“Where did all the children come from? Hadia couldn’t have collected that many by herself.”
Suha shook her head. “I gathered this is the last stop before leaving the country. We have kids from all over Sharamil. A couple are even from the northern border.”
“Tell us more about the tunnels.”
“I get the impression that moving young slave candidates is too hard using the regular mountain pass. They tend to cry and draw attention.” Her unimpressed expression said it all. “The dwarves take them and other contraband through the tunnel system that follows the pass, as far as I understand.”
“Do you know who is heading the operation?” As’ad felt certain that he had interpreted the stylized P correctly but wanted confirmation.
Suha raised her hands helplessly. “One time, one of the guards said something that sounded like Pozik? But I can’t be sure.”
As’ad grunted. It didn’t matter too much; they needed to get everyone out regardless. Regrettably, that particular dwarf was known to hold grudges.
“Are there guards in the tunnels? Or anywhere else?” Rahma asked while As’ad was distracted.
“Yes, actually. At least three.” Suha looked over her shoulder. No figures walked past the windows on this side. “There is a door not far from this side door on the bottom level that leads straight into the tunnels. I know because I overheard the guards and saw some of their latest shipment coming in.”
“Do you know what it was?” As’ad asked, not really concerned with the answer. His thoughts were working in a different direction.
“They called it ‘spark pepper’? I only heard one guard say it before the other told him to shut up.”
That caught As’ad’s attention. “I don’t suppose the shipment is still in the tunnels, is it?” he asked with a desperate enthusiasm.
“Yes, it is.” Suha gave him an odd look. “They moved it away from the door but said they needed to wait for the tunnel wagons to return from Bavenpier. Why?”
A wide grin spread across As’ad’s face. “Because they just solved all our problems.”
Both girls protested his cryptic statement, and he quickly explained. “Spark pepper” was the black market term for black powder. Highly explosive and easy to light, it could, if there were enough barrels in the tunnels, be used to destroy this end, rendering the route useless. A slave trade extensive enough to collect people from all over the country was too much for three people to take down. They could, however, interrupt regular operations for a long, long time.
Suha had to head back then. She told them she would leave the side door unlatched so they could investigate the tunnel. Precise plans would have to wait until certain details were verified. They made arrangements to meet up with her in the early morning before dawn.
Before following her, Rahma and As’ad discussed their next steps. As’ad thought that the current illusion that moved with them and looked like a generic bit of rock wall was probably sufficient for sneaking into the tunnel, since all the local rocks were composed of the same material. Rather than risk playing a new tuneafterentering the tunnel, they would simply keep the enchantment up for the brief time they were in the house. Anyone coming down the stairs would find it odd to encounter a part of the mountain indoors, so they would need to move as quickly as possible.
As promised, the side door opened without trouble. The route to the tunnel door was obvious in the light of the lantern left on a hook. Two broad tracks had been worn in the dust that coated the bottom level. One led from the outside door to a staircase close by, while the other headed into the darkness behind the stairs. Following it was a breeze. A breeze that made the hair at the back of As’ad’s neck stand on end.
Suha had said she thought there were at least three dwarves camped out in the tunnels. But how close to the entrance were they? The pair slipped through the tunnel door as silently as they could. A few creaks from upstairs indicated the presence of people, but no one moved toward the stairs. Finally, As’ad closed the door and released a silent sigh of relief. Rahma slipped her hand into his and tugged him along.
The tunnel they found themselves in had been chiseled out of the mountain. As’ad idly wondered if the entire thing had been manufactured here because its location was convenient, or if the original builders had taken advantage of a naturally occurring fissure. No lights shone ahead until they rounded a bend. Then they could see a flickering light quite a ways down. Rahma squeezed his hand, and they slowed their steps as they approached the campsite set in the middle of the tunnel.
At first, it seemed like the conversation was too quiet. They were nearly within reach before As’ad realized the three dwarves by the fire weren’t speaking anything more than grunts and mumbles. Two of them sat around an overturned crate and played some sort of card game. The third looked bored to tears. His gaze bounced around the tunnel, and he couldn’t stop fidgeting.
It was hard to gauge ages for non-human creatures, but As’ad thought the bored dwarf was significantly younger than the other two. Not a hint of white touched his beard, whereas one of his companions was more salt than pepper and the other had distinguished patches of gray at his temples. As they watched, the youngest hopped to his feet and grabbed a nearby torch. He lit it in the fire, then headed farther into the tunnel, away from the humans hiding behind an illusion.
His torch had time to light up the very edge of a stack of barrels before the white-haired dwarf yelled.
“Get away from there, ya daft looney! One spark and you’ll blow us all to smithereens.”
The incautious dwarf grunted but turned around and called back in a higher voice than his gruff elder. “I was just curious.”
The name-caller had already dismissed him and returned to the game. “Then use a fae light. And quit pouting.”
The young dwarf returned the torch and did something As’ad couldn’t see that produced a ball of light without flames. His walk back was openly defiant, but the other two ignored him. He didn’t do much aside from walk around the barrels, but it was enough for As’ad to count eight visible containers, with more behind. Plenty to collapse this portion of the tunnel and prevent use for a lengthy period of time. Depending on the nature of this section of the mountain, enough damage might make it impossible to rebuild.
As’ad gently pulled Rahma away from their observation post. He had seen what he needed to. She followed without quibbling, so he assumed she was also satisfied with their reconnaissance. As they walked back, he paid careful attention to the distance and the shape of the tunnel walls. They paused for a moment to ensure no one saw them leave via the tunnel or side doors, then worked their way back to the cart.
Only Fat Carl had stayed in his cage, sufficiently happy with the treats Rahma had left him. The others were exploring somewhere. As’ad didn’t spare extra thoughts for them. Routine told him they would be back by morning. He didn’t take down their rock disguise and knew that the enchantment would last until dawn. Normally, such a lengthy illusion would have drained him, but since the fake wall didn’t have as many moving parts as a river of rats, he still felt decently fresh. Or as fresh as one could be after walking for half the day and spying for the other half.
“The way I see it, we need to lure the guards out of the tunnel so we can set off the powder.” He scratched the scruff on his cheek. “Preferably without blowing ourselves up.”
