“Stop,” I gasp out.
“No. I smell blood.”
“No shit. It’s coming out of my nose. Because you hit my face with the door.”
“R’Hiza take me.” His hands slow and stop where they are, which happens to be my breasts. Convenient. I push them off and struggle to sit up, but he holds me down. “Is that the only place you are injured? You were not struck by falling rock?”
“Only small ones. I’m okay, really.”
He grunts, disbelieving. Without even asking, he unwraps my headscarf, and then he walks his fingers over my face until he finds my nose and presses the folded fabric gently against it. “Hold this until the bleeding stops. Stay here, exactly like this, until I return.”
“What happened out there?” I ask as he slides off me. “Is everyone okay?”
“Earthquake caused an explosion in the mines.” He bites off the words like he hates saying them. “A few tunnels collapsed. Some are trapped in the rubble.”
“Aqen? Is he okay?” A thread of fear cinches tight around my throat. “He went to ask you a question, but he didn’t come back.”
“I don’t know,” Nik growls. “But if he survived, he will suffer at my hands for abandoning you.” His weight abruptly lifts.
“He didn’t aband—”
“Lock the door.” It bangs shut.
He’s gone. Aqen’s gone. Lena’s gone. My parents and grandparents are gone. Everyone is gone, but I’m still here, swallowing blood and trying to find my way in the dark.
Chapter 6
Nik
Idon’t have time to dwell on how badly I’ve failed this time. I only have time to get the backup power system running and then bark orders and move stones. That is what I do, activate the generators before working shoulder-to-shoulder with a team of apprentices in the narrow passages. The miners—those who aren’t too badly injured—erect supports to ensure the tunnels we clear don’t collapse again. It is hot work, even hotter because we’re in one of the lowest areas affected by the explosion.
Other teams work in other passages, and I hear shouts as they unearth a survivor. It gives me hope that more might still live under the rubble. My team redoubles its efforts, and find our first victim, a grizzled miner whose legs were crushed by the rockfall.
“Send my ghost to the goddess,” he pleads when we drag him out. “My mate is waiting for me in the light.”
“Take him to the pits,” I order two apprentices. The healers have set up an emergency infirmary in one of the practice rings. They will do what they can for him, but judging by his mangled feet, he won’t walk again. He will have a hard life without a mate to help him, but he’s fortunate to be alive.
The next two victims we unearth aren’t so lucky. But then we find a trio of miners alive and mostly unharmed, only minorbruises and scrapes, and they join our efforts, so we can clear the passages even more quickly.
Our team works for several hours, and when a second team takes over so ours can rest, I take a break to the comm room for a status report. I learn from the comm scholar, Gemeri, that a total of seventeen miners and six apprentices are confirmed dead, and many more are missing.
“The miners’ quarters are still buried,” he says. “They need somewhere to sleep.”
“The pits.”
He shakes his head. “The pits are packed with the injured.”
“Have them sleep in shifts in the warriors’ quarters, then. And order as many medical transports as Olethia can spare.”
Gemeri nods, fingers flying as he sends comms. “You should rest, Jara.”
I grunt in acknowledgement, knowing he’s right. My body is near exhaustion, but I will not be able to sleep until all the missing people are found. But first, I have to visit Delphie and make sure she’s all right.
If she’s not, it’s my fault. I could blame the seismic activity for causing cracks in the mountain’s stones. I could blame the dehumidifier for not venting properly, so the condensation built up and dripped through the cracks to trigger the epylium ore. I could blame Aqen, who left her alone.
But I can only blame myself. Not for neglecting the aging moisture system or assigning an irresponsible guard, although that is my fault, too, but for injuring her directly.Idid that with my carelessness when I barged into her quarters.
I owe her an apology and a quick transport back to Olethia. This whole incident proves that I was right—she should stay far away from me and my planet. It’s dangerous for her here. I was just too weak to resist her draw.
