The Machinist's Apprentice

Chapter 8: Into the Mine

"Is your name Jevrem?" one of the men asked sternly.

"Wha...?" was all he could manage at first, then recognizing them as soldiers he hastily said, "Oh! Hn...yes...That's my name."

"You are to come with us," the second soldier said, "General Bojan has been looking for you."

Bojan? Through the fog of sleep it took a moment for his brain to process why Bojan might've sent men out to find him. Then it occurred to him that Bojan would've been the logical choice for Senka to contact after Jevrem's disappearance. Someone with his status and resources would be very useful in searching and the general would likely be inclined to help as the experiment he was most interested in was still attached to Jevrem's shoulder. He supposed that very arm was the description these soldiers had been given to find him.

He would never have expected the thought of General Bojan sending soldiers to hunt for him to be so reassuring. This would likely get him home even faster. "Right," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, "lead the way."

The soldiers silently lead him to a small coach, driving away from the sleepy town and back along the border towards an army encampment. It seemed to be early morning, which meant that the tavern keepers had left him sleeping at the table all night. It was customary for Goskaran taverns to stay open around the clock to serve anyone who might travel by and need to stop, but he was still a bit surprised it had happened. It did explain the additional soreness in his shoulders and neck, though.

The soldiers said very little on the trip and Jevrem didn't try to engage them in conversation. He was doing his best not to nod off again. It seemed his body was convinced that sleep would rid him of the last lingering bits of pain he felt and he couldn't dissuade it from that notion.

He perked up a bit as they arrived at the camp, which was really more of a small settlement. There were tents everywhere, ready to pack up and move whenever the army had a need for it, but what interested Jevrem were the buildings. They were basically metal compartments made to lift off the ground at a moment's notice so wheels could be attached allowing protected bunkers and necessary equipment to be moved relatively easily. It was to one of these compartments that the soldiers brought Jevrem. He walked tentatively through the heavy doors to find General Bojan already waiting for him.

The general was hunched over a desk covered in important-looking papers. As they came in, he set the papers down and nodded to the soldiers who turned and left them alone, then he regarded the young man. "I didn't think we'd ever see you again," he said, turning to pour out two drinks, "Senka's account of your disappearance was rather fantastic. Where on earth have you been?"

Jevrem hesitated. It was difficult to explain what had happened any other way than that he'd been kidnapped by magic, but he really didn't want to describe it in those terms to Bojan. He felt a little nervous now that he was here before the man. He'd never been face to face with the general without having Senka by his side and while lying to strangers was easy enough, lying to this man of authority who he'd known much of his remembered life was a lot harder to do. He took the offered drink, trying to keep himself steady in order to not betray his nerves and simply said, "It was rather fantastic to live through it. I ended up in Astansuria."

"Then it was magic that took you away," the general said darkly.

Jevrem nodded, "Seems so. Some sort of mix-up with a magic spell some old mage was casting. Mother always talked about how unreliable magic use is, but I got to see it first hand. He seemed as confused as I was about the whole mess. I was able to talk him into bringing me almost all the way back and snuck away when we got close to the border. "He hurriedly took a drink as he finished, hoping that the explanation would suffice.