Sean looked around in the darkness for a moment. He agreed internally. It was kind of creepy. He tried to imagine what kind of people had come to this place throughout history. Knowing that Julius Caesar had come here to hide a precious clue was a sobering thought. “Just keep an eye out,” he said. “I don’t know much about this area. There could be gypsies or something hanging around.”
Tommy raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Gypsies?” He laughed out loud a second time.
“Just be on your toes. You never know.” Sean gripped the gun Marek had given him. He’d seen too many things, been caught off guard enough to know that just when things seemed the least threatening they could get bad fast.
The two pulled their flashlights out of jacket pockets and flipped them on. A bright, nearly full moon cast a ghostly glow through the perfectly clear sky. On the drive up the mountain there had been several pull offs that provided outstanding views of the countryside below. It was yet another place Sean wished he could come visit again when his life wasn’t in turmoil. The moon’s light shone through openings in the forest canopy, giving a little illumination to scattered areas in the woods.
Their flashlights were still a necessity, though, as darkness permeated the majority of the area. Neither man wanted to trip over an unseen rock, or worse, twist an ankle. A severe sprain sounded like nothing serious, except for the fact that it would slow them down immensely. Fortunately, the path had been well maintained by the Italian parks service, and there were only a few big roots jutting out of the ground here and there. The path itself rose steeply at first, winding its way through the woods. A sign on a tree told the Americans that they were headed in the right direction, and that the source of the river was just up ahead, only a few hundred meters away.
Tommy spoke up, apparently never comfortable with silence. Maybe the strange feeling in the air made him want to strike up a conversation. “We miss having you around, Sean,” he said, his voice cutting through the trees. “Not the same without you.”
Sean smiled, keeping his eyes on the trail in front of them. “I miss working with you too, buddy. But you know I had to do it.”
“I know.” Tommy kept his eyes ahead as well. “I know. But I also know a part of you misses it. The thrill of discovery, adventure, unraveling a piece of history with every artifact we find, you have to admit it is a pretty good gig.”
He was right about that part. Sean had loved his job, until it started to feel more like his work for the government than as an artifact recovery agent. “I haven’t really had a chance to miss it yet, buddy. I just got my shop going a few weeks ago. I’m sure that when things die down I’ll think about some of the good times we had, but for right now I’m good. Well, except for the fact that my girlfriend has been kidnapped by an insane person who may or may not have intentions of overthrowing a major European government.”
Tommy laughed at the last comment, though there was a sense of worry buried within his friend’s sarcasm.
Both of them had been avid campers throughout their friendship, having spent many a weekend in the mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. Despite the extensive amount of time they spent in the woods, there was something different about being in a foreign country, stalking through a forest at night.
“It’s creepy out here,” Tommy said, changing the subject of the conversation. “I never did like being in the woods at night. Just something about it that unnerves me.”
“I’m the same way. I never liked being in the woods after dark. Especially alone.” He didn’t say anything for a few seconds as they continued up the trail. “I am glad you’re here, though. Not sure if I ever told you, but you really had me worried after that bombing in Cairo. I didn’t know if you were going to make it or not.”
Tommy smiled in the darkness. “Yeah, well, I don’t really remember much about it. I just remember waking up in a hospital in Athens. But thanks for worrying about me. It’s kind of strange that if we find this antikythera thing that I’ll be headed back to Greece. I’ve only been there a few times, now twice in a couple of months.”
The trail began to level off and bent to the left around a thick clump of trees. The sound of trickling water began to fill the air. They followed the path to where the mountain began to rise again, its shadow jutting into the sky and blocking out a giant section of the starry blanket to the north. Sean flashed his beam in the direction he thought the sound was coming from and saw a wooden railing much like the one near where they’d parked. Just beyond the fence, a spring flowed from an opening in the mountain. Two flat stones on either side, and one on top, surrounded the water’s source. They were so strategically placed that Sean assumed they were put there by human hands. Whichever way the heavy rocks had arrived in the location, they’d certainly been there for several centuries. An opening in the forest canopy allowed the moon’s pale light to illuminate the area, as if the heavens themselves were honoring the ancient site.
“Looks like that’s our spot,” Tommy said, overstating the obvious. “Strange to think that this is the start of one of the most famous and historic rivers on the planet.”
“Yeah, it’s funny to think of it that way, but you’re right. That river has played a key role in the development of civilizations, waging wars, and the rise and fall of kingdoms. And it all starts right here with this little spring.”
The two paused for a minute to contemplate the significance of where they were standing before Tommy spoke up again. “So what are you thinking? The riddle says that this thing will be in the mouth of the river, right?”
Sean nodded. “That’s what it says. I assume that means in the hole where the water is coming out. That’s the literal mouth, I suppose.”
“Makes sense.”
They turned their flashlight beams to the shallow pool of water that collected around the spring’s source. The water brimmed at a point before beginning its long descent down the mountain. The two noticed several stepping stones in the pool, large enough for a person to stand on comfortably with both feet. The flat rocks appeared to lead all the way from the bank to where the water trickled out of the hole in the earth.
Sean stepped over to the embankment and reached out his right foot. Placing it on the first stone, he tested its stability, pressing his weight upon it and trying to move the object around. The rock didn’t budge, and he brought his other foot over to join the first. He took another step to the next rock, testing it out as he had the first. Sean wasn’t worried about the water’s depth; it was only six to ten inches at best. The temperature, however, was another issue. The last thing he wanted to do was drive back to Rome with wet socks, or bare feet, as the case would probably be if he fell in.
After a slow few minutes of carefully making his way across the stepping stones, Sean finally reached the river’s source. He crouched down on one knee next to where the water splashed into the pool.
“See anything?” Tommy asked loudly. His voice carried through the shadowy tree trunks of the forest, sending back a strange echo.
“Not yet,” Sean answered, shining his light around in the crevasse. He bent over a little farther, trying to get a better view into the dark recess. With his left hand, he braced himself against one of the stones and stuck the light into the hole, just above where the water streamed out. “Looks like there’s some kind of lip inside here.”
He took the flashlight and jammed the end of it into his mouth, clutching it with his teeth so that he could use both hands to investigate further. Sean reached his right hand into the cavity, tilting his head to the side to make sure the light was where he needed it. “I hope there aren’t any snakes in this thing,” he yelled back to his friend on the bank.