Page 34

Story: Violet Legacy

Dante’s fingers brushed her shoulder, anchoring her into reality. The touch should have been innocent, but it spread through her like fire. As a professional, she was going to ignore the furnace it lit within her. She needed a new plan for when she dealt with Dante. But first she needed access to the statue.

“Would you like to see something truly magnifique?” Idris asked. His gaze flicked from Rieka to Dante before it settled back on her. “We found it when we opened the vault yesterday. It appears we have only mapped a quarter of the vault. A fellow historian would appreciate it. I think it dates back to the original structure. Or you can wait here until midnight.”

“What is it?” Rieka hesitated. The statue was why she was in Egypt, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t study other artifacts. Especially if she couldn’t access it until midnight.

“Promise you both won’t tell another soul about it,” Idris said solemnly as he looked between the two of them again.

Dante looked dubious, but he put his hands up. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Intrigued was an understatement. Rieka needed to get back to the statue and start searching the Arx to find the tomb. She needed to do that alone, but for now she may as well get as much intelligence as she could. Tonight, she would explore.

Idris looked at her expectantly.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Rieka repeated. She crossed her heart as if it was the biggest secret she had.

“Are you afraid of catacombs or the dark?”

Rieka snorted, the sound very unladylike, but why worry about that now? “I’m an archaeologist. I desecrate the dead for a living.” If she was being truthful, she was a glorified treasure hunter under the banner of science and culture.

Idris laughed. “That is one way of putting it.”

“You aren’t asking me?”

Idris laughed as he looked at Dante before winking at Rieka. “After the incident in 1558, I am intimately acquainted with the answer.”

“As in the year 1558? What incident?” Rieka repeated, looking between the two of them.

Idris wore a huge grin. Rieka swore Dante rolled his eyes. A very un-Atlantean move.

“A story for another time,” Dante said.

“Someone’s navigation wasn’t as good as he assumed, and we ended up wandering the catacombs under Rome in the dark for three days. That’s the short version.”

“There is no long version,” Dante added.

There definitely was far more to the story, and she was going to ask about it next time she had the chance.

Idris strode to the farthest wall, blending into the darkness.

Clang.The sound of stone grinding on stone echoed loudly. Rieka involuntarily cringed. She half-glanced at Dante, who appeared unfazed despite his heightened senses.

The door slowly slid open to a pitch-black corridor and a secret tunnel. Just as she hoped. What was the point of building an impenetrable fortress in the desert if you didn’t have secret tunnels? But she hadn’t been expecting one within the vault. How far underground did the Arx extend to?

“It’s through this way,” Idris said as he was swallowed whole by the darkness.

Dante’s fingers brushed against her lower back. “After you.”

She wasn’t normally afraid of the dark, but some deep-seated instinct was telling her something was off. She pushed down the thought. It wasn’t coming from Dante, or Idris.

They walked in comfortable silence along the small corridor, the crystals coming to life as they neared them. The path they followed was surprisingly well kept, with no signs of cobwebs or spiders. They veered left, then right, then left again, through different archways. It was like walking through a labyrinth. Rieka tried to commit the path to memory. She might need it that evening when she explored the Arx. As they continued, the air became thicker, with a faint aftertaste of ash. The crystals along the walls changed to a pale violet. The same color as the flame. She traced the line carvings of the wall as they walked. They reminded her of waves. Every so often, she found an unusual gouge that disrupted the pattern. If she didn’t know better, the grooves felt remarkably like oversized claw marks.

“Watch your step. We are entering the catacombs.” Idris pointed at the spiral staircase ahead of them.

Rieka stopped. She should have brought her backpack or grabbed her flashlight. The crystals had all but disappeared. She could barely see two feet in front of her, let alone navigate a staircase. She brushed her pendant. No longer icy, instead it had returned to normal. The warmth was comforting and familiar. A reminder that her life hadn’t gone entirely off the rails. Neon-green eyes appeared out of the darkness as she slowly made out Dante’s form. He moved just as silently as Idris. It wasn’t a trait that she had observed in many other Atlanteans. Chay moved like a baby elephant whenever he tried to be quiet.

“I will not let you fall,” Dante said. “I will go in front.”

Rieka wanted to tell him she didn’t need his help, but it was a lie. Her human eyesight meant that she was at a distinct disadvantage compared to Dante, and she wasn’t an idiot. Stubbornness would only get her so far. A hand reached out to her. She grasped it, surprised at the callouses. Dante. Their fingers intertwined; Dante waited for her. She had to remind herself that he was helping her because he was contractually obliged to and that any injury would require paperwork. Not because he wanted to.