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She made a face. “I have no idea yet. But I’m sure there will be one since two such brilliant minds are facing the problem together. Right?”

He nodded solemnly. “I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before we can loose this master plan on the world.”

“I knew you’d agree with me.” She added, “So until the master plan occurs to us, we’ll just make a few preparations to keep trouble at a minimum.

The first thing is assuring our privacy when we need to discuss anything.

The best place would obviously be this hut, because we don’t know anywhere else that could be bug-free.

So I’ll just spend a few minutes checking to see if Caldwell has already installed any bugs in this hut. ”

Michael shook his head. “You don’t have to do that. I took care of checking it when they brought me in here. But we should probably do it again at least once a day.”

“Good thinking. I should have remembered that your dad taught you to be an electronic whiz when we built the new boathouse on the lake. But I was only worried about Caldwell recalling that your dad was a SEAL and might have taught you martial arts. So I also told Caldwell that you’d be helping me with that death mask, and he now thinks you’re a hotshot wannabe sculptor.

I wanted to make sure he knew how valuable you’d be to me and no threat to them. ”

“So you decided to pick and choose,” Michael said solemnly. “I hope Caldwell was impressed.”

Choose. She tried to keep from flinching at the word Zakira had used so recently before killing that poor young girl.

Block it out. She couldn’t let Michael know about that moment.

“Of course he was,” Eve said. “And I didn’t have to do much picking and choosing.

He’d already noticed you were a smart kid. You’re a young man of many talents.”

“Yes, thanks to you and Dad, I have quite a few talents besides what comes naturally,” he said soberly.

“Martial arts, guns, weapons of all descriptions. And I’m getting better and better all the time.

Because I always knew that sometime I might have to be ready to help someone fight against bad people, like Dad does. ”

Eve flinched. “And yet I’m the one who’s brought you to some of the worst criminals. It doesn’t say much for our raising you if we can’t keep you safe at home to have an ordinary childhood.”

Michael smiled ruefully. “You know that wasn’t meant to happen.

I would have been bored if I couldn’t reach out and learn what the whole world could teach me.

You’re great parents. You shouldn’t blame yourself if sometimes I take a wrong turn—like I did when I didn’t realize I was the one Cira was worried about and not her mother.

When I looked back, I realized that she was scared because she thought her mother could protect me and she didn’t want her to leave me alone.

If I’d thought of that, I would have expected Caldwell’s men to be in my dorm room that afternoon, and Dad and I would have been able to find a way to take them down. ”

“Shades of Batman and Robin?” Eve asked.

“Something like that,” Michael said. “I wouldn’t have made another mistake.

Because you have to be able to trust me, and I failed you that day.

” He added gently, “It was my duty to keep you safe, and I didn’t.

You shouldn’t be here, Mom. But now that you are, don’t try to protect me.

I won’t fail you again. I’ll find a way to get us out of here. Trust me to help save us.”

She was terribly touched. “How the hell am I supposed to do that?” Eve asked huskily.

“You’ve got it all wrong. Any mother will tell you where the duty lies.

I’m here because I belong here.” She turned on her knees to face him.

“It’s my duty and privilege to help you get through this, just as we’ve helped each other through the years.

So I’ll tell you how it’s going to be. We’re going to try to get out on our own—but that may not happen.

As I was being flown to the heliport here, I got a look at the jungle terrain and the mountains and waterfalls.

Escape seems like a damn hard proposition.

We might be able to do it, but if we can get help it could make it easier.

So, we look for a way to break away from this village on our own.

But there’s a good chance that before we manage to do it, we’ll have old friends and family knocking on the door trying to help.

You know your dad and Caleb will never stop trying, even if they have to blow this village to kingdom come.

Plus Dominic and Celine and I’m sure many others whom you haven’t met yet will try to find us. ”

Michael was frowning. “What is this leading up to? We’re not just going to sit and wait to be rescued? That would be too dangerous for you.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” she said quietly. “Unless you were still here. I told your dad before I left that I was going to try to send you to him, and when he came after us he should be ready to whisk you away if he was able to do it.”

“No,” Michael said sharply. “He’d never do that.”

She nodded. “He’d hate it. But it would buy time we might need.

He’d know that I’d be safe if I was still working on the tomb.

If you were still their prisoner, though, their first instinct would be to kill you, and we’d probably both end up dead before it was over.

” She paused. “Of course, if you were with your dad, then you could help him with an attack on the village and save me like the heroes you both are.” She struggled and finally managed to give him a sunny smile. “It will all work out.”

“I won’t do it.”

“I think you will. Because you’re so very smart. You’ll think about it, and in that last moment you’ll realize that I’m right.” She shrugged. “And maybe that last moment won’t come to exist and it will happen some other way. But I want you to be prepared… just in case.”

He was still shaking his head.

She had to be careful not to upset him. This was all very difficult for him.

“We won’t talk about this any longer right now.

We’ve got to work hard and survive and maybe even work on our master plan.

” She checked her watch. “And I’ve got only twelve minutes left before Caldwell comes to take me to that lab to look at the priest’s refrigeration equipment.

So I’d like to sit here and stare at you and think how alive and wonderful you look during that twelve minutes.

I suppose I’ll have to beg forgiveness from Folashade, but I have to admit how much better I find it than gazing at even the most intriguing B.C. queen…”

It was very cold in the workroom where Zakira was waiting when Eve was escorted there by one of Zakira’s guards a short time later.

She’d worn her jacket because she’d expected it after working to restore other mummies under similar conditions.

But she almost felt sorry for the guard, who was pretending not to feel the chill.

Zakira himself seemed not to even notice it.

“You kept me waiting,” Zakira said impatiently. “Don’t do it again.”

She could barely manage to look at him without remembering the last time she had seen him with that damn bloody dagger.

But she couldn’t let him see any response that might endanger Michael.

Zakira wanted meekness, and that’s what she’d give him.

She nodded. “I’m sorry, I thought I was right on time.

But I’ll make sure I don’t inconvenience you in the future.

” She moved nearer to the golden sarcophagus across the room.

“This is beautifully carved. It looks ancient. How old is it?”

“At least four thousand years. The holy rituals were performed on Folashade during the time of the great transfer of power. But before the priests could complete her removal from the palace, her body and all her treasures for the afterlife were stolen and hidden away in the mountains. They weren’t found until I took over the search myself.

” He patted his chest. “It was clearly meant to be. I was the chosen one.”

That word again. “If you say so.”

He stiffened. “You should speak to me with more respect. You do not believe me?”

“I don’t know enough to decide whether or not to believe you, because I don’t know enough about this Queen Folashade’s history to judge.

” Her eyes narrowed on his face. “But you appear to know a good deal about her. I usually study my subjects if I can, because it helps me to define their characters when I start work. Would you be willing to tell me what you know about her? I guarantee it will make my work cleaner and better.” She paused.

“Or perhaps I’m wrong and you don’t know that much about her? ”

He lifted his chin like a striking snake. “I know everything about that bitch.” His voice was filled with scorn. “Why shouldn’t I? I’ve heard all the stories about Folashade that have been passed down from the time my ancestors were priests serving at her palace. What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to tell me. However, you don’t appear to have a very good opinion of this royal queen you’re so eager for me to restore.”