Pazia returned the messengers and drawer of diamonds to the safe.
Trying to see all angles, I thought if I did regain my powers, my animals would be much cheaper and they would compete with Vasko’s, especially if he had only a few super messengers. Would he steal my blood to keep that from happening?
I pointed to the safe. “Is that all the diamonds?”
“No. The vein is pretty thick.”
I considered. I’ve never seen a black diamond before. So why did they feel familiar? “Can I see the vein?”
“I’ll have to ask my uncle.”
We left the factory and searched for her uncle. He worked in a building that Pazia called the command center. She explained it was an old family joke that stuck.
Hans Cloud Mist stood up as soon as we entered his large office. His resemblance to his brother Vasko was uncanny, and I wondered if they were twins. Hans insisted he was not only the younger brother but also the smarter and better-looking one, as well.
Pazia rolled her eyes. “Just humor him. He thinks he’s funny.”
Hans pretended to be hurt, but his pout lasted less than a second. “Did Pazia show you her factory?” he asked me. “She’s quite proud of it.”
She blushed and quickly changed the subject, asking about a tour.
“You’ll have to get permission from Galen.” He glanced out the window. “He should be overseeing checks now.” She frowned.
“Another uncle?” I asked.
“No. My father’s right-hand man and I don’t need his permission.”
“Are you going to be her tour guide?” Hans asked.
Pazia shivered. “No.”
“And I don’t know where the vein is, so it’s Galen or nothing.”
She grumbled, but didn’t argue. I followed her from Hans’s office.
“Why can’t you take me?” I asked.
“I can’t stand being in the mines. I’m claustrophobic.” She stopped. “Are you?”
“Afraid of small spaces?”
She nodded. “And the dark?”
“No lanterns?”
“Plenty of light, but sometimes an errant wind blows them out. We pump air down into the shafts to keep it fresh.”
I thought of my various adventures, being hidden in a box under a pile of sand, swimming through a tunnel in a cave and spending a couple weeks chained in a dark cell. “I’m not claustrophobic.”
“Good.”
“Do you know the location of the vein?” I asked her.
“No. I think only Father and Galen do. They tend to get all paranoid when they make a new find. Both of them know every shaft below. I don’t even think there are any maps.” She shook her head and continued.
Pazia led me to the lowest level of the command center. Rumors about the main entrance to the mines hadn’t been too far off. Instead of being in the basement of his house, the doorway for the miners was deep under the command center.
I waited with Pazia as the day shift’s personnel streamed in from the large cavern. Under the keen gaze of another group, the workers stripped off their jumpers, stood under spouts of water and were searched before they donned clean clothes. The process reminded me of Wirral. Except they seemed more worried about what might be smuggled out of the mines than in. Mirrors lined the wall opposite the search area and I suspected they were two-way ones and observers lurked behind them.
When the last worker left, Pazia told me to wait while she slipped behind the mirrors. It didn’t take her long before she returned.
“Come on,” she said, almost running from the underground entrance. She finally slowed when we exited the building.
“I hope you’re not in trouble,” I said.
“Not at all. Galen just gives me the creeps. He practically lives in the mines. In fact, I haven’t seen him in seasons, which is fine by me. But when I do see him, he acts like he’s in charge.” She smoothed her skirt. “He gets away with that attitude because my father trusts him.”
“What does he do?”
“Whatever my father wants.” She took a breath. “I know I shouldn’t be so down on him. He’s dedicated to our family, and he was the one who found the black diamond vein. And Galen promised to find someone to give you a tour tomorrow.”
I accepted her offer to stay in their guesthouse, but convinced her to join me at the Tourmaline Inn for supper. Pazia made the proper appreciative noises over the large pink tourmaline the inn’s owner, Carleen, wore around her neck.
Carleen remembered me, but since I had paid in full before Janco and I had made our sudden departure, she welcomed me back. She led us to a nice table and served us each a heaping portion of beef pie. Pazia and I chatted about our days at the Keep.
“How is your brother doing?” I asked.
She crinkled her forehead. “Which one?”
“Walker. Do you have another brother at the Keep?”
“No. My older brother also attended, but he graduated the season before I started. I guess Walker’s doing okay. He hasn’t written to say otherwise. Have you met him?”
I smiled, thinking about his attack. “Briefly.”
“Don’t mind him. He’s a hothead like all the male members of my family. They get all high and mighty about honor and family and duty.”
“Your uncle Hans seemed nice,” I said.
“They’re all nice as long as you play their game. Once you cross them, look out. They think it’s a personal assault.”
“Does your older brother work here, as well?”
“Sort of. My father calls him his secret weapon. He sends him off on missions and to strong-arm the people who owe my father money.”
Interesting. He would have enough money to purchase my blood. As for motive, he could want revenge. “What type of missions?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care. I never wanted to be involved in the family business, but…” Pazia drained her wine, then changed the subject. “So what’s new in the Keep’s glass shop?”
I filled her in on the new kiln and water system. As we talked, Nic and Eve entered the inn’s common room and flagged down Carleen. They rented a room and followed the innkeeper up the stairs. Eve had signaled me her room number, and after a few minutes I excused myself to meet up with them.
Nic bounced on the edge of the bed. “I think you have more pillows,” he said to Eve.
“She also has the best mattress in the house,” I said.
“It’s discrimination. All this pink is unfriendly to men.”
“At least she didn’t tell you to take a bath,” I offered, but he wrinkled his nose.
I tried to stifle a laugh. “She’s concerned about your health.”
“She’s concerned about her clean sheets,” Eve said.
He crossed his arms and continued to look sour. “Should I be listening for anything in particular at the bathhouse?”
“Good idea. I think there’s a bathhouse over by the miners’ village,” I said. “They’re basically barracks for the underground workers. Listen for any comments about black coal or black diamonds from the miners.”
“Do they know what’s going on?” Eve asked.
“They’re not supposed to, but…”
“It’s hard to keep something that big a secret,” Nic finished for me. “I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them smuggled a few stones out.”
“It would be difficult.” I explained about the search.
“But not impossible,” he said.
I recalled what I had been able to carry into Wirral with me. “You’re right. Nothing’s impossible.”
“We should make that our motto.” Nic surged to his feet.
“This is probably a waste of time,” I said. “So far, everything appears to be legitimate.”
“Nothing wrong with good news,” Eve said. “It would be refreshing.”
I felt a small twinge of guilt as I crept from the guesthouse. My actions were not exactly proper guest behavior. Oh well. A half-moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the buildings. Even at this late hour, armed guards patrolled the walkways and a dozen guarded the main house.
Avoiding Vasko’s residence—I needed more training to slip past so many watchers—I sneaked into a couple of the utilitarian structures. Conveyor belts from underground brought up crushed rock, dumping it into piles. Workers shoveled the rock into screens and sifted the material. Others watched.