Slave to Sapphire
Chapter 20

The following day Iris met Ezekiel in his study and continued with her work. Ezekiel was quiet but polite, making sure to give Iris her space. Iris took advantage of his avoidance and covertly copied pieces of information from his ledgers onto a fresh sheet of paper. They ate lunch at their respective desks.

Iris broke the silence with a loud sigh.

Ezekiel looked up at her eagerly, waiting for her to speak.

“I will go to the mines with you.”

Ezekiel dropped the sandwich he was eating in shock. Samson immediately swiped it from the ground and ran off with his prize. “That is not what I was expecting you to say. I am sorry about yesterday. I should not have never asked you to accompany me, it was thoughtless.”

“You are right, it was very thoughtless and you should have never asked me. But I have decided that I cannot let my memories of the mines torment me for the rest of my life. I will go with you; I refuse to let the mines hold power over me.” Iris tried to keep her voice steady and sound as confident as she was afraid of going back.

“Does this mean you have forgiven me?”

“No, but I am considering it. We will go tomorrow.”

Ezekiel smiled, the relief evident in his face. “We will need to leave early; I will have a carriage ready for us at sunrise. There is something I wanted to tell you earlier.”

Iris looked at him expectantly. “Well go ahead, I am listening.”

Ezekiel didn’t mind her annoyance; he was happy to have Iris speaking to him again. “You were right about the merchants. An audit was done and it was discovered that Horatio, the beer and wine merchant, was under-reporting his imports. He has been taken down to the dungeons for further questioning.”

Iris hid her excitement. He would never be punished for purchasing girls from desperate families, he would meet his end for stealing from the Grand Ruler. With everything that had happened recently she had put Horatio’s threats at the back of her mind. It was a relief to have one less thing to worry about. “You could have told me that this morning,” Iris stated.

Ezekiel fought to keep the smile from his face “I will add it to my list of things to atone for.”

That night Iris lay in bed, Samson sprawled across her chest. She couldn’t believe she was going to the mines tomorrow. Less than a month ago she had chosen to let her source stone run out and die over returning to the mines. This was different though; she wasn’t going there to work and live. She would be there with Ezekiel, and only for a couple of hours at the most. Her mind jumped to her time at the mines, but she shoved the images behind her mental wall. She needed to think of something else, so she closed her eyes and conjured the feeling of waking up in Ezekiel’s arms as the sunlight streamed into his room. She really needed to think of something else. What was Julian talking about anyways when he said Ezekiel was in love with her? Ezekiel may be in love with the version of Iris that he knew. If she actually let him know her without all the lying, she doubted that his feelings would stay the same. Her mind bounced to what Julian had told her about being a conduit. The ability was amazing but relatively useless to Iris when she only had access to one year of life source at time.

Iris finally fell into a restless sleep. She tossed and turned throughout the night, waking up several times soaked in sweat from nightmares of the mines. The mines were void of light and there was a darkness that developed within the people who were trapped there. She woke a final time swallowing a scream, the feeling of a man’s rough hands on her body clinging to her mind as she sat up wide-eyed. There would be no more sleep tonight. Iris sat in bed with her back against the wall. Samson stretched beside her and climbed into her lap, purring loudly. Iris focused on her breathing and emptied her mind. She stayed sitting with Samson until the sky lightened outside her narrow window.

Iris dressed for the day and re-braided her hair, laced her boots and secured her dagger to her hip; she grabbed her crutch and left her room to meet Ezekiel. The sun was beginning its ascent when Iris reached the stables. Ezekiel stood by a carriage, looking striking, dressed in all black. Ezekiel noticed Iris’ apprehension and the dark circles under eyes from her sleepless night.

“Are you sure you can do this?”

Iris nodded, “I am stronger than you think, let’s go.”

A groom who was not Julian opened the carriage door. Ezekiel gestured for Iris to enter first. Iris took a seat inside and was slightly annoyed when Ezekiel sat beside her instead of across from her. The official carriages were spacious but sitting together on one bench meant that the side of her leg touched Ezekiel’s. It was still more comfortable than riding in the luggage compartment.

“Will Samson be joining us today?”

“No, animals avoid the mines.”

The groom closed the door and climbed up into his seat; the carriage rolled into motion.

“It is a long ride to the mines.” Ezekiel sated.

“I know” Iris leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes, she wasn’t in the mood to speak with Ezekiel. Iris was tired from her sleepless night and the sway of the carriage lulled her asleep.

