Page 55 of Broken Triad

“I can walk,” says Blake, proud even when emaciated and exhausted.

“No time. Don’t be proud.” I grab the old miner and the young in a single movement, throwing them over my shoulders. They don’t struggle. I heft them easily—they’re too light—and start marching forward.

“If I can’t keep up, you carry me,” says Blake, taking off at a trot, somehow still strong after days underground. Now I know where Lola gets her stubbornness. Bolden grabs the other two miners, while Khra keeps his sword-arm free, running ahead of Blake in case there are any last Scorp lying in wait, the cunning kind that’s lived longer than most of their species.

It’s forty minutes before Blake tires, near collapsing when Khra puts him over his left shoulder, hefting the man while he runs point, blade activated and lighting the mine shaft in the pale blue-black light of Orb lightning. None of us say a word, not wanting to embarrass the proud man. He must have a thousand questions, but he bites his tongue.

When we get to the ladder, we set the miners down. They look up with awe at the light at the end of the long mineshaft. I go first, clambering up, with Blake right behind me, keeping up despite his shorter arms. It’s too dangerous to go up the rickety ladder with extra weight, so Bolden and Khra take the rear while the other miners clamber upwards painfully slow.

We are a hundred feet up when I hear the scream and look down, powerless as the youngster’s arms fail, and he loses his grip, falling. Bolden reaches out, grabbing him at the last second and hauling him up, the ladder creaking and groaning under his weight, just barely holding.

We get to the top and the men collapse on the ground. They’ve done the journey many times, but never half-starved and weak. The youngster kisses the grass, running his fingers through it, looking at everything with wonder as we all blink, adjusting to the brightness. The sun is near setting, but after the darkness of the mine, it might as well be noon.

Blake pulls out his smartwatch, when I raise my fist. “Coms are being monitored at random. Any message could be intercepted. We will bring her to you.”

“I won’t say a word of you three. I just need to speak to her.”

“You will. Soon.”

His eyes narrow. “What would it matter if they intercepted a message between a father and his daughter?” He’s sharp—just like Lola—and I don’t have the time to think of a suitable lie. Instead, I just shake my head, hoping he won’t press me.

“Radio silence,” utters Bolden, while Khra points to his wrist.

“We need to get back.” His aura is on edge. Obsidian has called us to war, and military discipline is at its height. If we are suspected as kidnappers, we would be thrown to the Interrogators, missing the battle, and eventually, they would wring the truth out of us.

Khra thinks. “We could dock. If we go at full speed, we might be back just half an hour late. We hide the four of them in the long-distance flight chambers. They’ll be knocked out, but they’ll survive. Then we smuggle them out later.”

“Fuck it. We go to Ridgetown first.” I make the decision, and say it in the Common tongue, so the miners know their ordeal is at an end.

I help the miners into the Reaver, and Khra takes them to the med-bay to heal their wounds. Only Blake refuses the offer, coming to the bridge of the ship, peering out the front window with canny eyes as I pilot towards Ridgetown.

It’s not much of a town, at the base of the mountains, where miners spend their money on their time off. I pilot near to it, keeping low and out of sight, but I can see the grubbiness of it, whisky joints and brothels, poorly constructed buildings leaning against rock face. I pilot behind a peak where we will be hidden from view and drop to the ground, opening the Reaver side doors.

“Can you all make it without assistance?”

“Aye. When will you bring Lola? I’ll be at the Longhorn for now.”

“Tonight. We’re under suspicion. We weren’t supposed to go into those mines, and we’ve taken a risk to do so.”

I regret saying it as soon as it leaves my mouth. His eyes narrow again—because he knows there’s only one reason I’d take such a risk.

“Very well. Tonight then.” He glances down at his smartwatch, not needing to say it. If we don’t bring her soon, he’ll contact her himself.

When it’s just the three of us in the Reaver, Khra erupts. “Why did you promise him that? We’re an hour late. How can we possibly explain this?”

“We drop this Reaver off, they’ll take it from us. We bring Lola to her father. We do that one good thing. Then we take whatever is coming for us.”

“The Interrogators,” snaps Khra. “Then a sword to our necks.”

Bolden runs his tongue over his teeth, his aura bursting with eagerness. “Ra’al needs us. The war looms. He needs us on the battlefield. All they have is suspicions, or we’d dead already.”

“I hope you’re right,” says Khra,

“He is. The decision is made.”

20

LOLA

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