Page 57 of Freedom Mine
“Alli, do this one thing for me. I don’t want you here when this section collapses. I’m assuming Jace sent you forward to scout because no one else could fit through whatever section you came through. He intended for you to return, not stay here and hold my hand, right?”
She placed her hand in his. It’s not what he meant, exactly, and he sure liked having her holding him, but he had to get her out of here. It wasn’t likely Jace would get to him in time. Even now he could hear the creaking of lumber above, the subtle but slow and unmistakable sound of dirt shifting, falling. Alli could still get away, if she left now.
“Only if you promise to hang on,” she said, her face full of strength and determination.
Now that was the Alli he’d come to know. It was a shame his last words to her would be a lie. “I promise. I’ll be alive when you get back.”
* * *
ALLI
Leaving Kayo there, alone and trapped, was perhaps the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life. But there had been no choice. Kayo was right. The only way to rescue him was to return to Jace and give him all the information she could.
Finding materials to build a perch so she could climb back into the adit took longer than she had expected. Every time the pile of rocks and boards she assembled slid and she fell, she cursed and grew more aware of how little time Kayo had.
After several failed attempts, she made it through the adit. She gave Jace Kayo’s location and the condition of the section that had collapsed.
Jace seemed pleased with the information, even though she stressed how unstable the section was. Apparently, Jace was an optimist. And here she’d thought he was a realist.
“You’ve done a great job, Blue. Head back to the house and we’ll take it from here. We’ll have Kayo out in a few hours.” He flashed her a smile, though it wasn’t a convincing one.
Hours. Kayo’s lightstick could die out long before them, and then he’d be sitting in the dark, with no one and nothing to do except listing to every pebble or piece of dirt fall from the ceiling, expecting it to collapse. And his skin had felt clammy. What if he had internal injuries? She couldn’t leave him there by himself.
The miners paid no attention to her as she headed down the path toward the house. She doubled back, off the trail, careful to avoid the excavation teams as they organized and headed to another entrance into the mine. She found her way to the adit she’d used before and crawled through. This time wasn’t as scary as before because she knew he was alive. But that didn’t make the journey go faster.
When she reached the collapsed section where Kayo was trapped, she called his name, but he didn’t answer. Panic welled within her. She wanted to race up the rocks and shine her light inside, but she could easily kill him.
Rock by rock, she climbed, taking her time following the same path as before. As she reached the top, she shined her light down, to see Kayo shivering, his eyes closed.
She made it down the other side without a problem and laid her head against his shoulder. His breathing eased. She wasn’t sure how long she lay there against him, holding him until his shaking stopped. Then his head leaned against hers and soon his hand grazed her arm.
“Why?” he whispered.
“Couldn’t leave you here alone.”
“I’ve been alone before.”
“But you don’t need to be.
He swallowed and didn’t say anything for a long moment. She listened to his breathing. Steady and strong.
“Thank you, for coming back.”
“You’re not going to tell me it was stupid?”
“No.”
“Huh.”
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, his voice so calm it worried her.
“About what?” she asked.
“You. Me. The choices I’ve made. I’m not done living. I want you, Alli. I don’t deserve you, but I want you.”
Even when he was being forthright, he somehow found a way to confuse her. “What do you mean you don’t deserve me?”
The ceiling shook and the panic returned to his eyes. His breathing turned ragged, and he gasped for air.
