He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “I must make sure you are safe. I take that seriously.”
“Thank you, Benson.”
Badr spoke to Rafe in Arabic. Rafe then said, “He wants to know what else you saw in the cavern?”
A small smile flitted across Lisbeth’s face. It had been like the tomb she and Thomas stumbled across in Tuscany years ago. The tablets rested on the ground, along with other artifacts, untouched by humans or the passage of time. “Someone from the village should go back in there. I suspect there are important items they will want. I saw some small statues, scrolls, and pottery.”
Rafe translated for him, and then he told her, “Badr says thank you for telling them to seal the tunnel. That may have been destroyed without your guidance.”
She nodded, but still, the fear and guilt wouldn’t go away that she might have cost Thomas and Fadir their lives. Her eyes connected with Badr, and he said, “Toka al-khayr. Hum eaeshon.”
“Have hope. They live,” Rafe translated.
She smiled at Badr, grateful for his assuring words. Lisbeth pulled her knees to her chest, hoping that everyone was right. The thought of Thomas not being alive was something she couldn’t even bear to fathom. It left her breathless and in pain.
It was absurd because she hadn’t seen Thomas for years. Still, Lisbeth had always been comforted by the thought that Thomas was out living his life. Her eyes watered again, but shebrushed the tear that hit her cheeks across her knee, not wanting anyone to see how upset she was.
“When the water drains, we can depart,” Rafe explained.
She nodded and glanced at the cloth in which the stone tablets were wrapped. Lisbeth should feel euphoric that she had them, but right now, all she felt was fear. Thomas Easton better be alive because if he weren’t, Lisbeth may fall apart. She hated the feeling of looming death. Lisbeth knew the emotion well because she’d felt something similar when Nicholas passed away.
As if sensing her thoughts, Rafe said quietly, “Remember, have hope.”
*
Thomas paced backand forth in the village. It had been five hours since the rain started. It was beginning to slow but hadn’t completely stopped. Fadir had been correct. The tunnel pushed them and the water into the river. He’d made his way to the riverbank and lay there, grateful to be alive.
The guide found him not long after. Sore from being knocked around, they walked slowly to the village. The village elders had already gathered to discuss the rain and that they were trapped in the cave system. Thomas wanted to return to the opening immediately, but the elders insisted he wait in the village. It was too dangerous because the entrance was situated on low ground and was likely still taking in water.
Restless energy surged through him. Fadir assured him that Lisbeth and everyone were fine—the water never reached the ledge. Still, there was a first time for everything, and it was that thought that made him unable to sit.
Fadir approached him. “Omar Al-Sayed wants you to join him for food.”
Thomas responded in Arabic. “I don’t have time for a meal.”
“He suspected you may say that and told me to remind you that all you have is time right now.”
He scowled at Fadir, who shrugged. It wasn’t the guide’s fault. If it were remotely possible for them to reach everyone, Fadir would be one of the first people there. He was behaving like an ass because he felt powerless. Sighing, he motioned for the guide to lead the way.
Thomas entered the building and found Omar Al-Sayed seated on the floor with food laid out in front of him. He motioned for him to sit. Thomas did as he was asked. The village elder smiled at him. “She is your Layla, and you are the madman.”
He’d spent enough time with Omar Al-Sayed that he respected him and considered him a friend. Still, annoyance filled him at the older man’s insistence that he and Lisbeth were like the lead characters in the old Arabic tale.
Rafe was the cause of all of this. He gulped, thinking about the fact that it wasn’t just Lisbeth in the cave system but one of his closest friends. “When can we go to the entrance?”
The village elder pointed to the roof of the building, and they both listened for a moment to the rain hitting the surface. He sighed. “I should never have let her join me. It was too dangerous.”
Omar laughed. “Do you believe you have control over her?”
That made Thomas smile. “No, I’ve known the lady for a long time. She has never been one to listen to me.”
“How do you know each other?”
“We almost were married years ago,” he provided, unsure why he was sharing this with the man, except it helped keep his mind off the flooded cave system.
“And is she married now?”
Thomas shook his head. “Her husband passed away.”
