The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) (24 page)

“
I do not need
protection
.
”
She spun on her heel and stormed away.

Chapter Nine

The tremor happened while Ian hung halfway down the cliffside. The shake rattled a few pebbles loose from the rock face above and below him. Startled, he flattened himself against the cliff. Horus shrieked and launched into the air. Ian swung in his harness, wondering if the cliff would come down on top of him. Not how he hoped to end his career.

As soon as the tremor ceased, he started carefully back up the cliff. When he reached the top, Flintrop and Luis were waiting.

Luis gave him a hand up onto solid ground. “You all right? We just had a shakeup at the dig.”

At once, he thought of Sara.
A magnetic pull washed over him.
He strove to ignore it.
“
I
’
m fine.
Is everyone okay down there?
”

“
Another fissure opened,
”
Flintrop reported.
“
Sara and I had a close call, but no one
’
s hurt.
We may need to shut the project down.
The site
’
s not safe like this.
”

Ian gave an inner growl at Flintrop
’
s use of the words
Sara and I
.
That reaction was harder to ignore.

Flintrop shrugged. “You might consider leaving as well, Waverly. It could get dangerous around here.”

Ian snapped his gaze to Flintrop’s. They held each other’s stare. “I’ll take my chances.”

“
I heard you were a bit on the stubborn side.
Got a dislocated shoulder, and still stuck around.
Tough stuff.
”

Ian unhooked his climbing belt and started coiling the ropes.
“
Some things are just worth it, I guess.
”

Flintrop
’
s gaze never faltered.
“
I daresay you
’
re right.
”

****

Sara glanced around at the assembled crew.
They ate a restless lunch while Lambertson and two of his assistants took stock of the dig site.
While they finished their meal, she leaned over to her sister and spoke in a hushed tone.
“
I saw a skull.
In the fissure, when it opened.
”

Faith
’
s eyes went wide.
She glanced toward the trench and her mouth opened, but Lambertson
’
s return interrupted her before she could reply.

The group shot to attention.
Lamb held up his hand to silence the last of the conversation.
“
The structure of what we
’
ve unearthed so far is mainly intact.
However, there
’
s a new crevice, and I believe that for the safety of all, we
’
re going to have to—
”

“
Can we brace it?
”
interrupted Sara as Flintrop and Luis returned to the camp.

“
I don
’
t think it
’
s in the best interest of the crew for us to remain here,
”
said Lamb.
“
We have no way of knowing if we
’
ll get another earthquake.
”

“
I found a skull, Lamb.
”

Everyone began murmuring.
Sara stood up and spoke above the din.
“
It was in the crevice.
If we can get it out, at least we
’
ll have something to show for all this work.
”

Lamb frowned.
“
It might be possible to shore up the fault and continue working, but I can
’
t guarantee our safety under those circumstances.
”

Sara glanced at her sister.
Faith nodded, and Sara turned back to Lambertson.
“
Gemini will stay and finish the excavation.
”

“
Are you telling me you
’
re going to endanger yourself and your sister for the sake of this project?
”

A mutter passed throughout the crew. Sara looked from face to face and found undisguised doubt. “Shetland was my father’s labor of love. I’m not leaving the island until this dig is done, if I have to scrape away every bit of soil with my bare hands.”

The mutter elevated.

“
Are you kidding?
”
called a voice.

“
This is insane,
”
came another.
“
You heard Lambertson.
The dig is dangerous.
”

“
Who knows if there
’
ll be another quake?
”
demanded a third.

And then,
“
I
’
ll stay.
”

Sara blinked.
Flintrop.
Flintrop
was backing her up?
She stared at him across the group.
The mutter became a collective argument until Lambertson shouted for quiet.

The crew settled.
No one ever out-shouted Lambertson.

Flintrop tilted his head at Sara.
“
I think she
’
s right.
Any of my crew who wants to leave can do so, but if there are remains, it
’
s possible there will be artifacts.
I
’
m staying put.
”

Faith got to her feet and whispered,
“
Of all the people I thought would be an ally, he
’
s the last.
”

“
Me, too,
”
Sara murmured.
If Flintrop stayed, the money stayed.
If the money stayed, that made things a lot less difficult.
She almost found herself wanting to thank him.

