Page 222 of Empire of Shadows

The match burned out, and Adam muttered a curse.

Ellie grasped for logic.

“This is…” She swallowed thickly. Her throat had gone dry. “This is extremely valuable material for understanding the culture of Tulan, which must provide us with a great deal of insight into how other Mesoamerican societies were shaped. And of course, there are indications that human sacrifice was part of the religious and political practices of the greater region, even if the accounts come primarily from the Spanish conquistadors and must therefore be taken with a healthy grain of skepticism.” Her hands were shaking. Ellie clenched them as the words kept spilling out. “Why in the Florentine Codex—”

“Princess…” Adam cut in gently as his hand found her arm.

Ellie pulled in a breath. She felt dizzy.

“There are so many of them,” she said weakly.

“Yeah,” he replied through the darkness.

“Why are they down here?” she pleaded.

“I don’t know,” he returned. He squeezed her arm. “I’m gonna light another match, and we’re both going to look for a way out of here.”

“Very sensible,” Ellie agreed.

Her voice was steady even as her insides twisted with something like grief.

The bones were an important part of the archaeological record.

They threw children down here.

The record…

Another match flared to life. The sight of Adam’s face was an anchor, reminding her that she wasn’t alone.

They would get out of this.

Adam’s gaze rose to the top of the charnel pile, where Ellie could see the dark mouth of the tunnel down which the dead must have been thrown.

No, she thought with quick, frantic fear.Not that way. Please not that way.

She tore her eyes away from it and dropped them to the ground.

They fell on the shape of a little leather sandal poking out from among the bones by her calf.

Ellie fought the urge to scream.

“Over there.” Adam’s voice cut through the storm raging inside of her even as the light hissed out once more.

Darkness fell over them again. His hand slipped to her cheek.

“Hey. You all right?” he asked.

Ellie took a breath.

“I am fine,” she replied. Her voice was almost entirely steady. “I am a scholar.”

“You can be other things, too,” Adam quietly replied.

There were lives piled around her boots.

Ellie let herself lean forward. The movement brought her softly up against his chest. It smelled like mud and bats.

She stayed there and drew in a deep, shuddering breath as his hand stroked across her back.

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