With Good Intent

Anders shuddered briefly, as if to shake off a sudden chill. Not taking his eyes off the runes before him, he said, "Hells with that. I want to see what this thing is. Besides, you know we're gonna have to get at this Hellstone." Anders set his chisel and raised his hammer to get back to work, and a few of his less superstitious fellows dug in alongside him.

Foreman Geoffrey arrived, and with his arms folded across his chest, he frowned at the men who were only watching Anders and the others uncover the runes. "Are you men, or are you a bunch of gossipin' old biddies? Since when are you gettin' paid to gawk?" When they did not move fast enough, he barked, "Get to work!" The gawkers jumped and scurried into other parts of the mine. Through the brief exchange, Anders and his crew kept working with a single-minded focus.

Geoffrey listened for a minute to confirm that the diggers had started their work in other parts of the mine. Then he stooped and picked up the piece of Hellstone rock from the ground to examine it closely. He noted the rocks being loosened by the men and told the Nipper to fetch a cart. He leaned in between two of the men to have a closer look at the strange markings. Geoffrey was literate, and even knew how to recognize a few mage runes, but these were foreign to him. Embedded within the earth, he assumed that whatever it was, it had to be very ancient. Under his breath he muttered, "What the Hells is it?"

Anders seemed to have heard him, for he answered, "Door." Then he kept digging.

"How do you know?" Geoffrey asked, but Anders had nothing else to say. In a trance like state, the men steadily worked at the wall.

When the boy returned with the cart, Geoffrey told him, "Run quick and fetch Master Barlow. Tell him there's Hellstone down here, and get him to come look at this... door or whatever it is."

As the Nipper ran off, Geoffrey began loading the cart himself. He was loathe to leave the precious ore alone, and the odd behavior of the men at the wall made him nervous. It was beyond him why they seemed so strange, and he was anxious for Master Barlow to arrive. No one spoke as the men broke the rock and Geoffrey filled the cart. When he had a full load, he decided to wheel it up. Whether he was present or not, he did not think the men would change their behavior.

Once Geoffrey had taken the cart up the tunnel, a slow and sick smile spread across Anders' lips. He took up a pick and slammed the blade into the ancient stonework door. The other three followed suit, immediately setting a rhythm. Chips of stone flew and scattered, then a massive crack formed in the structure. The next blow opened a hole. From that dark space, a dank black smoke billowed out and filled the section of tunnel. Still entranced, Anders pulled the smoke into his nose and mouth, while his fellows clutched at their throats and fell to floor. The smoke swirled about the men then funneled back into the room beyond the hole in the door.

When it was done, the three men slowly picked themselves up off the ground. Ignoring the blood that freely flowed from his nose, Anders chuckled darkly at his colleagues who coughed and retched while they tried to gain their feet. In a voice that did not belong to him, Anders rasped, "Get your shit together. We got work to do, boys."

By the time Geoffrey and Master Barlow arrived, Anders and his crew had gone back to work. With a handkerchief over his nose, and goose stepping to avoid getting unavoidable dirt on his polished shoes, Barlow picked up a piece of Hellstone in a gloved hand and made a humming noise of approval. Next, he examined the hole and what was left of the runes. He clucked his cultured tongue and said, "You gentlemen should not have damaged the runes before we had opportunity to research them. Ah, well. Geoffrey, keep quiet about the ore, until I know just what I've got here. Have these men finish opening this thing. I want to see what's inside." Then more quietly, as if the men could not hear him, he said, "And see if you can't get them to bathe, hmm? They're disgusting."

Geoffrey murmured, "Yes, Master Barlow," and watched the mine owner take his quick and dainty steps out of the tunnel.

He saw the blood and vomit. He noted the streaks of gore on Anders' sleeve where he had wiped his nose, and the man still had dried blood on his face. The other three kept coughing and wheezing. Unlike their previous behavior, regardless of their physical states, the four men were chatting as they worked, animated regarding Barlow's visit and the possibility of higher pay. Geoffrey said, "Anders, what happened in here? Why did you open it up?"

The man grinned his usual grin, but there was something unsettling in his eyes that Geoffrey could not place. "Sorry 'bout that, Boss. Were an accident, it were."

The foreman peered at the hole and the men who made it. It did not look like an accident to him. "You men get up to the infirmary and see Physic Aarondale."

As the men followed his orders and left the tunnel, Geoffrey stepped closer to the dark hole in the wall. Peering inside was useless, even with the lantern brought up close. As he leaned closer, he could have sworn that he heard a faint whispering from inside, though he could not understand the words. The sound caused his sweat to grow cold and made him feel nauseated. He backed away from the space and shook his head. He wanted to cover it up, to leave it alone. If Master Barlow thought he could get something out of it though, he was going to have get his men to open it up.