side effect of the recent droughts. Lack of rainfall loosened particles in the soil. When the wind blew against them, the particles vibrated and rose into the sky. Striking the ground repeatedly, they caused other particles to break free and follow suit.
The dirt wall thinned before my eyes. A moment later, it collapsed completely.
“It’s gone.” Graham arched an eyebrow. “It just vanished.”
“Stay on your guard,” Beverly said. “You never know when another one will pop up.”
I turned the ignition. The truck sputtered for a moment, choking out dirt. Then it sprang to life. Shifting gears, I pushed the accelerator. The truck lurched forward.
After a short drive, a couple of flimsy wooden structures appeared on the side of the road. Dirt swirled around their bases, erasing them. From where I sat, it looked like the buildings floated in mid-air.
I eased off the accelerator. Drooping wire enclosures occupied both sides of the road. One enclosure contained nothing but dry, cracked soil. Someone had carved out dozens of tiny saucer basins in order to contain precipitation. But the basins, like everything else in the area, were bone dry.
Long wooden posts supported the other enclosure. A single black bird perched on a post, facing inward. Following its gaze, I saw what had caught its attention.
Dead cows. Dozens of them.
The skeletal remains lay on parched ground. I didn’t see a single blade of grass or drop of water in the vicinity.
We drove past the remaining enclosures. Then the road twisted to the northwest. Still following the plane’s flight path, I directed the truck off the pavement and onto the parched soil.
Beverly glanced at me. “Are you sure about this?”
I frowned. “Not really.”
“What about Lila?”
“What about her?”
“She told you to destroy the reliquary, right?”
I nodded.
“Then why aren’t we doing it?”
My fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “Because I don’t know if I believe her.”
“It doesn’t hurt to be safe.”
“It might.”
She arched an eyebrow.
My face felt warm. I knew what she was thinking. I’d destroyed numerous artifacts in the past. So, what was keeping me from doing the same thing to this one?
Obviously, I couldn’t be sure the reliquary constituted a threat. But that wasn’t the only reason behind my hesitation. There was something else, something I’d only learned in the last few weeks.
Something that hit me on a very personal level.
I thought about telling her the truth. But I’d barely had time to process it, let alone accept it. So, I decided to take a simpler approach. “What if the reliquary could solve some long-forgotten mystery?” I asked.
“What if it’s just an old stone box?”
“It’s still a part of history. And that makes it important. More important than me, more important than all of us.”
She glared at me, her eyes boring holes into my skull. “Is that right?”
This is simpler?
“In the grand scheme of things, we’re nothing,” I said after a long moment. “Just three people out of billions. But the reliquary is unique.”
“I’m not unique?”
“I’m not saying that.” My face grew warmer. “Look, the world is screwed. We can’t save it. But we can still save the past. That reliquary will improve our knowledge of history. Society as a whole will benefit.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “So, society matters more than me?”
“No. It’s just …” I paused, trying to figure out a way to make my point. “Okay, here’s a hypothetical question. What if you had to choose between saving my life or one hundred lives?”
“I’d choose you,” she said without hesitation.
I arched an eyebrow.
“That’s what you do when you care about someone.”
“Okay, what if it was between me and every living person on Earth?”
“That’s a stupid question.”
“What would you choose?”
“It’s a stupid question. It doesn’t deserve an answer.”
“You just don’t
The dirt wall thinned before my eyes. A moment later, it collapsed completely.
“It’s gone.” Graham arched an eyebrow. “It just vanished.”
“Stay on your guard,” Beverly said. “You never know when another one will pop up.”
I turned the ignition. The truck sputtered for a moment, choking out dirt. Then it sprang to life. Shifting gears, I pushed the accelerator. The truck lurched forward.
After a short drive, a couple of flimsy wooden structures appeared on the side of the road. Dirt swirled around their bases, erasing them. From where I sat, it looked like the buildings floated in mid-air.
I eased off the accelerator. Drooping wire enclosures occupied both sides of the road. One enclosure contained nothing but dry, cracked soil. Someone had carved out dozens of tiny saucer basins in order to contain precipitation. But the basins, like everything else in the area, were bone dry.
Long wooden posts supported the other enclosure. A single black bird perched on a post, facing inward. Following its gaze, I saw what had caught its attention.
Dead cows. Dozens of them.
The skeletal remains lay on parched ground. I didn’t see a single blade of grass or drop of water in the vicinity.
We drove past the remaining enclosures. Then the road twisted to the northwest. Still following the plane’s flight path, I directed the truck off the pavement and onto the parched soil.
Beverly glanced at me. “Are you sure about this?”
I frowned. “Not really.”
“What about Lila?”
“What about her?”
“She told you to destroy the reliquary, right?”
I nodded.
“Then why aren’t we doing it?”
My fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “Because I don’t know if I believe her.”
“It doesn’t hurt to be safe.”
“It might.”
She arched an eyebrow.
My face felt warm. I knew what she was thinking. I’d destroyed numerous artifacts in the past. So, what was keeping me from doing the same thing to this one?
Obviously, I couldn’t be sure the reliquary constituted a threat. But that wasn’t the only reason behind my hesitation. There was something else, something I’d only learned in the last few weeks.
Something that hit me on a very personal level.
I thought about telling her the truth. But I’d barely had time to process it, let alone accept it. So, I decided to take a simpler approach. “What if the reliquary could solve some long-forgotten mystery?” I asked.
“What if it’s just an old stone box?”
“It’s still a part of history. And that makes it important. More important than me, more important than all of us.”
She glared at me, her eyes boring holes into my skull. “Is that right?”
This is simpler?
“In the grand scheme of things, we’re nothing,” I said after a long moment. “Just three people out of billions. But the reliquary is unique.”
“I’m not unique?”
“I’m not saying that.” My face grew warmer. “Look, the world is screwed. We can’t save it. But we can still save the past. That reliquary will improve our knowledge of history. Society as a whole will benefit.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “So, society matters more than me?”
“No. It’s just …” I paused, trying to figure out a way to make my point. “Okay, here’s a hypothetical question. What if you had to choose between saving my life or one hundred lives?”
“I’d choose you,” she said without hesitation.
I arched an eyebrow.
“That’s what you do when you care about someone.”
“Okay, what if it was between me and every living person on Earth?”
“That’s a stupid question.”
“What would you choose?”
“It’s a stupid question. It doesn’t deserve an answer.”
“You just don’t
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