Tomb Raider: The Ten Thousand Immortals by Dan Abnett, Nik Vincent Read Free Book Online Page A

directed her to and took the staircase to St. John Babbington’s first-floor study.
    When she knocked, there was no answer. She checked her watch. She was a few minutes early. She thought about going back into the quad and having another look around. There might even be time to spend a few minutes in the chapel.
    As she turned, she heard someone climbing the stairs. A small, neat man soon appeared beside her. He was rather younger than she expected, probably no older than his early forties, and he was dressed in a highly patterned waistcoat with a mismatched but elegant bow tie.
    “Miss Croft, I presume,” he said, taking a key from his jacket pocket.
    “Lara,” said Lara.
    “I’ve been hearing things about you,” said Babbington. “Come in.” The door open, the professor ushered Lara into the study ahead of him.
    The room was not unlike its owner. It was neat, but somewhat fussy. There was too much of everything everywhere, but it was quite clear to Lara, as she glanced over the shelves and cabinets that adorned the walls, that there was a place for everything and that everything was in its place.
    “Sit,” said Babbington, taking a narrow, leather chair and gesturing to a second armchair that sat rather lower on the floor than his own.
    “Thank you,” said Lara. She sat, but continued to cast her eyes over the objects in Babbington’s study. Many of them appeared to be classical statues of one sort or another, mostly Greek, but some Roman, and one or two from northern Europe, from what Lara could tell. Most were almost entirely intact. There were other things, too. A low glass cabinet on legs, which stood under one window, appeared to be full of bladed weapons, and another, standing on the mantle, contained toga pins.
    “You have some wonderful things,” said Lara.
    “Thank you,” said Babbington. “Of course, I’ve collected some myself, but the core of the collection is my father’s legacy. We’re alike, you and I.”
    “I’m sorry...?” said Lara.
    “Archaeology is a family business for you and me,” said Babbington. “Professor Cahalane explained that he was a friend of your father, the intrepid archaeologist Richard Croft?”
    “Of course,” said Lara.
    “His reputation outlives him.”
    “Thank you,” said Lara.
    “You wanted to talk to me about the Golden Fleece?” asked Babbington.
    “I’m interested in the fleece, yes,” said Lara.
    “You know the story, of course,” said Babbington. “You wouldn’t come all the way out to Oxford to hear about that. You could just as easily rent the movie: Jason and the Argonauts . Mesmerising, but total rubbish.”
    “Yes, I know the story,” said Lara. “I’m interested in the artifact. I wondered if it’s possible there’s any substance to the myth, if it might even still exist somewhere.”
    “It never existed at all,” said Babbington. He laughed. The sound was sudden and unexpected, and it made Lara tense for a moment. “That probably wasn’t what you wanted to hear, and I set aside an hour for this meeting. Let’s have a cup of tea and talk about it. It’s interesting stuff.”
    “Thank you,” said Lara.
    Lara also stood as Babbington got up to make the tea.
    “May I?” she asked, gesturing at the shelves.
    “Of course,” said Babbington. “There are some fine pieces, so I’d prefer you didn’t touch anything without asking first.”
    “I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Lara.
    “Go ahead,” said Babbington, waving the kettle.
    Lara moved slowly around the room. The objects were meticulously grouped by culture and period, and then by materials and uses. Oddly, she thought, none of them were labeled.
    “You specialise in the Ancient Greeks?” asked Lara.
    “I do,” said Babbington, “like my father before me.”
    “Then, you know the Golden Fleece well?”
    “I believe I mentioned that there is no such artifact,” said Babbington. “There was never a golden fleece… Never one, but possibly