“Iris wake up, we are almost there.”

Iris opened her eyes, groggy with sleep; Ezekiel’s long fingers brushed through her hair to wake her. She was lying on her side with her head in Ezekiel’s lap. Cerise! She needed to stop falling asleep around Ezekiel. Iris sat up and used her sleeve to wipe the drool from the side of her face.

“I am sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“I figured,” Ezekiel responded, as if their closeness was completely natural.

Iris turned from him and pulled aside the curtain. She squinted; the sun was at its apex in the brilliant blue sky. The journey to the mines took them inland and she could longer smell the saltiness of the ocean. The carriage rolled down a dusty road with agriculture fields on either side of them. Iris sat back letting the curtains fall closed. She needed to focus on keeping herself calm as they approached the mines. “I am strong. Fear is not my master”. She repeated the mantra in head, and she almost believed it. Ezekiel understood her need for silence. He took her hand and squeezed it firmly. Iris didn’t pull away.

The carriage slowed and then rolled to a stop. Iris’ breath caught in her throat. Ezekiel turned to her. “You don’t have to do this; you can wait in the carriage if you need to.”

Iris lifted her chin and rolled back her shoulders. “I am not the type of woman who waits in the carriage.” Ezekiel nodded.

“I am afraid you are going to have to leave your dagger in the carriage, there are no weapons allowed in the mines.”

Iris ground her teeth and removed her dagger, setting it on the seat.

The groom opened the door and Ezekiel stepped out. Iris let Ezekiel take her crutch and then allowed him to help her out of the carriage. The whole fake injury thing was getting old. Once they were both out of the carriage Ezekiel handed her a thick scarf. Iris took the scarf and tied it around her face fitting it so it would cover her mouth and nose. She used her hand to shade her eyes from the glaring sun. They were surrounded by open dusty planes; in the distance Iris could make out the edge of a forest and the faint outline of the Amenom Mountains. Fifty paces from where they stood was a stone structure that was the barracks for the foreman and the guards who ran the mines. Past the barracks was a black wound in the earth that made up the Amarath Mines.

A dry gust of wind blew across the plane kicking up dust into the air, she closed her eyes, thankful for the scarf over her mouth and nose. When the wind died down a man hurried towards them from the barracks. The man’s skin was tanned and leathery. He had a mane of white hair tied back into a ponytail. He stuck his hand out and took Ezekiel’s hand in a firm handshake.

“Sir Ezekiel, we were surprised to hear that you were coming to make a visit. Name’s Brutus by the way, I am the foreman here.” Brutus gave Ezekiel a wide smile that had more missing teeth than teeth. He looked passed Ezekiel to Iris. When he saw her eyes, his smile turned hungry.

Ezekiel’s jaw tightened and he stepped slightly in front of Iris, shielding her from Brutus.

“It looks like one of ours made it out,” Brutus said as he winked at Iris.

Ezekiel cleared his throat, “She is with me; she is my assistant, and no one is to touch her or bother her.”

Iris stepped out from behind Ezekiel and stuck her hand out to Brutus. Brutus was taken aback by her boldness but took her hand. His grip was painful, Iris refused to let any sign of discomfort show. “My name is Iris.” She kept her voice strong and steady.

Brutus dropped her hand and pulled the scarf that hung around his neck over his mouth and nose.

“Sir Ezekiel, I was told that I would be giving you a tour of the mines today, but I am not allowed to let any unauthorized people in the mines. That means you Iris.” He said her name like it tasted badly.

“The Grand Ruler has given me responsibility of overseeing the production of the mines and I get to choose who has access.” Ezekiel angled his head towards Iris. “It is not as if she hasn’t seen the mines.”

Brutus acquiesced, grunted, and gestured for them to follow as he walked towards the mines.

