"Well, Alex was an accident. I was chasing a Daimon who ran into the town where he was staying and after I killed it, he tried to get me to join his army. I told him I was leading my own and didn't have time to unite."
Tory never grew tired of hearing the memories of Ash's past. He'd done so many fascinating things and had witnessed the history that she'd only read about. He'd been there during the first sack of Rome. Had stood on the Wall of China just days after it'd been finished. He'd debated philosophy with Confucius and had eaten dinner with Kublai Khan and attended a feast with Buddha when he'd been just a young boy. He'd walked in Egypt when the Giza necropolis was being built. He'd played games with the dauphin when the boy had been a toddler and eaten dinner with the real King Arthur . . . it was just incredible the life he'd lived.
And he made her wonder what future historical events the two of them would share together.
"What about Jesus?" she asked, dying to know. "Did you ever meet him?"
"I heard him speak on several occasions. Again, he was brilliant and fascinating. There was just something about him that made you pay attention."
"But you didn't meet him?"
He shook his head.
"Why not?"
"For the same reason I never officially met Gandhi. I didn't feel worthy enough. I just liked to listen to them speak." Ash opened the door to the lecture hall.
Tory froze as she saw the gathered crowd.
Ash put his hand on her arm to steady her. "It'll be all right. Simi and I will eat anyone who so much as blinks at you in the wrong way."
Still she wasn't comforted. "I don't know about this."
"Then let's leave. My bike's outside, fully fueled."
She glared at him before she shook her head. "At least my pages are numbered this time." Taking a deep breath for courage, she forced herself to enter the room where the people looked more like sharks to her than historians, students and archaeologists.
But at least this time she had Ash with her. And Simi.
Ash stayed by her side until he reached the first row. He set his backpack down then took a seat. Simi flounced down beside him and smiled encouragingly.
Tory felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest as she approached the podium. The crowd here was almost as large as the one in Nashville.
God, how she hated speaking in public.
As she readied her pages, the door opened to admit Kim and Pam who waved at her before they came forward to sit beside Simi. Grateful for their support, Tory adjusted the microphone. And just as she was about to start her speech, Artemis opened the door.
She went cold at the sight and what it might mean. Not to mention, she saw the way Ash visibly tensed as if waiting for Armageddon to start.
Without a word to anyone or a glance to Ash, Artemis moved to sit in the back row, away from Ash and the crowd.
What the devil did she want?
Clearing her throat, Tory forced herself to ignore her. Artemis wasn't the important one here.
"Um, hi everyone," she said, speaking lightly into the mike. "I wanted to say thank you for coming today. I know some of you were there in Nashville to witness the debacle of my extreme humiliation . . ." she narrowed her gaze at Ash who had the good grace and sense to look sheepish and contrite, "but as you know, my team, a couple of weeks ago, excavated a large section of the underwater ruins we believed to be Atlantis."
A hand went up from a man she recognized as a historian, but she couldn't recall his name. She pointed at him.
"I heard that among the things found were conclusive artifacts that date back to 9,000 BC. If you can confirm this, you do know that you will have totally rewritten the historical record?"
Before she could respond the doors opened one more time to show her a UPS delivery man. Oblivious to the fact that he was interrupting her lecture, he headed straight for her. "Dr. Kafieri?"
"That would be me."
He handed her an electronic pad to sign.
Confused, she nervously looked around. "Please excuse me," she told the room as she signed her name, then took the small package from his hands. Frowning, she opened it to find Ryssa's final journal, the one that Artemis had had her men steal along with Ash's backpack.
It was the conclusive proof that would rewrite history and make not only her name but that of her father and uncle legends in their field.
This was the moment she'd always dreamed of. Ever since they'd laid her father to rest, her sole goal in life had been redeeming his name.
Her heart hammering, she looked at Ash whose face was now pale. He met her gaze and she saw his fear fade.
"Go ahead, baby. I know how much it means to you. Give your father back his reputation." Only she could hear Ash's deep voice in her head.