Page 7 of Degradation

“The passage is too narrow to carry me, Edmund. Let me walk, and hold my hand. I promise to warn you if I’m feeling faint so I don’t fall.”

Eadric plucked me from his brother’s hold, kissed me soundly, and set me on my feet.

“You’ll need another bath when we’re done in there. He might be more cooperative if you agree he can help with that.”

I arched a brow at Edmund. “Or would you prefer I bathe you?”

He grabbed my hand and motioned for Garron to lead the way, his protestation gone. The others chuckled, and I grinned.

The weak light cast by Garron’s lantern did little to illuminate the tunnel as we moved away from the opening, and I was grateful for Edmund’s steadying hand over the uneven rocky floor. For a time, our footfalls echoed in the confines of the tunnel. Then, I felt when we came to the first fork.

Garron took the branch to the right. Three more tunnels branched off along our route, and our path tilted, taking us deeper into the earth until, suddenly, we turned a corner, and I saw light ahead.

“Is there another opening?” I asked.

“Yes, but it’s not one we can access,” Edmund said.

We entered a wide cavern encircled by tiered levels and ladders. A crack at the very top of the cave let in enough light to reflect off a multitude of gems embedded in the stone walls. The number astounded me.

The wealth in this cave was more than any person would dream of seeing in their lifetime—enough to feed a kingdom for a season. Or enough to buy the silence of its inhabitants. That these men were willing to use this wealth to help free Eloise humbled me.

My sweeping gaze stopped on the seven small chests that sat in the center of the space, under the light. Six were closed. The open one was partially filled with different colored gems that glinted prettily.

“What do you need to do?” I asked.

Their silence drew my attention from the cave to them. I looked down at myself, curious why they were staring, but all my clothes were in place.

“You barely glanced at the gems,” Darian said. “I thought women fawned over pretty jewels.”

“I have never fawned in my life and don’t plan to start.”

“That’s a bit disappointing,” Daemon said. “I’d hoped you would fawn over us in the future.”

“You already lack in humility,” I said, hiding my amusement. “I will not add to the problem. Now, what should we do?”

“Maybe she just needs to get a better look,” Darian said to Daemon. They both jogged over to the chests and flipped back the lids. Four of the small chests were filled with jewels of varying sizes. Two chests were still empty.

“We need to fill the chests before we leave,” Brandle said when I glanced at him questioningly.

“How long have you been filling them?” I asked.

“For years.”

“But we’ve had to use some of what we’ve mined several times when the need arose,” Liam added quickly.

“How long does it take to fill a chest?” I asked.

They all looked at Brandle again.

“We’re hoping it will be faster with your help.”

“How long?”

“A year.”

The conversation I’d overheard when they thought me sleeping several nights ago made sense now. After witnessing my impatience at each day’s delay, they’d feared my reaction to hearing a year. And rightly so.

My laughter echoed throughout the cave, and a low, ominous rumble followed.

---