Before she could decide what to ask next, the elemental slammed a burst of flame against the barrier holding it in place. And this time, a shiver of energy made Ritsuko think the blood in the wards wouldn’t hold much longer. The air even felt hotter. She backed away, eyes fixed on the furious spirit. Such an odd thing, a marriage of flesh and fire.
“Whatever else you mean to ask, I recommend you do it quickly.” Mikani looked at Miss Braelan, who was delving into her pack.
“Can you freshen the bonds?” Irahi asked.
The other woman shook her head. “Not in time to keep it from cooking us.”
All of Ritsuko’s instincts said they should be running, but the fire elemental would catch them, she suspected. It probably knew the mines much better, and it didn’t have human limitations on speed. Her heart thundered in her chest. As she opened her mouth to suggest a retreat, as she couldn’t think of a better plan, she heard the thunk of boots coming their way.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse.
Irahi muttered and pulled his heavy blunderbuss from its holster. Mikani checked his rifle and stepped between them and the tunnel, where the footsteps were getting louder. Miss Braelan pulled a silver dagger from her pack, looking less certain than the men. “Janus? Elementals don’t wear boots, last I checked.”
“Hello! Up ahead! We’re coming for you, don’t move!” The voice was gravelly and deep, echoing in the chamber. Three men came around the corner and pulled short at the sight of Mikani and the doctor. With a cry of surprise, two of them raised pickaxes. The third held up a glass flask sloshing with a treacly liquid, then paused. “Who in Muspel’s halls are you people? And why the bloody hell do you have one of those with you?”
“You first.” Mikani pointed his rifle at the man with the sphere.
“Shoot me and I drop this. I drop this, we all go with a flash, mate.”
“Janus, Irahi. Stop pointing guns at the nice men with explosives. We have more urgent concerns at the moment, remember?” Miss Braelan stepped in front of Mikani and Irahi.
“At least someone in your party has a brain.” The leader gestured toward Miss Braelan. “Go on, banish it.”
“If I could, I would. I suggest we go,” she replied.
“I take back what I said.”
The last time Ritsuko had seen such a combination of outrage and disapproval, she had been listening to Commander Gunwood lecture Mikani. With a clenched fist, the newcomer barked orders at his men. Quickly, the others shoved Mikani, Ritsuko, Irahi, and Miss Braelan away from the circle, and they performed some kind of ritual. They were working too fast, with silent desperation, for her to be sure how it compared to the prior summoning. For a couple of minutes, they chanted in low monotone, while the wards grew thinner and thinner. Lashes of flame flicked out through the dissipating barrier, and Ritsuko dove away. The fire spirit swelled with rage, but before the creature could cover them in flames, the spell ended with a whoosh of bright light. When her eyes adapted again, the floor was scorched, and the salamander was gone.
Then the leader turned on Miss Braelan with a ferocious scowl. “What kind of imbecile summons a monster without knowing how to get rid of it?”
“The kind that runs into idiots in an elemental-infested mine armed only with pickaxes?” Mikani grinned at the other man.
“You think this is funny? We’ve been down here for damn near a week, and I’m pretty sure no aid is coming. You couldn’t even help yourselves.” The leader skimmed Mikani up and down. “Looks to me like you need a punch in the head.”
Even without the confirmation of her truth-sense, Ritsuko could tell their rescuers had been living rough. On closer inspection, they were dirty and desperate-looking, thin and unshaven. If they’d truly been trapped for a week, it was unconscionable that the mine owners hadn’t mounted a rescue. Suddenly, she understood the anger.
“You thought we’d come to save you,” she said softly.
One of the miners spat onto the charred spot where the salamander had been. “Wishful thinking. You lot know even less than we do about surviving this place.”
“We’ll certainly do better pooling our talents and resources,” Irahi put in.
“Why can’t we leave the way we came in?” Miss Braelan asked.
“You’re welcome to try, but I predict you’ll end up burned to a crisp, while pounding on the doors begging to be let out.” Some of the other miners muttered in anger. “We tried that when this started, and lost three men for our trouble. They shouted that they couldn’t risk it and left us to burn.”
“Those thrice-damned beasts have been herding us deeper into the mines ever since. Every time we try to head for the outer tunnels, they chase us down.”
