The strange noise grew louder, like some colossal worm gnawing through the rocks. Then, she saw it—impossibly, the mountain of debris that had blocked the way began to twist and shift, and suddenly, a cylindrical gap about two feet wide was pulled free, as if by invisible hands. Briefly, light spilled through the narrow tunnel before more rocks tumbled down, blocking the view again.
Miriam blinked in disbelief, even pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She had never witnessed magic of this magnitude, especially not for something like this—saving them.
When that strange woman emerged from the water, many thought she was just a mirage. Some believed she was a vengeful deep-water nymph or perhaps an earth spirit, disturbed by the mining. There were whispers that the mine had been dug too deep, stirring ancient devils from their slumber. But then the woman spoke of freeing them. Freeing them? As if that were even possible! Was this just another devilish trick, feeding them hope only to crush it later? They knew it would take weeks to dig a tunnel deep enough to reach them, and most doubted anyone would even try. How had she come through? The way was completely blocked by an avalanche of pebbles, debris, and rubble. Could she really pass through stone and walls? But then again, wasn’t she a spirit?
Another section of the debris crumbled away, and then fire scorched the walls of the opening. As the walls sizzled under a sudden spray of water, Jeremy leapt into the gap, only to cry out in pain as he scrambled across the hot stones.
“You idiot!” someone scolded him. “Wait until we're done!”
A wave of icy rain followed, sending more steam rising from the walls.
“You can come through now,” a voice called.
They exchanged uncertain glances. Light was spilling in from the other side, but thick vapors made it hard to see what lay beyond. Massive shadows loomed, and fear took hold of them. Yet there was no turning back—too many people were pressing forward toward the tunnel.
Miriam took a deep breath, as if bracing to dive underwater, and crawled into the newly formed tunnel. It was tight, forcing her to move on all fours, but after about five or six meters, it opened up into a much larger passage. Light flooded this tunnel—so much light, both wondrous and eerie. The walls were made of what seemed like obsidian mixed with glass, glistening as they reflected the glow. And right in front of her stood three orcs, the horned woman, and... an elf? Had so few people done all this tunneling?
Now that she could see further, there were more orcs in the wider part of the tunnel, hauling massive platforms piled with rocks. Another mage was controlling something that looked like a snake—a water snake! Miriam blinked. No, it was just water being guided from one basin to another.
“Anyone who needs healing, come to me!” the elf called.
Free healing? Miriam stepped closer, eyeing the elf. She didn’t have serious injuries, just some scrapes and bruises, but she figured it couldn’t hurt to get treated. The elf barely touched her, yet she felt instantly refreshed.
“Next!” the elf called as a small line began to form in front of her.
*
Prince Kotusawendu had been eager to meet Lady Lores, only to be met with disappointment upon discovering she wasn’t at the castle. Rather than wait around, he decided to make his way to the mine, where the baroness was reportedly handling matters.
Sir Gamesh let out an irritated snort, clearly displeased that his much-anticipated rest after days of travel was being denied.
"Your Highness sent a messenger hours ago to announce your arrival. The fact that she isn't here to greet you at the castle shows nothing but indolence and incompetence."
"Perhaps it's just her servants who are incompetent!" Lady Quersaw suggested, though Sir Gamesh wasn’t inclined to accept any excuses.
"If the servants are incompetent, it reflects poorly on their master."
"What could she be doing at the mine?" the prince mused aloud.
"I heard there was a major accident at the mine," Lady Demeter, the second high-paladin in the prince’s guard, chimed in.
The prince raised a brow. "What business does the lady of the domain have with that? Doesn't she have servants to handle such things for her?"
Sir Gamesh shrugged dismissively.
"It just proves their incompetence," he grumbled.
As their carriage crested a hill, they encountered yet another orc patrol. Since entering the domain, two orcs had been assigned to their convoy, and the further they progressed, the more orcs had joined. Now, six of them escorted the group. The convoy halted as the orcs exchanged a few words with the patrol.
If these had been humans, Sir Gamesh might have praised their organization. But since they were orcs, he eyed them with suspicion.
“And where is your lady?” Lady Quersaw asked one of the orcs, her tone mocking.
The female orc smiled, revealing her canines—smaller than the protruding ones typical of the males.
"I believe I can see her from here," she said, surprising them.
"Where?" the prince asked eagerly, leaning out of the carriage window, much to Sir Gamesh's dismay.
"If you look over there," the orc continued, pointing, "to the left of the village is the mine. Do you see that wooden structure? Just to the left of it is where water's shooting up into the air, and that crowd of people under it? In that green mass, there's an orange dot. That's Lady Lores."
"What kind of ritual is that?" Sir Gamesh asked, baffled.
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"Some pagan orc ritual, no doubt," Lady Quersaw scoffed, while the female orc sighed, shrugging. Had they never seen a company taking a shower?
“What kind of depravity is this woman involved in?” Sir Gamesh exclaimed, scandalized.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Lady Quersaw replied with a smirk. “If you heard the stories the servants tell about her and that elf servant of hers...”
“What stories?” Prince Kotusawendu asked, curiosity piqued.
“Your Highness, I fear your esteemed parents would never forgive me if I dared share such tales!” Lady Quersaw protested, though clearly enjoying her own tease, as their convoy resumed its movement toward the mine.
