by Maggie Walsh
“The mine’s entrance is off on that dirt road. We should be coming up on it in about a mile.”
* * * *
“This one has a broken femur and I think his pelvis is crushed. We can stabilize him and get him onto the helicopter Nick has dispatched,” Sutton said, as he worked to wrap the man’s leg in a brace.
“This guy has some broken ribs and a bump on his head, but he’s stable. We’ll be able to transport him in the rig. What about that guy?” Logan replied, as he hooked up an IV into the man lying unconscious on the ground before him.
“Quick assessment, he’s breathing and his heart is beating strong. I think he can wait a couple more minutes until one of us makes sure these guys are ready,” Sutton replied.
“Well, this one's good to go. I’ll call up to the guys and have them come get him. You keep working on him and I’ll go look at the other guy,” Logan instructed, then moved to the other injured man.
There was a loud cracking sound, followed by a creepy, hollow ping. Sutton’s hands froze as he looked up. The cave above them was making some strange groaning sounds, but he couldn't see anything moving, not even a wisp of dirt. “I think we need to move faster.”
“On it,” Logan said. He grabbed the mic at his shoulder and started giving the guys above an update and Sutton went back to what he was doing, his fingers moving faster.
A second later there was a bigger, booming crack that lasted longer. He and Logan looked to each other. Just as their gazes met, there was another groan, then an ear splitting crack before the world began to shake.
Sut lost his balance as he crouched next to his patient and landed on his ass as dust and dirt rained down around him. The cave shook with more force and the air filled with debris, then suddenly, everything went dark. A deafening crash rang around him, hurting Sutton’s ears. He quickly threw himself over his patient and brought his arms up to shield his own head. A pain shot through his back and Sut hissed. Another came, then another, and suddenly, he was being pelted by rocks as they smashed against him and around him. Sutton heard Logan cry out and his own heart stopped from the pain he heard in his best friend’s voice.
It only lasted a few minutes, but it felt like hours. All at once everything stopped, and Sutton just lay there, unmoving, as he listened, waiting to hear anything, but all was silent. Slowly, he dropped his arms and raised his head, coughing as he breathed in the dirt and dust. There was still a lot of it in the air and it was pitch black. The small lanterns that had lit their way earlier when they entered the cave, were now dark and he couldn’t see very far. It was only because of his shifter genes that he could make anything out, and after blinking a few times to get the dust out of his eyes, his gaze landed on Logan, who lay unmoving only feet from him with rocks and boulders lying around him.
Sutton looked back to his patient and saw that the man was doing good. Sutton was confident he could leave his side and go check the others. As he moved past Logan’s first patient with the IV, Sut noticed he too seemed okay and he was breathing, so he moved on.
Pushing rocks and small boulders out of his way, Sut slowly crawled to where Logan and the other man were. Once he reached them he quickly placed fingers to each man’s neck and found their pulses. He breathed a sigh of relief, then started assessing their condition. Sut raised his head and looked around for a moment. Now that some of the dust had settled, he could see they were truly trapped now. The five of them sat in what looked like a cave maybe ten feet long by four feet wide, and not a whole lot of room to stand up straight, with no known way out. Shit, they were so screwed.
CHAPTER 3
Casimir rushed to the tent Illan had set up. Looking around, he saw his brother speaking with members from the council and a very distraught Jensen. “What do you mean you can’t just go in there to get them. My mate is in there, damn it! He could be hurt, or dead, for all we know.”
“Jensen, you would know if your mate was dead, you would be able feel it. This is a Uranium mine, and that means that we face possible radiation issues. If we go in too fast, or the wrong way, we could cause an explosion and kill everyone inside,” Illan explained.
“What about your mate link?” Casimir asked. “Can’t you use that to talk with him?”
Jensen and the others turned to Casimir, and Jensen replied in frustration, “I tried. He isn’t answering me. I don’t know if he can’t, or if there’s something blocking our link.”
“The uranium might be the issue. The radiation might be interfering with your link,” Wyndingo said, laying down blueprints.
“There has to be something we can do, Illan. For the love of the gods, we’re all paranormals with tons of powers and you’re telling me we can’t use any of them? Destrain, what about you and the pixies? You guys use portals all the time. Why can’t you just go in there and pull them out?” Jensen asked in frustration.
Destrain shook his head. “We already tried, Jensen. It’s like a locked door. We can’t open a portal to get in there. It might be the uranium as well. We just don’t know.”
Sighing, Illan replied, “I know you’re worried about Logan, but we have looked into every possible thing we can try to do, and we all agree that this is not something we can attempt to use our powers on. The mine is too unstable, we don’t know the complete layout, what parts have been compromised, or even where the men are down there.”
“We have to go about this as the humans would. I know you want your mate out of there, Jensen. We all understand your frustration and fear. All we ask is that you let us look at what we have here and figure out the safest way to go in. It might take longer, but we have to consider the fact that there are humans down there as well as Sut and Logan,” Wyndingo said calmly.
