Misplaced (136 page)

V
ictoria
did
not
ans
w
er
right
a
w
ay.
An
odor,
mild
at
first,
gre
w
stronge
r
wit
h
eac
h
ste
p
o
f
thei
r
precariou
s
descent
.
She
inhaled deeply.

“What is it?” Khara asked. “It’s disgusting.”

“That, my friend, is the smell of a hot bath.”

“How do you know?”

V
ictori
a
thre
w
he
r
a
paine
d
look
.
“Summer
s
o
f
relic-hunting
with my uncle.”

A
quarte
r
o
f
th
e
w
a
y
bac
k
down
,
V
ictori
a
spotte
d
an
enormou
s
o
v
erhan
g
and
,
followin
g
he
r
in
s
tinct
,
the
y
aban
d
oned
the
foot
path.
Smooth
and
sun-bleached
until
it
barely
flushed
pink
,
th
e
sandston
e
pro
v
e
d
muc
h
mor
e
difficul
t
t
o
navigate.
Descendin
g
slo
w
ly
,
eac
h
ste
p
brough
t
a
be
t
te
r
vie
w
o
f
th
e
undersid
e
o
f
th
e
roc
k
face
.
Eon
s
o
f
win
d
an
d
ic
e
ha
d
car
v
ed
chambers,
some
as
large
as
t
w
el
v
e
feet
across,
and
all
at
least
thirty feet high.

“
T
his
is
why
the
A
n
as
azi
cam
e
here,”
V
i
c
t
o
ria
a
ss
erte
d
.
“
I
t
’
s
a
natura
l
fortress.
”
Sh
e
sniffe
d
th
e
ai
r
lik
e
a
hound
.
“
I
think
w
e
’
re
v
ery close now.”

“Close to what?”

“Y
ou
’
ll see.”

Th
e
comple
x
w
a
s
mor
e
intricat
e
tha
t
i
t
ha
d
appeare
d
at
first;
there
w
ere
dozens
of
convoluted
w
alls
of
stone,
many
of
whic
h
le
d
nowhere
.
I
n
th
e
furthermos
t
chamber
,
sh
e
found
the
treasure
she
’
d
been
searching
for—a
thermal
w
ater
spring.
V
ictoria
had
only
seen
its
particular
mix
of
turquoise
and
green
in the murals of the ancient Ma
y
ans.

“By the dogs of Egypt…it is truly splendid,” Khara admitted, the
irritation
so
recently
evident
in
her
e
y
es
having
e
v
aporated.

V
ictori
a
ha
d
n
o
contro
l
o
v
e
r
he
r
slo
w
l
y
growin
g
smile.
“Better
than dodging lightening and wind at the top, no?”

“I
w
as
a
b
out
to
praise
ano
t
her
of
your
hidden
t
alen
t
s,
b
ut
I
se
e
t
ha
t
i
s
quit
e
unnecessar
y
.
A
t
t
hi
s
momen
t
,
i
t
woul
d
b
e
impossible for you to look any more pleased with yourself.”

Chapte
r
Fifty
Vic
t
oria

“I
f
only Gracie could see us now,”
V
ictoria said absently,
lickin
g
sal
t
fro
m
he
r
uppe
r
li
p
a
s
the
y
baske
d
i
n
th
e
w
arm
w
aters
of
the
spring.
“
A
t
first
she
’
d
be
furious—especially
with you for abducting me.”

“If you remember, I
w
as fully prepared to go alone.”

“I
know
,
bu
t
w
e
’
r
e
talkin
g
abou
t
Gracie
.
E
v
entually
,
the
drama
would
wind
down.
Unless,”
she
added,
laughing,
“the
copier had already broken that morning.”

Khara’s
expression
turned
accusatory.
“
Y
ou
miss
her;
I
see
it in your e
y
es. But you ha
v
e scarcely mentioned your aunt.”

