Free The Prophecy (Daughters of the People Series Book 1) by Lucy Varna

her. The artifacts’
delivery is on schedule, I take it.”
    “Yes, Director.
I spoke with our courier just before leaving Sweden. They should be here
tomorrow afternoon.”
    “Good. I’ll rest
better once they’re here.”
    “We all will.”
    “And the
pictures?”
    Maya pulled a
flash drive and a photograph out of a side pocket of her pants and handed both
to the director. “Digital images of all the artifacts are on the thumb drive,
but I thought you’d like a hard copy of this particular one.”
    Rebecca laid the
flash drive aside, her eyes riveted to the photograph. “The Eye,” she breathed.
She traced a finger lightly over the glyph captured within the photo. “Surely
the Daughter buried at Sandby borg was of the line of Marnan.”
    “We might be
able to know that for certain.”
    Rebecca glanced
up. “Oh?”
    “The students
finished excavating the skeleton before I left. Her skull was bashed in, by the
way, but her head was turned during the burial so the damage was hidden. It was
probably the blow that killed her.”
    “So she might’ve
died in the massacre?”
    “It’s possible.
We’ll know more once the artifacts are dated. In the meantime, Dr. Lindberg
hopes we’ll be able to extract DNA from the bones.”
    “Will we be
allowed to examine them?”
    A spurt of
triumph shot through Maya. “Dr. Lindberg agreed to release the skeleton to us.
I slid it in under the same permit as the artifacts. It’ll arrive by courier
next week.”
    Rebecca laughed
and grasped Maya’s hand. “Well done, kaetyrm.”
    “I can’t take
all of the credit. Dani’s charm softened the Lindbergs to our cause and Dr.
Terhune spoke on our behalf. The IECS does have a certain reputation.”
    “Yes, it does, with
many thanks to people like you. Will Dr. Terhune be joining us?”
    Maya shifted in
the chair. She’d managed to put the attractive-but-not-quite-handsome language
expert out of her mind for a few days. “He was undecided when he left Sweden,
but I believe his hesitation will give way once he fully considers the
situation.”
    “I’m sure you
sweetened the pot.”
    “Of course. He
could be a valuable asset.”
    “Agreed. Let me
know what I can do to help.”
    Maya nodded. “A
letter from you might go a long way toward convincing him. He knows how
difficult it is to gain access to our archives, though he doesn’t know why.”
    Rebecca tapped
the edge of the photograph against her palm. “He wants access? How badly?”
    “I don’t know. He
has a pet project he implied would depend on accessing our holdings, but he
never elaborated on it. There simply wasn’t time. But, I believe his wish to
fulfill this personal project is quite strong.”
    “Reminding him
of that desire could tip the cards in our favor. I’ll compose a letter to him
as soon as I can, reiterating your offer.”
    “Thank you.”
Maya pursed her lips, containing her relief. “I thought it would be harder to
convince you.”
    “Am I that
difficult to manipulate?”
    Maya’s eyes
widened as a breath wheezed out of her. “I’d never do that, Director.”
    Rebecca threw
her head back and laughed. “Oh, Maya. You mustn’t let me tease you so. After
all that time with Dani, and you’re still so literal.” She placed a light hand
on Maya’s arm. “You must promise me you’ll work on that.”
    Maya inhaled
deeply, willing her heart to calm. Imagine, the director teasing. What had the
world come to? “I will.”
    “I imagine you’d
like to spend some time with your lovely daughter, now that you’re home.” Rebecca
rose gracefully. “I’ve arranged a meeting with the Council of Seven for next
week. They’ll want your full report. I’d like to have a copy ahead of time, if
possible.”
    Maya stood. “Of
course, Director. I’ll have it on your desk first thing Monday morning.”
    “Make it Tuesday,
and take the weekend for yourself. You’ve earned some rest.”
    “Thank you,
Director.”
    Rebecca shook
her head.