The Amarath Mines consisted of an enormous gaping hole in the earth. The only way into the mines was via one of two cable cars that were operated by a large pulley system. The wheel of the pulley system was worked by two massive men, who had the vacant stares one got when high on azure. Iris left her crutch at the edge of the hole. They had to climb down a rope ladder to reach a wooden platform where the cable car sat. Brutus reached around his neck and removed a chain with a key ring. He used the key to open the iron door of the cable car. Brutus motioned for Ezekiel and Iris to enter the cable car. Iris hesitated, Ezekiel entered first and offered his hand to Iris. Iris glanced back at Brutus; he was watching her with anticipation. She would not let a man like him see her weakness. She took Ezekiel’s hand and stepped into the cable car. Brutus followed closely behind, slamming the iron door closed. The cable car could fit about ten people, so Iris was able to keep her distance from Brutus. Brutus took a wooden club that hung from his hip and banged it against the top of the cable car twice, signaling that they were ready. Iris was sick at the site of the club and the memories it brought back. Ezekiel followed her gaze to the club and squeezed her hand tightly. Anger ignited behind his blue eyes. Iris’ stomach dropped again as the pulley system screeched loudly above them and the cable car began its journey down into the mines. It was at least one hundred feet before they reached the first level. The walls of the mine were jagged and formed from natural stone in varying shades of dark gray. The air was saturated with a fine black dust, the temperature dropping the farther they went down. The mine was made up of levels that had been carved into the walls using dynamite. Each level had a ledge about ten feet wide that had been carved into the wall. Once a ledge was created around the circumference of the mine, they would dig tunnels radiating out into the sides of the mine. The tunnels were formed by a combination of dynamite and hand picks. It was in the dark maze of tunnels that the source stone could be found. Eventually they would get to a point when no more source stone could be found at a given level and any further tunnels that were made would collapse. Then another level would be created deeper in the mine.

“Why is it so quiet? Is no one working?” asked Ezekiel.

“These levels of the mines are no longer active; we must go down a way before we get to the portion of the mine that is currently being worked.”

The cable car continued its descent, the groaning of the cables the only noise. The sunlight far above was a distant speck. Brutus lit a lantern that hung in the cable car. The circumference of the mine narrowed the deeper that they went and the dust that hung in the air became even thicker. The muffled clinks of pickaxes drifted up towards them. The sound grew louder, Brutus pulled on a heavy lever that acted as a break on the cable car. Sparks flew in the darkness and the car shuddered to a stop.

“This is the first of the operational levels, we have fifteen operating levels in total,” Brutus stated.

Ezekiel looked around the ledge that made up the level. There were four tunnels equally spaced like spokes on a wheel. Each tunnel was blocked by a rusted iron gate.

“Where are all the workers?” Ezekiel inquired, his voice echoing off the sides of the walls.

“They are working in the tunnels, of course.”

“What are the iron gates for?”

“To keep them working, when their shift is over the gates are opened.”

“How long are their shifts?”

“Eighteen hours.” Brutus stated with pride.

Iris didn’t think it possible, but Ezekiel’s white face paled further.

“There are approximately 1500 people working in this mine at any given time. If they are working 18-hour days, how is there possibly time to bring them up to the surface at the end of each shift?”

Brutus let out a deep belly laugh that bounced around the mine. “We don’t bring them up, Sir. They sleep on the ledge of their level. They don’t leave their level of the mine until their contract ends.”

Ezekiel’s face was stricken with horror. Iris shrunk into the shadows. She was barely holding herself together and she didn’t think she could handle Ezekiel’s pity.

“Is there anything else that you would like to see, Sir?” Brutus asked.

Ezekiel started to shake his head when Iris interrupted. “Are you currently working on developing a sixteenth operational level?”

Ezekiel looked at her and Iris shrugged her shoulders.

“In fact, we are, but I am afraid I can’t discuss any of the details with the current company.” Brutus looked pointedly at Iris.

“You can say anything you need to say in front of Iris, she has my full confidence.” Anger was creeping into Ezekiel’s voice.

Brutus stared back and held his ground. “If you like, Sir, I can take us to the new level we are currently working on, and we can leave Iris on the level above to wait for us. Without your assistant, we can talk more freely. I understand you are currently investigating some fraudulent transactions regarding the mines; I may be able to provide some insight.”

Ezekiel’s body tensed as he thought over Brutus’ offer. Brutus lit a second lantern.

“I will even leave Iris with a lantern, though she is probably very accustomed to the darkness of the mines. She will be perfectly safe, all of the criminals who work the mines are trapped in the tunnels behind the iron gates.”

Iris stood in silence; she couldn’t comprehend that she was about to be left alone in the mines. I am strong, fear is not my master. She chanted to herself.

Ezekiel needed any information he could get about who was responsible for the fraud, and he took Iris’ silence on the matter as acceptance.

“Okay, but I don’t want to leave Iris for long.”

Brutus lifted the lever that acted as a break and the cable car groaned, continuing its descent. It seemed like forever and a blink of an eye when Brutus pulled down the break again. Brutus swung the door of the cable car open.

