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After an hour or so of riding through the small stretch of wilderness, the thick tangle of twisted trees and scattered boulders gave way to a cleared space at the foot of the mountains. A tidy camp of temporary cabins and facilities had been built here, with as little disturbance to the natural environment as possible. I noticed a few extra guards wandering the grounds since the last time I had visited the site. Soldiers sent from Astra by the royal family to protect the kingdom's newest asset from whatever devious schemes they thought might play out.
During the tournament, when the queen’s spell had disguised me as a royal causerie, Una and Alrick Summerhaven had tried to trick me into their bed so I would share all my secrets. And they had seemed convinced that Larkwood was on the verge of great wealth. It could all be a coincidence. A guess on their part, or only related to the work that was being done on the mountain pass. But I had a feeling there was more to it than that. I suspected that the secret of the mage dust find had been leaked and word had somehow made its way to the two ambitious courtiers. I couldn’t be sure if it was just gossip, or if there was something more sinister going on, but in this instance, I didn’t mind the extra guards.
We dismounted and released Balefire and the males' griffons out into a wildflower field to rest while we took care of business. I smiled when we were met by a tall, statuesque woman with red cheeks and a barely contained mop of red curls peeking out from underneath her bandanna. "Lady Kat!" the mine supervisor said happily, holding out a strong hand to me.
I took the fae miner's hand and shook firmly. "Ruby. Good to see you again." She released me and I turned to gesture toward my mates as I made introductions.
Ruby's eyes crinkled at the corners and her smile grew sly as she took in the plethora of male beauty that awaited her. She practically leered at me as I finished my introductions. "A pleasure to meet you, gentlemen," she said, darting a glance my way that implied she was going to milk me for information later.
That was Ruby. Always full of boisterous, vaguely inappropriate, devil-may-care energy. I couldn’t blame her. The men of Raven team elicited a similar response in me.
They were all dressed casually enough. But there was no getting past the fact that every one of my males were stunningly handsome. I swallowed down my emotions and my stupid pride and redirected things into safer territory. Ruby tried on lovers like nobles tried on shoes, happy to change out for a new pair whenever the whim struck her. I did not need her turning her attentions on my surly mates. "I read through your reports," I informed her, happy when she immediately stopped smirking at my mates and focused on me with polite professionalism. "Thank you for being so detailed, and for doing such an amazing job here."
She nodded curtly. "Of course, Steward. I know how important this operation is to Larkwood, and to all of Elfhaven. I take my duties seriously."
I clasped her shoulder fondly. "We could not have chosen a more capable woman to do the job."
"But?" she asked, arching one brow. Ruby wasn't one to soak up flattery or get distracted by praise. She was practical to a fault.
I sighed and dropped my hand. "But the project may no longer be a secret, as I'm sure you deduced when the extra guards appeared. It seems someone may have leaked the news about our recent good fortune."
She scowled. "The gall! Every one of these buggers knows that I’ll beat them black and blue if they go telling tales. But some people lose all sense after a single pint of ale.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I promise you, I'll figure out which one of my workers flapped their idiot gums so I can knock his head clean off his shoulders."
I shook my head, snorting softly at her sentiment. "Noted. But we're not even sure there has been a leak…it's just a possibility. I'm sure the King's people will solve that mystery rather quickly and deal with the punishment. The more pertinent issue is, even if the information hasn't leaked yet, it will. I think it's time to make an official announcement. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing else you needed to tell me first, and make sure you're ready for the extra attention the announcement will bring your way."
She huffed. "You mean you wanted to make sure I was ready for a bunch of idiots to come poking around and getting in the way. Don't worry, Lady Kat, I always knew this was going to become a big deal someday soon. We're ready to deal with it. And the extra fuss won't affect the work we do."
I nodded in acknowledgement. "I expected nothing less," I told her fondly. "But I'd also like to make sure I understand the ins and outs of everything." As the project progressed, I had signed papers, chatted with Ruby occasionally, and made sure the miners had everything they needed to do their jobs safely and efficiently. But I didn't know much about the actual logistics of mining for mage dust or the day-to-day operations of the place. I smiled fondly as I turned to gesture at Mirri. "And I know at least one of my mates will have a thousand questions if you have time to give us a tour?"
Ruby laughed and waved for us to follow her into the mines. "You never have to ask me twice to yammer on about venturing down under the earth and digging for treasures." She winked at Mirri and earned a smile in return. "One quarter kobold on my father's side," she informed him. "It's in my veins."
Mirri was practically glowing as he launched into a myriad of questions about mining. I was thankful to have him here because he asked questions I would never have even thought to ask, but that were crucial to my understanding of things. I knew it was just his avid curiosity and analytical mind at work, but it almost seemed like a type of magic all on its own.
As we navigated the tunnels, I found myself walking next to Adder. It surprised me when the cool, distant male actually spoke to me. "They are using fae techniques, rather than human ones," he said, his deep voice pitched softly enough that he didn't interrupt Ruby and Mirri's discussion about the statistical probability of finding a vein of mage dust or star crystal during a dig.
I glanced at the silver-haired male in surprise. "Of course. Why wouldn't they?"
He studied my face for a moment, his dark blue eyes sweeping over me, lingering on the side of my face. Taking in the roundness of my ears, I realized belatedly. "Some might assume you would have a bias toward human techniques," he murmured.
I shrugged. "I have human blood, yes. But I'm just as much brownie as human. And I'm more highborn than either of those, technically. I don't consider myself human, at least not in any way that really counts. But why does that matter so much to you?"
He was silent for a moment, then he stopped walking, forcing me to halt to focus on what he was saying as the others drew ahead a bit. "You've heard nothing about human mining operations, I take it?" he asked dryly.
I shook my head. "No. I didn't realize you were an expert on the subject either," I sniped, crossing my arms over my chest. This conversation made no sense to me.
Adder sighed, aping my posture by crossing his own arms over his broad chest. "I've no direct experience. But I've heard stories. I spent my time in a few unsavory places as a child before I was lucky enough to stumble into Fife's path and end up being taken in by his mother. Human mines are no better than death traps. They are unstable places, the air unbreathable. Across the seas, human workers are often disabled or killed in their mines. And usually over substances that are far less valuable than mage dust or star crystals."
I just stared at him. "What? But why? That's horrible."
He shrugged dismissively. "I don't know their reasons. A lack of magic. A lack of understanding of the laws of nature? Perhaps because it makes them more profit that way than it would if they were to spend time and resources on safety measures? Or because they often refuse to cooperate with our people enough to benefit from our magic? But regardless of the reasons, I am happy to see that you don't fall back on their ways in order to save time or money." He uncrossed his arms, and for just a moment, his cold, stoic expression softened a bit. "It says much about the type of person you are." Then he went and ruined it, speaking over his shoulder as he resumed walking. "Though I suppose I can't give you much credit for the decision, since you apparently knew nothing of the topic prior to this."
I rolled my eyes and stomped after him.
As usual, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be happy that he was trying to see some good in his lying mate, or if I wanted to strangle him for being such an asshole.
At least he had spoken to me. And his voice had carried a bit of his old teasing jab and retreat—that way he had of hiding his compliments under haughty affectation. It almost made me feel like we were having a friendly sparring match. But now we were back to cool awkwardness once more.
I sighed and tried to focus on the task at hand, rather than trying to figure out whether I'd ever make any progress with my mates.
