The Dragon Pool: The Dragon Pool Read Online Free PDF Page B

somewhere--and Anastasia had just shot him--then the girl was as good as dead.
    Danovich stayed beside her as she went up to Ellie and Professor Kyichu. The four of them huddled together, and though other members of the team were milling around, the chatter was enough to distract most of them from a few quiet words.
    "I don't know if Kora was abducted or not," she whispered, gaze locked with Kyichu's. "But she's a smart girl, Han, so--like you--I can't believe she just drowned. We also don't know if the man I just shot was her kidnapper."
    "And now we'll never know," Ellie said, despair in her voice.
    "We will," Anastasia replied sharply. "I hit him. He's bleeding. But he's alive. I saw air bubbles on the surface and tracked him as far as I could. He swam out about fifty yards and turned east."
    Professor Kyichu stared at her. Their friendship was strained by his fear for his daughter. She could not hold that against him, and yet the grim doubt in his eyes and his voice hurt her.
    "Nobody can hold their breath for that long," Kyichu said.
    Anastasia held his gaze. "Nobody human."
    Professor Kyichu nodded. They'd all heard Xin and the others who'd seen the saboteur describe him.
    "You got a good look?" Ellie asked.
    "Good enough. Did he do any damage?"
    Danovich slung his rifle over his shoulder. "Not this time. I spotted him as he was slinking up toward the temple entrance excavation. He took off at the first shot. Can't believe I missed him. It's not like me."
    "He's damned quick," Ellie said.
    None of them wanted to follow that train of thought. At length, Danovich spoke again. "So, what now?"
    Anastasia turned to look out over the lake. "Help is on the way, I hope. Meanwhile, we keep one team working while the rest of us search for Kora. In the morning, we head for the village, just as we planned. And we stay on guard."
    A shout of alarm came from behind her, and she heard the sound of boots pounding the rocky ground. Anastasia turned, snatching the gun from the small of her back at the same time. Before she could even raise the pistol to take aim, she saw lanky, handsome Rafe Mattei running toward them. Several people moved aside to let him pass. One of the other students on the dig tried to reach for him, but Rafe shook his head and kept moving until he stood in front of the half circle made by Anastasia, Professor Kyichu, Danovich, and Ellie Morris. Others gathered around, now, all of them doubtless fearing the worst.
    Rafe had confusion in his eyes.
    "What's wrong?" Anastasia demanded. "More sabotage? Did he cave in one of the digs?"
    The young man struggled to catch his breath, but shook his head. "No, no. Nothing like that."
    "What is it, then?" Professor Kyichu asked. "Kora?"
    The apology in Rafe's eyes was enough to dispel that hope. Again he shook his head, and then he turned to Anastasia.
    "Dr. Bransfield, you asked us to keep working once the temple entrance was cleared," he said. "We've been at it all night."
    "All night," Anastasia said, frowning. "I never asked anyone to--"
    "No, you didn't. Dr. Conrad did. We've been photographing and cataloging everything in situ, while he's been translating the paintings and writing on the walls and the objects in the foyer room."
    A flicker of anger went through her. A specialist in ancient languages--among other things--Mark Conrad was essentially her second-in-command on this project, but not by her choice. He was talented and knowledgeable, but also an arrogant brown noser who pandered to their employers at the British Museum and romanced government ministers at museum events, jockeying for her position. Anastasia might be a hero to some in the British archaeological community, but some of the older, more proper members of the museum's board did not like the publicity she'd received over the years; they found it unseemly. On the other hand, they received all sorts of outside funding because of Anastasia's reputation, public image, and connections. So, while there were