Bonds That Tie Us

Thirty-five

~Liana~

The entrance of the mines was darker than I expected it to be. The walk dragged on for a minute or two, before a few lamp lights came into view.

"We didn't have those before," Holly explained to me. "Another thing to thank the young Lord for, I suppose." She whispered.

I cut a glance to Eric, who was busy talking with Ray. He certainly was nothing like his Step Father. But already knew that much.

"I didn't expect him to make change here." I admit, glancing at the rock we were now surrounded in. Our steps gew steeper and lower, and surely enough, we saw tracks for the mine carts.

The air down here was thicker, grimmer even, and it was hard to see a thing.

Holly noticed my sudden uneasiness.

"It gets a little hard to breath and cope down here. But you'll be fine." She said, as more workers and miners came into view.

They eyed us all with caution, especially Eric, once again. He radiated snobby rich man, who could ruin your life- but he simply studied his surroundings, as if making note of things.

"Are you involved?" Holly asked me, pulling me from my thoughts.

"With Lord Kierson?" I asked, and when she nodded, I felt heat rise to my cheeks.

I was suddenly glad for the dimness.

"I...it is hard to explain." I say, looking away as Holly grinned.

"I completely understand. Men are odd- Sam and I have been married a year now, and we still don't understand what page we are on sometimes." She sighs and I raise a brow.

I wouldn't have guessed that her and Sam were married. But it made sense, somehow.

It took about five minutes for the workers to start whispering and then yelling at Eric and I.

And once again, Holly rallied up the miners and explained that Eric was not the bastard they were looking for. Far from him, actually.

And then again, Eric cleared his throat and accepted the workers gratitude for the pay rise. I almost laughed, when several workers embraced him and he shot me a pleading look for help.

"So," Darren said as we headed deeper into the mines, passing carts and workers who mined the day away. "What is it you're looking for exactly?"

"Rocks," Eric said, earning a laugh from Holly.

"Shouldn't be hard to find." Sam muttered, gesturing around us.

"We are not here for rocks," I explained. "But diamonds."

That earned silence from the four of them. Eric didn't seem pleased that I'd told them about the diamonds though. But it was necessary.

"Oh," Holly gasped, "You're after the shiny block!"

"The...shiny block?" I echoe, pulling my cloak tightly around me. It was cold as hell down here, everything felt damp.

"Well, it can't be anything else." Sam agreed, as Holly moved and held his hand and I forced myself to not glance at Eric, in response.

"What shiny block?" Eric asked, brows knitted together.

Ray chuckled, "We've been through every inch of this place, for years. There's nothing remotely interesting enough down here, except for this one wall- it's different from the others. It...shines, sometimes. When fire light hits it."

That had to be it.

"And you have never tried to mine this wall?" I find myself asking.

Darren glances my way, before falling into step beside me.