The Fuller's Apprentice (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 1) (33 page)

Elkan nodded, smiling a little, but accepting her words. Sar bobbed his head. Whiskers chattered at them from Hadara’s shoulder.

“Whiskers offers his blessing, too.” Hadara let them go and stepped back. “I look forward to seeing what you manage to accomplish down there.”

Noadiah and Meira waited just inside the mine’s entrance. Elkan and Sar joined them, and they all made their way in, quickly lost to Josiah’s view.

Long, dull waiting followed. Josiah and Nisi whiled away the time tossing chunks of rocks into the valley, seeing if they could get them to splash into the stream. Most of the miners sat on the ground, enjoying the sun which now streamed over the peaks to the east, but a restless few set to work rearranging the piles of waste rock, clearing more space at the mine’s entrance. Hadara and Kalti sat cross-legged, quietly conversing. Retana paced, bouncing the fretful Ravid in her arms.

Without warning, a muffled thud shook the mountainside. Everyone froze, silent and expectant, but after the echoes died away all was still.

“Was that it?” Nisi asked Josiah.

“I guess so. Elkan said it would take them a while to make sure everything was stable down there before they’d let us in.”

The second wait seemed far longer and more unbearable than the first. Josiah was about to ask Nisi if he knew any games when footsteps sounded from the mine. A moment later Meira appeared, covered in grey dust, her hair almost white with it.

“All’s clear!” Her eyes were alight. “It went well. Master Noadiah says any who wish may come and see.”

Josiah darted to the front of the crowd. He grabbed Nisi. “Show me which way to go?” He’d made the trip down into the mine several times in the last few days, but he was sure he’d still get lost without the miner apprentice’s guidance.

He needn’t have worried. Everyone was headed the same way, and Josiah and Nisi were carried along with the crowd. A few times they slowed almost to a stop, where a narrow spot created a bottleneck. But eventually they reached the place.

The room had changed so much Josiah felt disoriented. It took a moment to get his bearings. The wall where the crevice had been was gone. Instead, the space extended much farther than it used to on that side, a deep cavern torn into the rock. The new area, as well as much of the former extent of the cavern, was choked with piles of jagged, broken stone.

Several lamps already lit the room, and more arrived in the hands of the miners. Noadiah came forward, wiping dust from his face. “Slow down, take your time. Everyone will have a chance to see. Yes, it went fine. Not exactly as I expected, but close enough to work with. It’s opened up all the way back to the vein, which does seem to be at least as extensive as we thought.”

A floating, glowing bundle of rocks emerged from the newly created space, followed by Elkan and Sar. They let their burden settle to the ground in an out-of-the-way corner. “That should be the last of it for now. We’ve cleared a path as best we could. It’s still pretty rough back there, though.”

“One or two at time, please.” Noadiah took effortless command of the chaos. “Zuri, Hanan, you first, you’ll be in charge of the new zone. Everyone else, wait your turn. Once you’ve gotten a good look at the vein, if you’re not on the new crew, head back to your own duties. This isn’t the only gold in this mine. The rest needs to be worked same as always.”

The miners sorted themselves out and began an orderly inspection of the blast site, a couple at a time climbing into the jagged hole under Master Noadiah’s direction.

Resigned to waiting, Josiah found a convenient boulder off to the side and perched on it. He was thoroughly impressed by the evidence of the huge amount of force released by the explosive powder. He envied Nisi, who’d stationed himself at Noadiah’s elbow, ready to carry out any tasks his master might have for him, a position that put him right in the center of the action.

He saw Hadara, Whiskers, and Kalti enter the room. Elkan and Sar went to greet them. They all retreated over to where Josiah sat, clustering there to wait until the miners finished.

“It went well. There was a bit of debate over where to place the powder, but Master Noadiah decided, and I think he chose well. We watched from a few hundred feet away. The main force of the explosion went off to our side, though one chunk came at us too fast for Sar and I to catch.” Elkan nodded to Meira as she and her mother came up to them. “It nicked Meira, but we took care of it.”

Master Retana clutched Ravid tight, her eyes wide. “You didn’t say you’d been hurt. Let me look at it—”

“It’s fine, mother.” Meira turned away from Retana, concealing her thigh, where a tear in the heavy leather miner’s gear she wore marked where the rock had grazed her. “Hazard of the craft. I’ve had worse many times from stray rocks or misaimed picks. And without a wizard on hand to make it better.” She grinned at Elkan.

