Tenzin stood in the tumbled doorway of the treasury, looking mournfully at the finest treasure cache she’d seen in over a thousand years.
Goodbye, my lovelies.
Ben pulled her away from the doorway. “You’ll see it again. I’m sure there will be a special exhibit of international acclaim when Liya finds this.”
I’ll see you again behind glass. In a museum.
“Fine.”
“You’re pouting.”
“I’m not pouting.”
She turned and started back down the tunnel toward the cave as Daniel began carefully rebuilding the wall of the treasury so it would remain structurally sound until human archaeologists could “discover” it.
Ben took her shoulders in his big hands and guided her down the narrow tunnel toward a faint light that told her dawn was approaching.
“You’re cute when you pout, Tiny.”
“Shut up.”
27
They took another day to regroup in Lalibela after their find in Amba Guba. Daniel wasn’t as worn out from tunneling through a mountain, but he still needed time to recharge and feed his amnis, and Tenzin was openly mourning the loss of so much gold.
“There were gold plates and royal crowns—”
“Princess crowns?” Sadia was riveted to the story Tenzin was sharing about the fantastic find.
“Yes, I’m sure a princess could have worn many of the beautiful things in the treasury.” Tenzin shot an evil eye toward Ben, who ignored her.
What did she think he was going to do? That treasury represented not only a massive amount of wealth but also a massive trove of historical information, along with treasure that would draw the attention of the entire world when Liya and her team were able to go in.
He’d already called the human archaeologist; it had taken some convincing to sway her, but after Ben dropped the phrase “career-defining find,” she got into gear.
Ben had no doubt that with the fame and reputation this treasury brought, Liya would be able to find as much funding for her Nile Basin excavations as she wanted, even without Tenzin’s help.
Sadia ran over to Ben. “Tenzin says you hate her.”
“Tenzin!” Okay, that was enough. This was getting ridiculous. “Where did she go, Sadia?”
“She said that she wanted to be by herself for a while.”
Ben set down the book he’d been reading about the lost kingdom of Punt in East Africa. “Sadia, do you think I hate Tenzin?”
“No, you love her. And I’ve seen you kissing.” She wrinkled her nose. “Just like Baba and Mama.”
“Exactly. So just forget Tenzin being dramatic. We all know I do not hate her.”
Sadia smiled. “Yeah, that’s silly.”
Silly? Yes, his partner was being very “silly.”
“Okay, I’m going to go find her. Stay here with Dema, okay?”
“Can I get out a puzzle?”
“Ask Dema.” And with that last dodge, he slipped out of the family room and into the cool courtyard where he could see Tenzin perched on a corner of the compound roof, watching the moonrise.
He floated up to her and sat beside her. The metal roof wasn’t the most comfortable, but then, neither were the many conversations they were avoiding.
“You need to stop telling my baby sister that I hate you.” He looked at her, but she was glaring at the moon. “I told you that we couldn’t keep a priceless Aksumite royal treasury; I didn’t say I hated you.”
“It’s the same thing, Benjamin.” She sighed deeply. “It’s the same thing.”
“You’re so emotional when it comes to gold.”
“Because it’s my favorite thing.”
Dramatic much? Ben tried not to roll his eyes. “Do you like gold more than swords?”
She turned to him, and her expression could only be read as offended. “What kind of choice is that? I love them both.”
“Okay, so if I find you a really kick-ass sword before we leave Ethiopia, will you feel a little bit better?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe.”
“Okay, I’m going to find you a really great sword, and then we’re both going to enjoy when Liya—who is the person who gave us the lead to Amba Guba in the first place—receives all the praise and accolades she deserves for her amazing work.”
“Fine.”
He nudged her shoulder. “Really fine? Or are you going to keep bringing this up for the next five years?”
Tenzin snorted. “Five? Ben, you’re a vampire now. I’m going to be reminding you of this for the next five hundred years.”
He nodded. “Great. Always good to have something to look forward to.”
The following night they headed north, farther north than they had before, deep into the heart of the old Aksumite kingdom in Tigray state. They crossed mountains and more river valleys, the human villages below sparse and spread apart. The flat-topped mountain they were looking for was a short distance from a human settlement, dominating the end of a fertile river valley where fields of green teff were already starting to sprout.
The rain had fallen during the day, but the moon had risen in a clear sky with only a few drifting cirrus clouds feathering the deep blue-black night. Countless stars shone on them as they approached the mountain that would mark the end of their “likely” sites; Ben was hopeful but not overly confident. Liya had given them a trail map, but after this site, they’d be heading into much deeper wilderness.
Tenzin pointed to the mountain in the distance, but they were miles away when they felt it: they were not alone.
“What is that?” Daniel asked.
“Amnis,” Tenzin said. “Powerful amnis.”
That kind of amnis was the kind that Ben felt when he approached a group of elders on Penglai. There were ancient beings of power on that mountain and definitely more than one of them.
Daniel said, “If we can feel them—”
“They can definitely feel us.” Ben answered the question before Daniel could finish it. “Tenzin?”
“We can’t keep hovering in the air with the digger.”
“Hey!” Daniel didn’t sound flattered by the label.
Ben ignored his offense. “You’re right. Land as far away as possible on the mountain and introduce ourselves?”
“If they’ve already found it—”
“We have something to bargain with,” Ben said. “Remember Desta’s crown. We knew this was a possibility from the beginning.”
“Who the hell is on that mountain?” Daniel asked. “Are you telling me—?”
“Saba,” Tenzin said. “And Arosh. Possibly Ziri. And their entourage.”
“Oh, fuck me,” Daniel murmured.
As they approached, a spear of fire shot into the night, only a short distance from them. Tenzin lifted a hand and warded it off with a swipe.
“That annoying bastard,” she muttered.
“Turn around!” Daniel yelled. “Turn around, Ben!”
“Nope.” Unfortunately, they were going to have to fake some bravado. Lovely. “We’re going down, Dan.”