Slave to Sapphire

Iris was lost in her thoughts, her body numbed with azure when the door to her room opened and Lucious stalked into the room. He cranked the chain and forced her into a standing position. “You look and smell absolutely repulsive.” Lucious moved towards her, his nose crinkled with disgust. “Even high on azure you must be getting tired of your surroundings,” he continued.

Iris focused her eyes on a spot on the wall behind Lucious. Her lack of response didn’t deter him.

“I have arranged for you to return to the mines.”

Iris’ dilated pupils widened more and she focused on Lucious. The azure sluggishly moved through her blood stream, but it couldn’t stop her rising panic.

Lucious circled Iris and stopped behind her. His cold hand rested on the back of her neck. He leaned in so his mouth was next to her ear. “With your abilities you will be such an asset to the Amarath Mines so I sold you into a ten-year contract.” Lucious stepped away from her and loosened her chain. Iris slumped to the ground.

Lucious turned to a man behind him. Iris recognized him as the one who had brutally beaten her. “Ready her to leave, we need to deliver her to the mines before her current dose of azure wears off.”

The man grunted and moved to Iris. He bound her feet and wrist with rope before removing her chains. The man handled her roughly but Iris could see the fear in his eyes every time he touched her. He should be afraid; She would take special care in making him suffer once Lucious was dead. He noticed her looking at him and he slapped her hard across the face with the back of his hand. Iris held her glare. The man stood and scooped her from the ground, throwing her over his shoulder. Iris struggled to open her senses but found she was still unable to. It would be hours before the azure wore off. She would be consumed by pain again but she would be able to use her ability as a conduit. Iris hung upside down over the man’s shoulder noticing the cuff in her source stone was a dark blue. Lucious had given her enough source to live the entirety of the ten years he had sold her to the mines for.

Iris was loaded into a wooden cart connected to a horse. A heavy canvas was pulled over the cart to cover her. The rider of the horse set the cart into motion. The cart was meant for the transport of goods and it made for a very bumpy ride. The azure kept her from feeling the pain of being jostled around in the wooden cart for the hours it took to reach the mines. Specks of morning sunlight penetrated the canvas that covered her. Her brain was still muddy with azure. It should be wearing off by now. They must have given her a more potent formulation. The cart rolled to a stop. The horse whinnied and a dry wind picked up. Some of the fine dirt made its way through the canvas. The truth of her situation sunk in; she was going back to the mines. Iris couldn’t survive another moment in the mines. Tears leaked from her eyes cutting through the dust caked to her skin.

The canvas was removed from the cart, Iris slammed her eyes shut against the blinding light. Someone grabbed her ankles and pulled her out of the cart. Unable to break her fall with her hands bound, her hip hit the ground, followed by the side of her head, the impact causing her to bite into her tongue.

“She is yours to deal with now.” A man said in a gruff voice.

“Welcome back to the Amarath Mines, girly.” Brutus didn’t bother to hide the glee in his voice as he spoke.

Iris cracked an eye open to see his mostly toothless grin as he looked down at her. He bent down and cut the bindings on her ankles with a knife. His meaty fingers dug into her shoulder and forced her into a standing position. Iris swayed on her feet.

“You stink like corpses and human feces; I am not carrying you. You should enjoy your final walk in the sunshine anyway.” Brutus’ chest shook with a deep laugh, his rancid breath hot against her skin.

Brutus tightened his grip on her shoulder and pulled her forward towards the mines. Iris desperately fought to open her senses but her blood was still curdled with azure.

