I feel my story is progressing nicely. I am still using the outline as a general guide but switching things up a little bit. I kind of like the additions. I hadn’t planned to mark the LMC agent but I think it will work out well for the story. though probably not for him. I suspect he will be dead by the end of the story, but that is for future sections.
Day 5
Ames hadn’t yet made up his mind about the ancient religious systems, mostly because he didn’t believe the Couran fit into any system others proposed. He rather suspected that the Couran were a separate tribe that conquered and were overthrown rather than any supernatural beings. He expected that in many of the places they ruled they upgraded themselves to some sort of god-kings and as a result when they were overthrown the affair took on religious notes.
It was not a theory he shared or really found any way to prove.
The site was interesting however. So few temple sites were uncovered and this one looked as though it was extensive. ‘And in the area that was thought to be one of the last hold outs.’ He picked up the picture revealing the glyphs as he sipped his coffee. Even if he maintained the same accepted understanding of the site this was a once in a life time chance.
‘Just look at those glyphs,’ he thought. ‘They look like they were buried right after they were carved.’ It argued well for the preservation of the site.
“I would be happy to lead the team on this,” Ames informed Folson. “I think the site is important enough that documenting it should be a priority, especially with it’s at risk status. Where we go from there will depend of course on how large the site is and what areas are beyond the immediate destructive zone.”
Dean Halliwell looked pleased with Ames response. “Excellent,” he said. “I know you were planning on taking this dig season off, but I am pleased you are willing to postpone your research for something this important.”
Folson too looked pleased. “You can start soon?” he asked.
“The semester is almost over and by the time classes are complete I can get a team together. We can head out as soon as supplies are gathered so that we have the longest possible season in the field,’ Ames replied. While he was eager to inspect the site and see what secrets it held, Folson was also eager. It puzzled Ames.
He could see the representative from the LMC wanting to have someone assigned to investigate the site, if only so he could check it off of his list of things to arrange but his eagerness seemed a bit much.
“Is there some other issue with the site?” Ames asked. “Some other pressing matter?”
Folson blinked in surprise. “Pressing? Such as?” he asked. He lifted a hand to run it through his hair. The gesture was quick and nervous.
“Such as protesters since the area…”Ames caught sight of a mark on Folson’s wrist. It was mostly hidden by his shirt cuff but his movements lifted his sleeve enough for it to show. “is considered one to avoid,” Ames continued. No one seemed to notice his pause. “Maybe there are environmental factors, rare species perhaps, habitat preservation?”
Folson laughed and lowered his hand again, relaxing at the questioning.
“No, nothing like that. The nearest town, Mortovan is willing to let you use one of their unused industrial buildings as storage for anything you found and are willing to even provide guides to take you to the site. They think you are crazy for going into the area and will no doubt caution you about rockslides in the area but there are no protests.”
“Are the rockslides a concern?” Ames asked. His heard was beating fast but he tried to push thoughts of the mark on Folson’s wrist out of his head for the moment.
Folson nodded, his nerves fading as he resumed his professional demeanor. “In certain areas there has been a lot of earth swept away by the rains so there will be loose rocks. However, they are mostly in he upper reaches. The area where you will be working is in an open enough area that it shouldn’t be a problem. If you do send anyone to look in the hills around, I would advise them to tread carefully and carry a stick to ensure the ground is safe before trusting it with their weight.”
“Always a good idea,” the dean said. “Don’t we have equipment of some sort in with the baggage you lot always take into the field?” he asked.
“We do have walking sticks we added to our equipage when the terrain is uncertain,” Ames replied.
“Excellent, we will be sure they take them along. Don’t want anyone twisting an ancle.”
“Or causing an avalanche,” Ales added.
“Indeed,” Dean Halliwell added.
They finished their coffees and left the cups on Ames’ desk. “I will send over all the paperwork,” Folson replied. Ames stood along with them.
“I look forward to it,” Ames replied as he walked around is desk and walked them to the door.
“I will be sending out the press release for the department stating we have assigned someone to look into the matter,” Halliwell said.
“We will coordinate with our press team,” Folson added. Ames smiled and let them proceed down the hall. Ames smiled politely as they disappeared around the corner, snippets involving the word press and statements drifting back through the hall. The door to Bacol’s office creaked open and Bacol stared at him through the opening, eyes narrowed.
“I suppose you think you are clever,” he hissed.
“The site is a pre-empire one,” Ames replied. “Given that is my specialty and not yours I don’t see why you would want it.”
Bacal snorted and closed the door. Ames heard the snick of a lock. He returned to his office and closed his own door. He took the two disposable cups the men left and threw them in the trash., He added more coffee to his own cooling cup and sat down. With the others gone, Ames allowed his pleasant smile to slip.
He thought about the marking on Folson’s wrist. ‘It could be a tattoo,’ he tried telling himself.
He knew that some of the older symbols were gaining traction among the younger crowd as tattoo designs. He had seen all sorts of ancient glyphs repurposed as artistic designs. He found some of them amusing as he could read the meaning of the glyphs and often it had little to do with what the person on whose skin the tattoo was inked believed it to mean. He had in fact planned a lecture to go over some of the meanings of the most popular ones. He hoped to use it as an entre into a discussion about the changing meanings of things over time.
‘That wasn’t a tattoo,’ he thought. ‘At least not a modern one.’
The mark was burned into the skin. There were descriptions of it in stories but he never thought to see it in real life. The stories told of the Couran marking their agents like a brand. Except that the burn of the brand never faded to a darker color but remained reddish on he skin.
Folson’s mark was reddish and the way the shirt sleeve slipped over it with no reaction from the man he could tell it was not a fresh burn. Thee was no hiss of pain or even wincing of the eyes. The mark had been there long enough that he no longer thought about it and probably hadn’t realized it showed when the shirt sleeve lifted with his movements.
It was a mark he was comfortable with.
‘But what would a modern LMC agent be doing marked with an ancient Couran glyph?’
