“No, miss.”
“If I’m not a prisoner, I can leave.” Sorrow took another step and the guard raised his spear a little higher. “Get out of my—”
“Am I a prisoner too?” Irris moved forward, resting a hand on Sorrow’s shoulder in warning.
“No one is a prisoner, Lady Day. Miss Ventaxis is being guarded for her own safety.”
“And it’s you who is charged with keeping her safe?” Irris said.
“That’s right, my lady.”
“Then you can come with us. Bring some friends. There’s no point in arguing.” She held up a finger to silence any protest the guard had been about to make. “Your job is to guard Miss Ventaxis, and so you will. Wherever she goes. And you know Miss Ventaxis is running for the chancellorship. I would have thought remaining on her good side might be a priority.”
The guard swallowed.
“So I suggest you gather together four or five of your most trusted fellows, and meet us back here in ten minutes. I’ll order a coach.” Irris spoke with the authority of someone used to representing a district on the Jedenvat, of someone accustomed to being heard, and obeyed. The guard’s resistance crumbled, and he nodded, turning on his heel and walking away. He looked back twice, and Sorrow didn’t know if it was to check they were truly waiting, or because he was preparing to disobey, but in the end he disappeared around a corner. They waited in silence, and after ten minutes he returned with four other soldiers, all of whom seemed bewildered.
“Let me handle this,” Irris said under her breath, and Sorrow gave a swift, discreet nod. “Excellent,” Irris said firmly as the men approached, not giving them time to speak. “Now, because this visit is impromptu, and in the open, we don’t anticipate any attempts to harm Miss Ventaxis, as no one knows where we’re going; however, that doesn’t mean you can relax. Two of you will sit in the coach with us, two of you will accompany the driver, and the last of you can sit on the roof.”
“Where are we going?” the first soldier asked.
“To the mines. Miss Ventaxis is going to address the miners. We should be back here in good time for supper.”
Irris turned on her heel and opened the door, and Sorrow quickly followed, leaving the men scrambling in their wake.
They arrived at the mines an hour later, the coach arriving into the grounds near the main building, Sorrow’s stomach churning. She made for the door the moment the coach rolled to a halt, only for the soldier to bar her way, peering out of the window before he slipped through the door. A moment later he opened it, and nodded at her.
The courtyard was teeming with men, some covered in thick white dust from the mines, some clean before they started their shift, and they all turned as one to Sorrow as she stepped out of the coach. She faltered then, under their scrutiny, but most of them lost interest in her within seconds, and carried on with what they were doing.
“We need to find a foreman.” Irris appeared beside her.
“And do what?”
“Ask if you can go down and see the mine.”
Sorrow paused. “I thought I was going to do a speech to the union.”
“Do you have a speech?”
Sorrow shook her head.
“Well, then.”
“What am I supposed to do down there?”
“Watch. Learn. Talk. Be.”
“Can I help you?” Sorrow didn’t need to find a foreman; one had found her, and he didn’t look too happy with his discovery. He drew himself up to his full height, bringing him eye level with Sorrow. “This facility isn’t open to the public.”
“Hello, I’m Sorrow Ventaxis.” She held out a hand, and the man reluctantly shook it. “We wrote, saying we’d like to visit, and find out a little more about how I can help you and your men when I’m chancellor.”
“We thought you were your brother,” the foreman said bluntly.
“I hope you can see now that you were mistaken,” Sorrow joked. The foreman didn’t smile. “So,” she continued. “What I’d really like to do is see the mine.”
“You want to see the mine?”
“Yes,” Sorrow lied. “I’ve spent my entire life in Rhannish buildings made of Rhannish bricks. I want to see where it comes from, and meet the men who raise it.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible.” The foreman scratched his ear, frowning. “We’re not set up for visitors.”
“I don’t want a tour,” Sorrow improvised. “I want to go down into the mine and see it in action. Maybe have a go myself.”
“You want to—”
“I really do.” Sorrow cut him off. “So, do I need any protective gear?”
A bark of something like laughter from behind her made her turn.
A man in dusty white overalls was watching her. “How fond are you of that get-up?” He nodded at her outfit.
“Not at all.” Irris had told her to dress plainly and she had, in a pale grey tunic and trousers.
“It’s cold down there,” he said, looking at her bare arms.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll take her down,” he told the foreman. “I owe Yaris another cycle for last week. She can come with me, and I’ll bring her back up after.” The foreman considered it for a moment, and Sorrow could sense Irris getting ready to argue with him. But then he shrugged and walked away, leaving Sorrow, Irris, her soldiers and the miner, looking at each other.
“How long is a cycle?” Irris asked.
“Two and a quarter hours.”
Irris looked at Sorrow, who shrugged. She could manage that, she was sure.
“Excellent,” Sorrow said. “Ready when you are.”
“Us too?” the soldier Sorrow had nominated as leader said, his worry evident in his creased forehead.
“One of you at least ought to,” Sorrow said. Part of her wanted to force him to accompany her in revenge for barring her way earlier. She could tell, from the sweat on his upper lip, that the prospect of going underground frightened him. “Decide among yourselves.” She fought her inner meanness.
“I don’t mind. My father was a miner,” one of them announced.
“Then let’s go,” the miner said. “I’m on the clock.”
“What can I call you?” Sorrow said, falling into step with him as he walked away, the solider trailing after them.
“Mael,” he said.
Sorrow blinked. “How old are you?”
“Eighteen. Same as you.”
From both his appearance and his manner, Sorrow would have guessed he was at least ten years older. To cover her surprise, she continued talking. “So you were named for him?”
“Me and half the mine.” He paused. “They call me Braith. It’s my surname. You can use it too. Mind your head,” he warned her as they entered a tunnel.
The air was much cooler inside, and Sorrow regretted her bare arms. Braith led them down the tunnel, Sorrow turning sideways to counter the steepness of the incline, until they arrived at the bottom to a set of metal double doors. Sorrow was puzzled by what she would have sworn was birdsong coming from within, only to find, when Braith opened the door and urged her to enter, a shelf with a row of cages, each with a small yellow bird.