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

His
hand slid away from hers, creating a warm friction along her palm, and her
stomach jumped.
    “Likewise.” Maya
tucked her hands into the pockets of her cargo pants, curling her fingers
around the heat lingering on her palm. “We’re anxious to see the site.”
    Dr. Lindberg
pointed the end of his cane toward the grave. “Come, then. James and I shall
escort you. Indigo, would you be a dear and set up refreshments for our guests?”
    “Certainly, Dr.
Lindberg.”
    “Supper
tonight,” Maya said.
    Indigo nodded
and bowed. “Yes, Maetyrm. Dani, gentlemen.” She pivoted and strode toward the
trailer, her movements efficient and precise.
    Dr. Lindberg
smiled fondly after Indigo. “Such a good girl, always so helpful. Very bright,
too.”
    “I’ve found her
to be so myself,” Maya agreed mildly. The girl he’d just sent on errands
was twice his age, though Maya had a feeling that wouldn’t matter one whit to
Dr. Lindberg, even if she could tell him. His fondness would undoubtedly color
his opinion and he’d still think of Indigo as a young woman and not the
century-and-a-half years old warrior she was.
    Dani tucked her
hand into the crook of Dr. Lindberg’s elbow. “Well, now that the competition’s
out of the way, I can flirt with the handsomest man here.”
    Dr. Lindberg
laughed and patted her hand with gnarled fingers. “Tell that to my wife,
please. She thinks I’ve become crotchety in my old age.”
    As the unlikely
pair strolled across the site, Maya fell into step beside Dr. Terhune. They
walked for a few moments in silence, listening to the cadence of the
conversation between Dani and Dr. Lindberg.
    “I read your
paper on female divinities in sedentary hunter-gather bands. Fascinating
perspective.” James stuffed his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans. “Now
that I’ve met you, though, I can’t believe somebody as young as you are could
write something like that. The research alone must’ve taken years and you…”
    Maya glanced at
him. “I what?”
    He cleared his
throat, his gaze focused on the couple in front of them. “You barely look old
enough to be out of college.”
    “Just what every
woman wants to hear.”
    He smiled and
the corners of his eyes crinkled along faint laugh lines. Their arms brushed as
they walked, shooting a spark of warmth down Maya’s arm.
    “You take the
IECS’ Journal , then?” she asked.
    “Who doesn’t?”
He hesitated, cleared his throat again. “I applied for a pass to the IECS Archives
a few years back. They turned me down flat.”
    Maya pursed her
lips together. So he wanted access to the Archives, did he? And just when the
People needed him to be there. “I’m sure Director Upton could be persuaded to
grant you a pass if you’re still interested. I’d be happy to put in a good word
for you.”
    “Just like that,
no strings attached, for a man you just met?”
    “Oh, there are
always strings, and we have just met, but your reputation precedes you. You’re
part of the reason we’re here.”
    “Do tell.” His
mouth twitched into a crooked grin, flashing white, even teeth. “Is that my
professional reputation or the reputation I gained in my misspent youth?”
    She laughed.
“We’re hoping to lure you to the IECS to work with a new collection we’ve
acquired.”
    “So, my
professional reputation, then.”
    “It’s a good
one.”
    Maya slowed to a
stop. Ahead of them, Dani and Dr. Lindberg had reached the pit, and whatever
was in it must’ve been something. Dani loped away from it, crossing the open
ground quickly, and bounced to a stop in front of Maya and James, her green
eyes sparkling. “Maetyrm, you have got to see this.” She spun and
bounded back to the pit.
    James eyed
Dani’s receding figure. “Does she always bounce like that?”
    Maya sighed.
“I’m afraid so.”
    They approached
the pit at a quicker pace. The young woman Maya had spotted earlier was hunched
over a sketchpad next to a single skeleton turned