Page 52 of Warrior
“I had to pee, so I went behind a boulder.” He was so small a decent size boulder would hide him quite well. “The guards didn’t know I was there, and they were talking about leaving in a few days.” The tiny hands increased their wringing. “One of them said they would come in at night and plant thecharges so we wouldn’t know, and the mine would explode after they left.”
“Sweet fancy Moses!” Daisy’s widened gaze found mine as she pulled Cuietsu into an embrace. “How brave you are.”
I knelt beside her, bringing myself down to the youngling’s level. The feeling in my gut, the one that kept me alive through countless battles reared. Younglings could be dramatic and imaginative, but I believed Cuietsu. His fear was too real. “Did they say why they are blowing up the mine?”
“They said someone escaped the surface and the owner of the mine is afraid he will return and bring others.”
“Fuck,” I hissed, causing the small Verdesian to jump. I believed his tale even more now. The plan worked. They thought Xaden was me and were willing to kill to hide their scheme.
“It’s okay sweetie,” Daisy rubbed his back. “Daicon is just worried about us being safe. Did you hear them say when they were leaving?”
The small black horns on either side of Cuietsu’s head caught the light as he nodded. “They said they would plant the explosives tonight and tomorrow.”
“Two days.” Daisy raised her gaze to mine, the tremble in her lower lip clenching my heart. “How close are we to getting through the tunnel?”
I would give my life for her to never feel fear again, but I could not lie to her. “More than two days.” There was still at least a foot and a half of solid rock remaining to reach the other side of the breach and with the increased guard patrol, it was slow going. Our only option was to use explosives, but that would destroy any hint of surprise. An option I might consider if escaping alone, but the possibility of danger to Daisy and the younglings made it unthinkable.
“We can help.” Ewok piped up, an excited glint in his dark eyes. He nudged George and in turn, Cuietsu with an elbow.
“No, Ewok…” Daisy began in a motherly tone.
“Ewok is right, we can help.” George’s demeanor showed the logic of his kind. “With more of us working, we can dig through the barrier faster.”
Daisy glanced at me for input, her beautiful face set in a frown.
“It might make a difference,” I admitted, amid her deepening unease. “Their hands are smaller. They can get into areas that take me longer to dig around.”
“But you already work in the mines,” Daisy worried about them. “Remember what happened the last time one of you didn’t show up?”
George laid a comforting hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “The guards sent to watch us today were distracted, kida. Perhaps knowing the mine was being destroyed in a few days makes them care less about our daily output. Besides,” his pale eyes narrowed with a knowing expression. “Since the scarred guard disappeared, the rest have let us be.”
Daisy and I shared a look, her lip trembling slightly. Other than the two of us, only George knew the truth of what happened between the guard and Daisy.
“Then we help Daicon at night.” Ewok’s voice was confident, but his eyes met mine with a question.
“No, you’ll be exhausted. I’ll help Daicon in the tunnel.” Daicon put in before I could answer.
“Kida, you do not know how the handle the tools,” Ewok’s hand landed on Daisy’s other shoulder, a mirror of George’s touch. “Daicon would lose time teaching you what to do. We are skilled miners.”
Overhearing our conversation, the rest of the younglings moved closer, nodding in agreement.
“But….”
The small, defeated tone in her voice felt like a knife in my gut. I stood, pulling her up with me and folding her against my chest. She relaxed against me without hesitation, knowing she belonged in my arms, and an intense feeling swelled in my chest.
“Daisy, sweetling,” I murmured, brushing my lips against her forehead. The younglings watched with a mix of curiosity and approval. Whatever it meant, we were together now. I was a boyfriend. No sense trying to hide the feelings I held for her from the younglings.
“Please, kida, we want to help,” George pressed. I felt her sigh of acquiescence, although her bright eyes glimmered with tears of worry.
“Okay.” Daisy’s finger pointed at each youngling in turn. “But you guys can only work in four-hour shifts. That way, you’ll get at least some sleep.” She gestured toward the smaller younglings. “You guys can help me in the kitchen. We’ll need to gather supplies for our trip.”
“When do we start?” One of the younglings, a tall Romvesian that Daisy called Fred, asked.
“No time like the present,” George answered, glancing at me for approval.
“Choose a half dozen of the strongest,” I told him, feeling Daisy stiffen beside me. I leaned over, pressing my lips to her temple. “Every minute counts now, sweetling.”
She nodded, pulling her trembling lower lip between her teeth. I brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, intent on capturing her mouth with mine, when I felt a tentative touch on my thigh.
