Page 15 of Over the Emerald Valley
He shook his head. “Not me. You, General? Does your family await your return in Memphis? Or Thebes?”
“Not me either, I’m afraid.” No one back at home would miss him or await his return with an eager heart, just Horemheb and the next mission.
Or worse.
A lonely retirement.
His thoughts turned to Temaj. Did the slave have a family somewhere? Surely he did. How long had they been separated? Would he even know how to find them if he had the chance? Solon sighed. That line of thinking was too heavy for the moment. He couldn’t let it interfere with his investigation.
They marched uphill toward a hole in the mountain he’d have to stoop to pass through. Solon’s stomach clenched at the thought. Inside was pitch black.
Men emerged from the cavern with their wagons full, squinting. They nodded and greeted Irsu as they passed. Irsu had a smile for each of them.
“It’s backbreaking work,” said Irsu as they waited for a group of men to exit before they could enter. “Five weeks is truly the limit. Any more might leave a man permanently hunched.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Five years,” he said with another smile. “But my job is easy compared to theirs. I simply organize the shifts, direct the men, and keep Khu well informed. I spend most of my day where you found me. That spot is the hub for wagons coming and going, and if a miner needs me, or Khu does, they know where to look.”
Solon would track down Khu next. They ducked one after the other and trekked into the earth. Darkness enveloped him so completely he stopped and glanced over his shoulder, but seeing the light behind him only made the black in front of him more encompassing.
“Your eyes will adjust,” said Irsu as if reading his mind. “There are lamps ahead. In a moment, you’ll be able to see your footing.”
Solon would have to take his word for it because he saw nothing of the sort. Stumbling forward, disoriented, he fought a wave of nausea. The urge to turn tail and run from this miserable pit rose and threatened. But no. Solon must see it through. Horemheb would expect a full report, not an excuse for why he hadn’t inspected the mines himself.
He gritted his teeth and pressed on.
“This way.” Irsu’s voice guided him to the left when the passage split. “It’s a maze down here, but don’t worry, I know every turn.”
Don’t worry.Solon couldn’t help but worry. How did the men manage, knowing getting lost was a possibility?
Just as panic began to overwhelm his good sense, Solon picked out the rock wall at his side in the low light. As the wall became clear, so did the ground beneath his feet. He took a breath.
“Right turn here.” Irsu snaked his wagon past an oncoming miner.
Solon did the same. He could barely make out the passing man’s features. A young fellow, perhaps Temaj’s age, not yet at his prime but with lean, wiry muscle aplenty. Well suited for this work. His wagon was full of earth and rock. Must be heavy, but he pushed it quick enough.
“Here we are.” Irsu stopped, but the passage went on. A group of four men chipped away at the side of the cave, filling yet another wagon. “This used to be one of our more active veins, but now it’s mostly detritus.”
Solon peered into the wagon. He had yet to see an emerald that wasn’t already turned into jewelry.
“Any luck?” Irsu asked the miners.
The biggest of the men gave a halfhearted shrug. “Not today, none that I can tell.”
Irsu turned back to Solon. “When a vein runs dry, as so many have, it is I who must decide whether to continue to dig or to give it up as finished. It’s impossible to tell. We’ve had veins that go dry for fifty feet, only to surprise us with a line of emeralds down the way.”
“Then how do you decide?”
“Over time, I’ve developed a knack for it. I don’t think we’re done here, so these men dig at one end, and farther down, another group hacks a new opening to the vein. But for the time being”—Irsu hefted a handful of rubble from the wagon and let it fall back through his open fingers—“all we get for our trouble is a lot of ugly rock.”
Thankfully, Solon had a career in the army. In the open, under the sprawling skies and shining sun. He’d go crazy swinging an ax in the dark all day.
“We’ll take these for you,” said Irsu to the men.
“Thank you.” The big man traded the full wagons for empties.
Solon would find out how heavy a full wagon was after all.
