Page 33 of Freedom Mine
Chapter Nine
ALLI
“How you like it up here?” Diggs asked.
“Fresh air, birds, flowers—” Alli began.
“Hauling water, mud, bugs, sweaty men.” Diggs gave her one of his crooked smiles.
“Could be worse,” Eight said. “She could be stuck with Ranth shoveling harkifa crap.”
Alli laughed. After a week working at the shack on the mountain, she’d gotten to know some of the men fairly well. They were a motley and often-time crude bunch, but they all worked hard. There wasn’t a slacker in the bunch, which motivated her to work just as hard. She was last on the list, and Kayo was low on money. They’d all earn their freedom before her, but that didn’t bother her. Kayo would honor his promise, of that she was sure. The men, the way they spoke of Kayo and the men who they’d seen freed since they’d arrived erased any residual doubts she’d had.
“She may yet,” Eight said. “When Ranth leaves, someone will have to tend to those filthy creatures.”
Diggs’ eyes traveled the length of Eight. “Have you seen yourself lately? You could blend in with those beasts. They probably smell better too.”
“Okay, boys. Break time is over.”
“You sure you were a slave and not an overseer?” Eight said. “You’re worse than Jace.”
“Jace watches out for everyone, so I’ll take that as a compliment. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but Masher’s coming this way, and he looks unusually sullen.”
Ever since that day on the trail, he hadn’t said or done anything untoward, and he’d redirected Tieg away from her on several occasions. Masher sitting in the shack with her alone no longer made her nervous. Her hand no longer edged toward her knife, though she always kept it on her.
“Can’t blame him,” Diggs said. “Today would have been his release day, had Kayo paid for his freedom status two weeks back.”
Eight elbowed him in the ribs. “Sorry, Blue,” Diggs said, shaking his head as he turned and headed up the mountain.
Alli’s heart sank. She’d never thought of how Kayo’s buying her would delay the men receiving their freedom.
The men nodded to Masher in passing, but he ignored them and sat down on the tree stump ten feet before the shack. Usually, Masher stood in the doorway and chatted for a minute. Well, chatting was a stretch. Mostly she talked and he listened. Occasionally, he’d say something, but mostly he listened. She wondered if he was like Kayo in that way, afraid of small spaces. Then again, Masher worked inside the mine, so perhapsshemade him nervous.
“Hi, Masher,” she said.
“Sweetness,” he said, without his usual smile.
After she’d told Kayo her real name, she told the other men as well. But by then ‘Blue’ had already stuck, which was okay by her. Having Kayo be the only one who called her Alli made it more special. Masher, on the other hand, called her Sweetness which she didn’t mind, though Kayo had cursed beneath his breath when Kayo had heard it a few days ago.
“It’s not your fault,” Masher said.
Alli carried a cup of water over to him and held out a strip of dried cabi. It was the only food stored in the shack because it lasted for months in heat and cold. It tasted worse than bark, but it gave the miners a boost of protein.
“You’re still here because of me,” she said, unable to keep the pity from her voice. Masher would be the last one to want pity, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Not true.”
She couldn’t stop her tears. She wasn’t prepared for this.
“I’m sorry, Masher. I didn’t know my coming here would cause problems for you and the others.”
“It’s not like you had a choice.”
No, she hadn’t. But it didn’t make it any easier knowing that because of her they had to wait longer for their freedom. If Kayo had kept walking that morning, he wouldn’t have the financial troubles he had now, and Masher would be free.
Masher swallowed the drink in one swallow, pocketed the cabi for later, and turned back toward the mine.
“Bye, Masher.”
