Protector of the Sleepless City by Michael Anderle

Author:Michael Anderle
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2024-12-13T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“The iron,” Bodil whispered. “It’s here.”

Val’s stepmother moved forward, raising her headlamp, and the beam sliced through the dark to stop at the tunnel’s end. The bluecaps rose above the dead end and illuminated the wall. Val froze in her tracks.

Like the rest of the tunnel, this wall was also fool’s gold, reflecting the light like the real thing. However, a slash of scarlet ran across it like a knife wound or a blood spatter. The red substance glowed in Val’s and Shadow’s presence.

“What is that?” Eldrim whispered.

Bodil approached it and extended her hand, barely tall enough to reach the red substance. She scratched its surface with a fingernail and, raising her hand to her face, she inspected it in her headlamp’s light. “Iron oxide.”

“What?” Eldrim hissed. “Is that⁠—”

“Yes.” Frode laughed, the sound melodic and unexpected as it echoed around the tunnel. “Rust.”

Val shoved her amulet into her pocket and scrambled to the wall. She placed her hands on the surface, heart hammering, and the iron atoms trembled in her presence. “I didn’t know iron like this existed in nature.” She laughed in delight. “It has no impurities. This isn’t iron ore. It’s pure iron.”

“Incredible.” Frode gaped. “It’s magnificent.”

“Now to get it out,” Bodil murmured. “I brought pickaxes.”

“You brought what?” Val blinked.

“Oh, yes. Another excellent piece of ancient technology.” Eldrim grinned.

Bodil extracted what looked like a matchbox from her pocket and set it on the floor. She touched a rune on its side, and it expanded into a wooden chest.

Val gasped. “Is that shrink?”

“It is, but it’s combined with Sylthana Elvish runes for contain and influence. Means we can shrink the chest and its contents at the same time.” Bodil opened it. “Pickaxes for everyone.”

She handed them out, and dismay formed a cold puddle in Val’s stomach. The pickaxes had sturdy, beautifully crafted heads, the sort she’d made a thousand times as Frode’s apprentice before Julie summoned her to the Eternity Throne’s service, yet the oak shafts were less than two feet long. They would look pitiful in Val’s hands. She had experienced that many times.

“Oh, Val.” Bodil froze. “Merlin’s beard, I’m sorry. I didn’t think⁠—”

“Bodil.” Disappointment laced Frode’s tone.

“It’s okay,” Val interrupted. “It’s fine. Don’t worry.” She forced a laugh. “It’s not like I’d know what to do with one. I’ve never been down a mine as an adult.”

Shadow’s bark tore through the awkward silence. He whimpered, then barked again. Val spun, following her headlamp’s beam, and spotted his crimson glow. The big dog stood in a corner of the tunnel, sniffing a pile of broken rocks.

“What’ve you got there, boy?” Val approached him.

Shadow scratched a few bits of rubble aside with a massive paw, revealing something that gleamed like iron.

“What is that?” Eldrim asked.

Shadow pawed gravel away. Val bent and closed her hands around something heavy made of iron that sent magic thrilling through her blood. She pulled, and the object came free of the rubble so she could lift it into the light.

Frode gasped. “Oh!”

“It’s a pickaxe,” Val murmured.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.