Chapter Eight

“Stand back!” yelled Dain, ordering the miners to stop their work and get a safe distance away. Seconds later, the beams supporting that part of the tunnel began to creak like a poorly constructed bed, and all of a sudden gave way, heavy rubble crashing to the ground and throwing up dust, obscuring their view and making their world go black. When it settled, the entrance to that tunnel was completely blocked, the way impassable.

“Well that should keep the brimstone safe,” said Parry, coughing.

Dain nodded. It was about as safe as it could be. It would take a while to get through all of that rock and transport it back up to the surface, and although that would be a pain, it wouldn’t be possible for the King’s men to steal it without them knowing. The only way to extract it would be to use experienced miners, who would hopefully only do so once their demands were met. Even though it wasn’t Dain’s mine, he was sure the King would be able to find out the location due to the long line of wagons which had led here in broad daylight. But even if he did, the underground location meant cavalry would be impossible to use, and the infantry he might send would have to navigate the dark tunnels on their own, where they could collapse the tunnels or spring an ambush at any point. Maintaining formation would be impossible on the uneven ground. Basically, it would be almost impossible to take by force.

“You think it’s a good place to base ourselves out of then?” asked Dain.

“Definitely. There’s a long way between Rivergate and this mine. We’ll have plenty of time to react if the King tries to send men here. We just need a few men on watch near the capital who can send word if men are coming. We don’t want to be taken by surprise.”

“I agree,” said Dain. “But we should also think about food. They could try starving us out if we retreated inside, so it might be an idea to buy a few barrels of salted pork with some of that money we’ve been given.”

Parry nodded.

“And if we have time maybe try to dig a hidden tunnel.”

“Or two.”

“And build some barricades.”

“A few traps would be nice as well.”

Dain and Parry exchanged a look and laughed.

“Alright, come on guys, let’s head up to the surface,” said Dain, not liking the unfamiliar feel of this mine. It felt smaller, the walls closer together than he would have expected. He strained his thigh muscles, leading the men up and out at a relatively fast pace and taking a deep breath of fresh air when he reached the sunlight. The mine was mostly just out on its own, surrounded by hills and wide grass plains where the miners had made camp. It was a peaceful place for the most part, but he didn’t have long to rest before others began surrounding him to bring up all of their issues and gripes, all clamouring to be heard.

“Now listen Dain, I know you want us to stand united and all that after the brimstone battle, but us men from Newrock were wondering if we could group closer to our village? It’s just over here is awful far to walk and the men have families to see to, you see?” explained the man imploringly.

Dain sighed. There was no winning with this lot. Everyone had their own opinions on what to do, meaning whatever he chose was the wrong decision for someone.

“Listen,” Dain began, “I-”

He stopped, noticing a disturbance in the field of men in front of him. A man was running this way, knocking people aside and yelling at the top of his voice.

“Armed men coming this way! Just a mile away! Armed men, on their way!”

Dain froze in shock. So this was it, the army had been dispatched. He had said to the messenger that he would not negotiate until their demands were met. Perhaps that had been the wrong move. Perhaps he had doomed the lot of them.

“Alright, grab whatever weapons you can!” shouted Dain, storming into action. “Grab the pickaxes and the shovels, and group together around the mine. They won’t want to fight us in there.”

It was chaos as men ran to arm themselves, grabbing whatever they could. There were nowhere near enough pickaxes or other tools for everyone, and they had not been expecting any attack so soon and without warning. Dain picked up a large rock, testing its weight. It wasn’t ideal, but it would certainly do a lot of damage if swung with enough force. Meanwhile, his mind was spinning. How the hell had they got so close unnoticed?

“How in Anim’s name did things come to this?” asked Dain, standing alongside Parry again in the front line of miners, his heart pounding. Here he was, a man who only ever wanted to make a decent living and raise a family, about to fight for his life.

