Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(34)

Panting, I stepped back. “Just give me a moment and I can try again.”

“Not necessary.” Ares stepped up and gripped the rock on the right, heaving it upward. His muscles strained, but the boulder crept up inches. Then a foot. He shifted it a few feet away from the mountain, then dropped it. It thudded to the ground. He stepped back, sweat trickling down his brow.

“Nice one.” I held up a hand for a high five.

Ares grinned and held up his hand so that I could smack it with my own.

“Good teamwork,” Ares said.

“We should make our own motivational poster. I’ll be the kitten hanging off the branch and you can be the eagle who is soaring toward his goal.”

Ares chuckled.

I joined him at the crevice where the stone stood away from the mountain and peeked inside. It was dark and narrow, but there was a darker bit and the cool scent of earth flowing out.

“Definitely a tunnel back there, and just enough room to squeeze through.” I was about to step inside when Ares slipped past me and went first.

He had to exhale fully and slide through sideways, but he managed to disappear into the tunnel entrance. I shuddered at the close quarters, then followed him.

Inside, Ares held his hands up, letting his magic light shine inside the dark space. It was about seven feet tall and ten feet wide, a railroad track disappearing down the tunnel.

“It’s an old mine,” Ares said.

I crouched, examining the track and the footprints in the dirt. “The track hasn’t been used in decades, but the footprints look fresh. Sorta.”

“Hider’s Haven could be a repurposed mine.”

“I’d almost bet on it.” I stood and started down the track. Ares kept at my side, his hands illuminating the passage in front of us. The air was dark and cool down here. For the first time since the sun had come up, I wasn’t sweating. “Hider’s Haven has got to be in this mountain. It’s not a throughway.”

“Between the heat and the monsters out in the valley, I agree.”

I kept my ears pricked and my senses alert as we went deeper into the mountain. Soon, a pale glow shined from up ahead. I pointed. Ares nodded.

We crept toward it on silent feet. As we neared, the glow coalesced to form a figure.

“A ghost.”

“Not a Phantom?” Ares asked. There was a slight shudder to his voice. I couldn’t blame him.

“No. Phantoms are blue. This guy is just a ghost.” They didn’t normally give the living too much trouble. This one was transparent white, about forty years old, with long messy hair covered by a hat. His overalls and old-time hat making him look like he’d stepped out of another century. “A miner.”

We neared, and I waved awkwardly. “Hi.”

He chewed on something, his jaw working furiously, but I couldn’t tell what he was chomping on. Then he tipped his hat. “Howdy. You got your pass?”

“Um.” I tensed, ready for a fight. “No.”

He frowned. “Hmm. Then I reckon you ought to turn back.”

“Can’t do that.” Ares stepped forward.

The ghost seemed to debate, then shrugged. “Can’t stop ya. But you’ll regret it.”

“Going farther?” I asked.

He grinned, revealing several missing teeth. “Yep. But it gets boring down here, so I wouldn’t mind the company.”

“We won’t be here long,” I said.

His smile widened. “You will be. Once the mine gets ya.”

“Because we don’t have a pass?” Ares asked.

The miner nodded and hiked a thumb behind him. “You won’t make it two hundred yards. But give it a try.”

“You’re quite the welcoming committee,” I said.

“Like I said, I’m bored. Heard that boulder crack and came to see what’s up.” He waggled his brows at me and licked his lips. “And you’re real pretty.”

“Ew. Haven’t you ever heard of subtle charm?” He’d really lost me at the lip licking. Blech.

“You’ll change your tune once you’re stuck with me for a century.” He smacked his lips.

“I’m quite confident that I won’t.”

“Well, we’ll see. No one’s ever made it through who don’t have a pass.”

And now they were ghosts haunting this place. Probably avoiding the creepy advances of the lip-licking miner.

“Then where are the other ghosts?” Ares asked.

“You’ll meet ‘em.” He cackled. “And then you’ll be one of ‘em.”

“Great. Thanks.” I left him, Ares at my side.

“Come and find me later!” the miner hollered after us. “I’ll be lookin’ for ya!”

“Ew, no,” I muttered and continued on. The path felt like it could go for miles, the railroad running deep into the mines. We’d walked for ten minutes or more, the tunnel dark and quiet. Eventually, a ghost hovered along the side of the path ahead of us. “Fingers crossed for a non-sleazy ghost.”

Ares chuckled. As we neared the second welcoming committee, I got a good look at him. My stomach dropped. Half of his head was crushed in.

“Looks like he fell from a great height,” Ares said.