Truth. Ritsuko remembered what the foreman had said. I don’t guarantee you’re coming out again. He meant it, but I didn’t realize exactly how. Bronze gods.
“They locked you in?” she asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.
The foreman nodded. “We didn’t evacuate quick enough. Now the outer doors are sealed, and they won’t be making exceptions for any of us. They can’t risk the salamanders escaping along with us.”
“But they let us in,” Miss Braelan protested.
One of the men muttered, “No doubt they listened to be sure there was nothing on the other side. Try asking for help when the elementals are trying to kill you. See what happens.”
While she parsed the fact that they were entombed, the doctor performed the introductions. The gentleman who had been speaking for his group sighed and seemed to decide that cooperation was better than adding new enemies to his list of problems. He was tall and gaunt with silver hair and a fresh burn scar on his throat. Looks like a near miss.
“I’m Evans. The boys are Kurtz and Jurgensen.”
The miners lifted hands in greeting. Four more men came around the corner at a run, interrupting even these brief courtesies. “The elementals are on us, boss. We have to go.”
• • •
MIKANI GLANCED INTO the tunnel where Evans’s party had emerged. The dark tunnel walls reflected shifting firelight, faint but growing brighter by the second.
“Move!” Evans didn’t give them time to argue; he grabbed Saskia’s arm and shoved her ahead of him. Ritsuko and Hu did not hesitate in taking off.
Hells and Winter, I can feel it getting warmer. Better sightsee another time.
Mikani sped after the others, following the sounds of multiple footsteps running at full speed along the dark shaft. Mikani nearly ran past the small side tunnel where they’d turned off, until Hu called for him. He skittered to a halt and stumbled into the passage, slamming his head painfully against the lower ceiling.
“Watch your head!” Hu sounded far too amused.
“Watch yours when I catch you,” Mikani muttered back, one hand on the tunnel wall and the other on the back of his head to try to ease the pounding of his skull.
He ran for what seemed like endless minutes, following the footsteps ahead and fleeing the growing heat behind him. The shadows of the mine shaft were growing lighter.
They’re nearly on top of us. Damn’d be, maybe if I could take out a support on one of these walls I could buy us some time. Of course, if I end up burying myself in a tunnel collapse, I’d be less than pleased. Still, if it means she gets away—
He ran full tilt into Hu’s back. The bigger man grunted, and Mikani fell back with a breathless oath.
“Why the hell did you stop?”
“We’re waiting for our ride.”
Mikani wiped the blood from his lip. He took Hu’s offered hand and stood, stepping away from the tunnel mouth. Evans was standing on an old handcart, iron-pitted and smoke-stained. There were two minecarts, barely big enough to hold two people each, coupled to it.
“Get a move on, then!” Two of his men were on one side of the oversized lever. “You, Doctor. With me, I’ll need your bulk to get this thing moving. The rest of you, all aboard, and keep them o
ff us!”
“You heard the man, Hu. Put those arms to work for a change.” Mikani stepped past, staggering at the smack Hu laid on the back of his head. He paused to help Saskia and Ritsuko climb onto the front cart, before vaulting into the last cramped minecart. He shoved aside a covered box, trying to make room for his legs.
“What are we supposed to do, hurt their feelings?”
“Use the damned grenades! Go! Push, pull . . . push!” Evans shouted the last at the men on the handcart. They strained and grunted with effort as they pulled on the heavy levers, and they lurched and screeched into motion.
Ritsuko signaled him: she was holding a small sphere of crudely blown glass in each hand. “There are a couple of crates of these.”
Mikani set his rifle aside and uncovered the box nearest to him. Instead of the glass orbs he expected, he found a two-foot-long, thick iron tube attached to some sort of pump. Someone had crudely written “Boom Tube” on the side. The rest of the crate held rough chunks of dark gray rock.
Well, hells. They have grenades. I get to throw rocks.
“They’re coming!”
Mikani looked up and over the side of the rocking cart. They were a couple of hundred feet down the tracks already and picking up speed. But he could easily make out the two salamanders as they burst from the tunnel in a flare of golden red flame and a hiss of superheated air. The swirling elementals paused only a moment before giving chase with loping strides along the passage’s walls and floor.