“We all have to die sometime,” said Parry. “And this seems as good a way to go as any.”

“Dain! There you are!” said Merek, pushing his way through to stand on his other side. “Any idea what’s happening?”

He had managed to find himself a large shovel used by the smelters to shovel rock into the furnace. Dain hoped he was able to use it well.

“I have no idea what’s coming,” said Dain. “All I know is they’re armed and heading this way.”

As he finished speaking, he caught sight of the first of the oncoming men on the hill in front of them. He was soon joined by another, and another, and many more. Soon there were hundreds coming, kicking up dust as they approached. Tensions were high, and in their tightly packed group Dain could feel his clothes beginning to stick as sweat began to form.

“I think we have the numbers,” said Parry. “We should charge them and surround them, like with the staffmen.”

“Hold on,” said Merek. “Do they look like soldiers to you?”

“What do you mean?” asked Dain, squinting to try and make out the men better. They weren’t in any formation, just a spread out mass of people, and they were clearly not armoured. He could see the sun glinting off their weapons though, so he wasn’t optimistic about their friendliness.

Their approach seemed casual, although they kept their weapons ready. As they got closer, he was able to make out more details, like the generally dirty state of their clothes, and the kind of weapons they were carrying. He saw war sickles, pitchforks, billhooks, and other modified farming instruments.

“They’re not soldiers,” realised Merek, standing up straight and looking them over. “They’re farmers.”

“More importantly, look at their leader,” said Parry, in an odd tone. “Look!”

Parry sounded genuinely fearful, something Dain had never seen in the man. He had been ready to face death against the King’s army but one of these peasants frightened him? It made him nervous as he tried to see the cause of it. The men were close now, enough for them to make out expressions and pick people out. Dain searched for the leader and saw the man who Parry must mean at the head of his group, and why his friend had reacted that way.

“No, it can’t be,” he said, his eyes widening as he instinctively backed into the person behind him.

“It is,” said Parry. “The Touch of Aterus.”

Like the waves from a stone dropped in a pond, the words rippled back in whispers through the men. The Touch. He has the Touch. Dain looked at the man, who seemed to be smiling at the reaction he was causing. He commented to the men next to him, who laughed loudly at whatever he said. The men around him didn’t seem aggressive or warlike. A lot of them looked weak and underfed, and more afraid than the miners. The leader, a tall, thin man, held up a hand, and the group stopped. He stepped forwards, raising his weapon, a wooden pole with a long metal scythe attached, in greeting, before speaking in a hoarse, gravelly voice.

“You can put your weapons down, we come in peace,” he said, casting his eyes over the men pooled around the entrance to the mine. “Which of you is the leader?”

Dain stepped forwards, his eyes fixed on the man’s face. He didn’t drop the rock.

“I am Dain Hardwood. I speak for these men,” he said, with more confidence than he felt. The man smiled in response.

“Yes, I have heard of your exploits. My name is Redskin. Some call me the Undying,” he said, flicking his hand up to his face, which was horrifically scarred and discoloured. The rare disease which had taken him over had caused unsightly growths, and the long burst pustules had left their mark. He offered a hand, which was equally affected. His age was almost impossible to tell from his face but his movement seemed smooth and unhampered, so Dain guessed he was thirty or so.

“I’m not going near anyone with the Touch,” said Dain. It wasn’t said to be particularly contagious but it was lethal enough that you couldn’t take risks.

The man laughed coarsely.

“I am no longer affected by it,” he said. “Aterus touched me, but Anim redeemed me. These men can attest to it. I’ve lived with them for many years now. I am perfectly healthy, barring a few...disfigurements.”

“That’s ridiculous, nobody survives the Touch,” protested Dain. “If you have truly been touched by Aterus then there is no coming back.”

“If it hasn’t killed me after twenty years, I don’t think it will kill me now,” he said, spreading his arms out wide and laughing. “I am more alive than ever.”

