Page 4 of Hot Zone

Unfortunately, historic celebrity spotting wasn’t her purpose for being here. Finding a piece of the Karanovo stamp was.

The stamp was an incredibly important bronze medallion, decorated with depictions of the constellations of the zodiac. When all twelve pieces of it were assembled, it was supposed to signal some faraway council that mankind was ready to enter the ranks of star-traveling races. Tessa’s job was to find and retrieve a piece of the medallion.

To that end, she cast her mental awareness outward, seeking the distinctive sine-wave signature of the bronze wedge.

Hmm.Not in the room, but definitely in the vicinity.

Off to the east.

She zeroed in on it more tightly. A clear pinprick of energy tickled her second sight. It was not buried; rather it was out in the open in some way.

She sensed wood near it. Moving toward water. The signature was unmistakable, just like the other Karanovo piece she’d handled.

Outstanding. This mission was going to be a piece of cake. She would make a graceful exit out of this den of iniquity, find the segment of the medallion, then activate her cuff and let Athena bring her home.

If anything, faint disappointment filled her at how easy this was turning out to be. She’d hoped to spend a little time here. But if all went well, she might be in this era for only a few minutes. Bummer.

A raucous cheer went up twenty or thirty feet away from her, making her jump. A stunning brunette had stepped up onto a raised dais at one side of the room. Her high-waisted red gown was elaborately embroidered—and transparent. The diaphanous silk barely clung to her breasts, in open defiance of gravity. A gaudy necklace dripping with what looked like pigeon’s-blood rubies encircled the woman’s long neck. She raised graceful arms, swathed in jeweled bangles.

Her voice was huskier than Tessa expected, earthy and dripping in sex, when she called out over the din, “Do you wish to see my sorcerer perform?”

A roar went up. Many of the otherwise occupied guests disengaged, to make their way toward the woman. With an excellent sense of theatrical timing, the brunette waited until the noise died down and the musicians had been waved to silence.

When every eye in the place was firmly fixed on her, she called with grand dramatic flair, “Bring forth my magician! I, Queen Artemesia, present to you the shape-shifter of Halicarnassus!”

Artemesia! Tessa stood up eagerly to get a better look at the legendary woman who’d ruled the seafaring kingdom of Halicarnassus single-handedly and with great success. How incredible to have read about this Persian noble in Herodotus’s histories and now to be standing before her in the flesh.

Delia McCowan, a colleague back in Arizona and a time-travel veteran, had warned her of how strange it could be finding oneself in the midst of living history. But this…this was beyond amazing.

Artemesia was speaking again. Something about a man who could become a beast before their very eyes.

Tessa raised a skeptical brow. She didn’t for a moment doubt the existence of psychic skills—hers were formidable—but shape-shifting? This she had to see.

She looked across the crowd at the heavy curtain behind Artemesia. One of the advantages of being five foot seven in ancient Persia was that in this assemblage, she was taller than all of the women and many of the men.

The curtain behind Artemesia swept open.

A tall man stepped forward—tall even by modern standards. Such was the arrogance of his demeanor that, had he not already been identified otherwise, Tessa would have pegged him as Xerxes. His skin was bronze, but more as if tanned than genetic. Dark brown hair flowed in a mane about his shoulders. His eyes were blacker than any depravity this room could hold, snapping with disdain for the mere mortals at his feet.

No wonder folks in this time period believed in gods, if men like this walked among them!

His features were classic—strong jaw, high cheekbones, smooth brow. His nose was as arrogant as he was. A slave ran up and unlatched the man’s cloak, whisking away the scarlet wool with a flourish.

A sigh went up from the assemblage. The sorcerer was naked above the waist, his lower body draped in little more than a linen towel held in place around his hips with a jeweled belt. And what a body. It was as perfect as his face. His shoulders were broad and powerful, his arms wreathed in corded muscles.

Artemesia stepped close to him and ran her hand possessively across his belly. The sorcerer’s stomach muscles contracted into a six-pack a bodybuilder would envy. The queen’s long fingernails left four red trails across his skin.

Tessa’s gut tightened, as well. There was something…primal about this man. Almost animal. Raw and sexual.

Artemesia looked toward the far end of the room and called out, “Majesty, perhaps you would honor us by choosing a beast for this display!”

Tessa craned her head to see who the woman addressed, but a large cluster of guards crowded around whoever answered. A male voice shouted back, “Let us have an elephant!”

A cheer went up and all eyes fastened on the sorcerer.

Tessa watched with interest as the magician raised his hands chest high, his palms facing outward toward the crowd. He closed his eyes and released a slow breath.

Several women screamed. People in the first few rows of the audience cringed back in terror. A collective gasp rose around her.

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