The rest of the march was more a traumatised shuffle than anything else. Not one dwarf wanted to advance further, especially not me, but we had no choice. Every strange noise I heard elicited a burst of panic as I looked around for any hint of a ghost, despite the fact the ghosts had been totally silent. My nerves were frayed even further by the knowledge that now I was at the front of the column with Lorsson, if the ghosts came back I’d be the one they saw first. What if this time there were too many for the Captain to slay?

All I wanted was to be out of this tunnel, out of this entire area, in some city ready to sell this cursed sapphire. I’d pawn it to the biggest black market dealer I could find for whatever deal I could get, and live the rest of my life on the savings. Perhaps I’d buy a house up on the mountains, with a reinforced window from which I’d watch deer frolicking in the forested valleys. I swam in that daydream for a long while.

“We’re here,” said Captain Lorsson as the tunnel opened up. The mining area was much as I’d left it. A giant rubble-heap, in front of the vast hall of pillars with what I now knew to be ghosts spiraling around each one. The phantoms made no indication they’d seen us.

The Captain’s eyes widened and he took a step back.

“What happened here?” he said, turning to me.

Of course, no one had told him about the earthquake.

I tried to feign surprise. “I don’t know,” I said. “There must have been some sort of collapse after I left on my break.”

“You were lucky then,” said the Captain,. “We’re going to have to organise a rescue...” he trailed off, and his jaw dropped open slowly as his gaze shifted from the rubble pile to the hall of pillars beyond.

“So the hall really exists. Even after seeming the ghosts I didn't quite believe it.”

Did he really need to state the obvious? If I’d been in his position I’d, well, I don’t know what I’d do, but I wouldn’t stand around gawking. Shouldn’t he secure a perimeter, or something?

Cold air blew in from the hall of pillars, and I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering. Mining had always been hot sweaty work, and as such our clothes were thin. Now were going to be marching around in the chill I wondered if we’d receive something warmer. I was doubtful.

“...then we’ll dig out the wounded.”

I realised I hadn’t been listening to Captain Lorsson; he was now giving orders. I remembered Airon.

“Is there any sort of shelter?” I asked. “Tradfast told me some of the miners built something to stop the ghosts.”

Captain Lorsson looked at me and nodded.

“Dwarves! Spread out and search for any kind of shelter, some of the miners may still be hiding.”

The army split up into small groups, and spread through the cavern. I cast my eyes around, searching for any sign of the barricade Airon had been in. At the corner of the broken scaffold, I saw it. A hastily constructed shack of broken wood, with a wide open entranceway, about big enough for fifty dwarves crammed together. Were they still there?

I ran for it as fast as I could manage, muscles feeling like they’d tear from my bones at any moment. No light shone from inside, which meant no ghosts, but possibly no dwarves either. As I approached the entrance, spots of dark blood came into view, leading to the rubble. Were they left when the injured dwarves entered the barricade? Or had they fled from it bleeding?

“Is anyone there?” I shouted into it. “Airon?”

There was no answer, so I took a careful step inside. On the floor lay bits of bandage, some lengths of wood that might have been makeshift crutches, and a few pickaxes. It smelled of sweat and urine, the scent of an animal cage. Parts of the floor were smeared with blood.

But there were no bodies. I sucked in a breath. Were they alive then? There must be chance, but after facing the ghosts myself, it was impossible to see how they might have escaped. I sank down and covered my eyes, tears welling up to run past my fingers and down my cheeks. I hadn’t felt this alone in a long time. For two years now Airon had been my friend, the only one who refused to let himself be shrugged off by me. I had found him annoying sometimes, honestly. Especially when he tried to pry into my past, telling me I should come to terms with it rather than bottling it up. But even that had been better than the crushing solitude before we’d met.

And on what bad terms we’d parted! Icy regret gripped my heart as I remembered what I’d said to him, what I’d thought about him before I fled the mine. So be it, I’d thought. So be it! That was the last thought I’d had of him while he was still alive.

I screamed and pounded the stone floor with my fists, snot and tears streaming from my nose and eyes.

“Is everything alright? Are there any dead bodies?” came an unfamiliar voice. I turned around, sniffing and rubbing my eyes, to see one of the lieutenants standing behind me with a squad of soldiers. He had a red beard.

“No,” I said, my voice trembling, my heart in chaos.

“I see.” He didn't sound upset. “I’ll tell the Captain. We’re setting up a temporary base here. You should go and be with the other miners.”

“Oh, yes.” I said, without really listening. The lieutenant and his men marched off. Maybe they thought I was a lost cause. I drifted off.

When I awoke, my hand was clasped around the sapphire in my pocket, cold biting into my palm.

“Ouch!” I tried to let go of it, and winced as my skin nearly tore. I blew warm air onto the sapphire to warm it, and prised each finger off individually, leaving a few layers of skin behind. Why had it gone so cold? I turned queasy. It had done the same thing when the ghosts attacked.

“Ghosts!” I shouted, and ran out of the hut. But my warning was unneeded. Soldiers already stood around a wall of stone they’d dragged from the rubble, staring up at the ceiling, where three dozen ghosts swarmed. Their black eyes gazed down, charcoal against the ruby, emerald, and sapphire hues of their forms. Rather than the rage of before, this time they looked curious, and calculating.

