her through another door into a large room. The halos of light from the lanterns glimmered on silver rails. The angular shapes of mine carts lurked in the darkness like sleeping beasts. Stray shafts of sunlight filtered through grimy windows, doing little to cut through the shadows. Cora peered upward, but the ceiling was lost in the darkness. The air was stale and cold, filled with the smell of earth and grease.
James didn't give the processing room a second glance as he stepped over the rails. Cora followed suit, keeping her eyes on her boots in the dim light. The British scholar passed over several tunnels before pausing in front of another. He took a few steps into it, lifted his lantern, and looked around. Nodding to himself, he motioned for her to follow.
This mining tunnel was much more developed than the small one beneath Jules Bartlett's cabin. Wider and taller, it had been carved by dozens of skilled hands. Instead of pine trunks holding up the roof, Harcourt's workers had lined each wall with boards. Archways boasting lanterns loomed at regular intervals. James lit each lantern they came across as they worked their way deeper into the mine. He didn't say why, but Cora was grateful enough for his foresight. The last time she'd been in a tunnel, she hadn't had it, and it had almost cost her her life.
After a short while, the tunnel began opening into a larger space. The light from their lanterns faded into the shadows, as did the cart tracks they had followed. They stood for a moment in silence, the light glinting on the scholar's glasses. From somewhere deep in the cave, Cora thought she could hear the sound of dripping water.
"The miners found this cavern fairly early on in their excavations," James said. Even though he spoke softly, his voice seemed to travel for miles. "They don't know how far it extends, and they didn't much care until recently."
"So you think them vampires came from in here somewhere?" Cora asked.
"No, actually," James replied. "As I said before, this tunnel is still secure, or it was as of yesterday morning, so I can only conclude that this cavern doesn't connect to the other tunnels."
"You've still set up crosses and such, though, right?"
"Of course, my dear. I'm not daft." In the dark, she couldn't make out his expression, but she could picture his indignant look. "I'd rather not lose any more of the mine."
"I didn't see nothing when we came through."
"The wards are further in," James said, his tone patient.
"Good," Cora said. "So when do we see to getting the other areas back?"
"All in good time," James said. "I thought familiarizing yourself with the combat environment would be useful before jumping into the fray."
"Right, a dark, dank mine. And here I thought it was going to be pistols at high noon." She clapped him on the back with her free hand, then reached down to her belt and drew her revolver. "Now let's go jump into that fray."
The lantern light glinted on James's glasses as he shook his head. "Such haste will only get you killed."
"Maybe," Cora said. "Could be that we take them by surprise right here and now and flush the whole lot."
The shadows around them swelled and danced as James turned back toward the tunnel. Cora followed, lantern in one hand and Colt in the other. The tunnel closed in on them and the shimmer of the rock walls returned to the dull brown of boards. James extinguished each lantern as they passed, cloaking the tunnel behind them in shadow.
They stepped out into the ore processing station, the sound of their footsteps fading into the large room. Without a word, James turned to his left and headed back for the office. Cora stepped over a few sets of tracks before pausing and peering into the inky blackness of another tunnel.
"Hey, what's down this one?"
James turned. "That leads deeper into the mountain."
"I figured that much, thanks," Cora said. "I mean, what else is down there?"
"A nest of vampires, most likely. Possibly some silver ore."
"Let's find out," Cora said, stepping into the tunnel.
"Wait, Mrs Oglesby!" James cried, but her lantern had already disappeared from his view. Panicked, he high-stepped over the rails and looked after her. All he could see was her shadow, still crowned by her wide-brimmed hat. "Mrs Oglesby!"
"Don't wait up, George." Her voice echoed down the tunnel. "I aim to bag me a vampire before the day's out."