Sett quickly grabbed the pure Etherstone crystals from the crusher and dropped it into the bucket. He could barely feel the weight of the chains wrapped around his arms now, compared to five months ago when he first arrived here.

  Over the last few months, he slowly circulated his Ether while mining and working the crusher, the potency amplified by the mineral. The Ether contained in his body was denser, and he could feel the latent power in his body.

  Most F grades across the universe never really learned to take proper control of the Ether flowing through their veins, and hence couldn’t circulate. Sett only learned as a consequence of his profession, but most of the slaves working in the mine couldn’t fully make use of the opportunity. Sett taught Brec, Bone and Taban what he’d learned, and he could see the difference. Bone still hadn’t gotten the hang of it yet, but Sett could notice the change in his bearing, the boy rarely got as exhausted as he used to.

  “I heard… they’ll be powering up the drill soon,” Taban commented through laboured breaths as he loaded the crusher with a new pile of ore. Sett and Taban were working the crusher this time, with the Throh twins doing the more exhausting job of powering the machine.

  “The big thing in the middle of the crater?”

  “Yeah. They power it… every few months when… the previous drilled hole has been expanded… and mines have been made.”

  “We’ll be powering it?”

  “Yeah.”

  Sett groaned, he hated powering the engine in the slaver ship. It left him drained beyond what any physical labour could do.

  “It leaves you…near dead. I could barely...make my way back… to the living chamber.”

  “Don’t talk until we’re done, man. Focus on breathing right.”

  ****

  The four of them hiked up the stairs, Bone being able to walk without assistance for the first time, while Taban told the other two about the drill.

  “I hate the powering machine thing,” Bone said despondently. Brec had a sombre look on his face, piquing Sett’s curiosity.

  “Bone always seemed more drained than anyone else when we used it in the ship. I hate it too, but it seemed to take more from Bone than me.”

  Bone was already the weakest among them, and while the Ether circulation made him a little more robust, he didn’t know what powering the drill would do. The thing seemed more ominous than the device in the ship, like a knife held above their heads.

  Sett lost himself in his thoughts, barely nodding as Taban made his way back at the fifth terrace. They had gotten a feel for navigating the labyrinthine passages in the mines now, and could make their way to different terraces through the drifts underground. No one wanted to lose the chance to have a glimpse of the stars, however, so the group would always take the stairs on the surface when they could.

  “Your limp has gotten better,” Bone commented as they reached their terrace. Bone was the first to notice Sett’s uneven gait when they’d first arrived, and he had explained to the twins what he’d done. They were horrified, and since then Sett detected a hint of admiration in Brec’s eyes.

  “Yeah but it still hurts, man. I’m just used to the pain. Now it just feels like mom’s with me you know? And uncle Tecc.”

  “Tecc was right. I was an idiot. I should’ve fucking listened. I wanted to put down rebellions like him but if I’d joined I’d probably have to kill you guys,” Brec sighed. The guilt had been eating at him since that fateful day back home, but it had gotten worse since Sett mentioned his uncle’s sacrifice.

  “You were an idiot. But even if you did listen, this shit would’ve happened anyway. It’s not your fault you’re an idiot, man,” Sett said as they entered their cave, the familiar stench of open latrines and sweat-soaked bodies hitting them. Bone squeezed his brother’s shoulder wordlessly as the trio collapsed onto a wall.

  Leaning against the wall elicited a wave of pain, his back still tender from the latest round of lashings. The Alfen guard with the scar above his lip hadn’t forgotten him like Sett had hoped, instead he’d taken an interest in him. He wasn’t always present in the mines, as the guards he was familiar with rotated between the third, fourth and fifth terraces, but whenever he was there Sett got whipped. The pain was bearable, but the hatred he felt for the scarred lip and condescending eyes only grew.

  Sett examined his leg, its dull pain constantly humming in his head. It had swollen red from the exertion, just like it did at the end of everyday. He rubbed it tenderly, imagining his mother’s face. The thought of her, and the possibility of his father and brother being alive calmed his heart as he fell into a dreamless slumber.

  ****

  Sett awoke to a cacophony of snores around him, Brec’s bullbeast-like growls being the loudest. He felt one of the grain balls hidden under his shirt, and silently thanked the one who’d put it there.

  He limped to the pond, washing his face and drinking mouthfuls of water, giving up on sleep until the guards showed up.

  He stared at the flimsy metal plate covering the doorway meant to keep them in, instinctively knowing he could break through it if he gave it his all. This was a new feeling, like he resonated with metal objects. He began feeling it increasingly over the past few months, especially on the chains he now kept wound around his arms.

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  It was like their presence became clearer to him, like the links of metal became more real. He could feel a resonance with the steel, like it was more ‘him’.

  He hoped it wasn’t his mentality adjusting itself to that of a slave, but he was sure that wasn’t the case. His rage still boiled inside him, growing with the same intensity. His eyes still scanned his world, looking for an opportunity. He knew he wasn’t just resigning himself to his fate.

  The feeling was familiar, like the resonance he felt with his own emotions when he let his anger out. Despair, those fleeting moments of joy, none of them made his Ether roil like rage did. No other material called out to his own Ether like steel did, not even crystalised Ether itself.

  Sett cracked his neck and held the unbound strip of his chains in front of him, held taut between his two hands. He closed his eyes and recalled the Ether control exercise he had been practicing, quickly suppressing any thought about his two mentors.

