The Call of the Beachwick

Head in the Steam

Finally, Aurelia thought letting her pick fall to the ground with a loud clank. The whistle signifying the end of the day was a sound for sore ears even if it did usher a wave of heat into the mine. With her hand now free, she swiped at the sweat of her brow, lightly brushing its bronze exterior against the nubs that used to be her horns. If she had thought about it, she might have avoided the nubs altogether, but they had been there for so long. Her hands had become so calloused against the toil of the rock, that she hadn't even noticed the scrape. Both their losses had been a lifetime ago.

With a sigh, Aurelia rolled her neck, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle in her muscles, as she headed down the mine's shaft. The closer she got to the leveler, the more she could feel the cool evening air making its way toward her, eagerly greeting her like a long-lost friend. She closed her blue eyes, allowing the breeze to cross her shoulders and arms, blowing astray a few of the ash-brown and gray strands that had somehow escaped her braid. For a brief moment she could taste the moisture carried on the back of the breeze. The small action soothed her parched throat that had been growling at her for the past hour.

In her haste to start her shift, Aurelia had not filled up her water bottle as much as she wanted. The train's delay, unforeseen and beyond her control, had left her with no choice but to wait it out. Although the delay had only been a few minutes, by the time the train resumed its journey, she had arrived just in time for the morning whistle. Hastily, she donned her helmet and filled her bottle. However, as she signed in for the day, her human supervisor shot her a disapproving look that silently conveyed, 'don't expect to be paid for this.'

Even now as Aurelia turned the steam valve to lift the leveler, she could feel her chest fill with dread knowing what waited her topside wasn't going to be good. Coin was tight. A satyr like her could only do so much when all the good jobs went to those who understood the way of the ore, glass, textile, or alchemy. Only the most adept Saintians secured apprenticeships to dive into their technological secrets, but for someone striving to make a mark and earn substantial coin, steam was where the money was at.

For this reason, Aurelia diligently saved every copper piece she could grasp with her bronzed hands. It wasn't for her; she didn't consider herself clever enough for such endeavors. Aurelia may not have had a promising future on the Island of Asha, but her youngling certainly did. What she lacked in intellectual prowess, Kesi more than compensated.

Aurelia was determined to ensure her daughter had every opportunity for the best possible upbringing with a future. The prospects of Wildehaven or Lightmount seemed the most likely. Scouts from both places had already witnessed Kesi's talents and praised her with generous offers. However, neither destination was what Aurelia had hoped for. Amidst the clinks of her pick in the mine's depths and every night, just before settling down on her mat, Aurelia offered a silent prayer to the God she mined. Each prayer was a desperate plea, hoping her daughter would secure an apprenticeship in the mercantile nation of Goldendale.

Goldendale might not have been the home either one of them knew, but it was a chance at a real future. Rising from the rubble of some long-forgotten city, Goldendale was strategically positioned between the western and eastern continents, nestled in the middle of the strait. Aurelia didn't know much about the history of the city, but she knew it was where the Syndicate had come from. More importantly, she saw it was where a young satyr traversing with her mother could go to learn the way of steam. In Goldendale, every puff of steam whispered promises of knowledge and possibilities. None more so than the mantra that was buried deep into the heart of every single Saintian that was alive today.

Steam is king.

As the leveler made its laborious ascent up the mine shaft, the rhythmic clanks and groans echoed through the confined space, creating a symphony of mechanical sounds. In their cacophony, Aurelia's mind drifted into the realm of possibilities for the future. In doing so, she forgot all about the feeling of dread that had risen in the pit of her stomach. Instead, she allowed herself to become immersed in the first rays of light that touched her bronze complexion since descending into the shaft in the early morning. It wasn't until the leveler finally came to a halt and the not-so-safety bar released with a creak, a voice snapped her back to reality.