“Not rats.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t know.... It’s creepy down here. Are you certain you know where you’re going?” he asked Hogan.
Sergeant Hogan carried the lantern in one hand and a map in the other as he led us through the labyrinth of tunnels. “For the fourth time, yes. My squad has been mapping these shafts for days and this one is pretty straightforward.”
“Days? Gee, I feel much better now,” Odd grumbled.
Hogan ignored him. Smart. The quiet young sergeant was one of Ryne’s soldiers from Ivdel and he had a rather no-nonsense demeanor. Unlike Odd.
Puddles dotted the uneven floor of the mine. Our footsteps sounded too loud and a heavy mineral scent laced the damp air. Having spent many days and nights in caves, I wasn’t as bothered by the tight space or the tingly feeling of pressure on my shoulders. Just because thousands of pounds of dirt and rocks hung above our heads was no reason to be... Oh, who was I kidding? It was creepy. Odd had a point.
“This is payback, isn’t it?” Odd asked me.
“Payback for what?”
“For letting Cellina’s men ambush you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You were following orders.”
“Somehow I don’t feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
“Sounds like a personal problem.”
“Cute. What was I supposed to do? Warn you?”
“Did Ryne tell you not to?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Again, you were following orders.”
“Swell. And the reason I’m here...”
“Ryne wanted us to take along another person just in case we ran into trouble. And I chose you.” Which I was starting to regret big-time.
“Why?”
“’Cause of your sunny disposition.”
Hogan huffed in amusement. “Good one.”
“Avry—”
“It’s because I trust you. We’ve worked together, did the whole silent training together. You know, friendship-type stuff. Gee, think much?”
“Oh.” Odd remained silent the rest of the way.
After some time passed—it was hard to keep track without the sun—Hogan slowed. A faint blob of light flickered ahead.
When the blob sharpened into sunlight filtered through large leaves, Hogan stopped. “Lily vines are wrapped all around the opening. We’re safe here.”
“Good. Stay,” I ordered, striding past Hogan.
The sergeant gasped when I reached the edge of the vines.
“You get used to it,” Odd said.
I stepped between the vines, trying not to harm the Lily. Exiting the tunnel, I paused, breathing in the fresh air. The sun hung low—late afternoon. We had left in the morning, not that it mattered below the earth, but Ryne had wanted my ribs to heal and for me to get a good night’s sleep. As if that was possible. Dreams of Kerrick and Tohon had sabotaged my rest. At least my ribs no longer caused me pain. Just a dull ache that should disappear soon.
A handful of Lilys grew nearby. As soon as I approached, the scent of vanilla dominated. Peace Lilys. They didn’t even twitch when I rested a hand on their petals.
“It’s okay,” I called to the men. “They won’t hurt you.” I searched the area, seeking Death Lilys. None.
When I returned, Hogan sat cross-legged on the ground. He sketched on a piece of parchment stretched across his lap. Working fast, he drew the landscape with a piece of charcoal.
“What are you doing?” Odd asked.
“Drawing landmarks,” Hogan said.
Confused, Odd glanced at me.
“Do you know where we are?” I asked him.
“No.”
“Neither does Hogan or Ryne. That sketch will help them figure out where this tunnel leads to.”
Odd nodded.
“We did find a rudimentary map of the mines,” Hogan said. “But it was old and doesn’t show half the shafts we’ve discovered.”
If only Kerrick was here. He’d know our location the instant he touched the forest. While Hogan worked, I wandered among the greenery, trailing my fingers over the leaves and along the rough tree bark.
Most of the Pomyt, Casis, Vyg, Sogra, Lyady, and the northern half of Ozero Realms were wooded. On a color map of the Fifteen Realms they appeared like a green belt south of the Nine Mountains. No surprise that lumber and mining were the top two resources for them. Farming dominated the realms of Zainsk, Sectven, Tobory, Ryazan, Kazan, and the southern half of Ozero. Bavly Realm extended into the Southern Desert and they sold the high-quality sand used in making glass wares.
Of course, all the trade and sharing of resources died when two-thirds of our population died. Not enough workers to plow the fields, mine the sand, or cut trees. Not enough manpower to stop the marauders and outlaws from running amok. Not enough craftsmen to provide goods and services. It had been utter chaos. A dark time when the people executed healers because they blamed us for unleashing the killer among them.
I’d believed we had nothing to do with the disease, but I’d since learned the healers did indeed cause over six million deaths. They’d been experimenting with mixing Death Lily toxin with Olaine pollen as a way to heal those pricked by the lethal Lilys. Instead, it had triggered the plague.
Did all my colleagues and friends deserve to die? Or just those few who lost control of their experiment? Tough questions.
And now Ryne hoped to return us to peace and prosperity. Or rather a semi-peace. The leaders of the Fifteen Realms squabbled like siblings over things like mine rights and border issues. Minor compared to Tohon’s army of the dead.