“Touché.” The corners of Rav’s mouth twitched. It was the most relaxed I’d seen him since our reunion at Mnemis.
“The drainage system here is quite fascinating,” Mario said. His headlamp illuminated ancient stonework, its surface decorated with centuries of mineral deposits. “It follows a star pattern beneath the amphitheater, with channels running toward natural rock fissures and manmade sewers on the southern side.”
We walked single file through the main passage, which was mostly bare earth, with the occasional rough stones littering the floor.
“The entire system uses a gentle slope to move water toward the sea,” Mario continued. “The roads above also follow the same pattern, with raised sidewalks to help channel the water to drainage holes. The Romans were master engineers, but they were also practical—they built upon what nature provided.”
“Unfortunately, it’s also perfect for distributing a chemical agent,” I said.
“If Noah’s intel is accurate,” Rav added from behind me.
The coolness of his tone caught my attention. It wasn’t just skepticism. Was it bitterness? It was clear Scarlett wasn’t the only one who had a history with Noah, beyond once being on the same team.
We reached a junction where our tunnel intersected with a larger channel, its ceiling high enough for the men to stand upright.
Mario stopped, removing his backpack. “Before we continue, I want to send Hermes ahead.”
“Hermes?” Percival asked.
Mario extracted a small yellow robotic quadruped, constructed of metal and plastic with a camera mounted at its front—a robotic dog. “Hermes is one of our scouts. The park uses them to inspect unstable sections or areas too tight for humans.”
As Mario powered up the device, I felt Rav’s presence behind me, so close my breath all but stopped.
“How are you holding up?” he whispered, his voice low enough only I could hear.
I forced myself to breathe, catching the subtle notes of his cologne—something with citrus and cedar. It caught me off guard enough that I blurted out, “You’re wearing cologne?”
Why did you say that? You were supposed to say you’re fine.
“Um.” He seemed surprised by the question. “Part of the cover earlier. James, the bodyguard for wealthy clients, needs to look and smell the part.”
“It’s nice.” Heat flushed up my cheeks.Dammit, Brooke.I turned my attention back to Mario and his robot. “How does Hermes work in these conditions?”
Yeah, that wasn’t an obvious change of topic at all, Brooke.
“Magnifico,” Mario replied with evident pride. “He has high-resolution cameras that give us a clear view of any passages we send him into, the LiDAR mapping creates 3D models of the tunnels, and I’ve added seismic sensors that can detectmicro-vibrations that might indicate structural instability.” He adjusted something on the control pad. “I’ve also made some custom improvements to this particular model, so it can operate during heavy rainfall, to follow the path of water without risking any of the staff.”
The mechanical dog whirred to life, its articulated legs carrying it smoothly into the passage ahead. A dim light on top of the camera gently illuminated the tunnel. Mario showed us a tablet displaying the robot dog’s feed, and we gathered around him.
“We should follow it,” said Rav.
“The amphitheater drainage outlets are roughly thirty meters ahead,” Mario said as we began walking again, following the dog. “We’ll see the— Wait.” He frowned, tapping the screen. “That’s not right.”
“What is it?” I leaned closer, but wasn’t tall enough to see over his shoulder.
“There’s new construction.” Mario turned to show us his tablet. He zoomed in on what appeared to be steel supports bolted into the ancient stonework. “These weren’t here during our last structural survey.”
“When was the survey?” Rav asked.
“Three months ago.”
“Any chance this is authorized work?” Percival asked.
Mario shook his head. “Impossible. Any structural changes require permits from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, environmental impact studies, and archaeological oversight, which I’m always part of down here. This was done without my knowledge.”
Rav growled, “Fenix.”
We didn’tknowthat, but he kept leaping to conclusions about them. Maybe he was right, but maybe not.