Iris stumbled but Brutus continued pushing her forward. No. She couldn’t go back, she would rather die. Iris’ eyes found the terrible wound in the earth; no amount of azure was able to hold back the tide of panic that was rising in her. She twisted away from Brutus and started to sprint to the edge. If she could make it to the edge she could jump and everything would end. When her body hit the bottom, she would be dead in an instant, no conduit ability could save her. The edge wasn’t far. Her movements were slowed by her previous beating, the azure, and her lack of food and water. Iris willed her feet to move faster, the edge drew closer. Brutus’ feet pounded the ground behind her. Iris dug deep propelling herself forward. She would not go back into the mines alive. The edge was only a couple of feet away. Maybe she should jump now? The muscles in her thighs bunched preparing to spring her forward and over the ledge. Brutus tackled her to the ground. The force of his body taking her to the ground knocked the wind out of her. Iris gasped for air as Brutus sat on her back, pushing her face into the dirt. The edge was only inches away and tears spilled from her eyes.

“Now, girly, I am not going to let you get off that easily,” he drawled. “You there!” Yelled Brutus. “Come here and tie her feet.”

A pair of callused hands bound Iris’ feet together. “You can carry her to the cable car as well,” ordered Brutus. The man grunted and scooped Iris up, carrying her at his side like a small child.

Iris bucked and kicked and screamed to free herself. The man’s eyes were dulled with azure and he didn’t react to any of her efforts. He marched to the large hole and went down the rope ladder one handed, carrying Iris’ flailing form. Brutus unlocked the cable car, and the man threw her in. She skidded across the floor, her body hitting the back of the cable car. Brutus stepped into the cable car and closed the door. The cable car lurched into motion, the cables screeching, and Iris began her descent into the mines. Iris closed her eyes seeking out the nothingness that the azure provided.

The cables sparked and protested and the cable car halted.

“You will be working the 15th level. You are listed as a criminal and thanks to your boyfriend, everyone working the 15th level is a criminal like you.”

Brutus swung the door open. He grabbed the back of her collar and dragged her out of the cable car. He left Iris so she could feel the jagged stone wall poking into her back, the floor of the worn stone ledge cold against her cheek. Brutus didn’t bother to untie her bindings and he returned to the cable car. The cable car along with the only lantern groaned as it made its ascent leaving Iris alone in the absolute darkness of the mines.

Iris lay alone in the all-consuming blackness of the mines, the azure still moving from her veins. Against the wall she was as far as possible from the edge, but even so the drop off that led to the abyss was only about ten feet away. The rush of determination that had powered her mad sprint to the edge of the top of the mines had since left her body. The apathy that azure brought was more potent when combined with blackness of the mines. It was nothing to let her consciousness slip into the vast emptiness of azure.

The agony returned with a vengeance; she choked on the fine dust suspended in the air. The absolute darkness was disorienting. She wondered if her eyes were closed or open. Her injuries felt like they had somehow worsened, her bindings were searing brands against her skin. Maybe she could roll her body to the edge and fall into the abyss. The anticipation of the heightened pain that would come with any movement kept her from acting on her dark desire.

Iris didn’t know how long she lay on the ledge of lowest functioning level of the Amarath Mines delirious with suffering. Brutal hands clawed at her clothes and Iris blindly latched onto a life source ripping it away from its owner. It happened again but Iris wasn’t sure if she was replaying the episode in her mind.

Eventually the pain dulled enough for her mind to clear, but the craving for more azure intensified. She was still immobilized by the pain but she was able to process what was happening. Iris reached out for her life source, it was a pulsing thing, stronger than she had ever felt. She directed the source into her body to fully heal her injuries. The pain receded further. Iris imagined putting her pain in a metal box, she tried to fit her craving for azure in the box as well but was not able to. Once the pain was in the box, she placed it behind her constructed mental wall. Iris focused on the image, her breathing evened and she opened her eyes. Iris blinked several times until she was convinced that her eyes were open to the inky blackness. Iris attempted to clear her dry throat but it was coated in dust and the act elicited a coughing fit.

When her coughing subsided, she struggled to get herself into a sitting position. It took all of her focus to keep her rising pain locked in her mental box. She had healed her injuries, but her nerves were still primed to sing with the memory of her pain. Her arms were bound behind her back and ankles were tied as well. Iris wiggled her wrist failing to loosen the rope, the knot was secure and the bindings tight. Her attempts did nothing but reopen the freshly healed wounds on her wrists.

