Fatal Tide - Iris Johansen [66]
“I can't. There's too much to discover. All that beauty. All that knowledge. Who knows what else we can find? My God, even that sonic apparatus would be a blessing if it was used in the right way. Are we supposed to ignore thousands of years of learning and technology?”
His expression was lit with excitement. She wearily shook her head. “You sound like Phil.”
“I'm not going to apologize for wanting to bring Marinth to life. I've wanted my shot at finding it since I was a kid.”
“That long?”
He nodded. “My uncle brought me all kinds of seafaring and treasure books to read on board. A couple of them mentioned Marinth, and he dug up an old National Geographic for me describing Hepsut's tomb. I was hooked. I used to lie in bed and imagine swimming through the city, and everywhere I looked there was adventure and wonder.”
“A child's fantasy.”
“Maybe. But it worked for me. There were times when I needed to get away from all the bullshit happening around me and I'd focus on Marinth. It was a great escape hatch.”
She shook her head. “Not for Phil. It was El Dorado.”
“Perhaps that's the most alluring thing about it. It fulfills all needs. It means different things to different people.” He paused. “But you said you were excited about Marinth at first too.”
“The search turned Phil into a fanatic where Marinth was concerned. He almost killed Pete and Susie.”
“That's not all, is it?”
She was silent a moment. “No. The tablets . . .”
“What?”
“The Marinth described in the tablets was everything a man would want it to be. A democracy like the Greeks'. Freedom to work and worship as they pleased. Which was unusual considering they listed an entire hierarchy of gods and goddesses. They encouraged art in all forms and deplored warfare. They were kind to their little brothers, the dolphins.”
“So what's not to like?”
“It was everything a man would want it to be,” she repeated. “Including a society that used women as breeding animals and toys. No marriage. No equality. No freedom for women. They were slaves or whores depending on their desirability and strength. There were houses throughout Marinth where women were kept for entertainment. Beautiful houses to please male citizens, who were encouraged to appreciate the finest art forms. Silk cushions and fine tables with bejeweled ornaments.” She looked at Kelby. “And what do you bet they had panels of golden fretwork?”
“You identified it with Kafas.”
She nodded. “After I read the translations I had nightmares about it. I kept getting the two confused in my head.”
“And that was one of the reasons you wouldn't help Lontana. I can see how you'd feel like that, but you wouldn't forbid studying the Renaissance because politically it was rife with corruption.”
“Maybe it wasn't reasonable. Maybe you and Phil are right about the good outweighing the bad. But I didn't want to have anything to do with it.”
His lips tightened. “Until I forced it on you.”
“Until Archer forced it on me. Carolyn would say you should watch that tendency to blame yourself. It's not healthy.”
He smiled. “Okay, I'll watch it.” His gaze shifted to the sea again. “And I'll watch out for your dolphins. Dawn?”
“I hope.”
His smile faded. “Me too.”
The dolphins didn't come back at dawn. Two hours later there was still no sign of them.
“You don't know how far they had to swim to meet with their groups,” Kelby said. “Maybe the dolphins moved their territory in the last six years.”
“Or maybe they were thrown a hell of a welcome-home party,” Nicholas said. “I'm never up early on the morning after.”
They were doing their best to make her feel better, Melis knew. It wasn't working, but she forced a smile anyway. “Stop trying so hard. I'm okay with this. We'll just have to be patient.”
“You're not okay with it. You're holding on by your teeth,” Kelby said. “We'll give them another eight hours and then start to track them.”
“Tomorrow.”
He shook his head. “I'm not watching you sit vigil through another night like last night. I know you want them to come back on their own, but they'd better get a move on it.