“Think of it as a positive,” she said. “It means you definitely will be back in the spring! The entire excavation can be extended, and you’ll still be in charge. If that’s what you want, of course …”
It was a transparent attempt at manipulation, and they both knew it, but Hayter had little choice except to go along with it. “I think that would tie in with my plans,” he said eventually.
“Great. So, what’s the situation with the Temple of Poseidon?”
Hayter, with occasional interjections from Matt, gave a report on the state of the dig that Nina had ordered. With both submersibles, the heavy-duty underwater excavation machine Sharkdozer II and the more exploratory-purposed but still capable Gypsy, working to clear the rubble from the altar room, progress had been relatively swift—by archaeological standards. “If you just wanted the stones moved, we could have done it in half the time, but you lot get so shirty about breaking the stuff underneath them,” said Matt jokingly, making Eddie laugh and temporarily uniting both archaeologists in humorless disapproval.
“What about any finds?” Nina asked Hayter.
“We uncovered more of the texts on the walls,” he told her, bringing up a collection of images on a laptop. “Still nothing from the very end of the chronology, but we must be close now. The new translation software has given us a fairly good idea of what it all says; the team back at the IHA are working out the subtleties.”
“Nothing new about the statues?”
“Not so far. Nantalas was mentioned once, but only in reference to what we’d already found—her so-called visions. She was trying to persuade the king to let her use the sky stone’s powers for war again.”
“She’s a nice lass, this Nantalas,” said Eddie.
“How close are we to the last section of text?” Nina asked. “Eddie, you saw it in person when we first discovered the place. Can you remember exactly where it was?”
“Show me that computer graphic thing,” he told Hayter, who brought up a program on the laptop. The numerous photographs taken in the ruins had been mapped onto the walls of a 3-D model of the altar room, producing a patchwork wallpaper effect that could be viewed from any angle. “That’s the shaft that we first came through?” He indicated a particular feature, and Hayter nodded. “Okay, I remember that there was a pillar about there”—he pointed at another part of the virtual chamber—“so the writing ended … somewhere ’round here.”
The closest photograph was just a few feet from the spot. Matt compared the graphic with a wider shot taken inside the actual room. “We’re pretty near. Once we shift that last piece of wreckage, we should be able to clear these stones in … I dunno, not long. A few hours.”
“And how long to move the wreckage?” Nina asked.
“It’ll be a bit of a long stint, but I reckon we could do it all in a single dive.”
“How quickly can you have the sub ready?”
“It’s already prepped—we still have to go through the safety checks and lower it into the water, but about an hour.”
“Great! Let’s get going, then.”
“Might have known you’d be in a rush! No worries—we’ll have pictures for you before the day’s out.”
“I don’t just want pictures,” she replied. “I want to see it for myself. I’m going with you.”
Hayter looked startled at the suggestion, Matt less so. “You want to come along?” the archaeologist asked. “In the subs?”
“No, I thought I’d put on goggles and flippers and use a very long snorkel. Yes, in the subs.”
“Sarcasm isn’t really necessary,” he said sourly. “It’s just that Gypsy only has room for two people in addition to the pilot. As expedition leader I’ll be one of them, and I’ll need Lydia in support, as she knows the site firsthand.”
“Not a problem,” said Nina. “Eddie and I can go in Matt’s sub.”
“We can, can we?” Eddie grumbled.
“Oh, you knew it was going to happen. You got to go down to the Temple of Poseidon last time—there’s no way I’m going to miss the chance now. Anyway, Sharkdozer has room for three people, doesn’t it, Matt?”
“Four if you don’t mind being up in each other’s armpits,” the Australian told her jovially.
“We’ll keep it to three, then. The only person who should put up with Eddie’s armpits is his wife. And even then …”
“Oi!” protested her husband.
Hayter was still displeased with the prospect. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Nina?”