"What am I looking at?"
"The glass is vibrating," Morven said. "It's subtle, but it's constant. Multiple frequencies running simultaneously." He adjusted the scanner settings. "It's brilliant, actually. The vibration makes the glass essentially immune to traditional cutting methods. Any force we apply gets distributed across the entire surface instantly. I wonder who designed this system. It must be one of a kind because I've never heard of anything like it. "
Losham stared at the readout, Hakum's earlier words echoing in his mind.
Every material has a resonance frequency.
"Can we disrupt it?"
"I don't know. We'd need to identify all the component frequencies first, then generate a counter-vibration that would neutralize them without shattering the glass. If we get it wrong, the stored energy in the glass could release all at once, and given the size of this wall, it would be like setting off a bomb."
Which might trigger whatever fail-safes his father had built into the enclosure. Losham handed back the scanner, his mind racing through possibilities. Every approach they tried revealed new layers of protection, new obstacles, which only reinforced his suspicion that whatever was hidden under that sand was valuable beyond his wildest imagination. As far as he knew, Navuh had never gone to such lengths to protect anything other than his harem.
Perhaps Hakum was right, and they needed to approach this from a different angle. Instead of trying to break through, they should try to find whoever had designed this ingenious vault. There couldn't be more than a handful of them in the world, if that.
"Continue with the wire saw," he told Gregor. "But reduce the cutting speed by half. If the glass is vibrating, we need to account for that."
"That will take even longer?—"
"I don't care how long it takes. I want that enclosure opened without destroying whatever is inside."
21
AREZOO
The fitting room of the bridal dresses' studio was all white walls and soft lighting, designed to make brides look like they were glowing.
Arezoo was definitely glowing. Or sweating. Probably both.
"Hold still, sweetheart. I need to adjust the back."
Arezoo tried not to fidget as the designer tugged at the fabric gathered at her waist.
Amanda had insisted that Dominique Beaufort would make Arezoo's wedding dress and wouldn't take no for an answer. The name and the accent sounded fake, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that Dominique was just as good as Amanda had said he was. The dress was so much more than anything Arezoo could have dreamt of, that she should just play along and pretend he really was French and had graduated from the world-renowned ENSCI-Les Ateliers as he claimed.
"I can't believe this is happening." Her mother pressed both hands to her cheeks, tears glistening in her eyes. "My beautiful baby is getting married."
"Maman, please don't cry. You'll make me cry, and then my makeup will run."
Her mother frowned. "You're not wearing makeup."
"I know, but we need to start practicing not crying for the wedding when I will be wearing makeup."
Donya snorted from her perch on the blue velvet settee. "You can't practice not crying. It makes no sense."
"I disagree," Arezoo shot back automatically, then winced when Dominique made a disapproving sound.
"No moving. I'm pinning."
"Sorry."
The dress was beautiful and original, and Arezoo felt so incredibly privileged and lucky to be given such royal treatment. It was an A-line with a fitted bodice of delicate lace that traced patterns like frost on a window, giving way to layers of soft tulle that floated when she moved. The sleeves were sheer and reached her wrists, modest enough to satisfy her mother but elegant enough to make her feel like she'd stepped out of a fairy tale. A row of tiny pearl buttons ran down the back, and the train, which was not too long and not too short, pooled behind her like a whisper.
"The beading is exquisite," her mother managed between sniffles. "How much did you say we were paying for this?"
"Five hundred dollars."
Her mother's eyes narrowed. "That's impossible. This dress must cost ten times that."
