Page 79 of Fire Peak

Charlie watched Nick’s eyebrows lift. Whatever he’d expected the old miner to ask, it wasn’t that.

“Are you trying to keep it all to yourself?”

The miner shook his head. “It ain’t like that. It’s not for small-scale miners. If there’s a real perilium deposit around here, a big corporation will come in here, just like they did with the copper. Everything around here would change.”

“That’s why you drew a gun on us?” demanded Charlie. “You could have just said that. We’re just trying to figure out who shot me.”

“You’re both from Outside. I don’t know you like that.”

Fair enough.

Nick set the gun on the empty lawn chair, out of Solomon’s reach but no longer aiming it at him. “I can’t promise not to say anything, because it’s part of an investigation. But I certainly won’t notify any mining corporations.”

“Me neither,” said Charlie, giving the scout’s honor signal. “I wouldn’t want things to change around here either. Although better cell service would be nice.”

“There, you have our word,” said Nick. “Now what about that couple?”

“Here’s what I know. They’re scary. I saw them sparring and it was like out of a movie.”

“That checks out,” said Nick, rotating his shoulder with a wince.

“They have a way to communicate, maybe satellite phones or something even more high-tech. They’re following orders from somewhere, and that’s who they talk to.”

“Is it Vasily?”

“Vasily?” Solomon squinted into the sun. “You mean, Vasily that used to come around here?”

“Yes. Bulldog’s friend. Yours too.” He dug out the photo from Solomon’s camper and showed it to him.

“How’d you get that? That’s my private archives.” Solomon snatched it back.

“Is it possible that Vasily is back and wants to mine the perilium?”

“Vasily wasn’t ever a miner. He didn’t know shit about mining. Want to know something about the old copper mine?”

“What’s that?”

“The local tribe around here, the Ahtna, they were the ones who knew about it, and decided to tell the prospectors sent by the New York folks. But some Russians were here too, also looking for resources. The Ahtna didn’t tell them because the Russians treated the tribes like dirt. Worse. They hated the Russians. ‘Course, then they got cheated by the Americans, so maybe they wound up regretting it. Anyways, I used to think about how the Russians must have been pissed when they saw the mine getting built up. Maybe they’re back now, wantin’ their piece of the pie. When I heard them talking foreign, that was my first thought. They’re lookin’ for something. Now I know they might be after that perilium. I guess maybe Vasily knew about it from before. Maybe he brought ‘em here.”

Charlie caught Nick’s glance. That would fit—sort of. The couple had been speaking Chechen, but they could be working for Russia.

“You said they’re communicating with someone. Do you know what kind of device they’re using?” she asked.

“Girl, I barely even know what a cellular phone looks like. That’s why I left the professor world, I like the simple life better. Besides, they’re speaking a different damn language.”

“Would it shock you if I told you there are apps that can translate any language?”

“What’s an app?”

God love Firelight Ridge.

“One more question,” said Nick as they were getting up to leave. “This perilium, does it release fumes? Enough to kill birds?”

Ooh, good question. Charlie could have kissed him—if she hadn’t still been annoyed with him.

“Not when it’s still in the rock. You need a solution to extract it. The fumes from that process are what’s toxic. Worse than getting a piece of it in your ass.”

“Thigh,” she corrected. “And you will kindly forget that you saw either one.”

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