“Poor
Marta.
Her
niece
has
v
anished,
and
the
husband
she
lo
v
e
s
mor
e
tha
n
th
e
blesse
d
virgi
n
ha
s
jus
t
bee
n
arreste
d
for
murder.
What
else
is
there
to
say?
I
hope
Gracie’s
staying
with
her.”

Though
she
didn’t
say
so,
V
ictoria
knew
Gracie
w
as
the
one
person
who
would
understand
that
friendship
often
came
with complications, and sometimes extraordinary actions
w
ere
required
.
Still
,
th
e
battl
e
o
f
he
r
conscienc
e
rage
d
o
n
wit
h
no
v
erdict in sight.

She
concentrated
on
the
beads
of
s
w
eat
that
dotted
her
brow.
Victoria
felt
lightheaded.
The
w
arm
w
ater
reached
just
below
her
shoulders,
working
miracles
on
the
stubborn
knots
in
her
cal
v
es.
When
she
closed
her
e
y
es,
she
felt
her
body
still
moving
along
the
une
v
en
rock.
Elias
had
affectionately
referred
to
her
a
s
havin
g
“
pata
s
d
e
cabr
é
.
”
Thoug
h
man
y
thing
s
ha
d
changed
since high school, she still had the feet of a goat.

Behin
d
he
r
e
y
elids
,
a
n
un
w
elcom
e
memor
y
too
k
shape
—
Elia
s
hoppin
g
perilousl
y
fro
m
boulde
r
t
o
boulder
,
unsha
v
en,
shir
t
tai
l
f
la
p
pin
g
,
hi
s
voic
e
calli
n
g
fran
t
icall
y
,
“No
t
s
o
fa
r
ahead
,
mij
a
!
”
Hi
s
bariton
e
voic
e
rod
e
th
e
wind
,
s
o
i
t
seeme
d
h
e
w
as
onl
y
inche
s
behin
d
her
.
“Com
e
back
!
Y
o
u
don’
t
kno
w
where
you
’
re going!”

S
h
e
o
p
e
ne
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
.
H
o
w
qui
c
k
l
y
th
e
l
igh
t
ha
d
f
a
ded
,
th
e
w
all
s
aroun
d
th
e
sprin
g
ha
d
change
d
t
o
th
e
dra
b
color
o
f
mushrooms
.
W
it
h
al
l
th
e
effor
t
he
r
w
ear
y
muscle
s
could
muster,
she
w
aded
o
v
er
to
Khara,
who
w
as
seated
gracefully
in
the
center
of
the
w
arm
pool,
her
e
y
es
closed.
Her
arms
floated
a
w
ay
from
her,
and
she
wore
the
look
of
someone
accustomed
to being pampered.

“
A
t last,” she sighed, “a proper bath.”

It
seemed
strange
to
open
the
cans
of
processed
meat
while
in
the
w
ater,
but
that’s
exactly
what
they
did.
Khara
picked
at
it and made a face. “Ugh! It tastes like rotting
hippopotamus!”

“Y
ou
’
re supposed to say it tastes like chicken.”

“But
it
doesn’t
at
all.
Really,
V
ictoria,
sometimes
you
make
no sense.”

V
ictori
a
couldn’
t
hel
p
laughin
g
a
t
he
r
expense
.
An
d
though
sh
e
w
a
s
anno
y
ed
,
Khar
a
couldn’
t
kee
p
he
r
nos
e
wrinkled
fore
v
er
.
Bi
t
b
y
bit
,
he
r
fac
e
ga
v
e
w
a
y
an
d
sh
e
joine
d
V
ictoria.
The
y
laughe
d
unti
l
thei
r
side
s
hurt
,
thoug
h
th
e
climbing
probabl
y
ha
d
somethin
g
t
o
d
o
wit
h
it
.
Khar
a
splashe
d
w
ate
r
in
he
r
face
,
stil
l
giggling
,
an
d
said
,
“Promis
e
m
e
yo
u
wil
l
no
t
return
t
o
you
r
ol
d
w
ays.”