Page 85 of Troy Story
“Ah…there might be a lot of messages from me,” Stuart said. “And a few calls. I was a little frantic.”
She pressed the phone against her chest. “I think it’s sweet, but I’ll read them later.” She placed it in her back pocket. “How much beer do we have in the fridge?”
“I just restocked two days ago. Why?”
“Because we need to show our German visitors some hospitality.” She smiled at Dr. Wagner. “How about a drink? All we have is Turkish beer, which isn’t up to the standards of a good German lager, but…”
“A cold bottle of Efes still tastes good on a hot day,” Dr. Wagner said. “We’ll join you.”
As Dusty went to get the beer out of the fridge, Clarissa spoke up. “What about Mehmet? Will he be punished? I don’t think he wanted to help Hughes. It sounds like he just needed the money.”
“He can’t work for us anymore,” Dr. Wagner said. “I’ll have to see about hiring someone else. But I won’t report him, either.”
Dusty was glad to hear it. She liked Mehmet and pitied him for getting roped into Dr. Hughes’ scheme.
She took out the beer and set the bottles on the counter. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than to share a celebratory drink with their new allies now that they’d all emerged victorious in the (second) Trojan War.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
Stuart looked out the window, gazing at the skyline of Istanbul in the distance. Given the dense traffic and the vast sprawl of the city, their bus wouldn’t reach the station for another hour. But the longest part of the journey was over. By seven, he and Dusty would be comfortably settled at their rental place in the Old City, near the historic monuments in Sultanahmet Square.
Beside him, Dusty slept peacefully, her head resting on his shoulder. The last few days at the site had been so busy that the whole crew had put in extra hours, staying up late to get their finds cleaned, sorted, and documented before the season ended. Even if they hadn’t found a cemetery, they’d made considerable progress in expanding the lower city and revealing more about life at Troy during the Late Bronze Age.
The season’s biggest win had been the Germans’ discoveries. The day after Mehmet had shown Dr. Wagner where he found the first tablet, Leo had uncovered two more—both engraved with the same cuneiform markings. Though they had yet to be translated, their discovery marked a significant turning point in the history of Bronze Age Troy.
In November, Dr. Wagner would present his finds at the Troy symposium in Amsterdam. Stuart would be there as well, representing the University of Boston, and Dusty planned to join him. For all their travels, neither he nor Dusty had ever spent time in Amsterdam, so the trip would be a new adventure.
Dusty blinked and rubbed her eyes. She graced Stuart with a sleepy smile. “That was such a good nap. Please tell me we’re almost there.”
“Not quite. Another hour or so. Glad you got to rest.”
“Thanks for letting me sleep on your shoulder. Apologies if I drooled on you.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through it. “Clarissa says hi. She and her dad are flying to Cappadocia tomorrow for a three-day tour, including a hot-air balloon ride over the rock formations. Oh, and Mort’s friend loved my medieval sketches. Now he wants some of Regency England, which means I’ll get to draw dukes and duchesses and horse-drawn carriages.”
“That’s fantastic.” Stuart was so proud of her for taking this leap into the world of children’s book illustration. She was happier about this project than she’d ever been about her dissertation. “Any more news?”
“Dr. Wagner also sent me a message. His crew found two more tablets.” She handed Stuart her phone. “Take a look.”
He regarded the photos with awe. Both tablets were engraved with dense lines of cuneiform. It was looking more and more like the Germans had discovered the royal archive of Troy. “That makes five so far.”
“I know, right?” Dusty took her phone back. “I can’t wait to find out what they say. Dad’s been conferring with Dr. Wagner on the translation. They think the script might be a variant of Linear A or B.”
“Whatever’s on them, the news is going to rock the archaeological community. Kerim said the Troy Museum is already working out where they’re going to display them once they’ve been translated.”
“What a coup for Turkish history.” She grinned. “I love that I was in the middle of all this discovery. I’m so glad we didn’t let Hughes win.”
Stuart chuckled. “He went to all this trouble, got himself barred from Troy, and for nothing. Finding one tablet might have seemed like a big deal when he came up with his plan, but that’s a minor win compared to digging up a whole archive.”
“Yeah, he wasn’t thinking about the big picture at all.” She checked her phone again. “Speaking of Wagner, he invited me to join their dig next summer if I’m looking for work.”
From her saucy tone, he sensed she was hoping to get a rise out of him. “Are you considering it?”
“I would, but I already promised this superhot, sexy-as-hell American professor that I’d spend the summer with him.”
He laughed at her blatant attempt to flatter his ego. “With any luck, you can work with both of us since I’ll probably be back at Troy next July, collaborating with Wagner.”
During his last week on-site, Stuart had discussed the idea of a joint excavation with Kerim and Dr. Wagner. Kerim had not only been in favor of a collaboration, but he’d also agreed to propose the concept to the Turkish Ministry of Culture. Stuart didn’t know if he’d be asked to lead the American team or just serve as the assistant director again, but he was eager to go back. He’d enjoy it even more if Dusty could join him.
“I’d be totally on board with another season at Troy,” Dusty said. “As long as I don’t have to work with Dr. Hughes again. Ever.”
