by Renna Peak
I grab his arm, interrupting him again. “I’m going with you.”
“I’m not going to endanger you or out children—”
“You’re not going without me. And that’s final.” I look up at him. “I’m not the coddled princess you think me, Your Highness.”
He grins. “Clearly not. You clocked that guard in the dungeon so hard, I’m sure he’ll never remember his own name.” He looks into my eyes for a long moment. “This isn’t about you not being up to the challenge, my love. I know you understand that.”
I nod. I do know that he wants to protect me. But this is about more than that. “I love that you want to protect me, William. I do. But this is about me protecting my country. About trying to stop something that could hurt both our countries.”
He laces his fingers through mine, kissing the back of my hand. “I know. But for all we know, there’s nothing going on. Or it’s a ruse—your father might have been trying to get me or my family to go to the mines for some reason. We have no way of knowing what he’s really up to.”
“Unless we go there and find out.” I let out a long sigh. “You know you aren’t going to talk me out of this, right?”
He pulls me more tightly against him, and I lay my head on his heart. “I know. But I have to try.”
I nod against his chest, closing my eyes.
We must both fall asleep—I startle when there’s a pounding on the window inside the cab of the truck, and William is asleep next to me.
I sit up—we’re approaching the Montovian border. I shake William awake, and he also bolts upright.
We don’t say anything—we both seem to know that this is it. We curl together, first pulling the blankets over us, then some of the pieces of cardboard Marcell has strewn about the back of the truck.
Darkness surrounds us. William’s arms are wrapped around me, holding me tightly against him.
The border crossing seems to take forever. The wind finally stops howling around us, and I know we’re finally at the border control office. We sit in the darkness for what feels like an eternity, until finally there’s a voice outside the truck.
It’s muffled, of course, since we’re under the blankets and cardboard, but I can hear a man asking for documents and if there’s anything Marcell wishes to declare. Border crossings between most countries in Europe are a non-event, but Rosvalia’s isolationism makes travel between its neighbors more difficult.
The distrust between Montovia and Rosvalia is especially pronounced, though I suppose we’d have a much more difficult time if we were traveling into Rosvalia.
I stiffen when I hear the cardboard around us being moved, and William’s arms tighten around me. It’s not so much that he would have difficulty traveling into his home country—we both know it’s me who is the one who is in danger. By now, my father will have the entire continent looking for me, and even William’s standing as a prince of Montovia won’t help my cause.
The cardboard just beyond my feet shuffles, but by some grace, the inspector doesn’t lift any more—he probably missed the blankets covering William and me by a centimeter or less.
As soon as the truck begins to move again, William and I both breathe a sigh of relief, clinging to each other. After several more minutes, the truck stops and I hear the door of the truck slam.
Marcell begins to pull the cardboard from around us, tossing it to the end of the truck bed. We finally sit, removing the blankets from us.
William doesn’t hesitate—he pulls me into his arms, kissing me as deeply as he ever has.
Marcell laughs. “I thought I’d offer you two a seat in the front where there’s a heater. But if you’d rather stay back here…”
William grins as he pulls away, helping me out of the back of the truck and into passenger cab. I slide into the middle and William takes the seat to my side.
As Marcell starts the truck, William looks over at him. “I wonder if you’d be up for a little more adventure today, my friend?”
“More adventure?” The man glances at my husband, rubbing at his beard. “Well, I suppose I just broke about a dozen Rosvalian laws, so what’s a few more?” He laughs. “Honestly, I haven’t had this much fun in ages. What’d you have in mind, Your Highness?”
“My wife seems to be under the impression that there may be something going on in the mines of the Amhurst Valley. If you could give us a ride there, I’ll make sure you’re handsomely rewarded as soon as we arrive at the capital. Just name your price.”
“A reward, hm?” He rubs again at his beard, laughing. “I’m not even sure what I could ask. I’ll have to consider it.”
William and I glance at each other, but we don’t have the chance to speak before Marcell cuts in again.
“I’ll think about it on our drive to the mines.”
William
The Amhurst Valley is beautiful, especially in the orange rays of the rising sun. I’ve visited the valley once or twice before with my father, but I forgot how picturesque it is—rolling green hills surrounded on three sides by mountains that appear purple in the morning light. It’s been a mild winter so far, and half-melted patches of snow reflect back the colors of the early morning sky.
Of course, the value of the Amhurst Valley isn’t in its beauty, but rather in what lies beneath the surface. The salt mines that lie below the mountains provide Montovia with one of its largest exports, making the industry here one of our most important. One of the main reasons I married Justine was to settle a dispute with Rosvalia over land rights to this place—the valley lies right on the border between our two countries, and Rosvalia has been trying to claim the land for over a century. As far as I’m aware, they have no legitimate claim, but that doesn’t keep King Maximilian from trying to take it—or, it seems, to try to destroy its value.
I frown. I’ve known for some weeks now that my original marriage to Justine was just a ruse, but I’m kicking myself for never realizing that it was all about this valley, the very symbol of the tension between our countries.
