Empire of Gold by Andy McDermott

since Nina’s previous visit; following her discovery of King Arthur’s tomb beneath the hill, a large part of the southeastern face was now fenced off, portable cabins acting as headquarters and labs for the ongoing dig.

    They were met by the archaeological team’s leader, Dr William Barley. The elderly man wore thick round glasses and had a pipe clenched between his teeth. ‘Dr Wilde, welcome. A great honour to have you here.’

    ‘Thank you,’ Nina replied. ‘This is my assistant, Macy Sharif.’

    ‘Very good to meet you,’ said Barley. ‘Now, Dr Wilde, you said your visit was a potential security matter?’

    ‘That’s right,’ said Nina, removing the case containing the two statuettes from the Evoque, as well as a larger one which she presented to Macy, who stared at it uncomprehendingly before realising she was expected to carry it and grudgingly taking it. ‘The IHA came into possession of artefacts that may have a connection to Glastonbury.’

    Barley sucked wetly on his pipe stem. ‘Not sure what to think about this cloak and dagger business you have at the IHA. I can understand keeping things quiet to stop treasure hunters, but it’s hard to imagine how anything found in an archaeological site could pose any risks to global security.’

    ‘You’d be surprised,’ said Nina. ‘Can we see the tomb?’

    ‘Of course. This way.’ Barley plodded to the tomb entrance, which was now covered by a wood and brick structure watched by CCTV cameras. He unlocked the door to reveal a narrow tunnel leading down into the heart of the Tor. Apart from the addition of a string of electric lights, it was just as Nina remembered finding it two years earlier, the Roman numerals inscribed into one of the stone supports marking the year of its construction: 1191 AD. The monks of Glastonbury Abbey had secretly excavated the tomb and moved the bodies of Arthur and Guinevere – and Arthur’s legendary sword, Excalibur – to a new resting place to prevent their abbey’s greatest treasures from being plundered.

    She also remembered other things she had discovered within. ‘You’ve, ah, found all the death traps, I hope?’

    Barley chortled. ‘No need to worry, Dr Wilde. Everything’s been made safe.’

    ‘Glad to hear it! Okay, if you’ll lead the way?’

    He knocked out his pipe against the wall before picking his way down the steep tunnel, Nina and Macy following. At the bottom of the incline was the start of a literal maze, one of the tomb’s defences, but Barley led them briskly through it. Past the statue of the Lady of the Lake, down through what on Nina’s first visit had been a flooded labyrinth, up into a foul-smelling space where a great grinning relief of Merlin once marked an explosive end for the unwary, and finally into the vaulted chamber of the tomb itself. The side room containing the black stone coffins of Arthur and his queen was open.

    Macy took it in with awe. ‘Wow, this is incredible. I only saw pictures before – didn’t think I’d get to see it for real.’

    ‘Working for the IHA has its perks,’ Nina joked. She became more serious as she examined the object between the coffins. It was a cube of granite, three feet to a side, with a narrow slot in the top from which Excalibur had once protruded – and a chunk sliced from one corner where she had inadvertently discovered that in the right hands, Arthur’s weapon was more than a mere sword.

    ‘So, what are these artefacts?’ Barley asked. Nina opened the case. The British scientist seemed underwhelmed by the figurines within. ‘I don’t recognise them.’

    ‘Nor do we – and that’s the problem. I’m hoping that bringing them here will prove . . . illuminating.’

    Nina hadn’t planned on making a pun, but couldn’t resist. She touched one of the statuettes. As she had hoped, the tomb was still a confluence point for lines of earth energy – and whatever it was about her that had allowed Excalibur to slice