Casimir stood there frozen. He had been through one of the worst wars of their kind and could only remember feeling this kind of fear and helplessness one other time, and that experience had already cost him a mate.
Pascal gave Casimir a scathing look. “How about you stay out of everyone’s way?”
Casimir was shocked at Pascal’s anger. The Santorini fox was usually the sweet one, and right now the man’s hostility was completely out of character. “I want to help.”
“Why?” Pascal asked, still sounding pissed.
Casimir’s teeth ground together as he did his best to rein in his own anger at the way Pascal was speaking to him. “My mate is in that mine too, Pascal.”
Pascal scoffed, “Your mate? Since when have you ever rec—”
“Pascal, that’s enough,” Illan said sternly, then turned to Casimir. “Nick might have an idea on how you can help. However, I have to agree with Pascal on one thing. You need to stay out of our way and let Wyndingo and the others do their jobs.”
Destrain sighed. “Casimir, let’s go find Nick. He was talking to some people that have experience with cave-in rescues. He might have a better idea of how you can help.”
“I want to help too,” Jensen insisted.
Nodding, Destrain replied, “Jensen, why don’t you go to Rhys and Twix. They were putting something together to feed the people here and I know they could use your help.”
Jensen nodded. “Okay, but don’t think I don’t know you’re just giving me keeping-busy work.”
“Sometimes that’s the best. It makes the time go quicker and helps keep your mind off of things, in order to ease your fears,” Destrain answered.
“My mate is trapped inside a uranium mine that’s caved in all around him and maybe on him, Destrain. I doubt if my mind is going to forget that. And, until he is out of there, I won’t feel any ease or relief,” Jensen snapped, then turned and made his way to Rhys and Twix.
Destrain sighed, then started walking towards another tent. “Casimir, I know you’re worried about Sutton just as much as Jensen is concerned for Logan. Just know we are going to do everything in our power to get your mates out of that mine.”
“I’m surprised you’re not as angry with me as everyone else seems to be,”
Casimir replied softly.
Destrain let out a loud exhale. “Cas, I’ve known you for centuries. We’ve been through a great deal together. I know about your loss. I was right there with you after you discovered your parents died, just as you were with me when my Clove died. If anyone understands what is going on in your mind and heart, it’s me.”
“Gods, I screwed up, Des. I never meant for Sutton to feel as if I was ashamed of him. It’s just after what happened… all the loss… I couldn’t… now he could die and not know…”
Destrain stopped walking and placed a gentle hand on Casimir’s arm, softly saying, “Cas, he isn’t going to die. Look around you. Just about every man and woman in Maddox as well as Crystal are out here doing everything they can to get those men out of that mine in one piece. You just need to have faith. Then, you and Sutton can get together and work on your mating.”
Shaking his head, Casimir whispered, “There isn’t any chance of that, Destrain. He made it really clear that we were done and I don’t know how to fix it. I…” Casimir had to swallow past the lump in his throat then continued, “I… I’ve lost him, Des, and he has every right to hate me for what I’ve done. There is no excuse for my actions. I just… I just want him out of that mine safe and sound.”
“Cas, have you told him about what happened during the war? Explained to him why you were so hesitant to mate with him?” Destrain asked.
Shaking his head, Casimir replied, “No. I tried a couple of times, but the words just stuck in my throat. You know how I don’t like talking about my past. It’s just too painful.”
They were making their way to Nick when Casimir heard Destrain’s two mates, Clove and Tobias arguing. “You are not going in there, Tobias and that’s that.”
“It’s my job, Clover. I can do this. I swear that everything will be fine. If I can find a way in there, I can check on how everyone is, and we can see what it is we need to do to get everyone out safe and sound,” Tobias said with frustration.
Shaking his head, Clove replied, “It’s too dangerous. There’s no way that Wyn and Nick, let alone Destrain, will allow you to try and get in that mine. It’s too unstable right now.”
“With or without your approval, I’m going to do this, Clover and there isn’t anything you, or anyone else, can do to stop me,” Tobias argued.
“The last time I checked I was the Battalion Chief as well as a member of our council, Tobias, and that means I can stop you, and I am doing just that,” Nick said with authority.
Tobias practically whined, “But I can do this, Sir. I can get into places that most can’t, and if I can get in there I can assess the situation and come back and give you a better idea of where to drill.”
“And I appreciate your willingness to do that, but at this time the mine is too unstable. I’m not saying that once we get things where we don’t have to fear any further cave-ins that I won’t call on you then, but for now, it’s just too dangerous,” Nick explained.
Tobias’s shoulders slumped. “Fine, but the second it’s safe enough I want to go in.”
Nodding, Nick replied, “Once it’s safe enough I’ll be the first one to come to you. For now, go to Wyn and see what he might want you to do to help the guys.”
“Yes, Sir,” Tobias said, then turned to Clove. “You are so in time-out for this one.”
Destrain softly laughed, but not softly enough. Tobias turned to him, wiggling his pointer finger at him. “I wouldn’t be too happy, Dezzy, because you are too.”
Destrain pulled back in surprise. “What did I do?”
