The Prophecy (Daughters of the People Series Book 1) by Lucy Varna Read Free Book Online Page A

at least a little
wary of the young warrior.
    They walked around
the trailer and joined the main group. The students were chattering quietly
among themselves. Olaf, Helene, and Dani hovered over Indigo, who was still
holding an ice pack to the back of her head.
    While Maya was
checking on Indigo, a lone police officer arrived and cordoned off the areas with
the worst damage. Very little of the site had remained untouched, with the exception
of the pits themselves. Helene finally convinced Indigo to go to the hospital
to check for a concussion. Dani insisted on driving, and Helene tagged along as
the navigator.
    Maya spoke
briefly with Dr. Lindberg and offered her assistance in sorting through the artifacts.
Restoring order to the dig would give her a chance to assess what had been
taken, but it would also give her a chance to covertly monitor the police’s
investigation and begin her own. The students gave statements to the officer
and, with Olaf’s encouragement, wandered back to their lodgings for a few
hours’ rest, leaving Olaf, James, and Maya to guard the site.
    As daylight
broke in the eastern sky, Maya found herself drawn to the undisturbed anomalous
grave. The skeleton still wore the ancient copper armband, the symbol of Marnan
just visible through the patina. Maya was certain the burial was of a Daughter,
but questions circled endlessly in her head. Had the Daughter really been
buried around the time of the massacre? If so, why had she been buried when all
the other victims had been left where they’d fallen, at a time when it was more
common to consecrate the dead with fire? Would the fragments contain an as yet
unknown part of the Daughters’ history? Or would the writings the Daughter
carried contain a dire warning for their future?
    Most of all,
Maya considered the who. Who was this Daughter and how had she ended up in
Scandinavia? And who was behind the looting? Was it simply local artifact
hunters looking for a quick money-making scheme, or was it someone, or
something, more deadly?
    Dread settled
low in Maya’s gut. Their ancient enemy had been silent for decades. She
fervently hoped they’d stay that way, but if her suspicions were correct, they were behind the looting. Her mind buzzed with the consequences of their
reappearance, to the Daughters and the IECS, to herself and her own daughters,
and to the people they loved.
    Maya checked her
watch and calculated the time difference for the third time since her arrival
in Sweden less than twenty-four hours before. She called Director Upton and
caught her just after the other Daughter had gone to bed. In spite of the late
hour, the director’s voice was crisp, calm, and cool. Maya outlined the
situation with the artifacts, including Indigo’s injury, and assured the
director that she’d remain on site as long as she needed to.
    She’d just hung
up when a scuffed footfall alerted her to someone else’s presence. She glanced
over her shoulder. James was ambling slowly toward her. In the distance, Dr.
Lindberg sat in a chair, head in hands, talking to the police officer.
    Maya tilted her
head toward Olaf. “How’s he holding up?”
    James halted
beside her, his gaze drawn to the partially uncovered skeleton at the bottom of
the pit. “He’s fine. Tired, worried. The usual.”
    She nodded.
Looting at an active dig was heartbreaking, especially when you were in charge.
    “Listen.” He
exhaled sharply and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “About
earlier. I don’t really suspect you or Dani or the IECS of being behind this,
and I apologize for implying that.”
    Maya slashed a
hand through the air. “Don’t worry about it. It’s natural to suspect us. If I
were in your shoes, I’d do the same.”
    “Yeah, maybe.” He
jerked his chin toward the skeleton. “What was she carrying that was so
important?”
    “I was just
asking myself the same thing.”
    “And if those
artifacts were the target, how did the looter know what to