  He began pooling the Ether on one hand, slowly injecting it into his chains. He’d barely managed to carve a line in the metal strip the last time he practiced all those months ago, but this was a whole new beast. The chain consisted of multiple detached links through which he’d have to guide his Ether, while preventing it from going into the sections of chain wrapped around his arms. His Ether was magnitudes denser since arriving here, making it a lot more difficult to manipulate. He instinctively felt the metal was strong enough to not blow up even if he failed, which gave him the confidence to try.

  Sett was shocked by how easily the Ether entered the chains that he almost lost concentration. He felt the steel welcome his energy, not quite like he was moving it through his own body, but considerably easier than the first time he’d tried with the strips. He guessed it was a property of the metal itself, possibly a good conductor of Ether whose name he didn’t know.

  In just an hour of experimentation, he felt the Ether pass from one chain link to the next, a task he couldn’t imagine performing on the metal strips in the smithy. Half an hour later, he successfully cut off leakage of Ether into other sections of the chain, channeling it all into the part he was holding. By the time others began stirring from their sleep, the Ether released from his left hand entered into his right. He’d channeled it through a chain of interlinking metal.

  Fueled by the feeling of accomplishment, he wanted to immediately test his control on the sheet that served as a door, but the exhaustion of his experiment finally caught up to him. He washed his face, dreading a whole day of work after this.

  The sheet was moved and three slaves dragged two minecarts full of dry wheat balls, signalling the start of the day. He grabbed enough for himself and the Throh twins, and kicked them awake.

  ****

  Unlike usual days, where they’d be split up into groups to work in different areas of the mine, today the entire cohort were led outside and up the staircase, to the rim of the crater. Waiting for them on flat ground were scores of floating barges, and thousands of slaves to fill them. Sett spotted Taban and approached him, the Throh twins following behind.

  “What’s going on, man?”

  Taban sighed in exasperation. “They’re taking us to the drill. It will be a long day.”

  Sett cursed, regretting his experimentation earlier. It had left him drained in a way only the movement of his Ether could, and there will be a lot of that during the drill powering.

  Brec gave the crestfallen Bone a pat on his back as they filed into the barge, and its ramp door slammed shut a few minutes later. Its walls were shorter than the passengers, which meant a small slip would send a person to their deaths. It took off violently, and Sett had to hold on to the parapet to avoid falling off.

  They flew towards the middle of the drill, and Sett noticed nearly a hundred platforms lined up along its midsection. He peered over the edge, and noticed that the abyssal hole from before was gone. The rock that made its walls were cut and shaped into three new terraces, matching the gradient of the crater.

  The barge slammed into the side of one of the platforms, causing its passengers to fall over en masse. The ramp door fell with a clang, and the group cautiously made their way out.

  “Be careful not to faint. They’ll hang you up for a day,” Taban warned.

  “You couldn’t have told us that before?”

  “Would it have made a difference?”

  Brec didn’t have an answer, knowing well that it wouldn’t. He glanced at his brother with worry in his eyes, but Bone just forced a smile.

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll pass out once we’re back, don’t worry.”

  The platform they were on had no walls, they were meant to work under the stars. That brought some relief to Sett’s mind, as they approached the pillar in the centre. It was similar to the one they used to power the engine of the slaver ship, though this was made up of an intricate web of mechanical parts, too complex for Sett to even begin to understand. The various gears, pistons and other components were adorned with circuitous runes, some of which were vaguely similar to the pillar in the ship.

  This structure, too, had hundreds of beams to attach chains on, though these beams jutted out at a height reaching Sett’s shoulders. Taban attached the centre of his chain to a hook on the beam, and Sett proceeded to do the same, unwinding his own manacles, on the beam in front of Taban’s. Bone joined in front of him, and Brec in the one after.

  There were a dozen guards stationed around them, all armed with energy whips. Sett’s anger boiled as he recognised the scar above a lip, the Alfen who enjoyed tormenting him. He averted his eyes, hoping he wasn’t noticed.

  Once everyone had locked themselves in place, the beams rose to a height well above Sett’s head. His arms were yanked upwards, and the chain was pulled tight. He moved into the familiar position, pulling the chains over his shoulders. One of the guards shouted an order, and the group began moving around the pillar. The mechanism in the walls began working, gears spinning and pistons pounding as they walked increasingly faster. The runes began to glow a bright red, casting a sanguine light across all of them.

  The pace increased constantly until they were jogging, Sett struggling to keep up with his injured leg. He stumbled a few times but managed to pick himself up before it was too late. He could see a bright red glow beginning to spread from under the platform, and sweltering heat followed the light. The platform began shaking, and the din of the tremors and the moving parts filled his ears, his senses completely overloaded.

  The jog continued for many hours, and Sett could feel himself on the verge of collapse. He held on with pure willpower, but that wasn’t enough for Bone in front of him. The boy collapsed, his unconscious body being dragged by the chains.

  Sett shouted his name, his voice barely audible above the racket. Brec turned back in horror, stopping his jog to check on his brother. The pillar continued spinning, yanking Brec’s arms before he could do anything. The guards moved quickly, the scarred lip releasing Bone from his chains with a swing of his whip. Bone’s body was dragged out of the way, and so was Brec’s. The other Throh was whipped relentlessly for stopping his run, Sett grabbing horrifying glimpses with each round.

  He stopped his own run and leapt towards the guards, his chains holding him in place. Scarred lip grinned, releasing Sett with his whip, and coiling it around his neck. Sett was dragged to the ground next to Brec, and before he could get up, half a dozen ropes of energy were raining down on his back.

  Sett lay there in a fetal position enduring the incessant barrage, his eyes glaring with unrestrained hate at scarred lip.