There’s a village up ahead, a charming little collection of cottages and low-roofed buildings along the side of a hill. Marcell shoots us a questioning look, but I shake my head. “We should probably just go straight to the mines. The road to the right up ahead.”
I glance down at Justine. There’s a determined set to her jaw, but she’s looking a little pale.
“Is everything all right?” I ask her softly.
“As well as it can be, given the circumstances.” She smiles weakly up at me. “I’m just kicking myself for forgetting to bring my anti-nausea medication.”
I squeeze her hand, wishing there was something I could do. Maybe I could convince Marcell to drop her off at that village we just passed, to leave her there while we go on to investigate the mines…but I suspect the man is too loyal to Justine to agree to go against her own wishes, even if it were in her best interest.
I wish there was some way I could protect you, I think, stroking my thumb across the back of her hand. Some way to keep you away from all this danger. But she wouldn’t be the woman I fell in love with if she agreed to something like that.
Instead, I try to come up with a plan for what we’re going to do once we get to these mines.
“What I don’t understand,” I say after a moment of thought, “is how Maximilian means to even access the mines—he’d have to send his men across the Montovian border first, and we’d certainly hear about that.” I gesture to the land around us. “People would notice if this place was suddenly crawling with Rosvalians.”
Justine shakes her head. “I couldn’t tell you—Julian didn’t give me many details. But he was certain it had something to do with this valley. And that it was happening soon—if we aren’t already too late.”
To my surprise, Marcell cuts in. “Diggers.”
I frown. “What?”
“A couple buddies of mine were hired a few months ago on a job—part of why we needed so many extra hands after the storm. R
ight around the time you two got married—the first time, mind you—a company came through and offered a three-month contract to do some construction work out in the country. Mostly excavation, they said. The money was really good—I considered it myself, but I didn’t want to be away from my family that long. Turns out I made the right decision, because Leon’s wife told me his contract was extended an extra two months.” He looks at us pointedly.
“You think they’re excavating here?” I ask.
“Not here, in this valley, but these mines have to come out somewhere don’t they? And what’s on the other side of those mountains?”
“Oh God,” Justine says. “He’s right, he has to be—if they can’t access the mines from Montovian soil, they’ll do it from Rosvalia. They’re digging under the mountains.” Her eyes are bright with sudden understanding. “The maps in my father’s study make sense now. They don’t even have to access the Montovian mines—just dig close enough and set off some sort of explosion. If it’s large enough, it’ll bring most of the tunnels crumbling down.”
I feel sick. “Is your father really that much of a monster?”
“My father is a proud, spiteful man. He’s capable of anything that feeds his agenda.”
There’s a sign up ahead—we’ve reached one of the entrances to the mines. My stomach sinks when I see the number of people about, even at this hour.
“We need to find the supervisor,” I say as Marcell pulls his truck to a stop.
There’s a small building across the way, and after helping Justine down from the truck, I dart over. My fist pounds on the door.
“What?” demands a voice from inside. “Come in, but be quick about it.”
I open the door and find a man leaning over his desk. He doesn’t even bother glancing up until I’m only a few steps away, but when he does, his eyes immediately widen.
“Your Highness,” he says. “I thought you were… Forgive me. I didn’t realize we’d be having a royal visit today. I didn’t mean to—”
“You need to get everyone out of the mines. Right now.”
The man’s brow wrinkles. “What? First shift has just started, and—”
“NOW.” I slam my fist down on the desk. “Get them out now. This is an emergency. They’re all in danger.”
The man fumbles for the radio on his desk.
“Yannick,” he says into the radio, still looking confused, “I have orders to evacuate the mines.”
“What orders?” comes a grumpy-sounding voice back through the radio. “From who?”
“From His Highness, Prince William,” says the supervisor.
“They’re all in danger,” I repeat. “King Maximilian is planning something—we believe he might be trying to destroy the mines.”
The man’s eyes widen, and fortunately, I don’t need to explain anything more than that.
“Evacuate immediately,” he tells Yannick. After he puts down the radio, he goes over and flicks a switch on the wall. Immediately, a siren starts to wail outside.
“That’ll bring ‘em right back out,” he says grimly. He gestures me closer. “What do you think is going to happen?”
“We don’t know, but it’s not worth the risk until we find out.” I glance down at the papers on the man’s desk, but they’re all indecipherable to me. “We think Maximilian has men digging in from under the mountains.”
I didn’t think the supervisor’s eyes could get any wider, but I was wrong. “That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“The strange readings we’ve been getting—odd vibrations and the like.” He rustles around in the papers on his desk and pulls out one with a bunch of numbers and a squiggly graph. “My guys couldn’t explain it—it wasn’t volcanic or fault line activity or anything geological, not that we could determine. We’ve been investigating it for a few weeks, but it’s been especially bad these past few days. In fact, I have guys down there right now.” He looks back up at me. “Shit. They’re too deep to radio. And too far to hear the evacuation alarm. We abandoned that section last year—low yield in that particular area, so we only have the basic precautions in place. The only reason they’re down there was to investigate these vibrations.” His concern has turned to outright fear. “When did you say this attack was coming?”
