Shadows & Starstone by Cheryl S. Mackey

Author:Cheryl S. Mackey [Mackey, Cheryl S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-12-30T23:00:00+00:00

***

Jaeger followed on their heels, his gaze wary and watchful in the dim light. Both hands gripped the shaft of the ax. For long, tense, moments the only sounds were their ragged breathing and the swift and sure steps of their boots echoing in the dark.

The timber bracing infrequently shoring up the crumbling stone walls of the narrow mineshaft appeared ancient. Jaeger ducked as the roof abruptly lowered, cursing softly. Ahead, tiny Emaranthe was the only one who could walk unbent. He hoped it widened out soon. No one could fight in such cramped quarters. The flame lamp cast a puddle of gold about their feet and the fast-moving shadows of their legs and arms marched beside them along the walls and ceiling.

The shaft dove steeply down for many yards before angling up again and veering sharply to the left. Every so often another shaft would drift off to the side and they would hesitate in caution before resuming their steady run. At one such offshoot, Emaranthe halted with a gasp.

“Wait!”

Jaeger froze, his attention pinned on her. Ahead, Ivo turned to face them, his eyes glinting within the heavily shadowed eye holes in his helm.

“What is it?” Jaeger asked when she continued to stare down a side tunnel in silence.

She spoke carefully, as if fearing to disturb something, “There’s something here.”

Hair raised on the back of Jaeger’s neck as he peered into the darkness. What had captivated her?

Finally, Emaranthe lifted her arm higher, dragging the golden glow and their shadows along the stone walls. The side shaft was empty and silent, but still she stared into the blackness beyond, head tipped as if to listen.

Ivo joined her, nearly bent double by the low ceiling, and frowned suspiciously into the dark with her. “What do you see?”

“It’s not what I see, but…feel. This.” Emaranthe stepped into the side shaft and lifted her arm high above her head, as close to the stone ceiling as possible for her diminutive frame. The flame in her hand flickered and twisted on an unfelt draft and an iridescent red glow bloomed within the rock above the flame. “This is what they’re looking for, Ivo.”

The red glow brightened and spread, spiraling and streaking along the ceiling and down the walls. The veins of red continued to multiply until they raced down the ever branching tunnels, lighting them up as they went. Before long, they could see down a long stretch of tunnel and a half a dozen more that veered off on all sides.

“Wow, that’s something I’ve never seen before,” Jadeth gasped. They watched the mesmerizing dance of red trail down the mine shaft until it vanished into its depths elsewhere. Bathed in the iridescent light, they traded amazed—and simultaneously worried— looks.

“Raw Starstone,” Jaeger muttered. He inhaled deeply and shifted his ax to his other hand. He traced a glowing red vein with a gauntleted finger, not surprised to feel the warmth emanating through the armor. “I didn’t know it could be found so close to the surface.

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