2. Chapter Two
Chapter 2
Two hours later
Surface level, 1.5 miles north of the excavation site
T he explosion vibrated through the air, shaking the world around Rieka as a plume of black smoke wafted through the tent. The bed rattled and bottles fell off their makeshift shelves. Her dartboard and throwing knives hit the ground with an almighty clang. The smell of burning grass surrounded them. A siren wailed in the background a moment before a cacophony of voices in Atlantean, Turkish, and English shouted orders.
“Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate. This is not a drill.”
“What the hell!” Rieka ran out of the tent, coughing as a dust cloud exploded near her, covering her in a dark sooty layer. The surrounding temperature had gone up in seconds, the heat lingering. “What happened?”
“Explosion in the temple!” someone yelled from behind her, their voice almost drowned out by the sound of sirens and revving vehicles. “We need to evacuate.”
Rieka’s stomach dropped as she surveyed the black smoke billowing from the excavation site. She couldn’t move. A looming sense of dread filled her.
“Dr. Sinha, we have to leave,” Leila, one of her postgrad students, yelled as she ran toward the assembly area. “They think the cavern may collapse onto itself.”
Rieka raced in the direction of her tent. Someone reached and grabbed her; she swatted them away. No way she was leaving her mother’s journal behind.
“You are going the wrong way.” Chay pushed her forward.
“I have to get something.”
Chay looked like he wanted to shake her. Black soot covered his face. “I can replace it.”
“Don’t let them leave without me.”
“Rieka!”
She ignored him. The smoke burned her lungs as she tore through the flimsy door of her tent. She tasted ash. Where was it? She threw the papers and maps off her desk; they scattered around the room as the siren grew louder. When had she last seen it? The beaten leather-bound journal was half-hidden under a stack of papers; the charcoal leather almost blended into the layer of soot that was covering everything. She grabbed it and bolted through the tent opening, her eyes stinging as she tried to orient herself.
“Put this on.” Chay roughly placed a mask on Rieka. Soot covered his golden-brown hair and tanned face. His dark blue eyes glowed. “Breathe.” He shook his head. “You need to leave now.”
Rieka clutched the journal to her chest and nodded. A yellow SUV screeched to a halt in front of them. Dust and dirt spluttered on top of them as its front wheels spun into the ground. Leila gripped the wheel, her pale skin almost neon white. “Sorry.”
“Get in, Rieka.”
She didn’t bother to protest as she scrambled into the seat. The earth vibrated and rocked. Rieka slammed into the seat in front of her, her body screaming in protest. Everything streamed past them as they sped through the changing terrain.
Rieka settled back, her heart racing as a silent tear fell. She was quick to wipe it away before anyone else noticed.
A decade of work. Gone. She shuddered, the warmth of her pendant soothing her as she held onto the journal. No one else knew about the mosaic. She hadn’t mentioned it to Chay or any of the team, hoping she could buy valuable time. Now she didn’t need to worry about it.
“Rieka.”
Chay wore a look she didn’t recognize, cool and distant. Calculating. It was a harsh reminder that Chay, despite their four-year friendship, was Atlantean.
“What happened in the cavern?”
She ignored the question, choosing to focus on the landscape speeding by and the growing black plume descending over the entire camp site. Best case scenario it would take years to excavate the temple again, worst case, the mosaic of Vandana was destroyed, forever. Either way, Rieka was left with more questions than she had answers. And she was no closer to understanding her connection with Vandana. Or finding the tomb.