The Glittering Court
Page 86

He came over and handed me my morning cup of cinnamon thorn tea, something else he’d taken upon himself to make, and a small metallic object. I looked closer and saw it was a necklace. A narrow linked chain held an oval-shaped pendant of thin glass with a flower pressed in the middle. I’d seen this pressed-flower style before; they were trendy in Adoria right now. I held it up the light and realized what the flower was.
“It’s bishop’s lace,” I said in delight. “Just like the ones from our wedding.”
“It is one from our wedding. Since you can’t wear a ring yet, I saved it so you’d have some kind of token.”
“That was resourceful of you.” I put the chain around my neck and ran my hands over the glass. “I forgot all about those flowers after . . . well, everything else that happened that night.”
He touched my cheek. “Well, I can be pretty distracting. It’s a wonder you can remember your name anymore. Any of them.”
“Now, now, don’t be so humble,” I said, elbowing him. “But thank you. I hope you didn’t spend too much on it.”
“Don’t worry, it’s brass. I’ll do better on the ring.”
He leaned down to kiss me, and then the sound of a horse outside made him jerk back. Without speaking, we both jumped up from the bed. Cedric tucked his shirt in while I hastily pulled on my split skirt and boots. I’d just seated myself at the tiny table with my tea when a knock sounded at the door. Cedric opened it casually, putting on a pleasantly surprised smile when he saw Elias’s sour face outside.
“What an unexpected delight,” Cedric lied.
Elias peered inside. “Hard at work, I see.”
“You’re just in time for breakfast.” I gestured to the bacon before me. “Always a good start to the day. Would you like some?”
Elias stepped inside, studying the shabby room with disdain. He leaned toward my food and sniffed, wrinkling his nose. “Of course not. I’m here on business.”
“Now, now, Elias. Don’t be rude,” said a familiar voice. Warren appeared in the doorway. “May I come in?”
“Certainly,” Cedric said with a wave. “Welcome to my home.”
Warren’s pleasant smile never left his face as he came in and looked around. I’d grown used to the shabbiness, but Warren no doubt thought I’d made a terrible choice. “How quaint,” was all he said.
Cedric had left the door open, and I could see Elias’s usual henchmen out there, along with a few other unknown men milling about. “Is this for the lode?” I asked.
Throughout the week, Cedric and I had dutifully worked the pans and sluices but had stayed away from the outcropping. Warren and Elias had urged us to wait until the proper men and tools were there, and we’d obeyed, despite our growing impatience. It had been hard, knowing that Cedric could have easily gone up there and, within a week of hacking, gotten what we needed for our immediate debts.
“What else would it be for?” Elias snapped. “Now, if it isn’t an inconvenience to your meal, we’d like to get started.”
He turned for the door, and Cedric and I exchanged looks behind his back. What else could we do? We both wanted this, and if Elias’s attitude was the price we had to pay, so be it.
“I’m sorry,” said Warren in a low voice, once Elias was back outside. “I know he’s . . . abrasive at times. But he’s good at his job, and he’s loyal.”
Outside, we found more climbing gear and several small crates. One of the men stepped forward, introducing himself as Argus Lane. He was an explosives expert and showed us how the crates were filled with small containers. “These work on a delay,” he explained. “There are two components. On their own, they’re perfectly stable. When mixed in great enough quantities with each other, they trigger an explosive reaction. Men’ll go up there and set them, then hurry down before the reaction occurs.”
“It sounds dangerous,” I said.
Argus smiled at me. “Not if they’re done correctly. Once the components are attached and we’re ready, you just pull out a pin that triggers the top one to gradually fill into the bottom. It’s designed to be slow enough for a getaway.”
“Argus knows what he’s doing,” Warren said, patting the other man on the back. “He mined in Kelardia before coming to Adoria, and he’s already overseen the excavation of several lodes here.”
Two of the men began strapping on harnesses and ropes, and Cedric offered to go with them. “You stay on the ground,” said Elias. “We need skilled climbers who can get out in time. You can help when we’re ready to dig it out—and then you can fall at your leisure.”
We’d mentioned Cedric’s fall while at Warren’s, and Elias had blamed it on Cedric’s inexperience, rather than faulty equipment. Anger flared up in me, and I started to speak, but Cedric laid a calming hand on my arm. “We have bigger battles to fight,” he murmured.
“Elias,” said Warren in a warning voice.
Elias eyed Cedric for several moments, seeming undecided about something. At last, he said reluctantly, “If you want to help, you can fasten the second load of explosive components together. Just fasten them. Don’t take the pins out. We don’t need these going off.”
The components were clearly marked, one blue and one red, and Argus demonstrated how to intricately twist the two cases so they clicked into place, one on top of the other. The pin that stopped them from mixing was fixed in tightly between them. “Hard to get out—but still, be careful. Go slow.”
“I’ll help,” I said, starting to kneel with Cedric in the grass.
“In Uros’s name, no,” groaned Elias. “I just said we don’t need these going off. This is men’s work, Miss Bailey. Not sewing and mending.”
I put my hands on my hips. “I’m aware. And I’ve been doing ‘men’s work’ for weeks now.”
“She’s actually better at it than sewing and mending,” remarked Cedric, deadpan.
Elias turned to Warren beseechingly. “Sir, I beg you.”
“Elias, she is a very capable woman, and you’d do well to recognize that,” said Warren sternly. He turned to me. “But, in fairness, I know when too many hands are involved in that kind of detailed work, it actually can get more complicated. Would you mind terribly if instead I took you up on your earlier hospitality? I thought I smelled tea back there, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Elias’s smug smile nearly drove me to refuse. I’d served them willingly last time, but now this felt like proof that I could do only “women’s work.” But I kept the polite façade and went back to the shanty, grateful that on this trip, at least, I didn’t have to hide Alanzan artifacts. I’d used up the last of my cinnamon thorn tea this morning and would have to endure the humiliation of asking Mistress Marshall for more. Not that I would’ve ever served that to Warren anyway. I instead used some decent black that Cedric had splurged on during a recent trip to town.
By the time it was steeped and ready to go, I found all sorts of progress outside. Warren’s men were almost at the top of the outcropping. Cedric was just about finished with his task when Elias unceremoniously set down an enormous pile of rope, as well as a couple more explosives with the components already joined. “Since you’re so eager to help,” said Elias, “this needs untangling.” His tone was as demeaning as ever. I was about to hurry over to help Cedric, but Warren beckoned me over, excitement on his face. He pointed up.