*tap*
*tap tap*
*tap tap*
Kyra's eyes fluttered open, woken by the noise.
*tap tap tap*
*tap tap tap*
She heard the sound of rocks being moved and men shouting in the distance. The sound gradually grew louder and louder until she saw a pick breach the wall of the cave, letting a stream of light flood in.
"Kyra!" She heard a muffled shout, but she didn't recognize the voice.
"Kyra, are you there?!"
"I'm... I'm here!" She croaked out, her voice hoarse.
"She's alive!" Kyra heard more muffled shouting as the pickaxes continued to crack the wall, letting in more and more light and sound. The hole eventually grew large enough for a man to poke his head inside.
"Kyra! I'm glad you're alright, we thought you were a goner!" He was an older man with greying hair and a face covered in dirt. His mouth was pulled into a deep, comforting smile, but she still didn't recognize him. Before she could say anything, he pulled his head back out, and the mining continued.
Soon enough, the hole was big enough for her to fit through. She began to climb out, assisted by a handful of miners who gave her cheers and big pats on the back as she made it through. They were all dressed in rags just like she was- as she looked down at herself, she noticed her body was different, smaller, almost malnourished, and weak. She looked into their faces but didn't recognize a single person.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know where I am or how I got here." She said sheepishly. She was met with blank stares as they whispered amongst themselves.
"-must've hit her head." she heard.
The man who had found her put an arm around her shoulder and started walking her toward the entrance of the tunnel they were in.
"You remember me don'tcha? Your pal, Bard!" He smiled, not seeming to be phased that she didn't recognize him. She shook her head. He frowned a bit, then spoke again.
"You know you're Kyra, so that's a start. We're in the mines right now; you grew up here!"
They had reached the tunnel entrance, and as Kyra's eyes adjusted to the bright light, she gasped. Before her was a mining camp, canvas tents littered the grounds, being watched over by wooden towers with lookouts on top. Dozens of people shuffled around the camp dressed in the same rags, some with their legs chained to each other, looking grim. The camp was surrounded by a wooden log fence wrapped in spikes.
This was not the same world she was used to, she thought.
"Kyra!" A woman ran up to her, eyes red, and hugged Kyra tight. "I'm so happy to see you! I thought-" Her brown eyes welled up with tears. She quickly wiped them away, hugging Kyra again.
"Bumped her head, doesn't remember us, Terra." The man said. "Let's get her to the med tent; there's someone ready to treat her."
They ushered her down the winding paths to a larger tent. As she approached, she noticed a few cots sparsely covered with frayed blankets, a small table with large bowls filled with bloodied water and bandages, and various rusted medical instruments illuminated by the soft glow of a lamp. Stepping inside, she cringed at the smell of blood and rot. The woman caring for patients inside didn't speak a word, only gestured for Kyra to sit on one of the empty cots as she looked at her head and put a bandage around it- Kyra hadn't realized she was bleeding, but it definitely explained her dizziness.
While she waited for the nurse to finish bandaging her, Kyra quietly gasped in shock when she noticed a young man on one of the cots; he was lying on his stomach, his broad back covered in brutal gashes from a whip. Dark hair was damp with sweat, and his face was buried in his arms, amplifying the sound of soft labored breathing. He wasn't wearing rags but the uniform pants that she had seen the guards wearing. There seemed to be no difference between a guard and a slave here.
Kyra was finally excused from the medical tent and found Bard and Terra waiting for her outside. They exchanged a knowing glance between them when Kyra asked about the man.
"That's Varys," Bard said, "when the cave-in happened, and you were trapped inside, he organized tools for us to dig you out. The higher-ups thought it was a waste of resources, so he was punished for it."
Kyra thought about his back and grimaced. She couldn't believe he was punished for such a thing, and she felt sorry for him; he must've been in a lot of pain because of her.
"Who are the higher-ups?" She asked.
"Our owners," Terra said grimly. "The ones who bought us to toil away for their mining business. We work here until we die or can exchange enough money for our release."
"Hey! Move it along. Get back to work!" A guard shouted, heading in their direction. The two quickly dragged Kyra away back towards the mines. A rickety shed leaned by the entrance, with two guards overseeing a slave handing out tools as the workers entered. Terra and Bard urged Kyra to take a pickaxe, and the three of them descended into the mines, the path dimly illuminated by torches.
Kyra looked around at everyone working. They were all malnourished and ghoulish. A guard walked amongst them, baton in hand, threatening anyone who had stopped for a break. Kyra took up the heavy pickaxe in her hand and swung it against the wall, but as it made contact, her vision exploded again- colors swirled within the walls, exposing small veins of ores. She gasped and dropped the pickaxe, grabbing the attention of the guard.
"You there! Pick it up and get back to work, now!" He headed in her direction, readying his baton.
Terra and Bard lowered their heads; there was nothing they could do. Kyra quickly grabbed the pickaxe again, her weak arms struggling to get it to hit the wall where the colors shone again. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small piece of shining rock nearby in an area no one was mining in and decided to give it a try. Cautiously waiting until the guard's back was turned before moving towards it, she started working hard to uncover it. After several hours of work, she was exhausted but had to see if what she suspected was true. With one last crack of the pick, a sliver of the glowing rock shone through.
This ore didn't shine from inside like the first rock she found had; it simply reflected the light of the torches. She stared at it for a second before being harshly shoved out of the way- another worker stood over her, looking at the ore.
"I found some!" He shouted to the guard, grinning from ear to ear. The guard came their way and saw Kyra on the ground and immediately shouted at her and hit her in the arm with his baton, telling her to move out of the way and get back to work. The worker who pushed her unearthed the ore, about the size of a baseball, and was escorted by the guard to the entrance.
Terra rushed over, having seen everything.
"Are you ok?!" Kyra held her sore arm close and nodded, holding back tears through the pain.
"That scoundrel!" Terra gritted her teeth. "He's going to get so much money from that. I bet he'll get a day off while you got nothing but a beating."
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As the day came to a close, Kyra left the mine feeling sore and exhausted. She followed Bard and Terra to a stand where a long line wrapped through the camp. Here, they were handing out money for the day's work. Kyra was excited they were getting paid; she hadn't expected that! When it was her turn, she gave her name and was handed two small copper coins. Quickly moving out of the way, she took a closer look at the coins, which were unlike any currency she had seen before-They were simple in design, featuring a sword on one side and a book on the other. The coins were thin and dull, and their weight was so light that she was almost afraid they could blow away in the wind.
At the mess hall, she stood in another long line and handed over one of her coins in exchange for a small hard loaf of bread. She was disappointed but determined- She still had one coin left from the day; maybe there was still hope of buying her freedom someday- or so she thought- until she had to hand over the last coin in exchange for a sleeping roll and space in a tent.
She lay on the uncomfortable roll, eyes glued to the ceiling. She had to do something; she couldn't live like this forever. She drifted off to sleep with a mix of hope in her new power and dread of her new life.