I was a good few metres away from where the soldiers were, but I managed to sprint there before the ghosts caught sight of me. I leapt over the wall of stone and slipped behind the soldiers.

“Back, you!” shouted Captain Lorsson, brandishing his sword up at them, the runes etched into it glowing faintly. With each sweep the ghosts cringed a little. As long as he had it drawn, it seemed, they would come no closer. But then again, they seemed reluctant to move any further away.

I stared at the Captain’s sword, transfixed by the shining patterns it traced through the air. Then it hit me. If Captain Lorsson was the only one who could harm the ghosts, the moment I snuck off I would be hopelessly vulnerable. The ghosts would chase me through the tunnels to suck out my soul, and I’d be totally unable to resist. A stone settled in my stomach. For the time being, until things settled down and the ghosts were totally driven from the base Captain Lorsson was going to set up, I was trapped. I was going to have no choice but to be herded into the ghost-halls with the rest of the miners, until either the ghosts were eradicated, which was unlikely as I saw it, or I got my hands on my own runed weapon. The last possibility was even more laughable than the first.

I didn't even have Airon to support me. Now I realised how much support just having a friend had been. Airon would have helped me come up with something. Or at least persuade me we’d be fine in the end. A lump formed in my throat, and tears welled up in my eyes.

No! I couldn’t let my emotions get the better of me. Airon wouldn’t have wanted me falling apart over him. Besides, he might not even be dead. Yes, if I clung to the slim possibility he was alive, maybe he’d be alright.

For now, I just had stay calm, and keep a low profile. I took a deep breath, and looked around to see where the other miners were.

They sat in a glum circle near the exit, soldiers in a loose formation around them. Tradfast was slumped in the front, looking scared out of his skin. He stared down at his feet, face whitish-green, clutching a length of broken wood like his life depended on it. I walked around the group slowly, and put myself behind a tall dwarf. The smell of his back sweat had me wrinkle my nose. Not one of the miners talked. While mining most had chattered away to their friends, and at the miners’ barracks and in town even more so. They used to laugh and drink beer and play cards, sometimes I’d even be roped in. But after the ghosts, after the collapse of the scaffold, after the sheer amount of death, no one raised their voice. Most stared at the floor, a few at the ghosts. I shut my eyes and tried to keep my thoughts from drifting back to Airon. He was alive, I told myself. Just trapped somewhere, with some of his friends, waiting for us to come to him.

Ten or so minutes later, Captain Lorsson’s voice drew my attention. The ghosts had drifted off, leaving him free to discuss plans with his lieutenants in a circle not much less glum than the miners’. I cupped my hand behind an ear so I could hear them better.

“We need to mount a rescue operation immediately. Their friends could still be trapped beneath the rubble,” said Captain Lorsson.

“They’re likely dead already,” said Lieutenant Horir. He was the one with a spike of black for a beard, and back in the miners’ barracks, he’d been the one to look at me with the most disgust. It was no surprise he opposed helping anyone.

Agreeing murmurs followed from the others.

“We’re here to work with the miners, and win their trust.” Captain Lorsson spoke with determination. “If we leave their friends to die, we’ll be hated. They might even refuse our orders. If they trust us--”

Did he really think they’d ever win our trust? They wouldn’t win mine.

Horir interrupted. “Even if their friends are still trapped under there, our men are too tired to shift rubble. So are the miners, for that matter. We should at least wait a couple of days.”

I narrowed my eyes. The soldiers weren’t collapsed on the floor like us miners, surely they could clear a few broken platforms and bits of rock. I’d run away from the task myself just earlier today, but now my friend was involved, everything was different. Someone with the strength should do something. Damn, I would, but aches had taken over my whole body now the constant adrenaline had faded.

“They’ll be dead in a couple of days for sure. We need to do something immediately!” Captain Lorsson was red in the face now.

“Some of our dwarves will die of exhaustion,” countered Horir, irritation clear from both his tone and face, “and injury if we have them sift through rubble now. You know how hard we pushed them on the march here, and then there was the fight with the ghosts. There’s no good reason to use up any more of our dwarves for these miners.”

I gave a derisive snort under my breath. Horir was the typical rich dwarf, treating his own like property, and miners as garbage. He wouldn’t risk his own men and reputation, no matter how many lives he might save.

“I’m the one making decisions around here, lieutenant. We will rescue their friends, and we will gain their trust. They’re dwarves too, just like us.”

“And what about the trust of the soldiers? Why are you going to sacrifice them for some miners you don’t even know? I won’t pretend to understand why you’re so keen on winning the trust of these good-for-nothings. But if you are going to save them, do it without hurting your own men.”

Captain Lorsson’s face took on a steely expression, but before he could say a word, his red-bearded lieutenant spoke up.

“Captain, Horir’s right. Our dwarves are too tired. We need to wait a few days until we’re fully supplied with food and runed weapons.” Captain Lorsson fixed him a glare, but the lieutenant continued regardless. “With all due respect, going on a rescue mission now is too dangerous. If the miners have found some way to escape the ghosts, they can survive at least three days. Many of them will still have food and water on them, probably.”

