Heart's Desire Read Online Free PDF

and descenders that ended in stylized points. That could have been an artifact of carving them into stone, though, without the benefit of mechanical tools. His mind was already spinning rapidly over the possibilities.
    â€œI’d like to get some more light in here,” Daniel said. “Let me… no, no, I should get some other people down here. Anath, can you show me the fastest way back outside? My radio won’t work underground.”
    Anath gave his radio a skeptical glance but led him back through the maze of corridors to a set of steps that opened abruptly out to a small terrace, where a spindly potted tree looked like it didn’t get watered as often as it would have liked.
    He thumbed on his radio. “Hey, Jack?”
    â€œRight here,” Jack said. “We’re being served tea. And little pastries.” He sounded amused.
    â€œThat’s nice,” Daniel said. “I need you to bring me my pack, it’s got a better light in it. And you should come see this, anyway. We’re in the — where are we, Anath?”
    â€œThe gallery that runs along the outside of the Hall of the Bulls,” Anath said in bemusement.
    â€œRight, did you get that? The gallery that — do you actually have cattle here? I wouldn’t think that with as little arable land —”
    â€œDaniel,” Jack said.
    â€œGallery outside the Hall of the Bulls,” Daniel said. “I’m sure somebody can show you the way.”
    â€œLet me guess,” Jack said. “You found a wall with writing on it.”
    â€œNo, I found a set of clay tablets with writing on them, and I need to get pictures because they look like they’re ready to fall apart. Oh, did I mention that the writing on them is in Ancient?”
    â€œYou have now,” Jack said after a moment. “Okay, we’ll come down.”
    Anath put her head to one side watching him. “You like these things?”
    â€œYes, they’re very interesting,” Daniel said, and meant it more than he had all day.
    â€œThere are more in the treasury,” Anath said. “The High King collects things found in the deserted places.”
    â€œThe deserted places,” Daniel said. “You mean ruins? Places where people used to live?” He welcomed the itch of curiosity, intense enough to drive all other thoughts out of his head for a while. “I’d very much like to see the rest of them.”
    â€œGood,” Anath said, smiling cheerfully. “Walat was sure we’d find something you wanted.”
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    â€œS o I really think their price is very reasonable,” Daniel said over the video link. General Hammond privately suspected that Daniel would say so no matter what it was, given the chance to get more information about a mysterious ancient civilization, but in this case he really did think it was reasonable.
    Antibiotics and information on methods of producing them were a fair exchange for the tablets, and something that they would probably been willing to provide for purely humanitarian reasons without asking for anything substantial in return. He hoped Daniel had more sense than to mention that. Besides, there was a certain inherent value to having a reputation as nice, friendly people who got along well with others.
    â€œAll right,” Hammond said. “I’ll get someone to work assembling those supplies.”
    â€œYes, well, there is one slight catch,” Daniel said.
    Hammond resisted the urge to sigh audibly into the microphone. In their line of work, it seemed like there was always just one slight catch. “And what would that be?”
    â€œWell, we’ve been negotiating with the Minister of Trade, Walat, but apparently the High King is the only one who can actually approve the trade agreement.”
    â€œThat doesn’t seem like a problem.”
    â€œNo. The problem is that we have to have someone of equivalent rank among our people