Chapter Two
Far below the panicked elves, Nok toiled in the underground mines, day in, day out. His stubby fingers were callused and bloody from prying the jewels from the unyielding rock.
And yet, there was no end to this continuing misery. The mines were for the orphans, whose powers were unknown, or not existent. His battle-scarred face grimaced in the dim light of the
dying sun. No one knew of him, or his past, which was fine with Nok. He himself had no knowledge of his background. Nok was so deep in thought that when his hand broke through
some bricks, he hardly noticed, still pondering the dreary future. A fresh breeze carressed his face. What? Breeze, fresh wind? In the compound? He peered out harder. Whoa! He had
broken through the outer wall. Using his fingers, he scrabbled away at the loose dirt and crumbling rocks, until there was enough space for an elf to squeeze through.
"Nok, how many crystals have you found?" the chief elf bellowed, using the communication devices hung on the earth over his head,"I'm coming down for inspection." Nok heard the
heavy boots thumping as the chief traversed down the tunnel. Panicked, he looked at the hole that gaped like an open mouth at the tunnel's end.