CHUTZPA FLUNG OUT HIS ARM and pressed Marsai back against the stone wall. They waited, holding their breath as the squad of guards hurried past, the soles of their boots slapping the cold stone. The echo bounced against the walls. Chutzpa waited until they disappeared around the corner at the next junction before easing back into the hallway. It was the third patrol to pass by in very short order. Something had stirred up the guards. Chutzpa grabbed Marsai’s hand and pulled her out into the corridor to continue down the passageway. Caution would keep them alive.
Marsai loosed her warning grip over girl’s mouth, pushing her out in front of her. “Follow Chutzpa, Tesha.”
They had been fortunate to come across the girl as they were making their way through the vast facility. The stolen cloaks they wore would only disguise them in a crowd. They had paused behind a large pillar to discuss where to go next and how to get in when they’d spied Tesha. Marsai had recognized the girl when she’d come out through a heavily guarded door that they had been watching and had been carrying an empty tray. Anywhere that required guards was of interest to them.
They had ambushed Tesha as she passed them by and led her to an empty room and questioned her about what lay beyond the doorway. At first, she had been tearful about all the inquiries. When Marsai mentioned that they were searching for Shikoba, Tesha’s lower lip had trembled with fear. It had all come out in a rush then that Shikoba was a prisoner of the emperor and that she was being taken to the one place no one wanted to be taken, the deep caverns that no one ever returned from. It had taken some convincing, but Tesha had finally agreed to guide them as far as she knew of the passages leading to the last of the prisoner cells.
They were getting close to their goal, judging by the amount of patrols of the area. Chutzpa slid from doorway to column to shadow, leading them deeper into the underground labyrinth. The wide hall ended in an intersection with multiple doors leading off the landing. He motioned to them to remain still, then edged his way to the end of the wall and peered around it. He counted five pairs of doors, but only one set was guarded. Two bearded men stood by the doorway, standing with hands on the hilts of their swords to defend the door. Each wore a leather chest guard and leather pants, tucked into boots that ended midcalf. Their arms were bare and inked with tattoos.
Chutzpa pulled back from the landing then fished in his pocket for a small hollow tube. From an inside flap of his cloak, he pulled two small darts. He was careful not to touch the needle’s sharp end, which was tipped with a slow-acting poison derived from the larvae of the Bushman beetle.
Lord knows I have killed enough of those beetles protecting my trees! Finally, I can put those pests to good use. He had been unsure that he had brought along the substance, but when he searched his pack, he had found the dart tube and a package of darts tucked into the corner.
Chutzpa slid a dart into the tube, leaned around the corner and took aim. He put his lips over the mouthpiece and breathed hard into the tube. With a soft phut, the dart shot from the tube and nicked the scalp of the first guard with the touch of a mosquito. The guard slapped at his head, scratched for a second and went back to attention. Chutzpa loaded the second dart and shot it at the other guard. It nicked his ear and he slapped at it, grumbling audibly about people leaving doors open to let in bugs.
Chutzpa straightened, leaning against the wall. He started to count. One, two, three. Before he could reach a count of twenty, he heard two soft thuds. He peered around the corner. Both guards had collapsed, sprawling unconscious on the floor. Chutzpa gestured to the women to come forward.
“Come, they are disabled. We must hurry before they are discovered.”
“Shouldn’t we hide them somewhere?” said Tesha.
“What will it matter? An unconscious guard or a missing guard, both will raise the alarm. Besides, I didn’t want to kill them for doing what they were hired to do.” He fished in his pocket for a small vial of the antidote, propping up against the nearest man. “I hope that they will be given the antidote. The poison is slow-acting. If they are discovered in time, they can be saved.”
Marsai nodded, pleased. “The ancestors will bless our mission. You have shown the enemy kindness and mercy. We must hurry.”
They fished the keys from the guards and unlocked the door, passing through to the dark passage beyond the threshold. They kept the keys so Chutzpa could lock the doors from the inside. “Hopefully this will slow them down while they find a way around this door.” He grabbed a torch from the wall to light their way. “Do you know where this goes, Tesha?”
“I have only been this way once. It leads to the salt mines. There are thousands of prisoners down here.”
“It sounds like the best place to search for my brother. Let’s go.” Chutzpa struck out down the hallway, leading the way. Tesha followed, and Marsai brought up the rear. She grabbed a second torch as she went, doubling the illumination at their feet. The walkway ended in three stairs that descended to different levels. Other halls crossed at intervals, but Chutzpa led them straight ahead, following an unidentifiable sound. The noise grew until it was possible to discern the sound of hammers and picks.