“We don’t know. Could be any time now.”
The man grabs his hard hat from a hook on the wall. “Then I’m going in to get them.”
I’m not about to let one of my citizens risk his life while I stand by and do nothing. “I’m coming too.”
“And me.”
The voice behind me makes me jump—how long has Justine been there? I thought she was back by the truck.
“It’s too dangerous,” I tell her.
“I don’t care. I’m coming.”
“I’m not about to let you—”
“This is my father’s doing. And I refuse to just stand here and wait for the worst to happen. I knew my father was capable of terrible things. But I just stood by and turned a blind eye to most of it. I didn’t want to see it. I wanted to run away, to pretend like it wasn’t happening.” Her eyes flash. “Not anymore. I need to do this, William. I need to help.”
I can’t deny her that, not when she’s looking at me that way.
“Okay,” I tell her. “Let’s go.”
Justine
We’re each handed a hardhat, and we’re taken to the elevator that descends into the deepest part of the mines.
It takes an eternity for the elevator to arrive at the surface—I can’t even imagine how deep into the earth we’re going to have to go to find the men down there.
It’s probably stupid for me to be following William and the supervisor at all. I know the risks—I just can’t help but feel responsible. This is what my father has been planning all along. And if I’d been paying attention, perhaps I would have figured out his plans long before now—long before there were innocent citizens in peril.
We begin the long descent down the mine shaft. William laces his fingers through mine, but he says nothing. The occasional squeeze of his hand tells me all I need to know—he’s as worried as I am. We may very well be too late—and if we are, we’re both going to die with the men inside the mine.
I suppose it could be worse, I think as my heart hammers in my chest. I could be doing this alone. Or William could be doing this alone. At least we have each other.
I give his hand a squeeze and try to make eye contact with him. It’s dark—the lights on our hardhats are the only illumination as we descend, but it’s enough for me to see the worry in his gaze.
He frowns at me, and even in the dim lighting I can see so many emotions dancing across his expression. Worry, fear, probably some anger. But we’re together now. And that’s all that matters.
William slides an arm around my waist, dipping his head to speak into my ear. “You should have waited for me at the surface.”
“I—”
“I already know you’re going to say I couldn’t have stopped you.” He presses a kiss to my temple. “But I’m glad we’re together, if nothing else.”
I nod, turning to look up at him. Even as I do, the rapid descent into the earth is causing my nausea to wash over me like a wave, and it’s all I can do not to vomit all over him.
I cover my mouth instead, turning away from him—just in case.
William places a hand on my back, rubbing up and down my spine as I try to recover.
The bottom of the mineshaft can’t arrive fast enough, and I’m more relieved than I thought I could ever be when we finally reach it. We all leave the elevator, and I find the nearest wall, clinging to it silently as I will the nausea away.
William walks over to me. “You can wait here—”
“I’ll be going with you.” I nod over at the supervisor, who is trying to get his radio to work. “Perhaps he’ll be able to get a signal through now that we’re closer to his men.”
The man seems to read my mind. He wal
ks back over to us, shaking the radio. “I didn’t think it would work, but I guess you never know until you try. Come on.” He motions toward a tunnel in the back of the small area where we’re standing. “We’ll have to go in.”
The tunnel is dark and damp, the thick air clinging to me like a wet towel. We walk hundreds of meters inside the mine. The primary light sources are the lamps on our hardhats with a few dimly lit lanterns every several meters. It gives the entire place a spooky, almost surreal feeling.
We finally make it to where the men are working—and something is definitely going on down here. There’s an almost buzzing sound, and it gets louder the farther we delve into the mine.
One of the men turns around—he’s holding some sort of instrument I don’t recognize. “Sir? What are you doing down here?” His gaze turns to me, then to William. It takes him a moment, but I see the second he recognizes his prince. “Is that—?”
“His Highness, Prince William,” the supervisor interrupts. “And his wife. They seem to think these vibrations are coming from her side of the mountains. Do you think that’s possible?”
“Only if Rosvalia is crazy,” the man replies. “But I suppose…” He shakes his head. “That makes more sense than anything else that might be going on. What do you think they’re doing down here?”
“We all need to leave. Now!” William is shouting, trying to get the attention of the men on the opposite side of the mine. “There might be a weapon. And we don’t know when or where—”
He’s interrupted by the sound of an explosion. I cover my ears instinctively, as do the men. And then—just as instinctively—we begin to run back toward the elevator.
The shaft is holding, at least for the moment, but the buzzing sound is louder than ever now, and there was no mistaking the sound of explosives.
Whatever it is my father is doing, it’s close. Too close.
“There’s only enough room for five in the elevator,” the supervisor warns.
“I’ll stay behind.” William almost shoves me onto the elevator ahead of him. “I’ll wait down here. Get yourselves out.”