The road twisted and turned. At this point, Dane could only see a few yards ahead. The way became interminably slow, one featureless stretch giving way to another, then another. He was beginning to feel antsy when suddenly, startlingly, the end of the chasm appeared.
Framed in the cleft before them was the facade of a great tomb, dazzlingly bright in the sunlight. The change from the gloom of the Siq was so sudden that, for a moment, Dane felt dazed and bewildered. He glanced at Kaylin, who was squinting and shading her eyes.
Gradually their consciousness began to absorb the glowing beauty and perfect proportions of the sculpture, the subtle coloring of the rock, and the soft green foreground of oleanders.
“This tomb is called the Khazneh or Treasury, and the urn at the top carries the marks of many bullets which have been fired at it in the hope of shattering it and releasing the treasure which local tradition says is hidden there. The rock face in which it is carved is sheltered from winds and rain, and the Khazneh is in consequence the best preserved of all the monuments. Most others are badly weathered, for the soft sandstone quickly submits to the battering of wind-driven sand and rain, and the sharp lines of the sculpture are reduced to a vague outline. Even here the bases of the columns, where it is a softer strata of stone, have weathered somewhat.” The guide quickly led them through the open area.
Dane looked at his wrist, checking the GPS monitor that was made to look like an oversized watch. Meriwether had made certain that all four of them had one. They were not far from their target location.
Beyond this clearing, the gorge narrowed again, with great tombs on either side. A little farther on was a theatre cut out of the living rock. Apparently, in the course of cutting this theatre, many tombs were sliced in half, and their inner chambers now stood open to the sunlight.
Soon they came to a place where the hills fell back on either side, leaving an open space about a mile long and three- quarters of a mile wide.
“Here, on the slopes,” the guide said, “was the actual city, its temples, palaces, baths and private houses, with a fine paved street following the line of the stream, and bridges reaching across at intervals. This was the great capital of the Nabataeans, from which, at the height of their power, they ruled the country as far north as Damascus. There was an earlier Edomite town on the site, but of that, practically no traces now remain. The city was extensively occupied from about the fifth century B.C. to the fifth century A.D., and was at its heyday during that time.
“All the monuments and buildings now visible belong, however, to the Nabataean and Roman periods. The extreme softness of the sandstone prevented any finely detailed work being done, and the sculptors had to devise a style to suit their material. This they did very effectively, and it is a tribute to their skill in design that none of the tombs, however small, seems dwarfed by the great cliffs which tower above them. They all fit perfectly into the general picture, and do not in any way detract from the natural beauties of the site.
Dane looked around. From the open space of the town site, valleys went off in all directions. Thank goodness for the GPS units. Otherwise, they could spend hours wandering up and down these narrow ravines. The ravines appeared to be lined on both sides with houses and tombs, of infinite variety and size. Occasional flights of steps wound their way up the sides of the mountains. They were not straight channels, but winding courses, their depths hidden by twists and turns.
“Many of the tombs are occupied by Arabs. During the day, you will hear them herding their flocks of goats. After sunset, you will likely see their campfires, and perhaps hear occasional snatches of song.”
Dane was surprised at this bit of information. He had always been under the impression that the entirety of Petra was abandoned, like the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde. At least the throngs of tourists and the many natives would make their searching around less noticeable.
The guide paused and motioned for everyone to circle around. He began describing some of the larger tombs, which were found in the northeast area of the city. Dane gradually worked his way to the back of the crowd. When he was out of sight of the tour guide, he consulted his GPS again, and then looked around to get his bearings. If his estimation was accurate, the location indicated in the writing on the sword lay to the northeast of where they stood. Looking in that direction, he saw that two narrow defiles snaked out of the canyon. Either could be the right one. Kaylin squeezed through the crush of the crowd, and sidled up next to him.
“Well, boyfriend,” she said the word with intentional irony, “what do you want to do first?” She had a pretty smile. More than pretty. Why hadn’t he noticed it before?
Dane ignored the boyfriend comment. Meriwether had suggested that the two of them pose as husband and wife. Dane had refused, but Kaylin took it in stride, though she seemed disappointed.
“The tour ends in an hour” he said, pushing away thoughts of her smile. “We don’t have to report for the dig until after lunch. Let’s see if we can ‘accidentally’ wander away from the group.”
She nodded her agreement, and reached out to take his hand. They walked slowly around the ring of tourists, pretending to take in the scenery. When they were certain that their guide’s attention was diverted, they strolled quickly but casually away from their group.
About fifty yards away, they blended into the fringes of another tour group. Bones and the Admiral were in this group, but the two pairs made a point to pretend that they did not know one another. Dane and Kaylin casually skirted these people in the same fashion that they had moved around their old group. When opportunity arose, they wandered away.
They were now very close to the two ravines that Dane had identified as likely candidates. Still pretending to gawk at the scenery, though in truth the gawking came easily in this magnificent setting, Dane pulled out his cell phone and called up Bone’s number. He felt a bit foolish calling someone who stood less than a hundred yards away, but it was the only way he could communicate with his friends without anyone seeing them talk to one another.
It took what seemed an interminably long time for the connection to be made, which was fine with Dane. Not that he believed anyone would realize that the two of them were talking to one another, but the delay did not hurt their ruse.
“Yep,” Bones answered.
“We’re headed northeast,” Dane said.
“East northeast,” Bones corrected, “I saw you pass by.”
“I can’t tell for certain where exactly the GPS is going to place us. We’ll take the ravine on the right. Let us get out of sight, then you and Meriwether take the defile on the left. I’m assuming the cliffs will block cell phone reception, so let’s get back into the open in one hour and call each other.”
“Do you really want us coming out of the clefts at the same time?” Bones asked.
“Negative. We’ll head out in fifty.”
“If I don’t hear from you, I’m coming after you,” his friend said.
“Same here,” Dane replied.
“Yes, Kemosabe,” Bones joked, and ended the connection.
Dane and Kaylin entered the narrow cut in the rock façade. Dane half expected to hear someone calling for them to rejoin the tour group, but apparently no one had noticed their departure. They came to a sharp bend in the rock, and behind them, the tour groups disappeared from sight.
The shade was even deeper in this constricted space. Faint sunlight bounded down the walls, casting a dull pink glow on the hard, sandy loam at their feet. Dane consulted his GPS. Fortunately, the unit was still receiving a strong signal. They were coming closer to their destination. He picked up the pace.