CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

　　11 February 1124

　　William didn`t know how it had happened but he`d been tasked with babysitting the Miner while he sobered up. Matilda and Matthew often disappeared to work on their other projects, leaving William alone with the human garbage. William resented their casual abandonment, as though he wasn`t knowledgeable, talented or old enough to assist with their more technical work. He resented them being able to spend time alone. Together. But most of all, he resented the Miner.

　　In his sixteen years living in Holford, William had heard scattered gossip about the Brewer`s ne`er-do-well older brother but only ever caught glimpses of the man. Ma had quite rightly protected her children from the Miner`s sinful existence and the old copper mine had always been out of bounds for children. While this normally would`ve served as a challenge for William, even he knew not to risk his parents` wrath by breaking that particular rule.

　　To call the Miner a pig of a man was an insult to swine. The man was sin personified, guilty of gluttony, greed, sloth, anger and jealousy. William had little doubt that, given the chance, the Miner would`ve also been guilty of lust but his long hair was matted, his odour repulsive and his language would make a maid blush.

　　The only sin he couldn`t be accused of was pride. Despite William`s efforts, the man remained almost always drunk and he had stashes of food and drink scattered around Holford. His filthy clothes strained against the mass of his stomach and were covered in drippings from meals months prior.

　　From a young age Ma and Pa had preached the importance of looking presentable and keeping clean at all times, not just when going to church.

　　"People respect a clean person," Pa would say. "It shows the world that you`re in control."

　　Living with Matilda had further reinforced the importance of hygiene, for both reasons. She taught William that Ma and Pa`s daily cleaning rituals actually served to kill jurms, tiny invisible devils that made people sick.

　　"The fleas that live on fleas," she described them.

　　The Miner knew none of that and lacked any hint of self-respect. He was quite comfortable rolling around in filth and cared only about the source of his next meal. His younger brother, Holford`s successful Brewer, had always provided.

　　That would change today, William thought. Today you`ll earn your supper."Get up, slug," William grunted at him, nudging the seemingly unconscious man with his boot. "Gerroff me," the Miner groaned.

　　"Up!" William ordered as he tossed a bucket of water over the man. "You`re showing us the mine today and we want to get out of that death-trap alive."

　　The sopping Miner bellowed in anger and tried to surge at William. He hauled himself upright but only managed a couple of staggered steps before he collapsed back into the mud.

　　"Fine, you win. At least give a man some water, to drink this time."

　　It was the first time he`d requested anything but alcohol so William happily obliged. The Miner guzzled half the bucket, water streaming down his face.

　　"Tha`s better," the Miner said before letting out an almighty belch just as Matilda and Matthew arrived.

　　"Classy," Matilda said with a look of disgust. "Is he really ready?"

　　"I`m fine," the Miner slurred. "Bit wet but tha`s the boy`s fault."

　　"Ready as he`ll ever be," Matthew judged, turning to William and looking impressed. "I haven`t heard him string so many words together for years. Well done."

　　"He still looks under the weather," Matilda noted with concern. "I hope he`s lucid enough to know what he`s doing."

　　"He`ll be fine," Matthew said as he wrenched the wretched man to his feet and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Here Will, help me keep him steady."

　　William walked over and supported the Miner`s other side. The man smelt even worse up close up.

　　The group set off towards the mine at a slow pace, wading through a dense fog and battling against a fierce wind. Matilda detoured to the burnt shell of her mill and ran inside to collect tools for their inspection. William was disheartened to discover that Matthew and Walt had already moved their own equipment into the yard. His monopoly of Matilda`s time was over.

　　They resumed their slow journey, regularly stopping for the Miner to urinate, throw up or curse. Matthew tired of the vulgar antics and walked ahead with Matilda, leaving William to endure the Miner`s putrid body odour alone.

　　"So what happened to your mine?" William asked the Miner, hoping conversation might distract from the smell and Matthew`s obnoxious flirting. "No one ever talks of it but it must`ve been bad to do...this."

　　"Wha`s there to say? There`s nothin` there. Either empty or underwater. Dunno why you lot are interested all of a sudden."

　　"The Baron didn`t really give us a choice," William said tetchily. "He`s convinced that Matilda can resurrect it."

　　"The Redhead? More copper in her hair than left in those rocks."