They left smoking, glowing marks wherever they came into contact with the rock.
They’re fast.
He pulled the makeshift mortar from its crate, loaded a rock, and started desperately cranking the pump. A grenade sailed over his head and smashed into the tunnel wall with a sharp crack that splattered the viscous black fluid in a cloud of droplets. As soon as the first salamander ran into the dark mist, there was a deafening explosion. The shock wave that struck them a moment later nearly derailed his cart; he had to let go of the mortar to try to hold on.
Behind them, the mine wall crumbled, rocks crumbling down to block the path. Mikani didn’t know if the explosion took out one of the salamanders or if it was blocked by the rubble, but there was only one giving chase right now. Hells and Winter, they’ve been doing this for a week? No wonder Evans is cranky.
The fire spirit crackled, flames lashing out from behind; to Mikani’s eyes, it looked like the fire was giving it a push. Just what we need as we’re trying to head uphill. He heard Hu grunting and swearing as he strained to haul such a heavy load. The chains linking the carts groaned, and the grind of the wheels over the track threw sparks while the elemental closed the gap. Saskia and Ritsuko hurled a couple of more grenades, but they were off target, and the dark mist hung dormant. That might catch another one later, if it doesn’t dissipate, but it will be too late to do us any good.
Mikani braced the air cannon against the cart wall and yanked the release, firing with a muffled boom. The jolting motion of the cart when it jogged left skunked his aim. The air around him felt uncomfortably warm. Another sharp turn flung him down in the cart, and he cracked his head on the side. By the time he scrambled to his feet, ears ringing, the fire spirit was almost on top of them. Taloned fingers, each one aflame, slashed the air only inches away from the rear railing.
He’ll have us next time. Wonder how strong this bastard is.
From the front car, he heard raised voices. Evans was shouting something, and it sounded like Ritsuko was screaming. What the hells. Never heard her sound quite like that. But he couldn’t pause to check out the situation. Instead, he struggled with the movement of the cart as he reloaded. For a few seconds, he juggled the rock, then he slotted it in place as the monster dove for the cart. The thing would’ve latched on, except the earth dropped out from under them.
And everyone was falling.
Cool air rushed past his face. He knew only the sensation of speed and the hot whoosh of the salamander plummeting nearby. Mikani struck the dark water with an impact that stole the breath from his lungs; maybe that was what stopped him from swallowing a few gallons of it. The elemental let off a dim glow, but by the way the thing was thrashing, he guessed it no longer wanted anything except to get out of the water. He kicked to the surface, frantic to see where everyone else was, but it was dark, and there was too much movement. Mikani swam to the far wall, looking for other survivors, and found only more stone, damper rock.
He dove again and again until he could no longer hold his breath. The cavern was dark and quiet. The rasp of claws told him that the fire spirit was scrabbling its way out, leaving him alone. Can’t give up. They must be here somewhere. He wouldn’t consider any other possibility.
Sucking in a deep breath, he went under again, and this time, the current snagged him. The water swept him into a small tunnel, almost completely flooded. It bashed him against walls and ceiling until he felt like a bloody tenderized steak. Mikani snatched gulps of breath in those rare moments when he found an air pocket, only enough to keep him from passing out—not enough to fix the red burn of his lungs.
It could’ve been minutes or hours; he was barely clinging to consciousness when the current grew stronger still. Maybe his ears were ringing, but he swore he heard the roar of a waterfall, then he was tumbling over it with enough force to send him plunging down into the gray sea below. Pure luck kept him off the rocks. He was trembling when he surfaced. Shoving the wet mop of hair out of his eyes, he immediately took stock.
Survivors. Where are they?
Then someone reached out a hand to him. Hu pulled him onto the rock. With relieved eyes, he found Ritsuko, Saskia, Evans, and Kurtz. He didn’t see the rest of the miners. Damn. But he couldn’t help the rush of relief when his gaze skimmed over Ritsuko’s battered face. She’s gonna have two black eyes. It was crazy how much he wanted to hug her.
“So,” he said aloud. “How do we get back to Eldheim?”