“Noadiah is full of ideas how to use his powder, even without the benefit of the Mother’s power.” Elkan stroked Sar. “He said something about a long candle wick that would burn slowly and give him time to move away before the explosion.”

Master Noadiah strode up. “Who’s ready to have a look?”

Josiah jumped to his feet, but Elkan laid a quelling hand on his shoulder. “Let the others have a turn first.”

“No, no, let the boy go.” Hadara waved for Josiah to move ahead of her, but Elkan shook his head. “All right, I’ll take a peek. I can’t say I’ve ever seen gold ore before. Come along, Kalti.”

“Josiah, would you mind holding Ravid while I take Mother in?” Resentfully, Josiah nodded. Ravid reached eagerly for Meira as she took him from Retana, but wailed and clung to her when she tried to pass him to Josiah. “Oh, come on, Ravid, it will only be for a minute, then I promise we’ll settle down somewhere for a nice long nurse.” She succeeded in prying Ravid’s clutching hands from her leather apron and thrust him at Josiah. “You know Josiah, he loves to play with you.”

Ravid only screamed louder, but Josiah turned him where he couldn’t see Meira and sought to distract him with funny faces. Meira, biting her lip and glancing back, trailed behind Retana. Noadiah and Hadara clambered onto the jagged rocks of the blasted area, so different from the smooth floor of the old part of the room, and made their way in. Whiskers bounded ahead, pausing to perch on an outcrop and chitter back at them. Kalti braced herself with a hand and raised her foot.

A rock broke free of the ceiling and landed with a loud crack on the floor. Another fell, and a handful more, and then everything was crashing rock and swirling dust.

A chunk of rock struck Josiah’s shoulder. He stumbled forward. To his horror, his hands reflexively went out to break his fall and he dropped Ravid. The baby struck the floor, and Josiah followed, only his hands preventing his full weight from crushing Ravid. He crouched over the baby, sheltering him from the raining stones, Ravid’s shrieks of pain and fear ringing in his ears.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a minute or two, the roar of falling rock subsided and quiet descended. Ravid’s wails echoed. Shouts and calls came from a few scattered points in the cavern.

Josiah sat up. He poked gingerly at Ravid’s head. There was no blood, and his skull seemed to be intact. Elkan said you weren’t supposed to move people who fell and hit their heads, but he couldn’t just leave Ravid laying there. He gathered the crying baby into his arms and looked around.

The air was choked with dust. Most of the lamps had been extinguished, but a few still burned. Peering through the dim haze, Josiah spotted Sar, apparently unhurt, standing with his head down. Golden light shone up from the floor, reflecting from his eyes.

Josiah picked his way through the rubble to Sar’s side. Elkan pulled himself to his feet, fingers gripping Sar’s mane. Blood dripped from his hair and puddled around a large rock, but no sign of injury remained.

Relief flooded Josiah. “Elkan, what happened? Ravid hit his head, I dropped him…”

A brief flicker of light arced out and brushed Ravid’s head. “Skull’s intact. Mild concussion, but that can wait. You’re not hurt?”

“I don’t think so.” Josiah took inventory of his body. A sharp pain in his shoulder, but his arm could move unimpeded. Many dull aches, particularly one spot on his head and another on his right leg. A gash on the back of one hand was bloody but shallow. “Nothing serious.”

“Good. Josiah, listen to me. Sar and I only have so much energy to spend. We need to find anyone who’s hurt, evaluate the extent of their injuries, and do the minimum necessary to keep them alive. I want you to help me find people. Anyone who’s mobile, get them to help. Anyone who’s not in immediate danger of dying, make them as comfortable as you can. Call me if you find anyone not breathing, or bleeding profusely, or unconscious. Josiah. Can you do that?”

Josiah shook off the whirling daze that threatened to overwhelm him. “Yes, sir.” He clutched Ravid close. The baby’s cries died to occasional weak whimpers. Josiah swallowed hard. “I can.”

“Good boy.” Elkan’s hand briefly gripped Josiah’s shoulder. “Now, where did you last see Hadara?”

“She was going into the blast area, with Master Noadiah…”

“That’s what I thought. Come on.”

They made their way cautiously through the gloom. After only a few steps Elkan paused and knelt by a sprawled body. It stirred. “What?” Meira’s voice was weak and confused. She struggled to sit up, cried out, and fell back. “What happened? What—Ravid! Where’s Ravid?”

“I’ve got him. He’s all right.” Josiah dropped to his knees beside her, holding Ravid out where she could see him.

