Page 64 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. "Two and a half hours," he murmured against her neck. "That's not enough."
"Then we shouldn't waste them standing here." She pulled back, her eyes bright with anticipation. "Come on. There must be a bed somewhere among all those furnishings."
A grin spread over his face. "I like the way you think."
"I'm pragmatic." She took his hand and led him deeper into the basement.
The space seemed to stretch endlessly, corridors branching off in multiple directions. Without the pressure of maintaining appearances, they could explore freely as they navigated the maze.
"Wait." She stopped, looking toward the back of the space. "What's that?"
Eluheed followed her gaze to where metal bars sectioned off part of the basement. He'd noticed it on their previous excursion. It was where the construction work had been.
"Let's look," she said.
They walked over to the bars, which ran from floor to ceiling, and behind the bars was glass that also ran from top to bottom, enclosing the concrete area.
"What requires bars in addition to glass?" he wondered aloud.
"And why is the entire floor covered in sand?" Tamira asked, pressing her face between the bars.
It had been carefully leveled and seemed to be at least a meter deep.
"That's strange," he said. "Why would the lord want to put sand in here?"
"It looks like Navuh brought the beach to his basement," Tamira said with a laugh. "Maybe he's planning to build an indoor beach resort. Add some palm trees, a wave machine,and voilà—tropical paradise underground with perfect climate control. No need to bake in the sun."
Eluheed studied the setup more carefully. The walls in that section looked like reinforced concrete with what appeared to be climate control vents. "It serves a purpose," he said. "Someone trucked all this sand in here for a reason."
"What purpose requires tons of sand in a basement?"
"I have no idea."
"This was the construction project," Tamira said, making the same connection. "This must be what they were working on. But why sand?"
"Maybe it's for whatever they retrieved from the harem," Eluheed suggested, remembering those containers. "Perhaps what was inside those chests were artifacts Navuh brought with him from the desert, and they need specific storage conditions."
"In sand?" She looked skeptical. "What could possibly need that?"
A sound from above made them both freeze—footsteps crossing the floor. They held their breath until the footsteps faded.
"We're wasting time." Tamira turned away from the bars. "I don't want to spend the precious minutes we have pondering Navuh's strange choices."
She was right. Whatever mystery the sand represented, it could wait. They had more pressing needs.
Eluheed took Tamira's hand, and they continued to where the furniture was stored. They walked past the familiar crates they'd explored during their previous visit.
"Look at this." Tamira stopped beside a massive shape covered in a dusty tarp. "What do you think is under there?"
"Only one way to find out." Eluheed grabbed one corner of the tarp while she took another. They pulled together, sending dust motes dancing in the fluorescent light.
What emerged made them both gasp. It was a four-poster bed, massive and ornate, carved from mahogany. The posts were topped with elaborate finials, the headboard was a work of art, intricate patterns of vines and flowers carved deep into the wood.
"It's magnificent." Tamira ran her hand along one of the posts. "This must be from when the house was a villa. Can you imagine Navuh sleeping in something so romantic all by himself?"
Eluheed couldn't. "Maybe it wasn't his. Perhaps it was in some fancy guest room. At least I hope that's where it was. I don't want to make love to you on his bed."
She arched a brow. "Why not?"