Lambertson threw a hand in the air.
“
All right.
You
’
re all bloody well out of your minds.
Those of you who plan to stay on will need to sign release forms.
If anyone intends to leave, gather your gear, and then see me to make the arrangements.
”
The group began to disperse.

Flintrop crossed the camp toward Lamb
’
s tent.
As he passed Sara, he said,
“
Some things are just worth it, I guess.
”

Sara watched him leave, struggling to stuff what she knew of Flintrop back into its neat little box.
She met her sister
’
s gaze, and even Faith looked shocked.

Faith shook out of it.
“
Leopard.
Spots.
I
’
m not convinced.
”

Sara grinned.

In the end, none of the crew wanted to leave the project in light of the found skull.
That meant the project could continue at its present speed.
Over the remainder of lunch, Sara decided she owed Flintrop a long-overdue apology.
On the heels of that revelation came a good excuse for seeing Ian.
Relieved that she
’
d found a point even Lamb couldn
’
t argue, she packed up her mess kit, then marched to Flintrop
’
s tent.

The door hung open.
She ventured a look inside.
He stood over his cot, stuffing a few articles into a duffel bag.
She cleared her throat.

He turned.
“
Sara?
”

“
Yeah.
I, er... Well, first, I wanted to thank you.
Not just for staying with the project.
For, you know, grabbing me before I fell into the...
”
She trailed off, wishing she
’
d thought more on how to apologize before coming to apologize.

A grin creased his handsome face.
“
You
’
re welcome.
”

Awkward moments passed.
She hovered in the doorway, trying to decide how to proceed.

“
Did you need something?
”
he added.

She flushed. “I just figured that since you were going to Unst this afternoon... If you still are—” She ground to a halt, toying with the cord that tied back the tent door. “I think maybe you were right when you said we got off on the wrong foot somewhere, and I’m sorry. I’ll go with you, if you want.”

There.
Apology out.
The fact that they
’
d have to go right by Ian
’
s camp had nothing to do with her offer, of course.

“
Yes, absolutely,
”
said Flintrop.
“
I was just about to go.
I
’
m glad you caught me.
”

She nodded.
“
I
’
ll wait outside.
”
She retreated as quickly as possible and heaved a sigh.
After that, facing earthquakes ought to be no problem.

Flintrop joined her a short while later, and they started the hike up to the boat dock.
They walked in silence for fifteen minutes before he spoke.
“
So, I
’
m glad you decided to come along for the ride.
”

She smiled briefly back and adjusted the backpack on her shoulder.
He was going to drag this out of her, wasn
’
t he?
Blushing, she admitted,
“
I guess I have been competing with you a little.
Ever since I started my undergrad work, I
’
ve been coming up against the Flintrop legacy.
It
’
s a little daunting.
”

“
Try being part of the family sometime.
”

“
Oh, right.
Being the son and grandson of two of the field
’
s most notable must have been terrible, growing up.
”

“
I
’
m serious,
”
he said.
“
There was a time, if you can believe it, that I hated archaeology.
I wanted to be a lawyer.
”

“
Really?
”

“
My father almost disinherited me over it.
God forbid the son of Nicholas Flintrop became anything but an archaeologist.
Not after my grandfather Elliott had scratched out such a powerful legacy from nothing.
”
His voice rang with sarcasm.
“
He finally agreed that I could study law for a year, and then we
’
d discuss it further.
”

“
Obviously, law didn
’
t make the cut, because here you are.
”

He shrugged.
“
My father offered me a job as vice president of his firm, and said eventually, he
’
d hand over the entire family business.
I couldn
’
t refuse.
I didn
’
t want it, but now I have it, and I
’
m good at it, so there was no point in stopping.
”

She thought about that.
“
I
’
d never have taken you for wanting anything but this life.
I would have given anything to have what you have.
I never got to learn from my father.
”

“
Be glad you didn
’
t learn from mine.
He
’
s good, but he
’
s a hardass from a long line of hardasses.
”

There was a sharp, bitter undertone to his voice.
Sara glanced up, but Flintrop
’
s expression had gone blank.