“Okay girly, this is your stop.” Brutus’ rough hand grabbed her wrist, dragging her to the door. Iris was numb; she didn’t register the pain of his grip and allowed herself to be pulled forward.

Ezekiel snarled and brought up his fist in a right hook that connected with Brutus’ jaw. Brutus yelped and let go of Iris’ wrist. He stumbled backwards, bumping into the bars of the cable car, causing the whole thing to sway.

“I said no one was to touch her.” Ezekiel’s voice was deathly quiet. Ezekiel took both of Iris’ hands into his. “I need to hear you say you are okay with this; I won’t leave you if you are not.”

Iris’ body still felt numb, she was outside of herself watching everything happen to her. She saw herself nod and whisper, “I will be fine.”

Ezekiel pulled her into a quick embrace and then released her. Iris was still detached when she clutched the lantern, moved to the door and stepped out of the cable car onto the stone ledge. She could barely hear the screeching of the cable car descending without her over the rushing of blood in her ears. Alone on the ledge she snapped back into the reality of the situation. Her heart thundering, she couldn’t breathe. She set the lantern down and bent over, putting her hands on her knees, sucking in gulps of air through the thick fabric that covered her mouth and nose. The fabric felt like it was suffocating her, she knew if she pulled it from her face the dust would throw her into a coughing fit. She could do this. She reminded herself of her purpose for being in the mines, her friends’ escape depended on her ability to get the information Julian requested. There was no way for her to get to the level under construction, but she could get close. Each level was about fifty feet below the level above it. Most of the tunnels that extended from each level went outwards horizontally but some levels went downwards. It was not uncommon for a tunnel that was created on a level above to extend too far downwards and collapse a tunnel below it. If Iris could get into the tunnels, she could find one that went downwards towards the newest level and try to feel for the presence of source stone.

She was really doing this; she was going back into the tunnels. She concentrated on each step as she approached the iron gate. Iris placed the lantern on the ground. She wouldn’t be taking it with her, she had learned to navigate the tunnels of the mines in complete darkness and the lantern would only serve as a hindrance. The iron gate did not sit flush with the jagged opening of the tunnel and Iris was able to squeeze through a gap between the gate and the stone wall. She hissed when the stone scraped along her back. The black dust in the air was thickest in the tunnels; she adjusted the scarf over her face making sure it was securely over her mouth and nose. Iris put her right hand on the tunnel wall and edged forward into the absolute blackness. The absence of light was so complete she couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or closed. The loss of vision heightened her other senses, picks bounced off the walls from within the maze of tunnels echoing towards her. The floors of the tunnels were jagged and uneven from the dynamite. Moving through the tunnels required one to shuffle their feet along the ground so as to not trip. Those who were forced to mine the tunnels would move blindly through them, running their hands along the walls searching for a smooth seam of source stone.

During her time in the tunnels, she had learned how to keep track of each turn she took, cataloging them in her mind so she could find her way out. It was not without trial and error though, in her year in the mines she had gotten lost in the tunnels and spent days trying to find her way back to the ledge. Iris kept her hand on the wall and inched forward counting her steps. Iris didn’t have much time to explore the tunnels, she would need to get deep as fast as possible. Each time she came to a branch in the tunnels she would pause letting her body feel the difference in the air between each tunnel. The tunnels where the air was slightly colder meant they went deeper, Iris continued deeper, memorizing the branch she chose. After what Iris estimated to be fifteen minutes, she stopped. She centered herself like she had practiced and expanded her senses outwards. She felt the life pulsing in her source stone, and she pushed her senses out further. She could feel the small pinprick humming of varying sizes of source stone around her. Unlike the stone in her cuff, there was an emptiness to the frequency that came from the stones in the mine. Iris pushed herself harder, trying to focus her senses downwards. It was then that she felt the deep humming and a large gaping emptiness below her. Iris gasped and shut her senses down. There was a large amount of source stone on the level below. A warm wet trickle ran from her nose. She wiped her nose with her sleeve, smelling the metallic tang of blood. Iris needed to get back to the ledge before Ezekiel and Brutus returned.

Iris turned around placing her left hand on the tunnel wall and made her way back to the entrance, counting her footsteps and pausing at each branch. Based on her mental map Iris had almost made her way out of the tunnels. Iris hesitated; she heard footsteps behind her. There was a woosh of air and a rock hit her hard in the back of the head. Iris staggered, fighting to keep herself standing. Rough meaty hands grabbed her by the waist pinning her against the wall.

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