set up a nivven-and-cart relay
service from the town to the dig, and Serena found two waiting. She
sent Egg and Teyo on ahead in the first cart, and followed a couple
of minutes later in the second with Fabian and Iyamar.
They were both
excited by the prospect of the site, she judged, though Fabian hid
it well. Iyamar really did not, though Serena was too touched by
the girl’s enthusiasm to correct her demeanour. It was Iya’s first
real mission, even if there was little for her to do but show up.
Serena remembered all too well how she had felt on her first
expedition, several years ago now, and took more than a little
pleasure in the sparkle in Iya’s eyes as the younger girl took in
the countryside.
Soon, the fields
gave way to jagged hills and the road narrowed. Serena sat with
barely concealed impatience as their driver was obliged to slow for
the passage of other carts trundling back and forth. Then, as they
approached the site itself, they had to crawl their way through
crowds of people. Serena cursed the boards just a little. If they
hadn’t made such an event of it, most of these people — bored
bystanders, for the most part — wouldn’t be here. Then she
remembered that she wouldn’t have known about the site either, and
swallowed her irritation.
At last, they
were set down near the base of a rocky hill that rose abruptly away
to the west. Serena paid their driver while Fabian collected her
bag. Iyamar, dressed once again as a boy, jumped down with alacrity
and stood staring around herself in high anticipation. She was
playing the student to Serena’s professor, so her eagerness was not
at all out of place.
Serena looked
around for Teyo and Egg, but couldn’t see them. She hoped they had
already gained access to the site. She couldn’t see the entrance to
the dig itself amidst the throng of people, and it took some
minutes before Fabian discovered it and led Serena and Iyamar
there.
Two LHB agents
stood guard over it on high alert, their eyes ceaselessly scanning
the crowds. As she watched, two daring enthusiasts approached the
guards, talking animatedly, but they were briskly turned
away.
‘ I
didn’t expect the LHB,’ Serena muttered to Fabian. ‘Do you think
Egg and Teyo made it through?’
Fabian gave a
minute shrug. ‘Couldn’t say. Let’s try our luck.’
Serena let Fabian
take the lead, following closely behind him with Iyamar. He
addressed the nearest LHB agent in his thick Nimdren accent, and
waved his fake identification documents. There followed a
conversation which Serena couldn’t hear over the tumult of the
crowd, but it appeared to be successful, for Fabian gave her a nod
and gestured forward. Serena allowed the agent to glance at her and
Iya’s documents, which he did with gratifying brevity, and they
were through.
The dig site was
situated underneath the rocky hill, Serena surmised, for the
entrance was a jagged crack in the side of the hill. She wondered,
briefly, how the crack had come to be there; it must, surely, be
newly-made if the site had been but just discovered. She expected
to find some kind of natural passage on the other side, but
instead, and to her great surprise, she found a staircase of stone
blocks, neatly made and showing no signs of wear at all. What was
this place, that someone had taken the trouble to build stairs but
few people had ever used them?
Fabian led the
way down, and Serena motioned Iyamar to go ahead of her. She
brought up the rear, pausing occasionally to examine her
surroundings. The staircase wound around and steadily downwards;
someone had scattered light-globes all the way down, so the stairs
and walls were properly illuminated. At the top, the rock appeared
natural enough in its dark grey hue and blocky appearance. But as
she climbed down, she noticed that the appearance of the
surrounding walls — and the stairs beneath her feet — was changing.
Colours began to creep in: dark shades of blue and purple at first,
so dark that they
service from the town to the dig, and Serena found two waiting. She
sent Egg and Teyo on ahead in the first cart, and followed a couple
of minutes later in the second with Fabian and Iyamar.
They were both
excited by the prospect of the site, she judged, though Fabian hid
it well. Iyamar really did not, though Serena was too touched by
the girl’s enthusiasm to correct her demeanour. It was Iya’s first
real mission, even if there was little for her to do but show up.
Serena remembered all too well how she had felt on her first
expedition, several years ago now, and took more than a little
pleasure in the sparkle in Iya’s eyes as the younger girl took in
the countryside.
Soon, the fields
gave way to jagged hills and the road narrowed. Serena sat with
barely concealed impatience as their driver was obliged to slow for
the passage of other carts trundling back and forth. Then, as they
approached the site itself, they had to crawl their way through
crowds of people. Serena cursed the boards just a little. If they
hadn’t made such an event of it, most of these people — bored
bystanders, for the most part — wouldn’t be here. Then she
remembered that she wouldn’t have known about the site either, and
swallowed her irritation.
At last, they
were set down near the base of a rocky hill that rose abruptly away
to the west. Serena paid their driver while Fabian collected her
bag. Iyamar, dressed once again as a boy, jumped down with alacrity
and stood staring around herself in high anticipation. She was
playing the student to Serena’s professor, so her eagerness was not
at all out of place.
Serena looked
around for Teyo and Egg, but couldn’t see them. She hoped they had
already gained access to the site. She couldn’t see the entrance to
the dig itself amidst the throng of people, and it took some
minutes before Fabian discovered it and led Serena and Iyamar
there.
Two LHB agents
stood guard over it on high alert, their eyes ceaselessly scanning
the crowds. As she watched, two daring enthusiasts approached the
guards, talking animatedly, but they were briskly turned
away.
‘ I
didn’t expect the LHB,’ Serena muttered to Fabian. ‘Do you think
Egg and Teyo made it through?’
Fabian gave a
minute shrug. ‘Couldn’t say. Let’s try our luck.’
Serena let Fabian
take the lead, following closely behind him with Iyamar. He
addressed the nearest LHB agent in his thick Nimdren accent, and
waved his fake identification documents. There followed a
conversation which Serena couldn’t hear over the tumult of the
crowd, but it appeared to be successful, for Fabian gave her a nod
and gestured forward. Serena allowed the agent to glance at her and
Iya’s documents, which he did with gratifying brevity, and they
were through.
The dig site was
situated underneath the rocky hill, Serena surmised, for the
entrance was a jagged crack in the side of the hill. She wondered,
briefly, how the crack had come to be there; it must, surely, be
newly-made if the site had been but just discovered. She expected
to find some kind of natural passage on the other side, but
instead, and to her great surprise, she found a staircase of stone
blocks, neatly made and showing no signs of wear at all. What was
this place, that someone had taken the trouble to build stairs but
few people had ever used them?
Fabian led the
way down, and Serena motioned Iyamar to go ahead of her. She
brought up the rear, pausing occasionally to examine her
surroundings. The staircase wound around and steadily downwards;
someone had scattered light-globes all the way down, so the stairs
and walls were properly illuminated. At the top, the rock appeared
natural enough in its dark grey hue and blocky appearance. But as
she climbed down, she noticed that the appearance of the
surrounding walls — and the stairs beneath her feet — was changing.
Colours began to creep in: dark shades of blue and purple at first,
so dark that they
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