Chapter 9
Not much time had passed since the gongs had signalled a fresh workday for the adults. Alistar and Kaila were making their way out of the Resident Cavern, hurrying away from an unsatisfying breakfast and an unfriendly crowd. They were now old enough that they no longer had to sneak off into the tunnels, nor did they worry about receiving a heated scolding. Although their loved ones were perpetually worried for them, they could hardly expect them to sit still each and every day, and frankly, the empty tunnels were safer than the occupied ones.
As the two entered the Long Tunnel, Alistar's mind was bogged down by troubled thoughts. Today he had noticed something for the first time, once on their way out of the Resident Cavern and now again as they weaved through the hordes of aggrieved workers that filled the main tunnels, mostly lines of Carriers trapped in their endless cycles of disposing of excess rock. He wasn't sure exactly what it was that made him uneasy about the way that some of the new guards stared at Kaila, but he knew that he must be wary of the ones who gave such looks. He had seen similar stares before, but they were only ever directed toward adults—toward women. He had never even stopped to think about it, but seeing the men look at Kaila in such a strange way planted seeds of worry in his stomach that sprouted like rampant weeds on sunlit soil.
"Alie?"
Kaila's sweet voice freed him from his thoughts. The sounds of pained gasps and yells of discipline, of pickaxes and various tools being put to use, had all begun to dwindle. Eventually, the only thing that remained was a growing silence, a sound that Alistar appreciated more with each day.
They had just left the Long Tunnel and turned into one of the many tributaries that connected to it like a network of hollowed out veins. It was reasonably distanced from the Resident Cavern, with a string of lanterns lining one wall rather than the more commonly seen wall-mounted torches. It was in tunnels such as these that the two regularly wandered, doing their best to stay clear of any areas that were alive with activity. Outside of your work group, one had to keep a vigilant eye out for other slaves in addition to the guards. The workers had no way to alleviate their frustrations, and often took it out on others in the same situation as them.
As they always did whenever they planned on entering an unlit section of the mines—the end of this tunnel leading to one such section—Alistar leaned up against the wall and braced himself so that Kaila could awkwardly crawl on top of him and reach up for one of the lanterns. The lanterns were quite heavy, and in the past they had almost always fallen down.
Although Kaila had grown slightly taller than him in the past year, Alistar stubbornly refused her unending insistences that they switch jobs. It wasn't that he didn't want her to bear his weight, but that they were used to their current process, which made it easier. Having just turned down such a proposition, he maintained his usual stance along the wall and ignored the discomfort of Kaila climbing back down while balancing the lantern that she had snatched.
She hadn't yet made it to the ground when the light sounds of hushed footfalls began to drift over from the direction of the Long Tunnel. Somebody was approaching them, and swiftly.
Once the two realized that they were about to have company, Kaila scrambled down from Alistar's shoulders in a rush, which caused them both to fall to the ground in a clumsy tangle of limbs. They groaned as they tried to collect themselves, their muffled voices easily carrying through the empty tunnel.
"Ouch! You need to be more careful, Kaila!"
"I—I..." a light sniffle stifled her words before giving way to her childish cries.