These mines were a maze of tunnels. There was more than one way out of this one. I just knew it.
I placed my hands on the tunnel wall to guide me forward. I kept telling myself the way out was only ten more paces away. If I went back now, I’d miss the exit straight ahead. But again and again, the ten paces came, and no exit appeared.
My head started to clear the longer I walked. The air chilled, and the effect of the noxite seemed to wear off. I must’ve been traveling deeper into the earth, but my magic wasn’t back at full-force for me to feel how deep underground I was.
I swallowed down any panic I felt and focused only on the thought of getting out of here— back to Oberi, and back to Ava. It kept me moving forward.
I felt like I’d been walking for an hour before my magic came back to me. I could feel the air around me with more precision, though all I sensed was the tunnel ahead— no side tunnels that might lead me back to the main entrance.
“Maybe I’ll find an exit far away from the Institute,” I said to myself, mostly to help keep myself sane. “Maybe it’ll be our way to escape.”
“Hello?” a male voice called from further down the tunnel. Someone had found a way around! They’d come to rescue me!
My heart skipped a beat. “Hello? Yes! It’s me, Charlie! Who’s there?”
Footsteps approached and slowed beside me. The air in front of me warmed my arm, as if the person was carrying a lantern lit by a flame.
“Charlie?” the person asked. I couldn’t place their voice, but there were tons of students who worked in the mines. I didn’t know them all personally. He sounded young— around my age— so I knew it wasn’t a professor.
“How close are we to the surface?” I asked. “I feel like I’ve been walking forever.”
“You’re a long way from the main entrance,” the stranger replied. He had a bit of an accent I couldn’t place.
“That’s what happens when a cave-in traps you down here,” I chuckled, but nausea swirled in my gut. I was just relieved to hear another voice. “How’d you get this far down? There must be a connecting tunnel nearby.”
“A connecting tunnel to the surface?” he said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.
“That’s where everyone’s waiting for us, isn’t it?” I asked.
He cleared his throat. “Absolutely. Let’s get you back up there.”
“Do we know each other?” I asked, since I was curious. “Sorry, I’m not always great with voices.”
“Oh, we haven’t met,” he said kindly. “Call me Eddie.”
I chuckled nervously. “I know a guy named Eddie— Edwin, actually. Kicked his ass in these mines a few months back, actually.”
Eddie laughed. “Well, I can assure you, it wasn’t me. Would you like me to guide you?”
It was awfully nice of him to ask. Being blind, people often assumed I wanted them to hold my hand, but I just wanted to be asked first.
“Yes, thank you.” I reached out, and he took my arm to help me through the tunnels.
“What do you know about these mines, Charlie?” Eddie asked. I figured it was just to make small talk.
“I know they’re filled with noxite. That’s about it. Hence, why I got lost. You know much about them?”
Eddie chuckled under his breath. “A bit.”
“You’ve been down here a long time, huh?” I asked. He didn’t sound frightened at all, as if he’d grown comfortable with the cave system. He must’ve been a senior at the Institute, which was why we’d never met.
“Yeah, just a while,” Eddie said.
It wasn’t long before Eddie turned down another tunnel. I wasn’t sure I’d have found it by myself, to be honest. The entrance was pretty small, but we both fit.
Eddie and I made small talk, so the walk didn’t seem as long. He mostly asked me about which classes I was taking at the Institute. I told him that I’d been sentenced because my girlfriend stole a boat. He thought that was ironic and a little hilarious.
“Almost there, Charlie,” Eddie said. “See? I told you it wouldn’t take long.”
