Page 1 of Her Two Dragons

DIGGING FOR A THESIS

Michelle

Alexandria, Egypt. Home of the most famous lost library in history, and hopefully where Michelle would find the keystone to hold her whole thesis together.

The dig site was more than she could have imagined, even though they’d only just started breaking ground. There were carefully blocked off sections, items being cleaned, crated up, and ready to be shipped to the museum that was going to help them with carbon dating and classifying the items.

She could feel it in her bones—something was waiting for her, just under the dirt and sand.

“Hey, don’t forget to hydrate out here. The sun’s a silent killer. Worse than the scarabs or the scorpions.” Dr. Brighton, Michelle’s professor, and the woman responsible for her place on this trip, strode by with all the confidence and power that her position demanded.

“I’ve got my water bottle right here. I know where all the refill stations are. You don’t have to keep an eye on me. You taught me well.” Michelle wanted nothing more than to be Dr. Brighton. An expert in her field, a talented archaeologist, a strong, independent woman who was well-read, both in the number of books she’d read, as well as the number of books she’d published. “Anything I find, I’m coming straight to you.”

“Hey, out here, it’s every woman for herself. You find something awesome, you stake your claim. I’m not here to take credit for my best student’s work.” She smiled. “I would take an acknowledgement though, when you find your big breakthrough.”

Logically, Michelle knew they weren’t likely to stumble upon anything as grand or as earthshattering as the Library of Alexandria or a lost city under the sand, but after hours upon hours of research into the area, studying ancient Egyptian texts and hieroglyphs, she longed to find something to really put the polish on her thesis.

Her thesis. What a joke that thing was turning into. Ideas got pitched, shot down, pitched in a different way, from a slightly different angle, all in the hopes of finding something worthy of her master’s degree. Something that would propel her toward a doctorate in Ancient Egyptian culture and archaeology.

But the Gods were done to death, so much that not even Isis could resurrect them. And, as Dr. Brighton had told Michelle time and time again, it had to be more than just theory. She had to experience it. Get her hands dirty.

Along with every article of clothing she brought with her.

Michelle kept digging, kept searching, for the mystical item that would make her theories a reality.

In the back of her mind, she could picture it, clear as day, even though she’d never actually seen it. No one had, not for centuries. The Obsidian Moon. The references she had were obscure, faded, and she wasn’t entirely sure sometimes that she hadn’t imagined the whole thing. But she knew in her gut that it had to be real. That it had to be out here, somewhere in the deserts near Alexandria, just waiting for a particularly dedicated student to uncover it.

* * *

The sun was high overhead,beating down on Michelle’s blonde hair and pale skin anytime she dared to step out from the fabric overhang she’d constructed. Her water bottles were both empty, but the nearest refill station was a five-minute walk across scorching sand under the burning sun.

She knew she’d have to make the trip soon, since it was nearly lunch time, and if she didn’t move fast, she wouldn’t get her pick of the sandwiches before sand and flies started to settle in. But that wasn’t quite enough yet to abandon her post.

“Hey, you’re Michelle, right?” A deep, rumbling voice filtered down from above just seconds before the heavy fall of boots landed next to her. His words held a faint accent, one that sounded more like the Egyptians she’d interacted with in Cairo and Alexandria than any other accent she’d come across at the dig. Even though it wasn’t quite Egyptian either.

With a sigh, she put down her tools and turned to face whoever was interrupting her work. Or, rather, to stare down the broad chest that just invaded her workspace. She had to look up almost a foot to meet the guy’s eyes. “I am. Who are you?”

“Name’s Khalid.” He didn’t extend a hand, didn’t offer any typical gesture of greeting that you’d expect upon meeting someone for the first time. “I’m one of the locals who’s helping out on the site for the next few days.”

Michelle kept her hands to her sides as well.

“I thought you might need a hat.” He held up a squashed, floppy brimmed hat that looked like he’d dug it up in the ruins, for as much dust and dirt caked the surface. “You really should be more prepared for the desert heat.”

“Not all of us were blessed with your darker skin tone or jet-black hair.” Michelle grabbed the hat and gave it a quick shake before cramming it on her head. “Some of us have to work with what we’ve got.” She brushed past him, grabbing her water bottles to set on the rim of her dig space. “Thank you for the hat.”

Khalid smirked as she started climbing the short ladder out of the pit. “I would hate to see you burn.”

Michelle bit back a smile, not daring to let Khalid’s subtle flirtation into her head. A guy like that didn’t look at a woman like her, not with her extra pudge around the middle or the double chin that appeared in every photo if she wasn’t careful.

Her mother had more than beaten that lesson into her.

Not that she’d hold his interest for long anyway. Even if he was into archaeology, and he wasn’t just here because he was trying to get college credit or something, she doubted he’d let her prattle on and on about all her interests.

A woman should strive to adopt her husband’s interests, Michelle. Not cultivate her own.She could still hear her mother’s voice in her head, every time she opened her mouth, excited about some new discovery or the latest fantasy novel she’d devoured.

Reading was, by far, Michelle’s biggest cardinal sin, as far as her mother was concerned.

She noticed he still lingering. “You heading to lunch?”

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