“The mines in those hills?” Tane asked, pointing at a few gentle rises overlooking the sea. One of them was topped by what looked like a cluster of farmhouses.

Efflyn nodded under the hooded cloak they’d scrounged up for him. “They’re in those hills.”

They turned off the road towards the suburb, three hundred and twenty odd horseshoes clinking against the cobblestones.

Off in the distance, she saw a pair of air-destroyers, and then another pair of bombardiers, moving out to sea. They’d be looping back inland to support the raiders, hopefully discouraging any counterattack.

There were people out on the streets, watching them nervously. Commonwealth soldiers didn’t travel this far from the city unless they had business.

“Should have sent bloody tunnel fighters for this.” Gryff muttered as he rode alongside her, the company officers gathered at the front of the column.

Tane shrugged. “Veulnor said he’d send the Sappers out to support us soon enough. We’ve got horses and we were there.”

“If Traharn has spies, he might try and pre-empt us by blowing the mine today.” Sace said, the company colours flying over her shoulder.

She hadn’t thought about that, but it was a real possibility.

“Strange place to put a mine. I’d try and dig it under one of our positions. Less chance of getting lynched by the Carfani.” Morgan said.

Efflyn spoke up.

“Easier to smuggle in. We planned to say that the Commonwealth has irresponsibly stored gunpowder in the mines, and that it blew up in an accident.”

The sky was already turning orange, and the shadows were long. She suspected she’d be spending the night searching the tunnels, not travelling to finish off Traharn once and for all.

A disarm is better than a killing blow, because a dying man can still take you down with him. A weaponless man cannot.

Granted, a man who was both had still managed to beat her, but the principle was still good. She wouldn’t let that happen again.

*

Efflyn led them to the mine entrance quickly enough, a sad looking hole in the side of the hill. It was half overgrown, with bits of wooden minecart rails, mostly rotted away, visible on the ground. A pump house with smashed in windows sat next to the shaft, lonely.

“Dismount and put out pickets!” Tane barked. “Get lanterns ready, get into lances. Leave muskets and one pistol with the horses. Bydevere, stay with the dismounts. Gryff and Sace, take three lances each. I’ll take the last three. I want lookouts on the hilltop, keep an eye out for signal lanterns.”

She dismounted, her half-harness rattling, and tucked a torch through her sash next to her pistols, while a couple of Grenadiers helped Efflyn down from the saddle. His arms had been tied together, to stop him trying to run. This all being some scheme to escape or buy Traharn time was a possibility, and she had no intention of letting Efflyn carry it out.

“Mene, you’re with me. Morgan, on Gryff.”

She lifted a lantern and stepped down into the mineshaft.

“No torches or exposed candles. We accidentally set the gunpowder off, we’re all dead.” Gryff yelled behind them.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

She slowly pushed down the tunnel, ducking under support beams. Her backsword hilt caught on a root and she had to pause to pull it free.

And this is a proper mineshaft, not some sapper’s tunnel. She was glad she never had to engage in tunnel fighting. From what she’d heard, that was a true nightmare, fighting just as much against the earth and air as against the enemy.

We might have to, if Sace is right.

“I don’t trust these beams” she heard Blodwen mutter behind her.

They passed a side-shaft fifty yards down, and a lance of grenadiers peeled off. Soon there was another, and another, but the main shaft just kept on going, down into the dark.

“How far is the main charge?” Tane asked.

“I’m afraid I’ve quite forgotten.” Efflyn said.

“I thought Fey were like wyverns. They never forget. Besides, shouldn’t you know how to get around the sunken city?” Tane asked.

“Drudgefolk lies. I hate tunnels. Why do you think I left the sunken city?” Efflyn said.

“Well then, Traharn needs more attentive witches.” Mene said.

The tunnels forked out into two nearly four hundred yards from the entrance, and Tane took the left. Only her helmet saved her from being brained by a support beam, and she dropped down into a half crouch. The tunnel began to slope down. There was evidence of actual mining work having beem done here at some point, away from the main shaft.

“Wherever you have this powder, it’s well hidden.” Tane said.

Efflyn shrugged. “The tunnels go deep.”

“Didn’t you say that you knew it was under Hollistown because you could see the souls of the people up above through the aether?” Mene asked.

“Yes, and?”

“That means you helped place the charges. That means you’re either bloody incompetent, or you’re not telling us everything.” Tane said, lifting her lantern so the light shone in Efflyn’s black eyes. This close, his visage, not human but not animal either, triggered every primal instinct to run or fight. Her muscles reflexively tensed and she felt her hand creeping towards her sword hilt, unconsciously.

He raised his arms to cover his face from the glare.

“So here’s a deal. If we find the explosives before the expedition returns about midday tomorrow, I’ll do my best to have you set free. If by some act of fate, the charge goes off, I’m going to make your life very short and very unpleasant. So are you lying about them being in the tunnels?”

“No!”

“Then why do you have no idea about where they are?”

“Being hit by a demon tends to make your memory all woolly…”

“Bullshit.” Mene said.

“Fey souls are more, ah, delicate than human ones. Don’t react the same. Now, they’re down there somewhere, I swear!”

“They’d better be.” Tane said.

By the time it was midnight, it was obvious enough that they were not, in fact, down there somewhere. Every tunnel had been scoured, every branch of a branch marked with white chalk. There wasn’t even any sign of recent activity in the tunnels.

“Isis fucking Mary. Isis fucking Mary!” Tane yelled, almost looking for something to kick. The bastard had taken them on a wild goose chase.