Page 89 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
They made their way back through the tunnel, their lights creating shadows on the rough walls. The cameras watched blindly, waiting for power to return them to life.
At the bookshelf, Eluheed carefully reset the mechanism while Tony studied the books themselves.
"We need to know exactly which glass or plate Navuh uses," Tony said. "Can't risk getting the wrong prints."
"We'll get them all and use the bigger ones. Areana has dainty fingers."
"Good point," Tony agreed. "And the maid's fingers will be small as well."
36
TAMIRA
Tamira stared at the untouched food meant for Eluheed and Tony, the lie of their supposed meeting at the gazebo growing stale in the afternoon heat. They'd been gone for over an hour and a half now.
"We need to get rid of this," she told Tula, keeping her voice low. "It has occurred to me that they can't get out of the pavilion without our help. When they come out, they'll need us to distract the guards."
Tula nodded, casting nervous glances at the walkway leading to the gazebo. "We can dump the food in those bushes." She indicated a thick cluster of flowering shrubs. "With all the small animals living in the gardens, the evidence will be gone in minutes."
"Nevertheless, we should make an effort to hide it. Someone else might decide to seek solitude in the gazebo, and the smell alone will give the food away."
Tula crinkled her nose. "You are right. It has become pungent. But I have no intention of digging in the dirt with the fork to bury it."
"We'll just cover it well," Tamira said.
They scraped the food into the undergrowth, covered it as best they could with branches and loose leaves, and then stacked the empty plates as if the men had eaten and departed.
As they rushed back while trying to look like they were in no hurry, Tamira's mind cycled through all the possible disasters that could have befallen the men. What if they'd been trapped in the closet because someone locked it from the outside? What if the air had run out faster than calculated? What if someone had stayed behind and caught them? What if there was a battery-operated alarm at the entrance to the tunnel?
There hadn't been any commotion, and the guards were still standing at the two entrances to the pavilion, looking bored. Through the glass doors, she could see the darkened outlines of the interior.
"The interrogation committee is coming," Tula murmured in Tamira's ear.
Tamira's shoulders tensed before she forced them to relax.
"Ladies." Areana smiled. "I haven't seen you. Where have you been?"
"The gazebo," Tula said. "We got food for Elias and Tony."
"Aha." Areana moved to stand before them. "I was starting to wonder whether you decided to assist the men in their search for that exotic herb. Several people have asked about you."
"The men took a break and came to the gazebo to eat," Tula lied smoothly. "Wolfed down their food like starving animals and ran back to continue their hunt."
"In this heat." It wasn't quite a question.
"Men," Tula said with a shrug that made Areana's lips curl up in a smile.
"Indeed." Areana looked between them. "Are you waiting here for them to return?"
"We came to get water," Tamira said. "Elias forgets to hydrate when he's focused on something. We will take it to them."
That particular detail about Elias forgetting his thirst and hunger while working was true, and Areana would know it from the times he had worked in the indoor garden for hours without a break. The best lies were interwoven with truths.
"Yes, he does forget to take care of himself," Areana said. "But at least he's good at taking care of you." She smiled knowingly and walked away.
Tamira let out a breath. "Go watch the other door," she told Tula. "I trust you have a plan to distract the guard so the men can sneak by him?"
Tula grinned. "I'm the queen of distractions." She walked away with a sway of her hips that was more like her old self, before she discovered that she was pregnant and started to panic.
