The Goblin Bride (Beneath Sands Book 1)

a couple weeks. She had no doubt that Luther would be accepted into the University. He had been studying for years and knew the books like the back of his hand. Even better, he was a charity case. Those in the City always liked to take in a few students from the mining towns. It made them appear amiable when they were the exact opposite.
  Willow and Jane could follow him to the City. They would put them up in houses so that Luther wouldn’t go through “culture shock” as they liked to call it. Likely they would be sent to be maids for those that needed it. But neither of the girls were strangers to hard work. They would get down on their knees and scrub dirt into diamonds for the City folk if they would give them food, water, and a roof over their heads.
  Two weeks. They needed to survive for two weeks. She picked her way past a dog that was tied up outside a tent, its low growl making her shiver.
  Selling her body was always an option, but it was one that she didn’t put any faith in. If she could get someone to buy her for a night that would be a miracle. Let alone getting them to offer her a price that would keep both Luther and Willow alive. It simply wasn’t an option, no matter how easy it might sound. If there had been a few stones found recently she might have stood a chance. But no one had managed to find one of those fire opals for months now. There was no money in this town to be spending on frivolous things. Whores included.
  Some thought that the mine was drying up. Logic said that it couldn’t be. Not yet. The mine was newly opened and so many people had flocked here with the promise that it would offer untold riches. For the first few months it had. There had been enough money here to have water flowing for all the people.
  But now there were no opals. No stones that would keep the people in the City entertained. Hells, no one had even found a quartz stone in weeks. There was nothing but rock and dust for those that ducked their heads into the mines.
  “What would you have me do, father?” She whispered.
  He would have laughed at her worry and scooped her into a bear hug so that she would relax for a few minutes. “You worry too much, Dandelion,” he used to say to her all the time.
  Dandelion was the nickname he had chosen for her. He said of all the flowers he knew of, she was definitely a dandelion. The kind of flower that came from a weed but could grow in almost any kind of environment. She wasn’t so sure whether he was right. There weren’t any dandelions growing in Silnarra.
  Luther could not work in the mines. Just the thought of her brother working to the bone as the men did made her flinch. Those that went into that chasm were never the same after. Hard work, grueling conditions, and the never ending wish that something good would come out of it quickly changed a man. Her brother still had a spine of steel that she enjoyed seeing. He needed to focus now more than ever on that University test.
  The mine seemed like the only option. It was the only option for everyone here. The Penderghasts didn’t have a man that could work in it anymore. Women were not allowed to work in the mines. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
  “Hey there boy! Give a man a hand would you?”
  She turned to look at the man calling out, realizing that he was speaking to her. “I am no boy, but I’d be pleased to help you. What can I do for you neighbor?”
  And it was in that moment that the plan formed in her mind. She was tall for a woman, broad shouldered and strong. If the mines were the only option for her family, then they would be using the mines. Whether they were allowed to or not.

CHAPTER TWO
  SHE ITCHED AT her chest. The bindings wrapped around her breasts caught every drop of sweat that slid between them. Her long hair was braided and wrapped at the crown of her head. Jane had refused to cut it even if it did jeopardize the lie. Her brother’s cap would have to hold it.
Luther had not been pleased about this plan. He had argued for hours that this was his job as the man of the house now. It was illegal for women to work in the mines. Terrible things happened to women that were found down there.
However, Jane hadn’t wanted to hear any of it. She was going to do this for their family and he was going to sit down at their table and study for that test. He was their future. She was the means to get to that future.
  All she had to do was get through the bird man.
  “Next please.”
  She cleared her throat, deepening her natural tone. “I heard that yer lookin’ fer workers. I’m a strong man, ain’t never worked in a mine before, got clear lungs.”
  The bird man arched an eyebrow, looking over Jane critically. For a moment she thought she was caught, knowing for certain that the man would recognize her eyes or the stubborn set of her jaw that marked her family so clearly.
  Eventually he nodded though, looking back down to stamp a seal upon a piece of paper. Clearly bored, he slid the paper underneath his glass safety net and nodded to her right. “Follow the line over there. They’ll get you set up and off to the mines. You’re here for a week; if they like you enough you’ll get another. Next please.”
  She almost sagged in relief. Her plan had worked. Now she just had to get