The Crystal Mines

11 Nik

Trife was taking too long. We only had today to accomplish our plan. The chances of the same circumstances presenting itself again would be near impossible. Viorica was nowhere to be seen, having to take care of a mysterious mess in her husband's chambers. She was surely punishing some poor bastard by now. Trife had gone to take my crystal to Faolan and his acquaintance. Callion and I had filled up from his crystal before leaving the room of solitary confinement. They had sent ten guards to retrieve us after the red-head, Reed, noticed that we were standing on two feet, ready to take on anything they threw at us. We had Trife stash the extra crystals under the cot in our maximum-security cell before we fell asleep the night before.

Indulging on Callion's magic that morning was like giving a beggar water after months of thirst. His magic felt velvety and thick and when it hit my pool of Aether, it felt like my stomach had dropped to my pelvis. It reminded me of the swings we had in our undergrads during outdoor play time. When we came back down from the peak of the swing, our stomachs would plummet. Callion had to shake me before I accidently took all of the magic for myself. I was drawn to it the way I had been to Ameer's and couldn't find a way to stop. I had apologized to the stone-faced man, and he had just snatched the crystal from me before drained it the rest of the way for himself. Now, we awaited Trife's signal that he had succeeded in his task.

We hacked away at the white Sucuri stone below the vein Callion had cracked a week ago. We had to hurry. Even with the crack, we should get the desired result, earning two large pieces of the quartz. The black-haired guard usually station with us, had been replaced by Reed. I didn't dare a glance at him as we hurried through the stone. Chunks of it littered the ground at our feet, after only two hours of mining. The vein now resembled a shelf of crystal. Where the Hells was Trife?

Be patient. I can feel your anxiety from here.

I almost dropped my pickaxe at Callion's voice in my mind and I heard a warm chuckle ripple through me.

If you could talk to me mind to mind all this time why the feck haven't you?

I slammed my axe into the stone in anger.

I would have if you had also been so generously forthcoming from the beginning. Ameer told me that you could and seeing as we have many hours of work a head of us, it seemed a useful thing to utilize at the moment.

I growled aloud at the pompousness dripping from his words. Prince indeed.

We can get this shelf down if we shift from the top and the bottom evenly. Why don't you take the bottom.

His voiced purred in a way I hadn't heard from him. Moving to step in front of him, I swung for the rock above the shelf. Reed behind us shifted, paying attention to my motions.

I much prefer the top. I retorted. Wordlessly, he shifted to work the rock on the bottom of the shelf, not touching me, despite the fact that I had stepped in front of his swinging arms. As we mined, we spoke of the past and the lives we came from.

Ameer said that you two have known each other your whole lives and that your father's know each other.

Yes. Was all he said. So, I pushed the conversation along.

What does his father do?

That is something you must ask him, Niktda.

Overly irritating royal and his principals. I would have rolled my eyes if it wouldn't have risked missing the rock.

Fine. How did you end up here? How long have you been here? And how the hells can we speak through the iron? I can't reach Faolan through both mine and his.