Darkness Within

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

The cold bit at Rovan’s fingers like a dog’s teeth mauling his tendons until he could work no more. Even then, under the watchful gaze of Rych and his cronies, he still picked up the pickaxe and worked at the stone, without the smallest of complaints slipping from his mouth.

Mining was hard work, but not impossibly so. Many of his companions had lived out years in the mines, searching for gold and iron and other metals. Not that Rovan wanted to end up like them. The repetitiveness of the work was what really killed the slaves off. No matter how hard you tried, sooner or later you ended up mindless, numb. Work would be all you lived for, even in your sleep, and you would be fit for nothing else, even if freed.

Rovan wanted freedom. He thirsted for it, much like every other slave, but unlike most, he was still thirsting after two long years of toil in the darkness. He had rarely had the chance to see more than a sliver of dawn in that time, with work starting early and ending late – but what he did see was more than enough to spur him on.

Beside him, the others toiled away to, in a long line that circled the cavern they were working in. The air was heavy, and allowances were made – water was the one commodity they were given in abundance. Rovan would have thanked even Rych for this favour, but he knew it was no favour. The man was charged with making them work as hard as he could, and that is what he did. He spared the man a scathing glance before lifting his axe again.

Clink. It was the unmistakeable sound of metal against metal, and Rovan smiled. As much as he hated this work, it was always a joy to find gold. Perhaps it was down to some hidden childish side of his, or perhaps it was the double rations he got given whenever he did find some precious ore, he would never know. Nor was he particularly inclined to find out.

“Found something, ‘Van?” The whisper came from his right.

It was Sem, one of the youngest workers in the mines. Even in the dim torchlight the boy’s hair shone red like fire, though it was dulled somewhat by the thin layer of rock dust that coated it. Rovan glanced towards the entrance, but the guards had started playing dice, with only Rych watching over. He cursed the man under his breath. There was such a thing as doing your work too well, after all.

“Yeah,” he whispered back, lifting his axe again. “You wan’ it?”

Sem turned his head down, and Rovan could tell how conflicted he was. Who wouldn’t be? Finding a new vein of metal meant various privileges, which could make a hell of a lot of difference for a slave. Decent food was only one of them: the others amount to having your own bedslave and a whole day off work. It was more than you got if you were ill.

“No,” he mumbled in the end, still looking at the floor.

Rovan shot a look at Rych, but the man was busy scolding some slave on the other side of the cavern. “Are you sure?”

Sem nodded. “Got plans,” he said as he picked up his axe. Rovan grimaced. He didn’t know why the lad didn’t want to accept it, so he just shook his own head and picked up his axe again. If he was going to make the most of this, he might as well do it properly.

Clink. The axe turned more rock into shards, revealing more of the thick vein of ore hidden behind it. Clink. A small chunk of golden ore fell to the ground. He picked it up and pocketed it – such things were useless, but everyone did it. Clink. The vein revealed itself in all its glory, flickering in the light of the torches. Rovan knew he had to call Rych now.

“Captain!” he called.

The guard flipped his head in the slave’s direction, and Rovan flinched. It took him a moment to compose himself – normally all the slaves tried to avoid the guards’ attention – but he threw Rych the ore he’d found.