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The invitation to join an ongoing investigation at the Pyramid of the Sun could not have come at a better time for her, both professionally and personally. It was a chance to get back to her roots, at least in terms of her career as an archaeologist specializing in Pre-Columbian American cultures.

Despite being one of the largest and most thoroughly studied sites on earth, very little was known about the origins of Teotihuacan and the people who first lived there. Even the names given to the city and its monumental pyramids were the product of later inhabitants. Teotihuacan was a Nahuatl word that meant “City of the Gods” and was the name given the place by the Aztecs who discovered and occupied it half a millennium after it had been abandoned by its builders. No one knew where the Teotihuacanos came from, why they built massive monuments — the Pyramid of the Sun was the third largest pyramid in the world — or why they disappeared. The chance to solve that enduring mystery, or at the very least, shed some light on it, was one of the main reasons Jade had jumped at the chance to join the dig.

She strode across the broad north-south thoroughfare where Aztec priests had once paraded sacrificial victims before throngs of bloodthirsty citizens, and ascended to the Plaza del Sol, the courtyard that abutted the western edge of the pyramid. Up close, Jade could see the individual stones that comprised the pyramid. Unlike the pyramids of Egypt, these structures had been built with small irregular chunks of rock, sealed together with limestone mortar. Jade knew that, in its heyday, the pyramid had been coated with a limestone veneer and painted with elaborate murals of feathered gods, priests and victorious warriors. The construction of the pyramids had been a massive undertaking, requiring centuries of focused cooperative effort, and had placed an extraordinary drain on the natural resources of the region. The deforestation of the surrounding landscape to fire limestone kilns was believed to be a major contributing factor to the decline of the city, but that was just one more theory that, while plausible, would never fully be proven.

“Dr. Ihara!”

Jade lowered her gaze from the pyramid to find a middle-aged man in khakis and a dress shirt, with a canvas duffel bag slung over one shoulder. She stepped forward and took his proffered hand. “You must be Dr. Acosta,” she said.

Jorge Acosta, a professor of Pre-Columbian art history, presently serving as curator in residence at the on-site museum, was the project coordinator, and the man who had hired her on after a team member had been called away by a family emergency. The excavation at the Pyramid of the Sun was only one of many archaeological investigations going on in the ancient city, and it was Acosta’s job to ensure that the cultural sanctity of the site was preserved, and all relevant laws obeyed.

“Welcome to Teo, Dr. Ihara.” His English was impeccable, without even a trace of an accent. “I imagine you’re eager to get right to work.”

“Please, call me Jade.” His smile slipped a notch and Jade realized that she had committed a minor faux pas.

Smooth move, Jade, she thought. Somebody loves his title. This is why I hate being an archaeologist.

At least when digging holes in the middle of nowhere, she didn’t have to deal with the fragile egos of academicians.

“I of course will continue to call you Dr. Acosta,” she hastily added, smiling and doing her level best to keep her tone free of sarcasm.

Acosta diplomatically changed the subject. “We were quite fortunate that you were available on such short notice.”

“Actually, I’m the one who got lucky. I just finished some work in Japan and was looking for…” She paused, not sure quite what she meant to say. Something different? Something to keep me busy? Something to take my mind off him? “A challenge.”

“Japan? That’s a rather strange place for an expert on early American cultures to be working.”

“You’re telling me,” Jade muttered. Her work in Japan, specifically at the Yonaguni monument near Okinawa, had been a roller coaster of excitement — for which she had a healthy appetite — and drama — something she had lost her taste for. Her research had been pivotal in battling a threat from the international quasi-religious conspiracy known as the Dominion, ultimately making the difference in thwarting a Dominion plot to throw the world into chaos. Unfortunately, it had also meant working with her ex, Dane Maddock, a former Navy SEAL and professional treasure hunter. Maddock had moved on with his life and that made working with him — working closely with him — almost unendurable for Jade. She had made herself vulnerable, put her undiminished love for him out in the open, and he had ultimately refused her.

The rejection burned like an open wound, and the only way to get past it was to get away from anything that reminded her of Dane Maddock. It was time for her to get on with her life.

She sensed that Acosta was still waiting for an explanation. “The circumstances were unique. I speak the language fluently and I do have a background in Asian studies. Besides, no matter where you go, the principles of archaeology are the same, right?”

Acosta made a humming sound that could have indicated anything from disinterested agreement to mild disapproval. “Well, follow me and I’ll introduce you to the team.”

He turned and led her along the perimeter of the pyramid, to a dark opening that appeared to lead right into the heart of the massive structure. Jade was somewhat surprised when, instead of heading into the passage, Acosta continued a few steps past the tunnel mouth and bent over a metal plate, flush with the sloping ground. The plate reminded Jade of the entrance to a basement, and she was not at all surprised when Acosta lifted the plate, revealing another opening that plunged straight down.

“I think I’d rather see what’s behind door number one.”

Acosta gave a polite chuckle. “That passage,” he said, indicating the first opening, “was dug by archaeologists. It doesn’t really go anywhere. This shaft that we’re using is the only passage we’ve discovered into the interior of the pyramid that was actually used by the Teotihuacanos.” He paused. “Or at least that was the case until a few days ago.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll see.” Acosta took a pair of hard hats and two flashlights from his duffel, and passed one of each to Jade. When they had both donned their helmets, Acosta stepped down into the opening and began descending a steep metal staircase into the darkness.

Jade followed closely, playing the beam of her light on the surrounding walls. After the initial descent, the slope of the passage eased, but the sense of confinement increased dramatically. The air was warm and stale.

“This was a lava tube,” Acosta explained, his voice sounding muffled in the close quarters. “The builders removed the softer volcanic rock in order to reach the chamber under the center of the pyramid.”

Jade noted that, while they were continuing to descend, the passage snaked back and forth, following a course laid by natural forces millions of years ago. “Why?”

“I’m afraid we don’t know that, any more than we know why they built the pyramid in the first place. The chamber probably represents the Underworld, but until we can learn more about the religious practices and cosmology of Teotihuacan, we’re just guessing. Ah, here we are.”

The passage abruptly widened and Jade saw that a small tent-like structure had been erected right in the middle of the path. The door was thrown back, and two people stood inside, hunched over a laptop computer.

Acosta tapped lightly on the side of the structure. “Drs. Sanchez and Dorion, may I introduce your new colleague, Dr. Ihara?”

Jade quickly took stock of the two men that turned to greet her. One was short and stocky with a dark complexion and an infectious smile, the other average height and slender, with a mop of wavy brown hair framing a pale, studious face. The first man — presumably Sanchez — stepped forward quickly and began pumping Jade’s hand. “Dr. Ihara, so good to finally meet you. We’ve heard wonderful things.”