Free Azurite (Daughter of the Mountain Book 1) by Megan Dent Nagle Page B

down on Zora as she covered her head to avoid being knocked senseless by falling debris.  She wheezed and coughed as suffocating dust particles entered her nostrils.
    “What in the name of the Creator was that, Salem?” An angered voice echoed throughout the mine once the blast subsided.  “You could have killed someone, you dumb boy!  I told you to stuff mold in the burrow before igniting the fuse!  Go help the men up!  Let’s hope your negligence didn’t cost us a whole day’s work!” 
    Zora recognized the voice as Talan’s, and she could see the outline of two men arguing not far from her through the thick dust.  She watched as Talan stormed off and began to help his miners up, ensuring there were no injuries caused by the rogue blast.  As he got closer to Zora, the young woman scrambled up and tried to dip out of sight before he saw her.  She was too late.
    “Hey, you!  Girl!  What are you doing down here?”  Dozens of dust covered faces looked towards where Zora was standing as Talan grabbed her by the arm, causing her to drop her rucksack and tome.
    “You could get hurt traveling down here alone!” he scolded, then swung her around harshly to face him.  A look of disbelief appeared in his brown eyes when he realized who she was.
    “Lady Zora?  Forgive me, I didn’t realize it was you.”  He released her arm and bowed low to the ground.  A hushed babel waved through the group of solemn miners before they dropped their tools and mimicked Talan’s bow.  For some reason, this always made Zora feel uncomfortable.  She was of Samarian royal blood but never understood how that translated into the need to be exalted.  While all heads were lowered, Zora quickly bent down to pick up her tome and wiped the fallen rubble off of it.
    “Talan, I sincerely apologize for interrupting your operations,” Zora began as she helped him back to his feet.  She glanced around at the other men who’d been roiled by the blast. 
    “Please, everyone, stand up.  You must forgive me for interrupting your work, for it seems as though your day has been difficult enough already.  Let me show my appreciation for all of your loyal efforts by having food and drink sent down from Mizra’s kitchens on my behalf.”  The room looked grateful for her random act of generosity, even Talan.  He allowed the moment to pass and then looked around.
    “Alright, back to work!”  He gave a roar that sent the men right back to their duties.
    “My Lady,” Talan began more calmly now, “it would be an honor to escort you out of the mines to ensure no more harm befalls you.”  Zora nodded politely as he took her hand and began to lead her around piles of rock that had accumulated during the blast.
    “When Alfred told me he used to see you wandering though the mines, I always thought it was the delusions of a senile old man,” Talan admitted to Zora.  Alfred was Talan’s predecessor who’d retired only a year earlier. 
    Talan Leatherby was the newest and youngest member of the Queen’s council.  His father had been a miner his whole life, and Talan had accompanied his father to work on several occasions throughout his childhood.  At the age of fifteen, Talan left for the university in Rienne, returning three years later to work in the mines before being chosen to take a seat on the Queen’s Council as the mining advisor once Alfred stepped down.
    “Well, it’s true.  Just don’t speak of it to anyone incase word gets back to my mother,” Zora pleaded.  “I’ve been studying and documenting the cave painting and runes down here since I was a child.  It’s quite fascinating, really.”  Talan looked impressed. 
    “I have seen them, and it does incur a sort of reverence knowing such fine artistry was done by our ancestors,” Talan said.  “If I come across any when we open a new mine, you’ll be the first to know.”  Zora smiled at him and squeezed his hand warmly. 
    “I’d heard rumors that