Chapter 242

Chapter 242

Amethyst was almost running, but she seemed to be gaining on the light. She stopped suddenly, when the light ceased to continue moving. Just ahead there was a clearing, and the torch had been stuck into a holder fastened to a boulder. Next to it, in the rock face, was a metal gate. There didn’t appear to be any people around, but as the light had been moving, they must have gone inside the cave guarded by the gate. Amethyst prepared to step out of the shadows and see who was in the cave. That was when he had to act.

Alexcent grabbed her from behind and slapped a hand across her mouth to stifle the scream she tried to make in fear. He pulled her back into the shadows. She struggled, trying to force her way out of his hold. He turned her around in his arms, so she could see him, and put a finger to her lips indicating for her to be quiet. It was good that she recognized him as the man she helped earlier. She relaxed and nodded in understanding to his motion for silence.

In the clearing, there was a creak as two men came out of the gated cave. They were dressed in armour and had swords hanging from their belts. Alexcent pulled Amethyst further into the darkness of the trees. They knelt in silence, listening to the exchange of the guards in front of them.

“Why does he want us to guard a place where not even wild animals dare to come?” the first guard asked.

“In case anything happens, I guess,” the second guard answered.

“We haven’t seen a single living thing since we’ve been here,” the first guard continued. “Besides, it makes me nervous that the landlord told us to kill anyone who stumbles upon this cave. No matter who it is.”

“I don’t think we have a choice,” the second guard said in disgust.

Amethyst tensed in Alexcent’s arms. If he hadn’t stopped her, she would be most likely dead now. Now all they had to do was wait until daybreak, when the guards should leave the area. As they huddled in the shadows, Alexcent breathed deeply the scent of Amethyst’s hair. To think, after everything that had happened, that he would find her again.

Alexcent had finished his daily work, and had decided to wait until dark to find out what was really happening at the mines. There were so many workers being sent to the mines, but his duties kept him at the loading docks, so he hadn’t been able to find out what was going on inside. And from the whisperings amongst the workers, he wasn’t the only one who was questioning what was actually occurring.

All of the items that he had been shipping from the loading dock at the mines were expensive items, such as jewels, metals, and even magic stones. All of the mines in the Empire were the property of the empress. However, from what he remembered, this mine had neve been listed in the empire’s assets. Nothing that he received, when he was Duke Skad, had ever come from this location. The only possible explanation, he could think of, was that this was a smuggling mine. He needed to know for sure, which is why he had been out in the woods tonight.

When he first realized he wasn’t alone, and had seen Amethyst stumbling about the woods, he had been angry. Even small children knew that it was dangerous to be in a strange forest after dark. But why was she in this forest? She always ended up in dangerous situations. Perhaps it was the world trying to rectify the fact that she had cheated death and shouldn’t have been here in the first place. But the irrational side of his brain continued to want to protect her. Despite all the reasons to the contrary, he couldn’t let her die.

The two men in the clearing had continued their conversation.

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“Have you ever killed someone before?” the first guard asked.

“No,” the second guard answered. “What about you?”

“I haven’t even been in a battle.”

“Then it seems that you and I have a lot in common,” the second guard stated.

“I’m scared,” the first guard said, his voice shaking.

“Of what?”

“Of killing someone. I hope no one passes by.”

“Very funny,” the second guard didn’t seem amused. “We’re guards, so let’s guard. Besides, no one will even come into these parts of the mountain, thank to the rumours of horrible creatures that have been spread. So, stop worrying, and keep your eyes open.”

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“Wait!” The first guard perked up.

“What?” the second guard asked.

“I saw a movement over there.”

The second guard turned and looked at where his partner was pointing. They were squinting into the darkness directly towards where Amethyst and Alexcent were hiding. Alexcent could feel Amethyst shaking in terror.

“I’ll go and check,” the second guard said, and started approaching the spot that they couched in the shadows. Alexcent picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it hard into the trees on the other side of the clearing. The bouncing stone disturbed a group of birds that had been nesting in the bushes and they flew into the sky in a flurry of feathers.