A Faint Gleam of Hope

He points at three of his men. "You, you and you. Take her to the coalmine north of the city. Tell them that she has been sentenced to slave labour. Therefore I won't want paying for her. Make sure they know that she's to be working underground. I don't want her having an easy job like working in the canteen."

As I am dragged away by the guards and dumped into the back of another cart for the journey to the mine, I can see a faint gleam of hope. From what Arif has said, it seems likely that I am being taken to Yunis's mine rather than any other. [2486] If so, then perhaps Zal will see me when he's there on his mission to secure Don's release. But it is only a faint gleam. The odds are that by the time I arrive at the mine, Zal will already have been and gone, taking Don with him if he's been successful.

On arrival at the mine, we pass through a high fence into a well-guarded compound. My escorts drag me into an office. Sitting behind a desk is Yunis himself. His eyebrows rise when he sees me. "You again!" he says.

"Me again," I say, getting a slap across the cheek from one of the guards for my trouble.

"This woman is a criminal who has been sentenced by the Sultan to indefinite slave labour," one of my escort says. "You are not required to pay for her. You must ensure that she works underground."

"So you've come down in the world since I spoke to you last," Yunis says to me. He turns to the guards. "You can leave her with me. My own guards will see that she is shown the ropes and issued with the standard clothing. She's just in time to start work on tonight's night shift."

1. What he has said occurs. I am taken to the dormitory that I will be sharing with thirty others, my clothes (and the brooch) are taken from me, and I am given a loincloth to wear (still fairly clean at this point). Then I am taken down the mine.
2. As soon as the palace guards have gone, Yunis says: "Zal was here half an hour ago. He arranged your friend's freedom and they left together. I assume that he'll want to arrange yours as well. I'll get word to him."
3. Once my escort has gone, Yunis says: "Zal was here half an hour ago. He and your friend left together. Unfortunately for you, your own case is different. You were sent here by the Sultan himself, and so I dare not release you."

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