Her Cinder Throne (Completed)

Chapter 63

Cole turned to her mother. "You go back down the mountain and wait for us there," she said, grabbing her mother's hand and squeezing it.

"N-no. I can't let you go into danger without me," her mother said, but already Cole could hear the distance in her voice that meant she was about to slip into the vacant shell that seemed to haunt them so much.

"I'll feel better if you wait for us down the mountain," Cole said. "We'll be able to better fight and move if it's just the two of us." She left unsaid that her mother was a liability down in the mines. If she slipped into her madness, they would have to worry not only about the monsters guarding the sparkstone, Thijs and his guards, but also protecting her mother.

"I don't know," her mother said, her voice trailing off.

"It would be the best way of keeping me safe," Cole replied. "We'll come to you as soon as we have the sparkstone. Not even a second later."

Her mother still looked unconvinced, but they had no more time to waste. The sun would be rising soon, and the next wave of workers would wake to replace the night shift that had just gone to bed. Cole took her by the shoulders and gently shifted her so that she faced away from the mine.

"I promise we'll get you as soon as we're through," she said.

With a gentle nudge, her mother started back through the shadows, heading away from danger. It loosened Cole's chest, and she felt like she could breathe easier... even if she was about to descend into the nightmares that she had fended off ever since leaving her own sparkstone mine.

Once her mother was out of sight and far enough away that a raised alarm would not turn her up by accident, Tanwyn and Cole prepared for their mad dash. They securely tied on their ration bags, and Cole made sure that Tanwyn's wound was tightly bandaged. It had stopped hurting as much, and Cole was glad that it wouldn't hamper her or his speed.

"On the count of three," he whispered, staring at the two guards with their backs to them. "One. Two. Three."

Together they launched out of the shadows and into the mine entrance. The torches blazed around them, picking up their own shadows and throwing them against the wall in distorted shapes and sizes. The guards saw these shadows first, looking up at the walls with mouths agape and terror in their eyes.

"They've come to devour us!" one screamed, drawing his sword in such a clumsy way that he almost sliced Tanwyn as he ran past them. Cole came second, and she saw the guard's eyes drop from the shadows to Tanwyn's retreating back.They called after him, confusion crossing their faces, and so they took a few more seconds to realize that a second person had brushed past them and was now catapulting down the descending path into the main mine tunnel.

Cole and Tanwyn were already out of sight when they heard the shouts go up that alerted the rest of the guard that the security had been breached. Thankfully, Cole and Tanwyn had plenty of headstart in which to find a suitable tunnel to get lost in.

Cole grabbed a torch from the wall in order to examine the floors and walls as they passed the entrances to tunnels that split off from the main area. Her years as a miner had her alert to the signs of abandoned tunnels and ones that were still being used. She looked for fresh wagon marks and rubble on the floor. She felt for breezes with a wet palm.

"Down here," she whispered, grabbing Tanwyn and pulling him into a narrow but long tunnel that was far from the mine entrance. She doused the torch, tossing it near the wall and walking until the blackness swallowed them whole. They were far enough back now that anyone who was doing a cursory glance in the tunnels would not see them. But it was still close enough to hear anything being said in the main tunnel.

"Is this the one that leads to the sparkstone?" Tanwyn whispered.

"I don't even know if they found the sparkstone at all," Cole replied. "But it's the one next to the newest tunnel I've seen so far. The tracks in the next tunnel looked fresh... like from just a few hours ago."

"So we want to be over there, then?"

"After they've left, we can sneak over and see where it leads," Cole said.

With nothing to do but wait, they settled down and listened to the sounds of guards rushing back and forth in the mines. Thankfully, no one wanted to go down every single mine shaft in the entire system, and mainly they stuck to the main corridor... and, most tellingly, the shaft next to the one Cole and Tanwyn were hunched in.

Soldier after soldier entered the next tunnel, taking with them bright torches and the clank of swords on their armor. Yet, they always returned just a few minutes later, their sounds rushing away, accompanied by the brief view Cole could catch of them. They always looked pale and wide-eyed, their heads tilted down as they seemed to race back to the open air. 

"I think we're in the right spot," Tanwyn whispered after a few minutes of the mines finally being silent. "They wanted to make sure we hadn't gone down the tunnel you were talking about."

"Well," Cole said, taking a deep breath. "We should hurry. No doubt they're already sending someone out to alert Baerghast and Thijs that trespassers entered the mines and they can't find us."

Cole pushed off the ground to stand, but Tanwyn grabbed her elbow to stop her. "Before we go, I want you to do something for me," he said.

Cole sat back down, looking in his direction even though the darkness was too great this far in the tunnel to see his face.

He exhaled. "These monsters are going to put up a fight, and I want to be prepared for that. I'm going to cut off my sleeves on my own, but I need you to cut my hair."

Cole laughed. "Cut your hair? Are you really worrying about your looks right now?"

"I already told you. We're going to be fighting, and I don't need long hair and clothing getting in my way. Avallen is far behind me, and I don't need them any longer."

Cole bit her lip as she thought of what to say. He was a fae, notoriously obsessed with their stunning looks and unable to handle being dressed in anything but silks and furs. His people were used to gorgeous and silky hair, smooth skin, and sparkling eyes. She had never heard stories of fae looking exhausted and dirty like Tanwyn was looking now.

"I'll help," she finally said, putting her hand gently on his arm so that he knew she was not laughing at him any more.