Chapter 34

Stefan kept his manner cool and polite as they wound their way through the excavation site. The ruin was a minor one, by Mediterranean standards, but it was impressive enough. A thick, squat, roughly built church was gradually being unearthed, as was a grotto-like area surrounded by columns and the remains of an old well. He could easily see how it would be a tourist draw once completed—so much closer than the more well-known sites such as Ephesus, while conveying the same sense of ancient world wonder and beauty. With a small entry fee, Ala?ati would see the return on its investment to unearth the place almost immediately.

And there were still at least a dozen men and women who appeared to be actual archaeologists, mixing in with the remaining construction workers despite the late hour.

"It's a constant push-pull, eh?" Omir said for the benefit of Nicki's camera. "We must move forward quickly, and the intention was always that this would be a working exhibit, with tourists and archaeologists side by side as new possibilities emerge. Yet the archaeologists, they would rather that all our big machines and noise would go away. We can't do that—we would bring this fantastic site to the people as quickly as possible. But they're doing their job."

They toured the grotto and what had been uncovered of the church, with Omir eagerly showing off the visible remains of another, far more elaborate temple set into the rock beneath the primary one.

"Christianity is a bit of an opportunistic religion, yes?" Omir continued. "Its agents come to this place, they see its beauty, its possibilities. Rather than honor what has come before, they build right on top of it, transferring the mystic holiness of the place to their own uses." He flung his arms wide. "Not that you could blame them."

They made their way down toward the church and the temple below it, stopping to talk to archaeologists along the way. Nicki videoed every step and Stefan watched her closely. Fortunately, despite his uneasy feeling whenever he focused on her, she gave no indication of being out of sorts. She chattered incessantly with Omir, appearing almost besotted by him, a reaction the Turkish official gleefully took as his due. Stefan knew she was doing it for the mission—everything for the mission—but he found it strangely galling to watch her play up to the pompous man. When she caught his eye at one turn and winked, he was only marginally comforted.

What was wrong with him?He'd never sought after love—and he was damned glad for it. His earliest advisors, well versed in the ways of demigods, had counseled against lasting relationships when he'd first begun his service. Then, when he eventually did form attachments, he'd had the unenviable role of watching the women he loved gradually age and die. It never got any easier, so he'd prided himself on keeping to short term liaisons that didn't matter. His work was his romance, the Crown's protection his greatest focus. He traveled, he fought, he served. He allowed no time for anything else.

But he hadn't been lying when he'd shown Nicki the villa perched over the cliff. It did closely resemble his own idyll back in O?ros, with all the windows open to the sea and sun. Now he could imagine Nicki there as well, an entirely unexpected but not unwelcome thought. It was pointless to continue down that path, but he found himself straying toward the images he was conjuring forth for himself, if only to pass the time while the Turkish official nattered on.

The final stop on the tour was the most breathtaking by far—literally. Omir led them up to an open-air platform. "Ah! We are here in time to see the sunset. Be sure to take full views! It's an extraordinary sight."

For once, the man wasn't exaggerating. Stefan moved to the side to allow Nicki to step forward and video the commanding view of the ocean, the skyline, and the ridges in the far distance. Then she panned back around toward Omir, while he grinned self-importantly. "We'll reinforce this area in particular to allow for tourists to experience the magnificent view in safety and comfort," he said as Nicki focused on him.

She stiffened as he talked, her body language changing subtly and Stefan looked to where she was pointing the camera. Omir was in full throes of his discussion of the gated veranda decking they'd install to protect the ruins while allowing tourists maximum access, but that's not what held Stefan's attention.

The veranda fell away as the view curved back toward the warehouse, past a rough embankment that had once been an outer arch of the church. They were higher than the warehouse, and were afforded a clear view of the space between the two buildings.

Stefan studied the same thick knot of trees and jungle that he and Nicki had entered earlier that day. Beside those trees, a line of men filed out of the excavation site under the careful scrutiny of two men whose stance indicated they were carrying weapons or had access to them—they were clearly men who held power over these workers. Plenty of other workers remained on the site—and certainly all the archaeologists—so this routine was obviously well established. The men marched to the warehouse, where the building's garage stood open, trucks in place. After the men were safely inside, the garage doors rumbled shut.

None of those workers had looked like Ari Andris, but Stefan was too far away to tell anything definitively.

"Have you had any interest yet from American or European tourist channels?"

Nicki's gushing words distracted him, and he turned around in time as Omir noticed his stare, the official also pulled back by Nicki's question. "What do you mean?"

"Well, gosh—it's so intriguing what you're doing, preserving cultural heritage while doing what's right by the city as well. I'd have to think it would serve as a model for other reclamation or restoration projects." She smiled with yet more earnestness. "Not that you necessarily need to share your success with the outside world, but—if you wanted, I could prepare a video segment developed specifically as a promo piece for those networks. You never know who could check it out. I know you're busy but?—"

"Our success is Turkey's success," Omir said resolutely. "I like this idea of yours. How long would it take to produce?"

"I could have a rough cut to you tomorrow, and then you could have anyone you prefer edit the final. That way if you have more footage or interviews, you can add them."

"Yes! Yes, that is good."

As Stefan half-listened to their conversation, he allowed his attention to veer to the right again. To his surprise, a paneled van rolled out of the building—then another one. They turned left onto the access road, then disappeared over the side of the mountain.

He scowled. Were the workers being taken somewhere else? Or was this supposed departure of the vans a ruse to satisfy anyone who was curious at the excavation site? He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the building. It was built solidly, but there were flaws once you got high enough. There were windows in the upper reaches, as Nicki had pointed out. The roofline showed several doors on multiple levels, and even now one of the doors opened, and a man stepped out, a lit cigarette in his hand as he spoke on his phone.

So clearly, not everyone had left the facility. At least not yet.

"How long will you be staying with us?"

Omir's question came as Nicki took the camera off her shoulder, and her gaze slid to Stefan. He nodded to her, then focused on Omir.

"We leave tomorrow," he said, grateful that Nicki betrayed no reaction. "This visit has been very educational, and you have every right to be proud of your achievement here. We're honored that you've shared it with us."

He kept his smile steady. They'd hit the place tonight.