CHAPTER 21
SASKIA WATCHED JANUS, A KNOT FORMING DEEP IN HER throat as he hovered near Ritsuko while Irahi tended the worst of her scrapes and bruises.
Stop it. Let go of the past, you’ve plenty of trouble today to deal with.
With effort, she turned away, drawing a deep breath and trying to gather her dripping hair into a braid to keep it off her face. They were all filthy, cold, and tired. Kurtz was off exploring and Evans was trying unsuccessfully to build a fire out of driftwood and a few drops of the black oil that they’d used for grenades.
She huddled on a flat boulder no more than ten steps across and twice as wide. The whitecapped surf crashed on a narrow and rocky beach that stretched along the cliffs as far as the eye could see. As far as she could tell, they were twenty or thirty miles from the nearest fishing village. I could send the sylphs with a message for Mr. Ferro on the Gull. But if the salamander spoke the truth? Saskia listened for her familiars. They were there, flitting on the bitter winds. Saskia couldn’t think of a time when they hadn’t been in her life. She hesitated to call them with an outstretched hand and a whispered word.
For going on two centuries, House thaumaturges had bound elemental spirits into physical objects: silver mirrors allowed communication, amber spheres powered steam engines in ships and carriages. Hulking stone golems with the strength of twenty men built roads and bridges. As far as Saskia could recall, elementals had always been just another facet of life, like cattle or horses: intangible, but mere beasts nonetheless. Even her relationship with the air spirits that served her was akin to that of a master with faithful hounds.
Weather witches have never abused their familiars, on pain of losing their service . . . but do they serve willingly? Can I trust them?
“Over here! Found something!” Kurtz returned and was calling to them from a dozen yards off to her left. She was grateful for the interruption and hurried back toward the others.
“It’s an old smuggling rig, I think. Runs up the side as far up as I can see.”
&nbs
p; “Bloody thieves, making off with an honest man’s work.” Evans spat into the waves.
Janus looked from one man to the other. “So what in the hells’ name is a smuggling rig?”
Kurtz started to explain, but Irahi interrupted. “Could you walk and talk? Not to be rude, but the tide’s rising.”
The strip of beach had grown narrower.
“We should seek higher ground.” After Inspector Ritsuko spoke, she set off the way the miner had come.
The rest of the survivors needed no encouragement to follow suit. Saskia slogged through the rising water, trying to keep her footing as the cold water rose over her ankles. When they arrived at the smuggler’s rig, she knew a moment of pure dread.
“You’re kidding.” Janus glared at Evans and Kurtz.
“It does seem precarious.” Inspector Ritsuko tugged at a length of chain, then wiped the grime off on her thigh.
Someone had affixed two steel rails along the side of the cliff. A wooden crate the size of a small cart was secured to the rails with makeshift clamps. Four chains as thick as Saskia’s finger attached the crate to a thicker length of chain that rose between the rails until they all disappeared into the darkness a couple of hundred feet above them. The other end of the chain came back down a few feet to the right, where it disappeared into a complex assembly of gears and cogs mounted on the platform itself.
“It’s a few hours on this thing, hoping we don’t fall, or a week in water up to our necks, praying we don’t drown.” Irahi stepped onto the makeshift lift. He grabbed the chains and jumped a few times; the wood creaked alarmingly but did not break. “Get on. Kurtz and I will hoist us up. Keep a sharp eye out, see if any of the others are still alive along the beach.”
Despite pervasive cold and hunger, Saskia was impressed at the way Irahi was taking charge. She hadn’t seen this side of him in a very long time. Then again, we’ve both gotten soft in the years since we sailed the northern seas. Evans gave her a hand up, towing her onto the platform. Since the rig had been designed to transport crates of contraband, there was space enough for the six of them. We lost so many in the dark river. Unlike the doctor, she didn’t hold out hope that they’d find the other miners alive. If they didn’t drown, something’s eaten them by now. As a child, her father had told her stories of the fabled krakens that lived in the deep off the coast of the Winter Isle, tentacles enormous enough to crush entire ships. Though she dismissed them as fish stories, she couldn’t repress a shiver as she gazed down at the whitecaps below, dashing with what seemed like thwarted fury against the rocks.
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