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His mentioning Peter sent an arrow plunging right through my heart. All the danger and risk had taken my mind off how heartbroken I still was about our breakup. Vas watched me like there was something on my face that interested him. I cleared my throat.
“I felt terrible when Red Armand took you and Sven. I also felt partly responsible. Carra and I made a pact to rescue you as soon as we realised you’d been taken. It might sound simple but I promise that’s why I’m here.”
“Carra? Where is she? Why didn’t she come with you?”
“Carra’s fine,” I said. “My mother is caring for her, but she was too injured to come.” I purposefully didn’t tell him about the coma. There was too much mistrust on his part to throw that spanner in the works. I didn’t want him blaming me for letting my mother and Rita cast the healing spell when there was a chance it could go awry like it had. To be perfectly honest I’d been so selfishly wrapped up in my own feelings over losing Peter that I hadn’t given a thought to poor Carra.
Vas didn’t say anything for a long moment, his gaze fixed to mine like he was trying to decipher possible lies. My attention went to his hand on my throat. My hand was still on his and I loosened my grip, then ran my fingers down to the thorn tattoo that marked his wrist. A visible shudder went through him.
“My mother showed me how to remove these,” I said quietly and he grew even more still at my touch. “I can remove yours. Your magic won’t be muted anymore. You’ll be so much stronger.”
Before he could say anything a loud clang sounded before a demon announced, “Shift two begins in five minutes! All new recruits gather on the ground floor!”
“I have to go,” I told him. “We’ll talk more later.”
He finally let go of me and I scrambled out of his sleeping pod.
“Darya,” Vas said as I made to leave. I paused, waiting for what he intended to say. He ran a hand through his hair, his stern expression wavering as he sighed. “Don’t let them hustle you to the front when you go out there. That’s the most dangerous part and the experienced miners know how to trick the newcomers into going ahead of them.”
I absorbed what he said, nodding. “Okay, thanks for the tip.” Pausing, I pressed my lips together. “Vas, I—”
“Just go,” he interrupted gruffly. “I’ll find you later.”
I left, sensing his eyes on me as I went. One thing was for sure, it was going to take a lot more work to get him to trust me again. When I reached the ground level Ren appeared, grabbing me by the arm, “There you are. Did you find them?”
“Yes, but Vas wasn’t pleased to see me.”
Ren shot me a commiserating look. “I take it he’s still mad about the going undercover thing?”
I sighed. “Something like that.”
“So, you travelled all the way to an alternate dimension to save him and he has the cheek not to appreciate it. Typical.” Ren gave a tut and he almost managed to cheer my spirits.
“How about we get through the next few hours and then I’ll figure out how to convince Vas my heart is in the right place.”
“Good plan,” Ren replied as we joined Maya and Demi who had gathered with the rest of the new captives waiting to be herded into the working part of the mine. As we entered we were instructed to take a hammer from a large pile. Most of them were worn out, the handles smooth from endless use.
“Hang back. Vas said the experienced miners funnel the newbies to the front where it’s most dangerous,” I told Ren.
Right as I spoke I could see some of the people we’d come in with being hustled on ahead of everyone else. Ren, Maya, Demi and I managed to keep relatively back, but even so, it was a hellish and traumatising experience. I learned first-hand how the Blaze got its name when I stepped into the intensely humid belly of the beast.
It was a huge cavern and black as far as the eye could see. There were different levels where an endless number of workers hammered at the reylite. Right in the centre there was a giant, dark, bottomless hole. How many people had fallen in there and never come back out?
Equipped with only the cheap, measly hammers we’d been given, we were expected to chip away at the pitch-like substance for hours without reprieve. I watched what the more experienced workers did and tried my best to copy them, all the while my skin felt like it was being singed with a blowtorch. I was lucky though. My dhampir genes allowed whatever heat rash I incurred to heal fast. Maya and Demi, who I guessed were part vampire, too, would also heal. Poor Ren, however, wouldn’t fare so well, though he might be able to cast a spell to soothe his burns.
