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And sadly, he did not, she'd admitted, laughing at my expression.But I could tell by watching him. Ooh la
la &
Now I shook off the memory, the upset, the significance. I had a goddess grail to find.
It felt like a completely different world, down here. I could hear little beyond my own overloud
breathing, what with the hood muffling my ears. And of course visibility was limited. But as our
downward kicks propelled us toward the lights of several other divers, the debris of Cleopatra's ancient
palace faded into view, as if knitting itself back into reality.
Like magic.
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Along with the pylon.
It lay in a different position from yesterday, and again I had to make a conscious effortnot to hold my
breath. The thing weighed twelve tons, and it had barely fallen thirty feet. Chances were it hadn't rolled,
right?
And yet, as divers clustered around it as surely as did the little silver flashes offish, I so wanted it to be
true. Rhys swam past me, joining his colleagues two of whom suddenly shot upward, one of them
spinning in exultation.
Was it?Was it ?
Rhys looked closer, borrowing an underwater light from someone else, then gave me a thumbs-up.
I let out my breath in a bubbly rush.
Another diver was rolling with glee. D'Alencon, recognizable by his white hair, was simply reading and
re-reading whatever he'd found. I was already swimming closer when Rhys beckoned me. Silently, he
pointed to the smooth-worn carvings that d'Alencon's gloved hands were clearing of algae.
I don't read hieroglyphs. At first', I didn't understand the picture that Rhys insistently indicated; I guess
I'd expected the ankh or horned disk of laterIsissymbology. Then I recognized the blocky step-shape for
what it was a miniature throne.Her throne.
This really was it.
TheTempleofIsismay have stood on this very stretch of submerged sand and debris.
And where theTempleofIsishad been&
There, surely, I would find the chalice used in her worship. A chalice of unimaginable importance& and
power.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of excitement, divers leaving our submerged holy ground only to
change out oxygen tanks. The project members were already photographing the pylon's message and
starting to more closely map out the surrounding terrain. Despite only being there to observe, I did my
best to help with the grunt work holding a yardstick or an extra light but that still left some time for me
to do some searching of my own. The others were excited about all of it, and with good cause,
considering the historical significance of their find. But to them, the pylon alone was incredible.
Me, I was looking for particular clues. An altar. Perhaps a statue of the goddess herself. And of
course&
A chalice.
I didn't find it not yet. But every new artifact that took shape under my searching halogen light held the
wonder of possibility. The blood of goddess worshippers ran in my veins, after all. Was that what sensed
the call of ancient generations, priestesses or magic women who may have performed rituals here?
The search became so addictive, at one point Rhys had to swim after me to signal that I shouldn't go too
far on my own. And of course he was right. He was my dive buddy, and he had to work.
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But what relics were waiting out there, beyond the hazy curtain of submerged green distance, that I might
yet find? What kind of feminine power might they possess?
I hated having to wait.
When d'Alencon signaled that we should stop for a while, either for lunch or because extended dives
could be too exhausting, I was actually surprised to find Lex still there. Then, as I took the warm, dry
hand he offered to help me back onto the Zodiac, I felt guilty for having forgotten him.
I might only be here forIsis but he was only here for me.
Except&
"I need to head out," he said, as soon as I pushed my hood back so that I could hear him. "You
shouldn't be distracted at a time like this."
Not that I had been, damn it.
"I'm sorry," I said, shrugging off my tank and turning so that he could unzip my suit. "This can't have been
very interesting for you."
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