*
We did it! Out of the 314 people trapped underground since the shaft collapse, 243 had already been accounted for. There were still more to be carried out, so we didn’t know exactly how many would make it in the end, but it was already a huge relief for the village. I had witnessed so many emotional reunions—mothers, wives, husbands, and children embracing their loved ones—that my heart was in complete turmoil. A happy turmoil, though the faces of those still missing weighed heavily on us all.
As we emerged from the mine, a group of orcs asked the water mage to spray a bit of water over them to wash off the grime. She obliged, and within minutes, it had turned into a joyful outburst—yelling, laughing, and dancing in the makeshift rain. It was so freeing after days spent in those dark, suffocating tunnels that I couldn't resist joining them. I danced and shouted under the cold water, letting it wash away everything, bathed in the light of the two suns.
As I jumped and shouted in the rain, I waved at Alice and the boys. They were talking and laughing, watching us with amused expressions, and I felt a wave of happiness seeing my team there. But then it hit me—something was off. Where were Sid and Lynx?
The more I thought about them, especially Sid, the more uneasy I became. He had seemed down earlier, and I suddenly recalled how he'd called me "Lores" before. Why hadn’t he called me "Mother"? I had asked him to call me Lores, but somehow... something didn’t feel right.
Concern gnawed at me. Without a second thought, I shifted into shadow form and slipped away from the celebration. Sid had been sad, not quite himself when we last spoke. Something must have happened.
I darted in the direction I’d last seen him coming from when I asked him for help. Stopping on the crest of a hill, I looked around. He could be anywhere. I transformed back into human form, as my shadow sight had its limitations. I debated going back to ask Alice about him, but then, by sheer luck, I caught a glimpse of movement on a small island in the lake where the river emptied. My instincts flared—it had to be him.
As I weaved my way through the forest, dodging between trees, my thoughts zeroed in on Sid. The more I focused on him, the stronger I felt his distress. He was telepathic, and either didn’t know how to control it or couldn’t hide his emotions. His sadness and frustration pressed on me with every step. How hadn’t I noticed this earlier?
It took me about five minutes to reach the island, and as I approached, my mind raced. What was I going to say? How was I going to fix this? I had no idea. Sid sat curled up in his familiar pretzel form, with Lynx a few meters away, watching over him.
I materialized a short distance from them, about twenty meters away, and waved.
“Hey, guys. Mind if I join you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Sid glanced up, his eyes distant. “Do you need more help, Lores?” he asked, his tone flat. Lynx raised a brow in quiet curiosity.
Certainty crashed down on me like a wave. Damn it! I must have done something during my 'special' Kargath quarter that hurt Sid’s feelings.
“I... I want to apologize,” I said as I approached them, my voice shaky.
“Apologize? For what?” Lynx asked, his brow furrowed.
“I’m not sure... probably for being an ass? I don’t know exactly what I did, but Sid... you know how some mushrooms, when eaten, can cloud your mind and make you say or do really stupid things?”
Sid turned to look slantwise at me, though there was a flicker of something in his eyes. “I know, Lores. There’s no need to give me a lesson on mushrooms. Or are you trying to say it wasn’t your fault, but the mushrooms’?”
I sighed. It was difficult to tell it, but I managed with some efforts.
“Well... the truth is, it is my fault, however I look at it, but I don’t remember. I... I did take something like those mushrooms recently. My mind was completely fogged up, and... I must have done or said awful things. Many awful things. It wasn’t really me, but still, I know I did it. Can you forgive me? Please?”
“Forgive you? What for?” Lynx cut in with an unusual sharp tone. “You told him to leave! You said he was an idiot who couldn’t learn to stop eating peasants’ cows, that he needed to grow up and let you live your life! And when I stood up for him, you called me a stupid beast.”
“Oh, gods,” I gasped. “Did I really say that?”
“You looked pretty convincing when you said it,” Lynx replied dryly.
“Oh, no. Oh, no! Please, guys, I swear—it wasn’t me! I mean... it was me, but not really. How could I ever say something like that?”
Sid, still quiet, finally spoke. “Was it really the mushrooms?”
The weight of the day, the chaos of emotions, everything that had happened overwhelmed me. Tears welled up, and I collapsed to my knees, sobbing. “Please... forgive me!”
“You’re not going to win us over with some tears,” Lynx said gruffly, turning his head away. But then he sighed, and after a long pause, both he and Sid moved closer.
“I... I love you guys,” I whispered through the tears.
“Now, now, don’t exaggerate,” Lynx muttered, though he pressed himself against my right side. Sid rested his head gently on my left.
“I thought I lost you,” Sid whispered, his eyes closed as I rested my hand on his brow, pulling Lynx closer with my other arm.
“You scared me!” Sid said between sniffs. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!”
Was he crying?
“Never,” I promised softly.
My heart was still racing, pounding dangerously fast. I closed my eyes, letting the relief and warmth wash over me. It felt so good to have them both near. Through the telepathic link with Sid, I could feel his happiness, flooding me with emotion. How could I have ever pushed him away? How could I have said those awful things? I almost ruined it, didn’t I?
I hugged them tighter, wishing we could stay like that forever.