I shook my head. “This practice of slavery is abominable. Something has to be done about it,” I ground out through clenched teeth. “What did the old man say?”
“Apparently the Detoris have been collecting them to send to the mines.”
I took a deep breath and tried to keep calm. “We can’t let them take her to the mines. She will die there.” I gathered my things and put on my short jacket and sash. I retrieved a dagger from a corner where it lay in a pile of gorgoth ash.
Penelope came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Calm down, Aurora, we will get her out.”
I nodded, trying not to think about all the horrible things that could happen to the poor girl. She was my responsibility, and I had let her down.
Penelope’s eyes flashed as she slid a look at Tristan. “Tell me more about the mines.”
“The old man told me they are being sent to the largest of the Detori mines, situated just outside the city,” Tristan answered. “He said lately more and more of the slaves working in the city are being sent there.”
Penelope went over to the window to gaze at the houses that spread out before her and to the desert that lay beyond the walls of the city. “The only mines around this area were shut down decades ago.” She turned to face Tristan. “Are you sure?”
Tristan nodded and gave Penelope a dark look. “It doesn’t look good, Penelope. There is only one thing the Brandorians could be mining in this time of war.”
“I agree. I have a bad feeling about this,” said Penelope. “Those mines you described were shut down for a reason. If they have been opened again, that doesn’t bode well for the fae.”
“Why, what are they mining?” I interrupted. What was going on here?
“In the old days when all the kingdoms were at war with each other, before the treaty, Brandor kept stores of blackened iron in case the fae ever threatened their borders,” Tristan explained.
Penelope clasped her hands together. “And the largest mine always belonged to the Detori emir. It is situated just outside the city of Nedora.”
My eyes widened. “So that’s where they are getting the blackened iron.”
Penelope’s blue eyes flicked to me. “I believe so. It is only in the past few decades that those particular mines have been shut down to ensure peace. But now that all the borders are closed, the already fragile peace between kingdoms has been broken. No one knows where to turn for help. The mages distrust the fae and the fae return the feeling. And the ones without magic don’t trust any magic user.”
“And you think the Detoris are working for Morgana?”
“That’s what it looks like.”
Tristan rubbed his chin. “Morgana must have already gotten to Darius Detori.”
Penelope sighed and nodded. “Darius Detori is a snake. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he is helping Morgana. The emirs of Brandor have always feared the fae. But I am more concerned with how many other mines have been opened so far.” She picked up her bag from the bed. “Get your things. It is imperative that we get to Sanria immediately and inform Santino about the mines and the Detoris’ hand in it. Emir Valasis is the only one who can help us now. Santino’s father was the one who had a hand in shutting down the mines the first time, and he rules the Council of Five. The other emirs will listen to him.”
Tristan’s eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms across his chest. “We hope.”
I looked at both of them incredulously. “I’m not leaving without Rhea. We have to save her. We can’t leave her to die in the mines.”
Penelope twisted her hands together. “Aurora, if Morgana gets her hands on that much blackened iron and makes weapons out of it, then the fae army will be helpless against her forces.”
I calmed my racing heart and tried to make them see reason. “Then we shut down this mine ourselves.”
Penelope’s face tightened. “No! Absolutely not, Aurora. I’m not letting you anywhere near those mines. It is too dangerous. Your magic will weaken when surrounded by so much blackened iron, and Tristan will be completely vulnerable without his silver fire. If the gorgoths are here, then the Drakaar won’t be far behind. We need to get to Sanria now and warn Santino—he is the only one who can convince his father and the other emirs that the mines need to be shut down.”
Abraxas interrupted, his voice clear and clipped in my mind. “Penelope is right. Your Dawnstar magic is tied to your fae powers. Even if you can access your light magic in there, the rest of your powers will be stifled. I have seen the mines you speak of, and they are heavily guarded. You will not be able to destroy them without the cost of many slave lives.”
My stomach dropped to the floor. That was not an option. We would do it Penelope’s way. I knew that stopping the Detoris was as important as freeing Rhea, but I could still do both.
“Okay,” I conceded. “But we get Rhea out first. Then we can go straight to Sanria and tell Santino what has happened, and he can deal with the council.”
Penelope nodded and threw a glance at Tristan. “Take us to the girl.”
We ran down the ornate pink marble corridors, through the courtyards to the kitchen wing of the palace. We met no opposition along the way, which was strange.
Uncertainty took hold. “Where are all the guards?”
Tristan shrugged, but I could see his senses were on full alert. He was experienced enough to know not to let his guard down. He led us down the side stairs to the infirmary, where he had been told Rhea was being held.
It was empty, except for
