The air was stifling. With each swing, he struggled to regain his composure. The wall bore the brunt of his repeated blows, yet dizziness clouded his senses with every strike. It felt as though the entire mountain was pressing down on his lungs. Whether he was hitting a gem, he couldn’t be certain.
“It sounds different when you hit them. More of a ‘ding’ than a ‘clank’,” Montgomery informed him.
That didn’t help at all.
If not for the journey’s exhaustion, he might use the mine’s cover to plot an escape with the others. But focus eluded him. A hazy thought flitted through his mind. My body has to get used to this. I need to get stronger. I need food. More gems mean priority at dinner. The others start before I even arrive back here. This whole back of the cave thing really slows me down.
“That’s it!” Montgomery exclaimed.
“What?” he asked.
“That’s a ‘ding’!”
“Really?”
He prodded around the area he’d been striking. Indeed, there was a spot smoother than the rest. With a few more targeted swings, as precise as they could be, he wedged the pick’s end between the smooth surface and the wall. After much effort, he dislodged the gem, which fell to the ground with a ‘ding’.
“Yes! That’s one down!”
A long, piercing whistle echoed through the cave. Turning, he saw light at the incline leading to the cave’s entrance. Someone awaited them above.
“Well, Recruit, it seems you’re wolf dinner now.” Montgomery chuckled.
Fuck, we’re leaving already?
Montgomery began packing the gems into his bags. He counted five for PP and five for himself. PP gathered their stuff and headed towards the light. The man at the top whistled again. Shit!
“Oh, what’s this? You sly dog.” Montgomery remarked. “It’s your lucky day, Recruit. Seems you’ve made a friend.”
Montgomery pressed something cold and smooth into his hand. A gem! Then another. And another. In the end he had five in total. I can’t believe it!
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“Move, Montgomery,” PP urged.
“Thank you! Thank you so much,” he shouted.
The big man remained impassive and climbed the incline. His eyes welled up. Who would have thought such kindness lay beneath that hulking exterior?
He placed the gems into his sack and followed Montgomery out of the mine shaft, limping due to his injured foot. The waiting miner lit their torches, leading them from the cave. The others had already departed. As they ascended, breathing grew easier. Sunlight peeked through the exit. Upon emerging, the sun was setting, painting the sky a rich purple. The other slaves were already lined up in two rows, with Becket at the front on his horse. Reacher awaited at the opposite end, hand outstretched. The three men before him handed over their bags, and he tallied the contents. Meanwhile, they dropped their pickaxes in front of him. The Mace nodded, offering each a sip of water before they joined the others. PP received his four sacks to carry. He opened his sack for the gems, but–
The sack is empty.
“What? Nothing?” Reacher taunted.
“That can’t be. I had five in here.”
I don’t understand. What’s going on here?
The Mace walked over to him. Oh no!
“No, I swear I had five. I got-” he clamped his mouth shut.
I can’t involve the others. What happened? Where are they?
image [https://i.imgur.com/P6tt2Ki.jpg]
“Five. I see,” Reacher said, peering into the empty sack. “What’s with the blood?”
He hesitantly lifted his foot to reveal the cut. Reacher motioned for him to raise it higher. As he complied, Reacher extended a finger. What is he-?
Pain shot through his body as the Mace jabbed his finger into the wound. He cried out, collapsing onto his back. In an instant, the pain vanished. Inspecting his foot, the cut was now a scar. He looked up at Reacher, who was wiping blood from his gauntlet. He healed it?
“Grab the pickaxes and move!” Reacher commanded Montgomery, who complied, albeit with an irritated glance his way.
What? That’s it? What about the gems?
The men began marching once Reacher mounted his horse. What’s his plan?
The trek back to the forest was uneventful, which concerned him even more. The Mace droned on from his horse, as if poised to strike at any moment. Reacher’s gaze felt ever-present on his back. They travelled a good distance before he realised he had an inexplicable amount of energy, given the day’s events. It must be the spell from earlier. Damn it! What’s his goal?
Tension mounted throughout the walk as he struggled to decipher the Mace. Further confounding his thoughts, the wolves’ carcasses from that morning were conspicuously absent from the road. PP and Montgomery seemed unbothered by their disappearance. He sensed Montgomery’s frustration at having to labour with the pickaxes, but when he offered assistance, Reacher shut it down. There is something very wrong going on.
They journeyed the rest of the way under a heavy shroud of tension. An odd wish crossed his mind: he longed for another wolf attack, as it was a danger he could predict. The sun was dipping lower, and soon enough the manor’s palisades came into view in the distance.