“Meira, where are you hurt?” Elkan’s voice was smooth and controlled, radiating calm.

“My leg…” Her right leg was pinned under a large chunk of stone.

“Josiah.” Elkan gestured. Josiah set his shoulder to the stone and pushed. It was awkward with Ravid in his arms, but he managed, and the stone rolled off. Gold light flickered from Elkan’s hand and surrounded Meira’s leg. “Broken, but nothing’s bleeding. Lay still, try not to let it get jarred. Can you hold Ravid?”

“I think so.” Meira reached for her child. Ravid stretched his arms to her and started crying again.

“Josiah, give Ravid to Meira and come on. We’ll be back soon, Meira.”

“Mother was just over there…”

“We’ll find her.” Elkan turned away.

Josiah settled Ravid at Meira’s side. He knew Elkan had to help others as quickly as he could, but it seemed so heartless to leave Meira alone, hurt and helpless. She gathered Ravid to her, wincing, tears coming to her eyes. “Go. Help him. I’ll be fine.”

With one last distressed look back, he followed Elkan.

He found the wizard crouched over Retana, golden light pouring over a large gash on her abdomen and another on her head. Blood pooled beneath each injury, but the flow had already stopped. Elkan withdrew his hand, the wounds still gaping open but no longer bleeding.

“She’ll make it. Help me shift that boulder over there; I think Hadara may be behind it.

Josiah tried to push the huge rock and managed only to rock it. He set his back to it and heaved. “Maybe if Sar helped me push…”

“If necessary, but we need to save all the energy we can. Try again.”

Straining, Josiah managed to tip the boulder, and it crashed over. Elkan pushed past it, into the darkness of the blasted area.

“Here she is. And there’s Kalti.” Light flickered. “Kalti’s unconscious, but not in immediate danger. Hadara—” His mouth set in a grim line as the light played over her still form. “I don’t see Whiskers. Sar, let’s get to work.”

Light enveloped Hadara’s head, where blood leaked from a deep dent. Elkan’s breathing grew ragged and Sar’s sides heaved. They held their position for a long time. Josiah realized he shouldn’t just stay and watch them, so he began to poke around. This seemed to be the edge of the worst area of the cave-in; farther back the newly blasted cavern had collapsed completely.

With a lurch in his stomach, Josiah spotted a limp brown hand protruding from under a pile of rubble. Pulse pounding in his ears, stomach strangely hollow, Josiah reached out and gingerly touched it. It was warm.

Scrabbling at the loose rocks, Josiah uncovered Noadiah’s shoulder and face. He was still breathing, though shallowly. His legs and most of his torso were trapped under a huge rock that Josiah couldn’t shift, even with all his strength. “Elkan, come here! I’ve found Master Noadiah.”

Elkan didn’t respond. Josiah turned back The golden light died away and Hadara sat up with Elkan’s help.

“How many hurt?” she whispered, blinking through the haze at Elkan.

“I don’t know yet. Can you feel Whiskers?”

Hadara’s eyes went round, and she bit her lip. She closed her eyes and scrunched up her face. “I don’t… I can’t… Wait!” Her eyes flew open. “He’s in there. Weak, but alive. I’ve got to get to him—”

“All right. Josiah, come help shift this rock.”

“But Master Noadiah’s over there, he’s hurt bad, he needs you—”

“He’ll have to wait,” Elkan snapped. His voice softened a bit. “Once we find and heal Whiskers, he and Hadara will be able to help. That’s got to be our first priority. Now come put your shoulder here. I think you and I together can shift it.”

Josiah complied. He could see the logic in Elkan’s words, but still had to resist the urge to grab the wizard’s arm and drag him over to the trapped miner. He and Elkan heaved together and the rock scraped across the ground, opening up a gap that Hadara scrambled through.

“Whiskers? Oh, dear Mother. He’s here, Elkan, come quick—” Hadara’s voice broke.

Elkan squeezed with difficulty through the narrow opening; Josiah slipped through behind him. Sar picked his way over the uneven rocks, thrusting his head and shoulders as far as he could through the gap.

Josiah swallowed. Elkan knelt by a smudge of black and red. Much of the raccoon’s body was crushed and mangled. It was a wonder his tiny eggshell skull had escaped destruction. He was still except for the rapid flutter of his breathing.

Hadara stroked a delicate paw with the tip of one trembling finger. “He’s unconscious, Elkan.”