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

many.”
    “I don’t understand,” said Lara.
    “Shall I be mother?” asked Babbington, picking up a small, impossibly ornate teapot from the tray he had placed on the table beside them.
    “Thank you,” said Lara.
    “Of course you don’t understand,” said Babbington. “The Golden Fleece is a myth, but like many myths it has its own prosaic explanation. Careful research generally sorts these things out. It’s a matter of education. Of course, the legends are far more attractive, and so they persist.”
    “Go on,” said Lara, taking the offered teacup and saucer.
    “You’ve no doubt seen films about the gold rush in modern America? You’ve seen men standing in streams with wide, shallow dishes, panning for gold?”
    “Of course,” said Lara.
    “Excellent,” said Babbington. “Did you know that panning is the most ancient method of mining for gold known to man?”
    “I didn’t,” said Lara.
    “Well, it is,” said Babbington. “It goes back to Roman times. It’s all about specific gravity. Gold is heavy, making it easy to extract by this very simple method. Of course, it isn’t terribly efficient, but where mineral deposits are substantial and individuals are keen… You get the picture.”
    “Yes,” said Lara. “But what do ancient methods of gold mining have to do with the fleece?”
    “I’m coming to that,” said Babbington. “Patience. Two thousand years ago, there were variations in gold mining methods. The Romans used panning. There were also significant gold deposits in parts of the Caucasus, notably Colchis.”
    “Where the Golden Fleece originates in the legend?”
    “That’s right,” said Babbington. He sipped from his teacup, and continued. “In Colchis, they did not pan for gold. They lay fleeces on the streambeds and allowed the running water to flow through them, taking the gold with it. The gold lodged in the wool fibres. When the fleeces were removed from the streams, the gold was combed out and collected.”
    “And you believe that the myth of the Golden Fleece comes directly from this form of gold mining in Colchis?” asked Lara.
    “I’m sure of it,” said Babbington. “There is no Golden Fleece, and there never was one. I suppose you might surmise that there were many golden fleeces, if you like to fill your head with romantic notions. I’m a professor of antiquities. As much as I enjoy the legends, I prefer to do solid research. This, Miss Croft, is solid research.”
    “You don’t believe in the healing properties of the Golden Fleece?” asked Lara.
    “That’s another question entirely,” said Babbington. “Various forms of the legend claim that the Golden Fleece had a number of properties. The fleece was said to confer kingship on its owner, and was even thought to bring prosperity to the land.”
    “I know that King Pelias sent Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece in the belief that he was a pretender to the throne, and that recovering the artifact was an impossible undertaking.”
    “Pelias believed that Jason, the man with one sandal, would perish in his attempt to retrieve the Golden Fleece,” said Babbington, warming to his subject. “Jason’s death would rid Pelias of the threat of being ousted from his throne.”
    “There are lots of versions of the story though,” said Lara.
    “Time,” said Babbington. “You must have played at Chinese whispers as a child.”
    “So, we might never know what was important or what was true. The Golden Fleece might have conferred kinship, or protection or prosperity. It might not have been about healing at all?”
    “The legends tell us as much about the culture of the times as the artifacts I study,” said Professor Babbington.
    “Nevertheless, the fleeces existed,” said Lara, “and the gold collected in them.”
    “Now you’re thinking,” said Babbington. “There are always avenues to explore in this field, Miss Croft. Antiquities and artifacts are never simply objects. Their stories tell