The Lord of Death sends his messengers to travel with the tall man.
KuTu’s words from several days ago replayed in her thoughts as her focus returned to Quint’s face.
A shiver ran down her spine. Was Teodoro right about Quint being some kind of good demon from the Maya Underworld? How else could she explain the oddities that had occurred since finding Site 5?
The tarantula in his boot.
The vulture on the wall.
The butterflies that fluttered around him—and seemingly only him—as they worked on clearing the field camp.
And those were only the ones Quint knew about.
Earlier in the evening, when everyone was gathering for supper in the mess tent, Teodoro had pulled Angélica aside. He’d shown her nine owl feathers he’d found in and around camp since arriving days ago. He’d come across one of the larger feathers on the ground right outside her tent early in the morning, before anyone else was awake. Make that anyone besides Bronko, who’d been on night duty and later told the shaman he hadn’t recalled hearing an owl in the trees during his watch.
According to Teodoro, the feather looked as if it had been purposely placed at their doorstep, just for Quint. When she’d taken the feather from him for a closer look, Teodoro had told her that hebelieved each feather represented one of the nine levels of the Underworld. Unknowingly, he seemed to be echoing KuTu’s prophecy, with both of them suggesting that Quint was a metaphysical catalyst of some sort.
But a catalyst for what in particular?
The cot creaked as Quint sat up, still frowning at his notes. The storm hovering over his brows matched the anxiety-fueled maelstrom twisting and turning in her chest.
“Do you want me to repeat that last part?” she asked, smiling in spite of her worries. “The bit about how archaeologists often work simultaneously from early on at a dig site project with archaeobotanists, sedimentologists, geoarchaeologists, and other scientists in various environmental and paleo fields to study all aspects of ancient societies.”
He shook his head. “You said that defensive works, such as low walls, are often found in settlements.” He looked up at her. “What about a high wall, like at Site 5?”
“What about it?” She had wondered about the wall’s height as well, but wanted to see if he was pondering along the same lines.
“Why is there such a big drop on the other side of the wall?” He tossed his notebook aside. “If this were a religious site, like your mom theorized, I can see having high walls to keep enemies out. But this place seems to be set up to keep the people in.”
“I’ve been wondering about that, too. This is the first site I’ve come across with a wall like this.” She pointed at the maps on her tray. “Based off these LIDAR images, the layout of Site 5 is not typical compared to other Maya cities.”
“Not typical in what way?”
“Most cities have temples in the center, often set up in a constellation-inspired layout. They also tend to have large courtyards around the temples, several platforms here and there where public events took place, a ballcourt somewhere in the mix, and evidence of residential quarters on the outskirts.”
“How is Site 5 different based on what you’re looking at on those LIDAR images?”
She picked up one of the laminated printouts, holding it out for him to see. “Well, for one thing, I see only a single temple with a small structure next to it. At least I think it’s a temple.” She turnedthe printout back her way. “Although it could be a platform, but being that it’s near the center of the site, my gut says it’s more than that.”
“So, only one temple. What else?”
“I don’t see any evidence of a ballcourt. And each corner of the site has what looks like a platform of some sort—each of the four similar in structure and size.”
“What do you think is the significance of that? Something to do with star alignment or cardinal directions?”
“Maybe, but I’ll have to see them from the ground to make sure they’re truly platforms and not some other sort of building. I also need to search for astelanear each structure, which might clarify the purpose behind it.”
She dropped the LIDAR image on top of the others on the tray table. Her fingers practically tingled at the thought of tomorrow’s plans to go over the wall and start digging around on the other side. Ground truthing was one of her favorite parts of the job. After staring at maps and reading up on a site for days or weeks or even months, it was that moment when she was able to actually walk around in the past. What was left of it, anyway. It would be hard to sleep tonight. The anticipation of finally seeing what gems were hidden underneath the foliage would keep her mind busy.
Quint stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. “Well, boss lady, I hope that what we find on the other side of that wall answers all of the questions rattling around in that big brain of yours.”
When she looked over at him, KuTu’s words replayed again in her thoughts.
Damn it. She couldn’t continue to keep hiding her concerns about what the Maya guard and Teodoro had each said to her. Not from Quint, at least. Her father was a different story, though. Pedro and the rest of the crew, as well.
Quint needed to know the truth about the possible dangers for him here. He deserved the chance to walk away from it, even though she selfishly wanted him to stay by her side and explore what the jungle had been hiding for centuries with her. To share in the secrets from the past.
She took a deep breath and met his gaze head-on. “There issomething we need to talk about before Dad gets back.” He’d headed off with Fernando, Pedro, and Raul after supper to release a little stress with the help of cards, a couple of beers, and probably a cigar, even though his doctor would tell him resting was the smartest thing for him. “Something that has me wondering if I should ask Pedro to fly you home to Cancun tomorrow.”
