Luisa worked quickly, because by the time Ilara and I made our way to the front of the castle, she was already waiting with a carriage. She hadn't lost the look of concern on her face, but she said nothing except to greet Ilara as the queen climbed into the coach. I followed, and Luisa made the third in what was a fairly tight squeeze. Luisa's gaze was fixed outside the window, and her unreadable expression gave nothing away.
The roads were rough, bouncing us all over the place, but Ilara didn't seem to mind. She'd brought a book with her and deftly turned the pages even as Luisa and I were jostled around.
Based on the direction of the sun overhead, we were heading due east from the castle. We'd left the inner city where buildings of all sizes were crammed next to one another. Now the desert was visible just beyond the houses along this main road, the wind whipping over the dunes and shifting them.
Neither of us said a thing, although I was dying to see if Ilara would cough up more cryptic clues about what she was bringing me to see. But she kept her thoughts to herself, even as the carriage slowed to a stop.
"My queen, we've reached the end of the road," the coachman said, opening the door. "We will have to continue on horseback."
"But isn't there only one horse?" I asked.
"Indeed, there is," Luisa said with a low sigh as she plucked an umbrella from beneath the seat.
While Luisa held aloft the shade over Ilara, the coachman unhooked the horse and readied a saddle. We were far from the ocean breezes, which at least gave some respite. When the man finished, Ilara climbed onto the horse.
"Come now," she said over her shoulder. "It will take us some time to get there."
Luisa marched forward onto the sand, and I followed suit, keeping pace with her as best I could. But as Ilara's horse moved ahead, I slowed my gait just enough for me to attempt a private conversation with Luisa.
"Can you give me some hint about where we're going?" I asked. "We can't possibly be going to that encampment in the middle of the desert."
"No, this is a mine nearer to the city, but…" She chewed her lip. "Her Majesty was clear that you were to be kept in the dark."
I blinked. "Kept in the…"
"You aren't going to like what you see, Brynna," Luisa said, a drip of sweat falling down her temple. "And you must prepare yourself for that."
"All the more reason to go," I said, worry blossoming in my chest. "I may not be their queen, but they're still my people. And if they're in trouble—"
"What would you do if they are?" Luisa asked.
"I don't know," I said. "Something."
"In some cases, it may be best to let sleeping dogs lie." She glanced at Ilara, who was now at least ten feet ahead of us. "I can't protect you from Ilara, and I would be most aggrieved if what you saw today pushed you over the edge."
"I can't imagine anything pushing me over the edge," I said, shaking my head. But the worry was growing. "Nor can I imagine that I alone can do anything to stop it."
"Girls," Ilara called, now twenty feet ahead of us. "Hurry up. I'd hate to lose you."
"I seem to recall hearing tales of the things you did as a single person," Luisa said, picking up her pace. "I wouldn't bet against you."
Luisa and I walked in silence for the rest of the way, my mind spinning with what she'd told me and clouded by exhaustion and the sun overhead. She'd said she respected me for saving her life on the river, and she'd certainly been more friendly, but that could all be a ruse. She could've been trying to get me to talk of my plans, or the plans of others. I still didn't trust her, even though I'd begun to enjoy her company.
As the sun bore down on the back of my neck, a blotch appeared on the horizon. At first, I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me, but as we headed steadily in that direction, the dark spot turned into a smokestack and scaffolding. There was a scent in the air—metallic, acrid, burning. It made my stomach churn uncomfortably.
I'd hoped there would be some respite from the harsh sun when we arrived, but there was none. A cadre of Severian soldiers were waiting with tight smiles on their faces.
"Your Majesty," the lieutenant said, bowing at the hip. "It's an honor to have you here."
"I'm glad to be here," she said. "Show me what you've done."
I wasn't sure what to expect, but it didn't look like a mine. It reminded me of the Severian farmers we'd come across while we'd been on the river, although the holes out across the desert seemed much deeper than the ones the Severians had dug. Every so often, figures would emerge from below with buckets held on sticks that sat on their shoulders, and trudge through the desert to the main area, where they'd dump the mined varo into a large container on the ground.