My mouth hung open at the lieutenants’ insubordination. For all the soldier talk I’d heard of orders being everything, Lorsson’s officers were perfectly willing to go against him. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who thought the Captain was an idiot.

The Captain furrowed his brow. “Fine,” he snapped. “I’ll send a messenger back through the tunnel and have them hurry some of our supplies. But we only wait one day. One. I’m not abandoning out partners for any longer than that.”

Partners. I rolled my eyes. It didn't matter how useful he made himself to us, how many of us he saved, a rich dwarf could never be equal to a miner and he ought to know it. Even if he found Airon himself, I could never see a dwarf like the Captain as a partner.

The lieutenants nodded once, and Lorsson gave orders for a runner to be sent back through the tunnel. Then he approached us, flicking his eyes left to right, mouth grim. I crouched down behind the tall dwarf I was behind, making extra sure I wasn’t seen.

Captain Lorsson stood over Tradfast and looked down.

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to rescue your friends today. The soldiers need to rest, and it looks like your miners do too.” Both his sombre tone and downcast eyes irritated me. Did he really think anyone cared that he felt sorry?

“I know, I heard,” said Tradfast, without raising his head.

“But be assured,” Lorsson tried to put a note of enthusiasm back into his voice, “Tomorrow we’ll find them! Tomorrow morning the supplies and reinforcements will arrive, including plenty of food. So there’s no need to worry.”

“Why don’t we start now?” came a voice. Bushy-Beard’s. He stood up. “You could at least make a start. Some of our friends could be dying. At least clear the first few layers of rubble.”

It was ironic that the only dwarf willing to stand up to the injustice was the one who wanted to kill me.

“I’m sorry,” said Captain Lorsson. “But we have to wait.”

Bushy-Beard punched the air in a violent gesture. “I’m not going to wait! We’re going to rescue our friends, ghosts or no ghosts. Come on!”

A dozen or so miners shifted uncomfortably, the rest stayed still.

“You cowards. Are you going to leave our friends to die?”

“Calm down,” said Tradfast. He sighed and rose to his feet, towering over Bushy-Beard. “The Captain’s right. No one is going to do anything, at least until we’ve got some food in our bellies.”

Bushy-Beard glared up at the Overseer. “Have you lost your nerve as well? You led the rescue effort after the earthquake, what happened to your bravery then? Your sense of justice? Don’t you care about your workers?”

My eyes widened. Bushy-Beard was even crazier than I thought. Yelling at and insulting me was one thing, but Tradfast was more than twice his size.

Tradfast’s eyes bulged, and he bared his teeth. With the ghosts gone for the present, he’d gone back to his old self. Bushy-Beard tensed, bracing himself for the coming onslaught.

“Of course I care about my workers!” roared Tradfast, his voice echoing through the cavern. I cringed and pressed my hands over my ears, and the miners around me did the same. It made little difference. Captain Lorsson took a step back, and the soldiers around us started in surprise. This was the Tradfast I was used too doubled. Even on my laziest days, he’d never shouted like this. “Have I ever cheated you? Have I?”

Bushy-Beard tried to stammer out something.

“No! I haven’t! We’ll search for the other miners, after the supplies are here!”

The small dwarf, who had been so full of righteous fury a few seconds before, slumped to the ground. I let out a disappointed sigh. Despite my hatred of the creature, he had at least tried to do the right thing.

‘Thank you Overseer,” said Captain Lorsson. Next to Tradfast’s monstrous roaring, his own voice seemed small and rather pathetic. “Like I say, we’ll receive supplies tomorrow, and then we’ll go after your friends.”

“Get some rest,” barked Tradfast. “Tomorrow you can regain your strength, and we’ll get our friends back.”

“You will,” echoed Captain Lorsson. “You’ll all be fine. Tradfast, is there anything I can get you? Did everyone who came here with you make it back?”

“Just get us breakfast as soon as the supplies arrive,” he grunted. “Everyone I left with is back here.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re all safe. See you in the morning.”

Captain Lorsson walked off to order some more men about, and Tradfast turned to us.

“Get some sleep. It’s not much worse than in the miner barracks. The captain will stay up all night I’m sure, so you needn’t worry about the ghosts. And you’ll get breakfast in the morning.”

The group of miners mumbled affirmatively, which was more than the Captain had gotten out of them. What an officer. Outdone in leadership by a mine Overseer. If he lead his men as badly as he’d displayed today, we were all doomed.

But on the bright side, Airon had a better chance of surviving because of him. It was a confusing situation. I hated the Captain for being rich, out of touch and over-friendly, but all in all, he was helping us.

The other miners began to lie down. My eyelids drooped, I yawned and sleepiness took me in her grasp.

I lay face down, it gave the lowest chance of my sapphire dropping out in front of everyone. The hard stone was horribly uncomfortable, digging against my skin, and the sapphire was like a chunk of ice jabbing into my breast. But I was so tired none of that mattered. The day’s turmoil faded from my mind.

I slept more soundly than I had any right too.