“What do you see?” Bones asked.
“Nothing. If there was anything here before, it’s gone now.” Dane’s stomach twisted into knots. They had come all this way and worked so hard for nothing.
Hearing his words, Jade hurried over. When she saw the empty chamber, she seemed to deflate, disappointment marring her beautiful face.
“What do you think happened?”
“I don’t know.” Dane shrugged. He shone his light on the floor and spotted a line of scrapes and gouges in the flagstone. ”It looks like something heavy was dragged through here.”
“The Dominion?” Jade asked.
Dane considered this, remembering the entrance to the passage that had led them here. “I don’t think so. We had to clear away a lot of silt and growth on the levers. Unless there is a back door, and I don’t see one, whoever got here first beat us by several years.”
“Great,” Bones said. “Now we just have to figure out who it was.”
Dane nodded. “Another mystery.”
Chapter 23
“That’s it.” Sofia pushed away from the desk and gazed at the computer screen. She had finally completed her translation of the codex.
“Let me take a look.” Avery rolled her chair next to Sofia’s and read aloud.
“Our only hope lies in our collective strength. Few of us remain, but we must continue to resist, lest we leave this world on its own to face the great city and its deadly power.”
Avery rested her elbow on the desktop, cupped her chin, and gazed at the screen. “Not a very cheerful message, is it?”
Sofia shook her head. As she read these words she could not help but wish she had never sought Atlantis.
“It sounds like the tsunami machine is nothing compared to whatever the so-called great city had at its disposal.”
“And by great city you think they mean…”
“Atlantis. The true Atlantis. The capital or mother city, if you will, of the Atlantean civilization.” She sighed. “It’s funny. A few weeks ago, I would have given anything for definitive proof that Atlantis was more than a myth. Now I wish I could somehow undiscover it. This is all my fault.” The back of her throat pinched but she forced herself not to cry.
“If it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else. If I’ve learned anything from my brother and his cohorts, it’s that the Dominion is relentless. They’d have kept on until they achieved their goal.” Avery gave her a tight smile. “I’m glad it was you. Another scientist might have given up, or worse, joined their cause.”
“They didn’t give me a chance to join. They tried to kill me as soon as I found the temple.” Sofia winced at the memory.
“Because they knew you’d have refused. Evil is not in your character. Believe me; I’ve known some very bad people in my lifetime.” Avery gave Sofia’s shoulder a squeeze. “Okay, enough feeling sorry for yourself. We’ve got work to do.”
Sofia sat dumbstruck for a moment, but then she broke into laughter. “Some bedside manner you’ve got there.”
“It’s the Maddock in me coming out. But I’m right.” She winked, and Sofia laughed again.
“This is so frustrating.” Sofia ran her fingers through her hair. “The author of the codex seems to think the location of the mother city was common knowledge, but directions to the other cities were needed.”
“His breadth of knowledge is impressive. So much specific detail. It makes you wonder if they had some sort of advanced communication device.” Avery forced a smile, uncertain how Sofia would react to that comment.
“They had a machine that could create a tsunami, so I don’t think that would be so far-fetched an idea.”
Avery took a deep breath. The idea was a test balloon to see how Sofia would react. She’d been hesitant to make any suggestion that might seem too “out there.” She already felt like an imposter amongst this group of accomplished agents and experienced soldiers. Even Corey, who might not have a resume to match that of Maddock or Bones, had played an important role in their adventures. And Sofia was as smart as she was beautiful, which would have rankled if she weren’t also annoyingly kind and congenial. Though Avery didn’t doubt her own skills and knowledge, she feared that the others viewed her as little more than Maddock’s little sister.
“Speaking of far-fetched ideas, I have one.” She paused, trying to read the expression on Sofia’s face, but the archaeologist merely looked at her with polite interest. “We can surf websites filled with crackpot theories about Atlantis all day long.”
“And we have,” Sofia added with a grin.
“Touché. Anyway, everyone has his or her own theory about the location of Atlantis: Mediterranean, Antarctica, the middle of the Atlantic, you name it. The one point of agreement, however, is that once upon a time, a record of Atlantis’ true location did exist.”
Sofia’s jaw went slack. “You’re talking about the lost library of Alexandria.”
“Exactly.” Avery felt her cheeks warming and she hurried on. “Hear me out. No one questions that the library existed, and though it was destroyed, scholars generally agree that most of its knowledge was dispersed long before its final destruction. Considering what we now know about the power Atlantis wielded, I can’t help but believe that information about it would be considered highly important. Surely, someone, somewhere preserved some part of it.” She swallowed hard and waited for Sofia’s response.
Sofia sat in silence for several seconds. “It’s an angle I considered. In fact, I had just begun researching it when I was diverted by the dig in Spain.” Her eyes fell. “Anyway, I agree with you. I think the knowledge is out there somewhere, but I doubt we’re going to find it in any of the traditional sources of information.”
“So what do we do?” Avery was grateful to be taken seriously.
“In my research, I kept turning up one name: Kirk Krueger. He’s an author and researcher who has devoted his life to tracking down the knowledge from the Great Library.”
“Are you sure he’s not a crackpot?” Avery asked.
Sofia grinned. “I can’t say for sure, but he doesn’t act like one. For one, he doesn’t seek the spotlight. He’s a recluse who never makes public appearances and doesn’t make guest appearances on those wild theory-based television shows. He hasn’t even written any books, for that matter.”
“He’s definitely not trying to profit off his research, then,” Avery said.
“Exactly. Which is why I suspect he might be reliable. On rare occasion, he’ll publish an essay, or post on the discussion board. On even rarer occasions, he’ll speak with a fellow researcher, but never on the record.”
“Great! Where does this guy live?”
“That’s the problem,” Sofia said. “I tried to to track down, but he seems to have disappeared.”
“You think the Dominion had something to do with it?”
“Considering he disappeared right about the time they hired me, yes.“
Avery probably should have found this news discouraging, but instead it only made her more determined. “In that case, I think we need to start a manhunt, and I know a great person to help us.”
Chapter 24
"Another round?" Bones didn't wait for an answer, but headed to the bar and returned with four bottles of Asahi Black.
"Cheers, Bones!" Professor clinked bottles with Bones, Jade, and Dane, and they all filled their mugs with the dark, liquid.
Dane watched the foamy head dissolve, then took a gulp. The beer wasn't as cold as Dane would have liked, and was a touch on the heavy side, but it had a strong flavor that reminded him of coffee beans with a hint of dark chocolate. They were lucky to have found any sort of bar on this tiny island.