Lifting his chin high in the air, Tobias stated, “Besides laugh at our mate’s punishment? You were cheering in your mind, because I can’t go in the mine.”
Tobias walked off in a huff, and Cas softly laughed. “He is such a pistol.”
Turning to Cas, Destrain replied, “I wouldn’t be so quick to laugh, because from what I know of Sutton, he’s even worse than my sweets.”
Casimir felt his heart clench at his friend’s words. Sutton was outspoken, funny, caring, and… gods, Cas couldn’t believe he had lost such a special man. He deserved the pain he was going through right now. When Cas had seen Sut in the club, drunk and talking so vulgar, he couldn’t believe it. The anger and hurt poured from not just Sut’s body, but also from his very soul, and it was all Cas’s fault. He had known he needed to talk to Sutton, explain why he was so reluctant to mate… but when he had tried, one look into the eyes that had been so full of life once, were vacant of the man he had been. There was nothing staring back at Casimir but emptiness.
Casimir had known… but prayed he was wrong. He prayed to Kali herself that he was mistaken and that he would be given a chance to fix what he had done. He had sworn to Kali that if she helped him, he would never again take for granted the gift he had been given. Casimir would prove to Sutton that he wasn’t a dirty secret, but was the man Casimir loved with all his heart and soul, and would cherish Sutton with everything he had, if only he was given the chance to make up for the pain and hurt he had caused his mate.
“Cas, are you coming?” Destrain asked, pulling Casimir out of his thoughts.
Blinking and looking around, he saw Nick, Clove, and Destrain staring at him with understanding. “What did you say?”
“The Emergency Structural Engineer just arrived. Do you want to go with, us or would you rather go help Jensen and the others?” Destrain asked.
Shaking his head, Casimir replied, “No, I would rather go with you. I think I might be more helpful here. Besides the fact that I can’t cook water, I need to know firsthand what’s going on.”
Making their way to the mine entrance, Casimir cringed when he saw the size of the boulders blocking the way inside to his mate. Please Kali, let him be safe and alive. If you must take a life, take mine.
“You must be Clint Davis. I’m Battalion Chief, Nick Holt. This is…”
“King Destrain. It is an honor to be in your presence,” Clint said, with just barely held back awe.
Destrain smiled. “Thank you, Clint. This is one of my mates, Clove and a good friend of mine, Casimir Sutherlan. His mate is one of the men trapped inside, and just like the rest of us, he’s anxious to get his mate and the others out safely, and as quickly as possible. Do you think you can help us with that?”
Nodding so hard Casimir thought the man might lose his head, or get whiplash, Clint replied, “Oh yes, King Destrain. What we need to know is where the men are first. That will give us a better idea on where we can set up before we start to drill.”
“We have no idea where they are,” Nick said in frustration.
“Did they get into the safe room?” Clint asked.
“Safe room? What safe room?” Nick asked.
Clint asked, “Did Wyndingo get the maps I asked for?”
Nodding, Casimir replied, “Yes. He grabbed them before we came here.”
“How about we go have a look at that map and I can show you where the safe room is located.”
They had started making their way to the tent, when Clint said, “I’m just glad you dragons didn’t just start blowing through the entrance.”
“Of course we wouldn’t do that. We know how dangerous that could be for the survivors inside,” Wyndingo snapped, apparently overhearing the little guy’s comment as they walked into the tent.
Apparently not knowing, or maybe not caring, that he had offended half the people currently in the area, Clint replied, “Well, be that as it may. My experience with dragons is you all tend to act first and think later.”
Casimir smirked. Clint didn’t seem to care that he was a good foot shorter than most of the men around him and weighed maybe half as much. He just ignored Wyndingo’s tone saying, “Are those the blueprints and maps I asked for?”
“Yes,” Wyndingo said, sounding none too friendly.
The clipped tone must have finally registered to Clint, because he sighed, saying, “Look, I wasn’t trying to be offensive. I was just stating what m
y experience happens to be. Dragons tend to think strength above all else, whereas small shifters like myself have to learn that sometimes creativity is your best weapon. I know you are all looking at me and wondering how someone so much smaller than you can get your friends out of the mine. Well, I might be a mere gopher shifter, but I know this mine like you know your own homes. If the people in there are still alive, I will get them out of there. The question is, can you all set aside your humongous egos and let me do my job? Size has nothing to do with abilities.”
“Preach!” Tobias shouted from the back of the tent.
Illan stepped forward, saying, “I wouldn’t care if you were an ant shifter. All we want is the people in that mine to be found and brought out safely and still breathing.”
Nodding, Clint looked down at the map and ran his finger along it, then pointed. “Our men were set to work in this area here. I spoke with the putter…”
“The what?” Nick asked.
Rolling his eyes, Clint said, “The putter is also known as the dragsman.”
When he saw no one in the tent had a clue what he was taking about, Clint sighed and went on, “He’s the guy that works the cart around the mine… Look, if I have to explain everything I know about the mines and positions of the people, it’s going to be weeks until we can get your men out of there, instead of days.”