Kaidon followed her line of sight. ‘You mean the boy who ran off?’
Aisha looked back at Tariq, eyes pleading. ‘You need to get them all out.’
His eyes moved between hers, confused. Then a look of understanding settled on his face. He drew her closer to him. ‘What did you see?’
Her entire body went cold when he asked that.
‘What did you see?’ His grip on her tightened, as though he meant to squeeze the answer from her.
Why was he asking her that?
‘Aisha.’ Her name came out of him like a plea.
Oh gods. He knows.
Tariq lowered his voice. ‘If you want to save them, then tell me what you saw.’
Her gaze swayed to Kaidon. He, too, was waiting for her reply. They both knew.
Gritting her teeth, she looked back at Tariq. ‘The mine’s going to collapse.’ She grounded her feet. ‘You need to get everyone out.’
Tariq’s eyes widened slightly. Then he nodded, as though deciding something. Releasing his grip on her, he looked over at Jibran. ‘Clear the mine! I need every single person out of there—now!’
Jibran raised his hands in an exasperated gesture. ‘I just sent them in there.’
Tariq waved Kaidon into action. ‘Get as many people out as you can.’
Kaidon took off at a run.
‘Have you lost your mind?’ Jibran asked, marching over to Tariq. ‘You were the one who wanted?—’
‘And now I’m telling you to get them out of there.’ Tariq looked over at the supervisors loitering nearby, eavesdropping. ‘Move! Clear that damn mine!’
The man looked at Jibran, who threw his hands up in defeat. ‘Go. Do it.’
Panic bloomed inside Aisha. It felt like nails were being dragged across her brain. The shouts of the foremen echoed against the rock, urgent and sharp, until finally, workers began to exit the mine. They looked around at one another, confusion on their faces.
‘I hope you realise how difficult it’s going to be to get them all back in there,’ Jibran said.
Tariq looked back at Aisha. ‘I’m going to help. Stay here.’
A low rumble reverberated through the ground, making the hairs on the back of Aisha’s neck stand up. The pair looked down at their feet, then up at each other.
‘Kaidon,’ Tariq breathed before taking off at a run towards the mine’s entrance.
Aisha followed him, weaving between the people now pouring out.
‘Kaidon!’ Tariq shouted, pushing through the gathering crowd.
There was a deafening roar before dust and debris exploded from the entrance. Tariq skidded to a stop, hands going into his hair as he watched the cloud of dust rise into the air. Aisha stopped beside him, blinking against the powder.
‘I can’t see him,’ Tariq said, searching.
Movement caught Aisha’s eye. A shadow emerged from the dust, solidifying into a figure. It was Kaidon. ‘There.’ She pointed.
Tariq folded in relief, leaning on his knees for a moment.
‘There are still a few inside,’ Kaidon said when he reached them, coughing into his hand.