　　"Surely there`s something still down there?"

　　"Nah. We worked it for ages. My Da`s grandad dug down there, an` even he weren`t the first. Never a huge production, mind you. Not enough to warrant bickering between the lords. But good enough. My brother`s brewin` only started cos we had enough scrap ore for him to make his brewin` cauldron. Never thought it`d become the family business."

　　"So what happened?"

　　"The damn thing flooded," the Miner said bitterly. "We dug deeper`n deeper. My workers refused to go down after the cave-ins started. Only a handful remained when I took over from Da an` they left when I couldn`t pay `em. I got stuck with a wet hole in the ground."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

　　William sensed growing agitation and dropped the subject.

　　The group broke out of the tree line and entered a gusty stretch of fields. The Miner directed them up a slight hill towards a lonely outcrop of trees with a dilapidated hovel that had suffered years of neglect. Disused equipment in varying states of decay was scattered around the structure, the remnants of a once thriving work site.

　　The mine was a stone`s throw from the hovel`s front door, a deep gash straight into the flat ground. The sloping gradient straight into the earth reminded William of Matilda`s cave but while her gully appeared to have been gently scooped away with a spoon, the mine looked like it had been hacked with a knife.

　　The group gathered around the mine and peered down into the entrance. Matilda looked uncharacteristically uneasy. She too eyed the support timbers that framed the mine`s entrance, their rot matching the decay of the surrounding site.

　　"Nope," Matthew said bluntly. "I`m not going down there. I work with metal by the light of day, by the light of my forge if I`m really pressed for time. But taking ore that`s still trapped in rocks straight out of that hell hole? No thanks, I`m not ready to be buried just yet."

　　The Miner shrugged and returned to his hovel.

　　"Suit yaself," he called over his shoulder. "Long way to come just to chicken out now."

　　"Better a chicken ranging freely above ground than a lion buried in stone," Matthew defended. "Those timbers look like the gates to Hell!"

　　"How `bout the rest of ya?" the agitated Miner asked, brandishing a handful of makeshift torches at them. "Ya drag me away and hide all me drink. Ya`d better not bail on me now."

　　William`s inner voice screamed with terror but he resolutely stepped forward and claimed a torch, determined to prove that he was braver than Matthew.

　　The Miner went to pass a torch to Matilda but she shook her hand.

　　"No thanks, I`ve got my own," she said as she withdrew her magical light box from her pocket. She wound its delicate handle a few times before motioning for the Miner to lead the way.

　　The Miner looked perplexed but shrugged. He stepped under the rotten logs and into the cramped passage of the mine, using the walls to keep upright. Matilda gave William an encouraging smile as she followed. William`s stomach was a knotted mess but he followed too.

　　The world was muted the moment he stepped into the artificial cave, the howl of the outside wind replaced by the muffled echo of the trio`s footsteps. Matilda switched on her torch, it`s sharp beam of cool light further enhancing the otherworldly feel.

　　The mine was so tight that not even bats dared to explore it. The jagged rock walls narrowed as they walked, to the point that William`s shoulders scraped against them no matter which way he leaned. The narrow passage was carved through solid rock with a slight bulge on the sides. The shape of a coffin. Every visible surface was the same stony grey and covered in chisel marks, creating a disorienting monotony that was only broken by the occasional smear of coppery green.

　　New branches of the mine infrequently came into view as they walked on. Some took awkward turns, weaving to and fro or veering off at odd angles.

　　"Followin` promising veins of copper or dodgin` the harder rock," the Miner explained, his voice echoing off the walls. His answers to Matilda`s many questions grew more authoritative as they delved deeper, completely different to the incoherent slob from the surface.

　　Other tunnels were dead straight and went as far as the eye could see, ending in a distant coffin of darkness. William`s mind ran wild imagining what demons hid in the shadows, just out of sight. He longed for the safety of daylight.

　　Even then, the most terrifying tunnels were those with collapsed ceilings. Hidden worlds of darkness lay behind the fallen rocks, formed in an instant of crushing destruction. William`s desire to run back to the surface increased with each one that they passed but he forced himself onward, refusing to abandon Matilda or be outdone by the filthy Miner.

　　Not that he had a choice. The journey had taken so many twists and turns that William had no idea how to return to the surface. The thought of wandering aimlessly in the dark was even more terrifying than being crushed.

