The Ghost Manuscript by Kris Frieswick

Author:Kris Frieswick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: N/A
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Published: 2019-01-29T16:00:00+00:00

5

Thursday, the Solstice

Carys lay on the bed, letting the sun stream in. The day had dawned bright and clear. The wetsuit lay in a heap at the foot of her bed. She’d wrestled with it for ten minutes before she’d been able to grab the zipper strap dangling down her back.

Her first waking thought was of Dafydd. She should never have brought him into this. How was she going to explain this to Harper? Yes, sorry, John, but not only does he know all about our top-secret search for King Arthur, but he’s also an equity partner. That work for you? Who knew what other demands Dafydd would make once they found the tomb? She smiled bitterly. As if that would actually happen. She never pegged him as a mercenary, but that was just foolishness on her part. He salvaged wrecks for a living. He made his money retrieving what other people couldn’t. He’d told her that from the beginning. No surprise that he saw this dive the same way. It wasn’t a sacred cause to anyone but her, Harper, and Nicola.

And her father…god, this whole thing was just going to shit. But what choice did she have?

If she was honest with herself, she’d had plenty of choices. She could have used a computer and solstice charts and a map to figure out where on the island’s coast the line would fall. But that would have involved research and time and, frankly, knowledge that she did not possess, even with Lestinus’s help. Doing it manually, on the scene, just seemed like the fastest way, and time was entirely of the essence.

She rolled out of bed naked; she’d been too exhausted to put on her pajamas after doing battle with the wetsuit. She threw on some clothes, went to the hotel restaurant and ordered coffee and some scrambled eggs, and brought them back to her room to eat. And then she had to figure out what she was going to do all day.

As the morning trod on, she watched groups of people, some in long tunics like monks, others in various stages of undress or re-creations of what they imagined ancient pagans dressed like, milling around down near the water. The ferry to Bardsey left packed with them, rounded the headland to the right, and came back empty. It was going to be an absolute carnival over there. Which was probably good. Easier to stay hidden if the bad guy was following them.

At around noon, her father rapped on her door and asked if she wanted to go out for lunch. She declined and strongly recommended that he not venture out. There was no telling who was waiting for them outside. They were going to go out once today, and it was going to be to get into the boat Dafydd had rented and get the hell to Bardsey as fast as they could manage. He said he’d bring a couple of box lunches up to her room and they could just talk.

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