Thankfully, the rest of the sleigh ride passed in silence until we came up to a mountainside. It was nothing but a sheer drop of rock and shale, and where it had collapsed under a landslide was now covered in snow. This wasn’t a mine entrance.
Freya stepped out of the sleigh and ran her hands along the mountain. Brushing her fingers along the rocky stone, she found a spot where the glamour faded and gave way into a hidden entrance covered by a ward.
“How do you know the secret way?” Rumple cried out indignantly.
Freya spun, her eyes wide as she stared at me, realizing that the voice definitely didn’t belong to Molneer.
“Who?”
I dropped the charm into the snow, removing the glamour. The world shifted as my disguise faded and I stood before her, a young woman with a giant axe strapped to her back.
“Rhea?”
“Not just Rhea, woman. Answer me! How do you know the secret way into our mountain?”
Freya looked around in fear, her hands trembling. “Who’s talking?”
Brenna, Annette, and Benton huddled together in confusion. Captain Adams kept them from interfering, holding his sword in front of them.
I reached over my back and unstrapped the axe, the gold glittering in the sun. Rolling the handle in my palms, I shifted the blade to get a better grip.
“I’d like to introduce you to my friend.” I smirked. “He talks, chops off heads, and is apparently great in the kitchen. You need to answer his question before he starts mouthing off again.”
Freya backed away, clutching her skirt. “I was shown the way by Molneer.”
“These aren’t the king’s mines. You’ve been sending people into Ter Dell,” Rumple sneered. “Why?”
Freya’s shoulders dropped. “Molneer said he needed help running the dwarven mines. It was too much to do by himself, and hardly anyone wanted to go. He said it was the only way.”
“Freya,” I said her name softly. “The Ter Dell mines are overrun with goblins. Did you know?”
Her face paled. “No, that can’t be.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of gold coins. “See everything that they’ve brought up?”
“Humans can’t survive down in the mines,” Rumple said. “Only goblins and dwarves. And there are very few dwarves left in these mountains. Or so I’ve been told.”
“Then why has he been asking for help? I don’t understand?” Freya brushed her thin hands across her brow. Her stance became wobbly.
Captain Adams had lowered his sword, his face filled with disgust as he realized the implication before Freya did.
“You know what goblins eat, don’t you?” Rumple growled out.
Brenna fainted, and Benton caught her in his arms. Annette looked like she was going to be sick, putting her hand over her mouth as her shoulders shuddered.
Freya shook her head in denial. “That can’t be true.”
“How many?” I asked, my voice dry with horror.
“I don’t know what you mean . . .” Freya said.
“You aren’t short staffed. Molneer has been paying you to send people into the mines, all to line your pockets with cursed gold.” I raised the axe to her throat. “So I will ask one more time. How many?”
Freya’s lip trembled and heavy tears fell from her eyes. She looked to Captain Adams and nodded, implicating him as well. “We’ve sent hundreds of people into the mines. I sent my eldest son to pay off his debt. Oh, stars.” Her hands flew to her mouth. “Does that mean he’s de—” She couldn’t finish her sentence as she wailed loudly and collapsed into the snow, the gold spilling from her fingers, disappearing into the white blanket.
I glanced at the dark tunnel and then turned to Freya. “No more. I shall be the last.”
“What?” she asked in confusion, sniffling through her crying.
“No more shall enter this mountain, ever.” I held out my hand and Freya knew what I demanded without any words. She pulled a pouch of gold from her pocket and handed it to me. As soon as it touched my palm, I felt the thrum. A deep throbbing that felt familiar, and then I knew where I had heard the rhythm before. It was the sound of the mines of Ter Dell.
Captain Adams sensed that the tides had changed, and he grabbed Annette’s elbow by surprise. Before I could even react, Annette captured his wrist, put him in a pressure lock, and tossed him over her shoulder into the snow.
“Don’t even think about it,” she hissed. “I’ve got five older brothers.”
Benton took the sword from the captain’s hand and pinned him to the ground. “Tie them both up, Brenna.”
I felt Rumple’s approval of their brave actions.
Once they had Freya and Captain Adams tied up in the sleigh, they approached me.
“What should we do?” Benton asked.
“Run. Go far from here. The blades may try to find you again. Don’t return to Kiln until you’ve heard whether I’ve succeeded.” I nodded toward Freya and Captain Adams. “Go to Verdan. The owners of Goat Head Inn will help you with supplies. Drop these two somewhere far away, and then run farther than anyone might travel in a day,” I said.
“Are you sure you can do this?” Annette asked as I turned toward the entrance to the mountain.
“I don’t know, but I have to try.”
Annette placed her hand on my shoulder and closed her eyes. “If you get lost, I can find you.” She smiled humbly.
I shouldered the axe on my back. “I have a guide. If I don’t come back, it’s because I’m dead.”
The smile fell from her mouth, and her brows drew close in worry.
“I don’t plan on dying.”
I stood in the snow and watched as the three magic users climbed back into the sleigh. Annette sat in the driver's seat while Benton and Brenna guarded the traitors. With a snap of the whip, they were off, heading back down the mountain.
I suddenly felt very alone.
Can I do this?
Rumple spoke, reminding me I wasn’t on my own.
“It’s time to face the past,” he said, his voice sounding tired as we trekked into the mountain.
I pulled a light charm out of my bag as we entered the dwarven mine.
“Are you lost?” I asked for the millionth time as I stubbed my toe.
“I don’t get lost,” Rumple grunted. “I may have forgotten. The tunnels don’t look the same. There’s been many cave-ins since I was here last.”
“No doubt,” I grumbled.
I crouched low on the uneven path as I crawled over boulders and ducked under a low hanging ceiling. My hand rested against a round stone as I tried to climb up a small ledge, only to see the faint outlines of a face in the stone. It was once a memorial, and when my eyes adjusted to the darkness within, I could see the remains of several monuments. Stone shields, swords, beautiful marble—all destroyed.
I gasped and held the charm up to see the ruins.
“Where are we?” I asked Rumple.
“This was once the Hall of Remembrance,” he stated. “All of our greatest heroes had a place here where all the guilds could come and pay honor to our heritage.”
I slowed, staring at the bust of a dwarf king, his beard long and intricately braided. In his hand was a long spear and knife.