for a visit.” But his tone stays noncommittal.
So Pryana is slated to be the new Creweler. This is bad news. Pryana is a talented Spinster, but she’s never shown the wisdom necessary for the powerful position of Creweler, the woman who oversees the entire pattern of Arras. Everything about her is wrong for the job.
Cormac dismisses most of the group, but one man lingers by his side.
“Sir, what if—”
