Maria Snyder - Spy Glass

My guide grabbed one of the lanterns to carry with us. He paused every so often and pointed out an interesting rock formation or geological feature.

If it wasn’t for the current of air, I might have panicked. The tunnel zigzagged and we passed so many other branches and caverns that I was soon lost. The distant sound of machinery echoed off the hard walls. I spotted a few miners, but soon we were alone with the darkness being held back by that one lantern.

I felt the pressure of the mountain on my shoulders, reminding me about all that weight hanging over us. I asked Galen about cave-ins.

“Unlikely. This section is new. We haven’t opened it up yet.”

“What about along the way out?”

He chuckled without humor. “Down here, anything can happen.”

I decided to quit asking questions. We entered a narrow shaft. My arms brushed the walls and Galen hunched over. The moist smell intensified as the airflow died. I moved closer to him and almost bumped into him when he stopped without warning. Another dry chuckle.

He held the lantern up, illuminating the end of the shaft. It widened slightly like a head on the end of a match. I moved closer as he tapped the black wall in front of us. The pock-marked surface appeared porous.

Galen pulled a small metal tool from his pocket and scraped at the black stone. A few pieces broke off and clattered to the floor.

After a few minutes, he handed me a smooth black rock. “A diamond hidden in the lava.”

Magic radiated from the stone so I ran my hand along the bumpy wall of lava, but didn’t feel any power. I suspected he planted this diamond here.

Pretending to be awed, I asked him how he could see it with his glasses on.

“My eyes are sensitive to the light.” He tried a smile, but it failed.

The slight catch in his voice meant he lied. A person could change his hair color and style, grow a beard, add putty to his face, put lifts in his shoes, or stuff his clothes with cotton. But one thing that was impossible to do without magic was change his eye color. Seeking a disguise, I asked if I could dig for a diamond.

He handed me the scraper. I opened up a small hole, but didn’t find anything. He swept his fingers inside and pulled another stone free, using sleight of hand. Before my training with Valek I would have missed the subtle motion. That and the fact the stone pulsed with magic.

I kept quiet as we started back to the surface. Why would Vasko set up this elaborate ruse? Perhaps he didn’t want anyone to know where he mined the diamonds. Then why not refuse to give me a tour? Because he wanted me to back up his claims. It would have worked if Vasko knew I could feel the magic.

Another realization hit me. Galen wouldn’t have used charged diamonds if he had been warned about my immunity. Which meant Finn hadn’t been here since our encounter in Hubal. No Finn. No blood.

I pulled my morose thoughts back to Vasko. Nothing illegal about hiding the source of the black diamonds. No one had reported them stolen. Unless he imported them illegally from Ixia? The Commander and Valek hadn’t known about the other diamond pit in the Northern Ice Sheet at first. Why would this be different?

A rumble shook the ground under my feet. Galen cursed.

“What was that?” I asked, coughing on dust.

“An explosion or a cave-in…or both.” He handed me the lantern and jabbed a finger toward the ground. “Stay here. Don’t move. I’ll return for you.”

The panic must have shown on my face because Galen gave me the two diamonds. “Here’s more incentive for me to return.” He disappeared into the blackness.

If he had been joking about the diamonds, it failed to amuse me. I clutched the stones in my fist. The sharp edges dug into my palm, but the pain wasn’t enough to distract me from the situation. The lantern’s flame stayed steady. No breeze, but before I worried about running out of air, I remembered a fire couldn’t burn without it.

Waiting was torture; I decided to continue up the shaft until I reached a junction. I reasoned that Galen would still be able to find me. The next intersection resembled all the others we had passed on our descent. At least there was a little more room for me to move. I turned a circle, searching for an airflow. Nothing stirred.

Resigned to wait, I sat on the ground, crossing my legs under me. My thoughts kept trying to imagine all types of horrible scenarios. I clung to one piece of logic. This wasn’t part of Vasko’s revenge for Pazia. He needed me to confirm the legitimacy of his messengers to Irys and Bain. Besides, Pazia, Nic and Eve knew I was down here. No. I wouldn’t contemplate this as a murder attempt.

Instead, I examined the black diamonds. The rough uncut gemstones lacked beauty, but held an incredible amount of magic. Too bad I couldn’t use it to communicate. Then again, what would I say? I’m stuck at the intersection of Rock Boulevard and Rock Street? Come get me.

I was being silly, but it gave me an idea. I looked on the walls of the connecting shafts, searching for directional markings. The miners had to get lost from time to time. Wouldn’t it make sense to name the shafts or at least indicate an exit? An array of scratches lined all the walls. Perhaps the miners could read them, but I couldn’t.

Focusing my energy on what I did know, I mulled over a reason Vasko would lie about where the black diamonds had been found. Perhaps he discovered them in a more accessible or even public location, and didn’t want his competitors to find out. Unlike my glass messengers, these super ones didn’t require any special magic. Any magician could charge the diamonds and any glassmaker could encase them in glass. Therefore keeping the location secret was key.

If he imported them from Ixia, Valek might already be suspicious. Before, he had Ari and Janco investigating General Kitvivan’s illicit operation. Except this time all three of them have been here in Sitia helping me.

Fisk might know if any of the blacks have gone through the underground market in the Citadel. He had been the first to discover Kitvivan’s diamonds and had kept track of the pearls. Thinking of Fisk, I remembered my promise to investigate the Bloodrose Clan.

I shot to my feet as my brain made a connection. My helmet tumbled to the ground as I raked a hand through my hair, pulling all the clues together. It was a huge leap of logic. But I believed the reason the blacks looked so familiar was because I had seen them at the Bloodroses’ complex.

The second building where Walsh’s men had captured Quinn. Instead of oyster shells and long tables filling the space, boxes with mesh screens like the ones I had seen in Vasko’s sorting building, mounds of sand and black rocks littered the area. I had been so worried about Quinn flaming out I hadn’t given the strange contents a thought.

Walsh’s actions against the other oyster farms made more sense. Not only could he affect the pearl prices, but he could keep the others from discovering that those black rocks are actually diamonds.

But once I considered it fully, there were more than a few holes. Those rocks could indeed be rocks. If they weren’t, then how did Walsh figure out the rocks were diamonds? I remembered the sea glass Heli had found. The pieces had been scratched, and there were only a few substances hard enough to scratch glass. Diamonds being one of them.

But why would Walsh team up with Vasko? Even with these questions, a visit to the Bloodrose Clan was overdue.

One problem. Galen hadn’t returned. I checked the oil level in the lantern. Half-full. I settled back on the ground. Devlen had been right. Waiting wasn’t easy. And how long should I stay here before trying to find my own way?

The diamonds still clutched in my hand could scratch a mark into the wall. Perhaps I should explore—