The passage ended abruptly at a railing that overlooked a massive pit, full of people of every age and description. There were even children in the mix. Tesha trembled, seeing the chained slaves struggling to clear the rock from walls. The smallest children carried sacks slung over their backs, hauling the chipped salt to huge bins and dumping the rock into the mouth of hoppers that ran through crushing teeth on a rotating drum. The powered substance fell through a sifter and into burlap bags, stamped with the seal of the emperor.
“The emperor’s forced tribute. So this is what the slaves are doing.” Marsai pinched her lower lip, considering the mine in front of her. “But why does he need so much? This is far more than was ever required in the past. He is stripping this mine clean.”
“That must be what was in the bags we saw being loaded on the wagons,” said Chutzpa. “At least we know part of the puzzle. Look over there,” he said, pointing off to the right. A second machine ground away, but in this hopper was a black ore. The bags were stamped the same with an added symbol of a dragon. “What is that?”
Marsai leaned over to peer past Chutzpa. “Black salt. The rarest of finds. Black salt is precious beyond measure. It is said to carry magical properties.”
Chutzpa studied the hopper of black grains. “We need to get a sample of it, if we can,” he said.
Tesha gasped. “There he is! There’s Deshi!” She pointed, jumping up and down “There! Do you see him? He’s the one in the lead, with the torn shirt carrying bags of black sand to the mine car. I can see the scar on his neck from the werecat attack when we were kids.” Tesha bounced up and down on her toes, tensing to turn to him.
Chutzpa placed a hand on her arm, urging her to back away from the railing and into the shadow of rock. It afforded scant cover, but it was all they had. “Wait, Tesha, we need to think of a plan. You can’t go running to him.”
Chutzpa’s gaze swept the mine, memorizing the details of the pit where Deshi slaved away filling carts. The mine carts were set on rails that disappeared into a hole in the cavern wall. Each car was set with a hand brake. Chutzpa noted that when the car was full, it was released and set on its way. Empty carts appeared at regular intervals at the other end of the track. Guards were stationed at both the entrance and the exit of the rails and at the loading stations. Chutzpa spied a red-haired youth, his hair matted with dirt and his face darkened with dust, carrying a heavy bag of black salt to the mine car. He moved slowly up the ramp and dumped the bag over the metal side into the cart then shuffled back down the ramp to take his place in line for his next sack.
“Yes, I see him.” Chutzpa studied the area, marking the positions of the guards. The slaves were shackled by their feet alone, allowing them freedom to use their hands for their work. For the most part, they were minimally guarded, the focus being on the checkpoints of the entrances and exits from the chambers. The prisoners outnumbered the guards ten to one. An idea came to Chutzpa. He mulled it over, then reached into his pocket to withdraw the rest of his poisoned darts. The package contained a dozen of the deadly tips.
“Tesha.” She turned her head, her fearful eyes darting to his. He gently grabbed her upper arms, staring into her wide eyes. “Do you think you can get close enough to Deshi to be able to give him a message? We need to alert the slaves to a rescue attempt, so they will be ready to act when the signal comes. Do you think you can do it without getting caught?” She nodded. “Okay, this is what I want you to do.” He leaned forward and whispered a long set of instructions to her. Tesha nodded her understanding.
He turned to Marsai. “Did you bring Shikoba’s staff?” Marsai withdrew the shrunken spear from inside her robes and showed him the weapon. “Can you wield it? It is an instrument of magic, correct?”
“Yes, I can wield it. What is your plan?”
“Once Tesha has spoken to her brother and he has spoken to the others and confirms they are ready, we are going to take down these guards. I am going to focus on the ones on the level of the mine carts. Those guards must be taken out. I count a dozen guards in total protecting the mine carts and rails. I have a dozen darts. I must get close enough to take them all out. I cannot afford to miss. That means I will be exposed on the floor below. I need you to create a diversion, take their attention away from the pit. It would be great if you could bottle up the guards on the upper levels. Those up top are the older men and woman. Tell all you encounter to arm themselves and fight for freedom. They will only get one chance to break out. Here.” He tossed her the key rings. “Pass these out to those heading down the tunnels. They are bound to find locked doors at the other end. I will need to wait for your diversion before I can begin to take out the guards. I will have to rely on Deshi and his cell mates to take out the rest at that level.”
“It is a bold plan, but I think it could work.” Marsai placed a hand on Tesha’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Be careful. Stick close to your brother. We will see you on the outside.”
“Tesha, tell Deshi to stretch up super tall with his thumbs pointing up at the ceiling of the cavern when everyone is ready. I will be watching him like a hawk for the signal.”
Tesha nodded that she understood, took a deep breath, and slunk away into the shadows.