“You’re awake.” A woman’s voice drifted through the darkness to Iris.

Iris stilled and twisted towards where she had heard the woman’s voice come from.

“I will help you out of your bindings if you promise not to kill me,” she stated. Her voice was strong but had a raspiness to it one got from breathing in the dust-filled air of the mines.

“Why would you help me?” Iris was startled by the roughness of her own voice. The dryness of her throat brought on an overwhelming thirst.

“I would be returning a favor.”

“I don’t understand.”

The woman started to laugh but it turned into a coughing fit. She finally caught her breath and spoke. “Do you really not know that you managed to kill three men while you were in the delirium of azure withdrawals?”

“What?” each word she spoke was sandpaper on her throat.

“The sound of the cable car alerted everyone to your arrival, as soon as your moans were heard it was obvious that you were in azure withdrawals. About half of the people arrive in your state. Since this level is all criminals and mostly men it is not worth the risk to try and protect someone going through withdrawals, especially a woman. It was never easy being a woman in the mines but now that they have separated the criminals from those who are only poor it is even worse for women like me. The men think they can use us how they wish, and a woman going through withdrawals is an even easier target.”

“What does any of this have to do with you owing me a favor?” Iris asked. Had she really killed three men?

“After the third man who touched you instantly died, they avoided you. I set up camp next to you and no one has bothered me.”

“I promise not to hurt you,” Iris responded. Iris turned herself so her back was facing the voice she had been talking to.

There was a scuffling sound as the woman moved closer towards her and her fingers began to work at the knot on Iris’ wrist.

“My name is Rosie, by the way.”

“Iris.”

Iris sat in silence as Rosie worked. There was a soft rattling that accompanied each of Rosie’s breaths. The bindings loosened, followed by the sound of Rosie moving away from Iris. Iris pulled her hands free and got to work on her ankles.

“The cable car will be returning with our rations soon, if you want any chance of getting some you should hurry into the tunnels to see if you can find any source stone.”

“Thank you for your help, Rosie.” Iris rasped. Rosie didn’t respond. Maybe she had already left.

Iris massaged her sore wrists and ankles. She didn’t think she would be able to go back into the tunnels again. The workers were no longer kept in the tunnels with the iron gates but the rations that they received every other day were still dependent on whether or not they mined source stone. Iris couldn’t mentally survive the mines again; she would not be fulfilling her ten-year contract.

As the last of the azure had left her body a resolve had solidified in her, she would not be taking her life either. Her only other option was to escape the mines. Iris was hit with another wave of thirst that was almost as strong as her need for more azure. For her to plan an escape she needed food and water, which meant she needed to go back into the tunnels.

Iris tore a strip of fabric from the bottom of her blouse and used it to cover her mouth and nose, tying it behind her head. “I am strong. Fear is not my master.” She placed a hand on the rugged stone wall and walked to the nearest tunnel. Her foot hit the pile of picks that were left near the entrance. She bent down and picked one up, the wood handle was smooth and slick from the hundreds of hands that had gripped it. Iris wondered if the slickness was from the sweat or blood of those who had held it before. She forced down her rising terror. She was not the same sixteen-year-old girl who had been left here ten years ago. She wasn’t the same woman that had been here a few weeks ago. If anyone touched her, she would kill them.

Iris opened her senses and pushed them out around her. Pinpoints of source stone pulsed around her. Iris focused on them, and she noticed that several of them had a presence to them that the others were missing. The presence had a familiarity to it and Iris realized that they were source stones that were infused with life, the presence indicated a person. Her ability as a conduit allowed her to sense the presence of any person with a source stone. This gave Iris more confidence as she moved forward into the mines, she had developed a sixth sense, and no one would be taking her by surprise.

