Elara looked down at the idol. The smirk on its lips seemed wider now. She wrapped it in a lead-lined cloth, her hands steady despite the tremor in her soul. She didn’t tell him the truth. She couldn’t.
Then the lanterns flared back to life. Mateo was on his knees, nose bleeding. “What… what was that?” the idol part 1
“Anything, Dr. Vance?” called a voice from above. It was Mateo, her grad student, his silhouette a dark blot against the grey sky. Elara looked down at the idol