Bloodline by Alan Gold

link with these two great kings. Their existence is no longer mythical or anecdotal. We now have proof positive from archaeology, not just from the Bible, that they lived.”
    A huge image of the stone Yael had unearthed from the hand of Bilal was flashed up on the screen behind the speakers. For the first time Yael could see the delicacy of the inscription and the perfection of the Hebrew writing. For her, as for any child in an Israeli school, reading the inscription posed no problem, for modern Hebrew was based on the ancient letters and words of the Bible. The founders of modern Israel, faced with the problem of immigrants with different languages from dozens of different countries, used ancient Hebrew as a modernized language to unify its people.
    â€œThe inscription and its translation into English, Arabic, French, and Spanish is written for you in the press release, where we have also given a chronology of the known historical eventsaround the period, the meaning of the words in their three-thousand-year-old context, and the significance of this treasure to the Jewish people.
    â€œSo let me come to the find itself. This object represents one of the most important discoveries of recent biblical archaeology. This inscription is one of the earliest proofs of the Hebrew presence in Jerusalem in the reign of King Solomon. It must have been written within decades of the capture of the city by King David from the Jebusites, when Solomon the Wise, his son, ruled. This puts the date of the inscription at around the middle of the tenth century BCE, most likely around the year 958 BCE. Its archaeological importance is of the very highest order.”
    The reporters did not wait for an invitation for questions and one jumped into the pause. “Who made the find?”
    â€œIt was found in debris at the top of the shaft, just before the steps that lead up to the walls of Herod’s Temple,” Shalman said quickly.
    â€œBy whom? Who found it?” asked the reporter again.
    â€œOne of our people,” Shalman answered. But his evasion made the other reporters sit up and take notice.
    â€œAnd the name of the archaeologist who found the object?” asked another.
    Shalman breathed deeply and sighed. Yael sat uncomfortably. He knew she’d resent the attention and would berate him for it later. A silence descended on the room, broken only by the faint electrical murmur of the television cameras.
    â€œThe lady who brought it to us is sitting in the back row,” he said, nodding toward Yael.
    All turned and looked at her. “Who is this lady?” asked a woman reporter from Channel 3.
    â€œHer name is Dr. Yael Cohen,” Shalman answered. “Yael, why don’t you come forward and sit with us?”
    Unwillingly and uncertainly, she stood and walked to the podium. Yael was the type to draw attention, tall and slender, withlong black hair, huge eyes the color of a desert night, a sensual blend of experience and innocence in her smile, and her obvious reluctance to be in the spotlight. The questions began immediately, blending into one another.
    â€œHow did you find this stone?”
    â€œAre you a professional archaeologist?”
    â€œDid you sell the stone to the museum?”
    â€œHow come you found the stone? Were you digging?”
    Yael stared blankly at the field of camera lenses, lights, and expectant faces. Her mind focused on the insistent questions from the reporters and she realized how pregnant was the pause she had left in the air. “No, I’m not an archaeologist. I’m a surgeon, and I’m very proud to say that I’m also Professor Shalman Etzion’s granddaughter.”
    â€œYou’re a surgeon?” asked a reporter. “How did you come by the stone?”
    Yael looked at Shalman, who shrugged. It was too late to avoid the truth. “A young Palestinian carrying bombs was shot and arrested when he used the tunnel to gain access to the