　　The passage grew progressively narrower, first requiring them to crouch and eventually turn their bodies and shuffle awkwardly. The dry dirt floor became muddy and more waterlogged with each step. Still they shuffled on, until the Miner abruptly stopped.

　　"This is as far as we can go without swimmin`. We dug deeper but the tunnels are flooded"

　　"I`ve seen enough," Matilda said.

　　The Miner gave her a shove. "Come on then. Move along boy, back where we came."

　　The group turned around and walked back into the smothering darkness. The Miner pushed past as soon as the corridor widened and the knot in William`s stomach started to unfurl.

　　The return journey felt much quicker and it wasn`t long before the glow of sunlight overcame their makeshift torches. William heard Matilda turn off her torch.

　　The first breath of fresh air was the sweetest of William`s life. The sound of wind passing through the trees was wonderous and even the cool fog on his exposed skin made him feel alive.

　　"You made it!" Matthew called as he pushed himself up from a mossy rock, his face flushed with relief. "You spent long enough down there. I was worried."

　　"Not worried enough to come looking for us," William sniped.

　　"What d`ya think?" the Miner asked Matilda, ignoring the bickering. His exaggerated gruffness seemed to mask a faint glimmer of hope.

　　Matilda thought for a bit. "It`s hard to say, but there`s potential. I saw signs of missed copper and we should be able to lower the water level..."

　　"We bloody tried that!" the Miner snapped. "An` it took workers away from actual minin`."

　　"I can try building a pump. And hoses," Matilda replied. "But first I`d be interested to see the refuse pile. With a bit of experimenting we might be able to extract even more copper from the stone."

　　The Miner straightened up even further. "Don`t know why ya`d wanna do that but sure, I`ll show ya round back."

　　Matilda and the Miner disappeared, leaving William and Matthew standing in frosty silence.

　　"I`m worried about those supports," Matilda added as they returned. "You`ve been lucky to avoid accidents so far but they`ll need reinforcing before you resume any major mining activity."

　　"Easier said than done," the Miner parried. "Wood and tools aren`t free ya know. Hard when ya not pullin` anything from the ground."

　　"I know," Matilda reassured. "That`s why Matthew`s here. He can provide the tools..." She held up a hand to halt Matthew`s protest. "...and I`ll talk to the Baron about payment. What would you need to get the site back up and running?"

　　The Miner paused. "A couple of gents to start. Three I guess. A set of tools for each of us, maybe some wood for makin` ya supports."

　　"Is this possible?" Matilda asked Matthew. "On top of everything we discussed back at the mill?"

　　"Perhaps, if we can find some additional hands to help at the mill. At this rate I might need to take on an apprentice."

　　Matthew looked at William appraisingly.

　　"No way," Matilda objected. "I need him, you find someone else. That said, it wouldn`t hurt for him to learn a bit more about what you do..."

　　William felt like a goat being auctioned at market. It was nice not being ignored but he wasn`t sure that he liked that type of attention.

　　Matilda turned back to the Miner. "Get this place cleaned up and put a call out for your team. It`ll take some time to get everything in order but it`d be good to start as soon as winter breaks."

　　The Miner beamed with disbelieving gratitude and practically bowed at Matilda.

　　"And you must know," Matilda added, "knowledge is my currency. My advice isn`t free. I`ll expect the first loads of copper for my own projects and will take a percentage of what is produced after that."

　　William saw the Miner deflate.

　　"Don`t worry," Matilda promised. "Even with my fee, it`ll be well worth your while. Just ask Matthew."

　　"She`s right," Matthew said. "It`s already been a blessing and she`s only been in Holford a couple of months. Plus, surely anything beats the endless drinking? Eh Edric?"

　　The Miner paused, unsure if he should be insulted. "Ya, there`s truth to tha`," he conceded.

　　With everything agreed, William joined Matilda and Matthew on the trip back to the village. Edric stayed behind and had already started tidying the yard as they left. He`d found a broken broom and swept furiously, as though desperate to remove the years of personal neglect.

　　The trio walked back to Holford side by side. Matthew was impressed at William`s willingness to venture into the mine and both he and Matilda were interested to hear what he`d learned from Edric on their outbound journey.

　　William felt appreciated. Finally.