Iris walked with her right hand on the wall, clutching the pick with her left. She had decided on a direction to lead her to a small cache of source stone she had located. It was too difficult for Iris to open her senses to the source stones, keep track of where she was in the mines, and ignore the constant nagging craving for azure all at once. She would walk with her conduit senses shut down and then stop and open them. If she noted the presence of another person, she would change her course.

When Iris reached the cache her limbs were heavy with exhaustion. Her body warred between its need for water and desire for azure. Her stomach cramped with hunger. She swung her pick aiming to where she felt the draw of the source stone. The pick bounced off of the wall and almost fell from her weakened grip. Iris gritted her teeth and stilled her mind. She focused on pulsing life source that was still present in her source stone. She imagined the life source easing her hunger and wetting her tongue. The exhaustion receded and Iris swung her pick with vigor. Her muscles burned and her hands ached but she didn’t let herself stop until she was able to free a piece of source stone about the size of an orange. Iris was vaguely aware of the wetness that coated the handle of the pick, she knew it was blood. Iris smashed the stone with her pick to break it up into smaller shards. Iris collected the shards, put a hand back on the wall and headed back to the tunnel entrance.

She emerged onto the ledge and some of the tension left her body. She had done it. She would not go back into the tunnels again until she had a plan to escape. Using her new senses, she found a place on the ledge that was away from anyone else. With her back against the wall, she dozed off, clutching the shards of source stone.

The groaning from above signaled the arrival of the cable cars. Two lanterns, one on either side hung from the cable car. Iris blinked her eyes, adjusting to the dim light the lanterns emitted. Could she somehow overtake the guards and escape via the cable cars?

“MOVE BACK!” shouted a man from the cable car. The cable car shuddered and stopped at the ledge. Her fellow miners lined up, giving the cable car plenty of space. The door swung open and two men with cross bows stepped out, their bows leveled at the line of people. There were two other men that would be responsible for the collecting of source stone and the handing out of rations. The cross bows would make it very difficult for her to overtake them. She would probably be able to kill one or two of them, managing to kill all four before getting taken down by a crossbow was unlikely.

The cable car had started its ascent, the men with crossbows kept them aimed at the miners. Iris sat gnawing on a stale piece of bread and dried meat. She had already drunk all the water that had been provided. If she couldn’t take the cable cars out, she would have to climb out. Iris let out a hoarse laugh that echoed off the walls at the idea. She was hundreds of feet below the surface. It would take years for her to climb out. But for the first time since she was fifteen Iris had access to years of life. Lucious had given her ten years of life and she had taken whatever life source the three men she had killed had. Iris had only used a fraction of that to heal herself. She would climb out of the mines even if it took years. The surface was hundreds of feet away, but it was only fifty feet between each level. When she didn’t line up for rations, they would assume that she had either thrown herself off the ledge or died in the tunnels. She would use the remaining source stone in her pocket to collect rations on other ledges when she needed. If she fell while climbing, she would either survive the fall to the ledge below and heal herself or she wouldn’t.

Iris had a plan, having a plan gave her strength but did nothing to blunt the desire for more azure. Hopefully by the time she climbed out of the mines the constant need would be gone. Iris waited until everyone had dispersed from the collection of rations. She carefully crept on the ledge towards the cables that cars ran along. She took special care to avoid coming into contact with any of her fellow miners. Once at the cables, she wrapped her fingers around the cold metal. The cables were coated in a layer of grease. She gripped both of her hands around the cables and attempted to pull herself up. Her hands started slipping. Iris returned her balance to her feet and wiped the grease from her hands on her leggings. She wouldn’t be using the cables to climb out. Iris stood and ran her hands over the rough stone searching for a hand hold to begin her climb. Iris’ hands found what they needed, her fingers curled around the sharp rock and she pulled herself up. She pictured the look on Lucious’ face when she found him again. Because she would find him, and she would kill him. Lucious had made a mistake; he had given Iris something that she never had had before, time. Time to escape the mines, and time to plot her revenge.