Part of him wondered whether the disease had turned the man crazy. Dain had only ever seen the disease on one person before. They had been dead within days and their body was burned to stop it spreading. He had never heard of anybody surviving it. When people got it they were often killed because everyone knew death was inevitable anyway and it avoided the suffering. And yet, here this man stood, who, despite everything, seemed to be in good health, with hundreds of men at his back.

“What’s your real name?” asked Dain.

The man shrugged.

“What does it matter? The boy I was born isn’t the man I am now. Redskin is the only name that matters.”

“How up himself is he?” muttered Parry. “Tell him to fuck off far away from here.”

He wanted to agree, the man sounded pompous and ridiculous, but if what Redskin said was true...

“What do you want?” asked Dain. “Why are you here?”

“I think we have a lot of common ground,” he said diplomatically. “We both want the same thing, truthfully. You want higher pay and better conditions? So do we! Wouldn’t it be better to stand together? I’ll follow your lead on everything of course, and my men will too; I’m not here to usurp your position.”

“And the weapons?”

Redskin shrugged, his expression turning a little dark.

“Things are different for serfs. We’re paid a pittance, and every week we’re forced to work on temple land for free. There was even talk that they were going to stop paying us, and go back to how things were before the war. They were going to take away all the freedom we’d been given, and we weren’t having it!” Redskin’s voice grew animated and his grip tightened on his war scythe. “So we did what we had to and took up arms against our oppressors. I heard that a group of miners were making a stand and thought that you seemed a good man to follow. Am I wrong?”

“I need a moment to think,” said Dain. “Men, relax, I don’t think he intends to fight. Merek, Parry, with me.”

His two main men joined him out of earshot of everyone else but within sight of both sets of men. He turned to them with a serious look.

“Well, what do you think, should we let them join us?” asked Dain.

“I don’t like the look of this guy,” said Parry. “He might say he’s cured but we shouldn’t take the risk with something like that. Besides, look at the lot of them, what use will they be in a fight?”

“Well we’re hoping it won’t come to another fight with the King,” said Dain. “Merek?”

“I think they could be useful,” said the miner thoughtfully. “Think about it, what will the King’s first worry be when he hears about this?”

“He’ll want to make sure no more people join us, obviously,” said Dain. “But what if that just makes him attack to end it quickly?”

“Well if that’s the case then we abandon them and leave them to fight the King’s men on their own,” said Merek. “And as for the disease, I think he’s telling the truth, as hard as it is to believe. Even just on the march here you would expect it to kill him or spread, but it didn’t. He might truly be blessed by Anim, and we can’t argue with that.”

Dain pressed a hand against his forehead and closed his eyes, thinking. Merek made it sound simple.

“These men aren’t just on strike like us though. They’re armed rebels. Harbouring them is a whole new crime!” said Dain.

Merek gestured to the miners and their makeshift weapons.

“Aren’t we basically the same?” said Merek. “These men came here looking for men with a common cause, and I think we have one. These men probably have more reason than us to protest. All they want is to be able to provide a better life for their families, like us. This thing could lead to changes across the entire kingdom, not just in the mines. The people will be far more inclined to help us if they see that we want to do more than just help other miners.”

Dain sighed.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me,” he said, still feeling apprehensive about the decision. He walked over to Redskin. “You can join us, but your men do whatever I say, no matter what, alright? I decide how things play out. And first things first, you hand over all your weapons for safe keeping. This is not a rebellion; we’re not here to fight the King.”

“Your wish is my command,” said Redskin, his facial scars twisting into a smile.

“I can’t take responsibility for feeding your men though, we have enough trouble as it is,” said Dain.

“I completely understand,” replied the man, stretching out a hand. “To our new partnership.”

Dain hesitated. Then, he took the proffered hand, holding back a shudder at the feel of the man’s skin. For better or worse, they were in this together.
Nlc��z�!��

Next Chapter: Chapter Nine