Chapter 10
Circe’s lips tingled, along with other parts, and had Taurus resumed the kiss, she likely would have dragged him to bed.
But what did the man do instead of making her panties melt?
Grabbed the tablet and said, “Looks like we’ve got another translation.”
She tried to show interest, she really did, but the dry writing that detailed the discovery of the Antikythera mechanism—of which she was more than familiar—couldn’t compete with the replay of the embrace.
What would it be like to have those lips caressing other parts? To have those big hands—
“Earth to Circe.” Taurus snapped his fingers, and she startled.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Lost in thought.”
His lips curved. “I’ll bet you were. Can’t blame you. That book was pretty boring and not useful, if you ask me. We already know how the device was found and the fact people recreated it best they could. Guess we should have specified in the library that we only wanted ancient texts.”
“The one thing that I do find interesting is the fact there’s no mention of any stones being recovered from the wreck where they discovered the Antikythera.” She might have been mooning, but that didn’t mean she completely missed everything he said.
He traced his finger down an itemized list. “You’re right. Either they didn’t bother marking it down or someone went down to the wreck at a later date to retrieve it.”
“One has to wonder if it’s special looking,” she mused aloud. “I mean, a plain rock, even if found in a seabed ruin, wouldn’t be what most divers would bother collecting.”
“Could be someone went there intentionally seeking it or, during their exploration, touched it and felt compelled to keep it.”
“Compelled?” She frowned at his choice of word.
“Hear me out. According to my sources—”
“You mean seers.”
“Andreas came in contact with this rock, and next thing you know, he’s sabotaging your work and trying to kill you.”
“You think a rock possessed him?” She didn’t hide her dubious note.
“Or infected him. Could be this rock is a chunk of meteor, maybe from the same place as the asteroid, and had enough alien matter to influence someone.”
“I guess it’s possible some microbes survived entry into our atmosphere,” she replied slowly, brow furrowed in thought. “But that said, if it were in the water, wouldn’t any alien organisms have already spread?”
“Maybe it requires a certain type of host.”
“I can’t believe you’re suggesting an alien infection.”
“Got a better theory?”
She didn’t, and quite honestly, given what she’d experienced with Andreas, was it really that farfetched, especially compared to everything else she’d recently encountered?
“Let’s say for a second Andreas was somehow under the control of an extraterrestrial parasite, would it be contagious?”
“It’s a possibility we should look into. I don’t suppose you know who he liked to hang out with?”
Her nose wrinkled. “No. While he often asked, I never joined him for after-work drinks.”
“But other people did.”
“Yes. A few, like Theo and Calliope. Demetrius, when he was in town. He travels quite a bit giving lectures.”
“Here’s another question for you. Let’s say Andreas tampered with the data at your observatory. Would that affect the data at other locations?”
“I’m not sure. I know there’s been changes in how we share information. Movement toward opensource sharing of data.”
“Open meaning it could be changed.”
“I don’t know, as it’s not my field of expertise. But it is odd no one at any other observatory has raised questions. Maybe the Antikythera is wrong, and nothing needs to be done.”
“Do you really believe that?”
Logic said the conspiracy couldn’t be so widespread. Her gut… “I think we’re in danger.”
“And I think Andreas likely wasn’t the only person meddling with data. Depending on the ease of transmission or influence, compromising individuals in key locations seems highly likely. People who, like Andreas, could fudge numbers with no one the wiser.”
“You’re talking about a worldwide conspiracy, and I have a hard time believing it’s possible because I can’t be the only person questioning and trying to alert to the danger,” she stated.
“Maybe you aren’t. Do you think your bosses went around telling others about your theory?”
“Doubtful, seeing as how the reaction was disbelief and amusement that I even took the device’s measurements seriously.”
“Yeah, well, it worried Andreas enough he tried to kill you to shut you up, which leads me to the next question. Would you be notified if an astronomer in another country got murdered?”
“Not notified so much as I’d hear about it through office gossip.”
“But you’d assume an accident or random act of violence, right? Same as they would have, if it happened to you.”
“I can’t believe we’re discussing people being murdered so casually,” she grumbled.
“Agreed. We should be doing much more entertaining things.”
“Such as?”
He arched a brow. “I could go for some more honey.”
So could she, but as she parted her lips to say, please do, the tablet dinged.
Taurus scowled. “Stupid thing has shit timing.”
Agreed.
“How come we’re getting the books so fast? I thought Aquarius said we wouldn’t get most until the morning.”
“Knowing him, he’s found a way to speed up the process. Boy’s a genius.”
“Boy,” she snorted. “He looks as old as you.”
“We might appear similar in age, but I’ve been serving a decade longer,” he boasted.
A reminder of the age gap that should have bothered but didn’t.
“What do we have this time?” she asked, leaning close to see the screen.
“Looks like a diary, and a boring one at that.” He flipped the pages, scanning the text before resorting to the search function. Antikythera displayed zero results, but the word Labyrinth dropped them on a page that started with:
What a wildly wonderous day. I discovered some eroded steps leading upwards to a cave and have stumbled across the mouth to King Minos’ Labyrinth, or so I assume, as there is a grand door of bronze upon which the king’s symbol is etched, along with a bull’s head and a warning.
As if I would enter. Guess I’ll have to find a different cave to hide my wares, lest the soldiers confiscate it all again. Bloody thieves.
Taurus glanced at Circe and grinned. “I do believe this is the journal of a smuggler.”
“Does he say where this door was located?”
“Hold on. He rants a bit about the unfair laws and the way they’re impeding his business. Here we go.”
His finger traced the line of text.
While the climb to the cave is arduous—why did it need so many steps?
—I am returning for another peek at that bronze door.
The townsfolk have long claimed the gorge is haunted, but I don’t care.
The soldiers have taken everything, and now I am reduced to begging unless I can find a treasure.
Perhaps the maze will have something of worth.
I just wish it wasn’t so difficult to reach.
I’m still healing from the tumble I took when the stone steps crumbled underneath me.
“So definitely looking for a gorge,” she murmured. “But that doesn’t narrow it down much.”
“There was a town nearby.”
She snorted. “Again, not useful.”
They kept reading.
I shall stop for a few moments at the church, as it can’t hurt to pray for success.
“So a church and a town,” he noted.
“Crete has hundreds of them.”
He cast her a side-eye. “Not helpful.”
“Neither is this, so far.”
“Oh hold on, how about this next part?”
For folks that claim the rift is haunted to the point they won’t enter, I don’t understand why they’d do their worshipping in a cave.
Circe snapped her fingers. “That actually narrows it down.”
“There’s more than one church in a cave?” He sounded surprised.
“Cheaper and easier sometimes than building a place from the ground up.”
“I guess. Let’s see what else he has to say. Looks like there’s a time jump before the next entry.” The handwriting appeared sloppier.
Forget treasure. I’m lucky I made it out alive.
No wonder the townsfolk think the gorge is haunted.
There be perils and monsters hidden inside the maze.
Would have died if I’d not been found and dragged back to town.
Tripiti Gorge can keep its secrets. I’m going back to the city to see if my wife will take me back.
Circe’s mouth rounded. “We found it. We know where to find the Labyrinth.”
“Hell yeah, we do!” He leaned close and gave her a smacking kiss before rising and striding for the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To ready for the trip, of course. Gotta pack some weapons and supplies, plus I need to figure out some math.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Math for what?”
“Starbeaming to our destination, of course.” He winked. “Don’t worry. Unlike Scorpio, I rarely fuck up, so we should arrive with all our clothes.”
A comment that made little sense but also had her musing, A naked Taurus doesn’t sound bad.