From there, the container seemed to be transported via a rope from the ground to the scaffolding overhead. Then it was moved to another pole sticking out of the ground, then another, then another until it disappeared over a dune to the south.
"How much output are you getting per day?" Ilara asked.
"We've found a very productive vein over there," the lieutenant replied. "Nearly a whole wagonful by sundown." He pointed to the distance, where more towers could be seen. "We've got ten more of these under construction."
"They were under construction two weeks ago," Ilara said with a dangerous tone. "Why are they not completed?"
The soldier swallowed. "I was going to ask Her Majesty if she could spare more workers."
"More?" Ilara blanched. "What happened to the hundreds that have been pouring into the city?"
Shit. I forced myself to watch the conversation, as if I knew nothing about it.
"We haven't seen a new shipment of workers in some time," he said.
"Huh," Ilara said. "Luisa—"
"I will ask," she said, stepping forward. "It's possible they were sent somewhere else by mistake."
"Where could they have gone?" I asked. "Surely there isn't a closer varo mine."
"No, this is the only one," Ilara said, her gaze boring into me. "But we are, of course, constructing the new river to connect Aunela to Kulka. It's possible that someone's been sending people there. I will confer with the foreman at dinner tonight and see if he can look into it for me."
Something loud echoed from the distance, and I would've thanked the Mother for the distraction, except for the pit of dread in my stomach.
"What was that?" Ilara asked.
"Mine collapse, probably," the soldier said.
"Wait—Collapse?" I took a step forward. "Like the ones we saw out in the desert? Like those collapses? The ones that kill people?"
"Which is why I've asked Her Majesty to provide us with more people. We're losing two or three per day—"
"You're losing two or three people per day?" I asked, my heart seizing.
"No," he cast me a bored look as a wail of anguish echoed in the distance, "mines."
I shook my head, glancing toward the source of the sound. None of the soldiers had moved from their positions guarding their mines. The Forcadelians, though, had stopped to look for the source, as I had. But they couldn't do anything to help, not with their guards standing watch.
I, however, had no guard.
Ignoring Luisa's call, I ran as fast as I could manage over the sand. The shrieking hadn't ceased at all, a beacon to guide me through what appeared to be hundreds of these mines—all of which had at least ten Forcadelians working them. If they were losing two to three mines per day…
Finally, I reached the screaming woman. She was on her knees, staring at the dusty cloud where a mine had been. Her lips were chapped and bleeding, but her gaze seemed to be far away. I gently knelt next to her, taking her face and bringing her gaze to mine.
"I'm here to help," I whispered. "What happened?"
She looked at me, shock on her face, then turned back to the dip in the sand. "It was a cave-in. They're all in there. All of them."
"All who?" I asked.
Her eyes filled with tears. "My husband, my son. My daughter. They're…"
"How far down were they?" I asked.
"Thirty feet, at least," she said, leaning into my chest. "There's no…" She dissolved into sobs and I held her, stroking her dusty hair and offering whatever comfort I could. Behind me, the sound of footsteps approaching boiled my blood.
"Ah, well," Ilara said. "Is there any way we can prevent this? Surely there has to be something. I fear we won't have unlimited mines, and if we spend all our time redigging the same hole—"
"Have some damn empathy," I snapped, sending a searing glare over my shoulder. "She just lost her entire family."
"Their deaths will not be in vain," Ilara said, plastering a fake smile onto her face.
"I think it's time to go," Luisa said, capturing me with her gaze. In it was a warning that if I lost my temper now, Ilara's wrath would be much worse. "The sun is getting low, and soon it will be cold."
"Indeed," Ilara said. "Carry on, Lieutenant. I'll see about finding your missing workers."
The lieutenant bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Brynna," Luisa said. "Time to go."
I looked down at the woman, her tears streaking the dust down her face. There was no one here to take her from me. I refused to leave her in the hands of the Severian guards.
"Brynna."
"One minute," I snapped, looking around for another solution.
"You can do nothing more for her," Luisa said, reaching for me. "But if you keep your tongue, you may be able to help them all."