Among Galactic Ruins by Anna Hackett Read Free Book Online

don’t expect
gourmet food on this treasure hunt.”
    Lexa was glad to see the sadness fading from
Dathan’s face. “Well, I didn’t hire you for your cooking.”
    A megawatt grin this time. “So, where
exactly are we headed? Sea of Dunes is a big place. Time for you to
share a bit more about your mysterious map, Dr. Carter.”
    She nodded. “The map was etched onto a vase
from the Temple of the Divine Goddess.”
    “No shit.” Dathan’s eyes narrowed. “The
Orphic priestesses were popular around here centuries back. And
they worshipped a lot of Terran artifacts.” He patted the ballo
beast beside him. “But most people think the Temple of the Divine
Goddess is just a myth. There’s never been any sign of it.”
    “The vase had a series of clues to locations
on Zerzura leading to the temple…and a fabulous treasure.”
    The young treasure hunter’s eyes lit up.
“Gonna tell me what it is?”
    She hesitated. But she was trusting him with
their lives, and as he was risking his own as well, he deserved to
know. “A Fabergé egg.”
    Dathan went incredibly still. “There have
been rumors of a Fabergé egg around here for years. No one’s ever
found one.”
    “Then we’ll be the first.”
    “Worth a real lot of e-creds.”
    “Which doesn’t matter a bit. Its true value
to history is immensurable.”
    Dathan got a resigned look on his face.
“God, you astro-archeologists are all the same. Okay, so the egg is
off-limits. But I get the right to anything else we might
find.”
    Lexa hated giving anything away, but she
knew she couldn’t save everything and he was a part of this hunt.
“One artifact. The rest will be secured for my patron, and the
Galactic Institute of Historical Preservation will also want their
share.”
    Dathan crossed his arms. “Ten.”
    “No!”
    “Five.”
    “Two,” she offered begrudgingly. Beside her,
she saw Damon hiding a smile.
    “Three,” the treasure hunter said.
    She sighed. “Fine. Three.”
    He slapped her on the back. “Don’t worry,
Dr. Carter. It’s unlikely we’ll even find the place, let alone any
artifacts.”
    “We’ll find it,” she said firmly.
    He shook his head. “Your optimism is…a bit
sickening.”
    “You’re too young to be so cynical.”
    He sighed. “I wish.”
    There were a thousand broken hopes and
dreams in that sigh. “The first clue says we have to cross the Sea
of Dunes under the Manifestor’s guiding light.”
    Dathan rolled his eyes. “That’s it?”
    “There are more clues, but that’s the first
one we have to follow.”
    He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Okay,
well, the Manifestor is a well-known constellation, also called
Phanes. We follow it, it takes us west.”
    She smiled. “Great.”
    Muttering something nasty about optimists,
Dathan said, “Let me help you mount the ballo.”
    Damon sidestepped and blocked him. “I’ll
help her, kid.”
    “Roger that, old man.”
    Damon muttered to himself and gripped Lexa’s
waist. His touch burned through her khaki shirt. She took a deep
breath and, as he lifted her, swung her leg over the massive beast.
Damon had made it very clear last night that he had no trouble
resisting her. She was chalking the experience up to an overload of
adrenaline from the attack.
    Today, it was business as usual. Two
colleagues who didn’t like each other much doing a job.
    He patted her leg. “All set?”
    God, his touch was still burning, making her
nerve endings tingle. “All set.”
    “I have something for you.” He held out a
brand-new Sync.
    She took it. It was an even better model
than her old one. “I’m not going to ask where you got this.”
    He just smiled.
    “Thank you.”
    He inclined his head and headed over to his
ballo. She watched him and Dathan mount their animals. The treasure
hunter glanced at the sky, then at the Sync he’d pulled off his
belt and tapped the screen.
    “Okay, we’ll start by following the Ruins
Route. It’s a well-known caravan route through